If you’ve spent any time running open-world clears or Forgotten Hall runs in Wuthering Waves, you’ve probably noticed that infantry-style resonant units make up the backbone of almost every viable team comp. Their close-range high burst damage, flexible rotation slots, and low energy cost for core skills make them fan favorites, but many players still struggle to use them to their full potential. We’ve put together this guide to break down how should the infantry engage Wuthering Waves enemies of all types, from common overworld mobs to endgame boss fights, so you can stop wasting damage windows and start clearing content faster.
Core Rules for How Should the Infantry Engage Wuthering Waves Enemies
Infantry units operate very differently from ranged or catalyst users, so following a few simple ground rules will make a huge difference in how much damage you deal and how little damage you take. Always lead with a ranged support’s debuff before engaging – that 10-15% defense shred from units like Verina or Jiyan makes a massive difference in your infantry’s damage output, and you won’t waste your first few melee hits on full-defense enemies. Wait for enemy attack cooldown windows to close the gap – most common mobs have a 1.2 to 1.8 second cooldown after a 3-hit combo, which is exactly enough time for you to dash in, land your full infantry combo, and dash out before their next attack.
There are three non-negotiable rules we recommend every player follow for infantry engagements, no matter what content you’re running:
- Never use your infantry’s ultimate skill before you’ve applied at least one damage buff or enemy debuff, as you’ll lose up to 40% of your potential burst damage.
- Prioritize targeting elite mobs first in group fights, as their area-of-effect attacks are the biggest threat to your close-range units.
- Keep at least 20% of your stamina reserved at all times for dodging unblockable boss attacks, even if you’re mid-combo.
So many new players burn all their stamina dashing into fights immediately, and then get stuck taking full damage from unblockable red attacks that they can't dodge out of. You don't need to be the first unit to hit an enemy, you just need to be the one that lands the highest damage hits at the right time. Even a 1-second delay to get a buff up will pay off far more than rushing in and doing half damage for the entire fight.
Adjusting Your Engagement Strategy for Different Enemy Types
The same strategy won’t work for every enemy you face, so you’ll need to tweak your approach based on what you’re fighting. For common overworld mobs that have low health and low damage output, you can afford to be far more aggressive. For groups of small melee mobs, use your infantry’s AoE heavy attack first to cleave all of them at once – this clears them in one or two hits instead of wasting time targeting each one individually. If you run into flying mobs, don’t waste stamina jumping repeatedly to try and hit them with your infantry; swap to a ranged unit first to knock them down to ground level, then switch back to your infantry to finish them off quickly.
For elite enemies with elemental shields, your priority shifts to shield breaking first before you focus on raw damage. Match your infantry’s elemental resonance to the enemy’s shield weakness to break it 2x faster than if you use a mismatched element. For example, if you're fighting a hydro shield elite, bring a glacio infantry unit to shatter the shield in seconds, instead of poking at it with a fusion unit for minutes. Once the shield breaks, the enemy will be stunned for 3 full seconds, which is the perfect window to pop your infantry’s ultimate and deal as much burst damage as possible before they recover.
For endgame boss fights, patience is far more important than aggression. Spend your first 30 seconds of the fight just dodging and observing the boss’s attack pattern, instead of attacking immediately. Once you learn the gaps between their big attacks, you can dash in during those vulnerable windows for maximum damage. Don't get greedy, even if you have your ultimate ready, if the boss is about to do a big AoE, wait it out, the ultimate won't disappear if you hold it for 5 more seconds.
Team Synergy Tweaks to Boost Infantry Combat Effectiveness
Your infantry unit won't perform well if you don't build the rest of your team around their strengths. First, you always want one support unit that can heal or provide shields, so your infantry can stay in the fight longer without having to back off. A shield support is almost always better than a pure healer for infantry teams – shields let you take small hits without interrupting your combo, while a healer only fixes damage after you've already taken it and possibly lost your damage streak. If you’re running a particularly squishy infantry unit, you can run both a shield support and a healer, but that will cut into your overall damage output, so it’s only recommended for very hard endgame content.
You also want a sub-DPS unit that can apply consistent elemental effects for fusion reactions, so your infantry's hits trigger extra damage every time. Make sure your support skills are timed to line up with your infantry's burst windows. For example, if your infantry's ultimate lasts 8 seconds, pop your support's damage buff 1 second before you switch to the infantry, so the entire duration of the ultimate is covered by the buff. So many players pop the buff first, then switch, then waste 2 seconds of the buff duration swapping units and positioning. That's a small adjustment, but it adds up to a lot of extra damage over the course of a long boss fight.
Don't run three infantry units in one team, no matter how much you love close-range combat. You'll have no way to apply debuffs from range, and you'll run out of stamina constantly dodging attacks for all three close-range units. The ideal team comp for an infantry main is one infantry DPS, one shield support, one elemental sub-DPS, and one flex slot that you can swap out for a healer or another support depending on the content you’re running.
Common Infantry Engagement Mistakes to Avoid
Even players who have been using infantry units for months often make small mistakes that cut their damage output by 30% or more. The most common mistake we see is spamming basic attacks nonstop. Basic attacks are fine for building energy, but heavy attacks deal 3x more damage, and you can fit two heavy attacks into the same window you'd use for 5 basic attacks. Don't be afraid to hold down your attack button for heavy hits, even if it means you have a slightly longer wind-up time – the extra damage is well worth the wait, as long as you're attacking during a safe window.
Another mistake is switching out of your infantry unit mid-combo before you've triggered their passive damage bonus. Most infantry units have a passive that gives you a 15-25% damage buff after you land 3 consecutive hits, so switching out before you trigger that wastes the buff for the rest of your rotation. If you need to swap to a support to refresh a buff, wait until you’ve landed that 3rd hit and triggered the passive first, then swap, so the buff is still active when you switch back to your infantry.
Also, don't waste your dodge on small, chip damage attacks. If an attack is only going to take 5% of your health, and you have a shield up, just take the hit and finish your combo, instead of dodging away and losing all your damage momentum. The worst mistake we see is players ignoring their infantry's energy needs. If your infantry needs 40 energy to use their ultimate, make sure you're using their basic attacks to build energy when the boss is in an invulnerable phase, instead of switching to a support unit and wasting time. That way, as soon as the boss becomes vulnerable again, you can pop your ultimate immediately for maximum burst.
At the end of the day, mastering close-range combat in Wuthering Waves is all about patience, timing, and knowing when to push your advantage and when to back off. Once you get the hang of how should the infantry engage Wuthering Waves enemies across all content types, you’ll notice your clear times drop significantly, and you’ll be able to take on much harder endgame content without having to grind for extra character levels or better artifacts. Don’t get discouraged if you mess up a few runs at first, even experienced players miss damage windows or get hit by unexpected attacks now and then. Test out different strategies with your favorite infantry units, adjust your team comp to fit your playstyle, and you’ll be dominating fights in no time.