Wriothesley in Genshin Impact: Weapons, Artifacts and Teams Guide

В Genshin Impact Duke Wriothesley is a Cryo main-DD that plays off normal and charged attacks and uses the Ousia mechanic. Changing his own HP when performing attacks in a stance and having the risk of breaking ice on frozen opponents, the hero requires competent play and right squads.

In this guide, we'll compare the effectiveness of teams using various reactions, including Freeze, Star Conductor, and Melt, including with Dendro characters. Since the order of attacks in battle can heavily depend on the presence of C1 and a healer in the party, we'll also examine constellations and rotations.

How to Get the Character

Reran Risley will be in the 6.7 update, the first phase of the update. It will be added to the special "Prayer of Light" along with personal equipment.

To avoid missing the replay of your desired satellites, stay tuned for updates. banner schedule.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Risley is a Cryo damage dealer with a health-scaling mechanic, unrelated to any reactions. This allows him to be used in a variety of groups, tailoring his allies to the vulnerabilities of specific enemies. This flexibility also has a downside: he's not exactly a hyper-carry, carrying the entire group.

The Best Risley Builds in Genshin Impact

The build for Wriothesley as the main DD, who is on the battlefield most of the time, using a combination of normal attacks and elemental burst, should include not only stats, but also bonuses that increase damage. The Duke requires critical mass for more DPS, and also ATK and Cryo bonus. It would not be superfluous to increase attack speed, this effect can be found in some types of weapons.

Recommended Stats

The build is based on the classic characteristics of a damage dealer: Crit. damage/crit. chance and ATK. Considering that he is also capable of playing through the Melt reaction, EM may be necessary. The ultimate is not that expensive (60 energy), but this ability plays an important role in the gameplay, so energy rechargewon't be superfluous for the sub-stats .

Stats that are recommended to look for in artifacts:

Artifact	Stats
Flower of Life Main Stat: HP (fixed)	Crit. chance / crit. damage ATK % Energy Recharge %
Plume of Death Main Stat: ATK (fixed)	Crit. chance / crit. damage ATK % Energy Recharge %
Sands of Eon Main Stat: ATK %	Crit. chance / crit. damage Energy Recharge %
Goblet of Eonothem Main Stat: Cryo damage %	Crit. chance / crit. damage ATK % Energy Recharge %
Circlet of Logos Main Stat: CRIT Rate or DMG	Crit. chance / crit. damage ATK % Energy Recharge %

The optimal final values ​​of stats that are recommended to have on the character:

• ATK: 1700 and more.
• Crit Rate and Crit Damage: minimum ratio 1:2 (for example, 60 Rate and 120 DMG). Ideally, it is desirable to get 70-80% crit. chance - in this case you can get as much damage as possible (190-200% and more). When playing through Frozen, it is enough to gain 30-40% crit. chance.
• Energy recharge: 120-130% and more (without Cryo allies), 110-120% and more (with Cryo allies).
• Elemental Mastery: 150 and more (when playing through Melt).

Choosing a strong weapon

When choosing a weapon, give preference to catalysts that increase:

• damage of normal and charged attacks;
• Crit damage or crit chance;
• ATK and attack speed.

If you use the character in a Melt team through, you can equip a weapon with elemental mastery. However, it is worth considering that previous bonuses and stats are no less important.

Name	Passive	Recommendation
Cashflow Supervision ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Base stat:: 48-674 CRIT Rate: 4,8-22,1%	Increases attack power by 16-32%. When the character's current HP increases or decreases, normal attack damage increases for 4 sec. by 16-32%, and charged attack damage by 14-28%. The effect stacks up to 3 times and occurs no more than once every 1 sec. When the equipped character gains 0,3 levels, attack speed increases by 3%.	Treasury Oversight is Risley's signature weapon, perfectly suited to his needs and providing everything he needs. The catalyst has a high base value and buffs attack speed and damage. As the hero's HP increases or decreases, the damage of normal and charged attacks also increases—the same condition applies to the passive "Let the hour of retribution for sins come."
Tulaytullah's Remembrance ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Base stat:: 48-674 CRIT DMG: 9,6%-44,1%	Normal attack speed is increased by 10%-20%. After activating an elemental skill, normal attack damage is increased by 4,8%-9,6% per second. within 14 sec. While this effect is active, each hit on an enemy instantly increases the damage of a normal attack by 9,6%-19,2% once every 0,3 seconds. While one such effect is active, normal attack damage can be increased by a maximum of 48%-96%. The effect will be removed if the character leaves the battlefield, and reactivating the elemental skill will reset the damage increase.	An alternative to the Signature. The weapon is interesting in that it has a high base, increases the speed and damage of a normal strike, as well as has critical damage as the main stat. There is no boost to charged strikes, but this is compensated by other useful bonuses. When using this catalyst, it is worth remembering that in order to get most of the boosts, you must always start the rotation with elemental skill.
Skyward Atlas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Base stat:: 48-674 ATK: 7,2-33,1%	Increases elemental damage bonus by 12-24%. When hitting with a normal attack, there is a 50% chance to gain a blessing of clouds that attacks nearby enemies for 15 seconds and deals 160-320% of ATK damage. May occur once every 30 seconds.	Huge ATK boost, elemental damage bonus, and extra AoE damage when hitting with a basic attack. This is a great replacement for the previous catalysts that drops from the standard banner. Loses to Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds and The Widsith only if the party has Bennett.
Tome of the Eternal Flow ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Base stat: 44-542 CRIT DMG: 19.2-88.2%	Increases HP by 16-32%. When the character's current HP increases or decreases, the damage of the charged attack increases by 14-30% for 4 sec. The effect stacks up to 3 times and occurs no more than once every 1 sec. Upon gaining 0,3 levels or refreshing the duration of level 3, 3-8 of energy are restored. Energy can be restored in this way once every 12 sec.	Wriothesley's DPS comes not only from charged strikes, but also from regular ones, and he does not need an increase in HP. However, the weapon will help to activate elemental burst more often, and thanks to the mechanics of HP loss, it will be able to activate the passive effect. It is not worth specially pulling for, but the catalyst will show good results in rotation with frequent use of charged strikes.
Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Base stat:: 46-608 CRIT Rate: 7,2-33,1%	Increases movement speed by 10%. During combat, every 4 seconds grants an 8-16% bonus elemental damage, stacking up to 4 times, and ends when the character dies or leaves the battlefield.	Has average ATK for a legendary weapon, but increases critical hit chance and movement speed. The passive effect also gives a decent elemental damage bonus, but to get all the stacks, i.e. the maximum buff, it is important to stay on the battlefield for 16 seconds.
Memory of Dust ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Base stat: 46-608 ATK: 10,8%-49,6%	Increases shield strength by 20%-40%. On hit, increases attack power by 4%-8% for 8 seconds. The effect can stack up to 5 times and occur every 0.3 seconds. In addition, while the character is protected by a shield, their attack power bonus of this effect is increased by 100%.	The weapon is weaker than other legendary alternatives and requires a shielder in the team, which is not always convenient due to the fact that the hero plays better with healers. The Catalyst does not increase elemental damage or the method of its application, but gives a lot of ATK, which is useful in teams from the reaction of Vaporize or Frozen. In the first case, it is beneficial to choose clock for elemental mastery, and in the second, the increase in the attack stat will come in handy if Bennett is not in the squad.
The Widsith ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Base stat:: 42-510 CRIT DMG: 12%-55,1%	When switching to the character, a random melody plays for 10 seconds. The effect works every 30 seconds: Recitative: Attack power +60-120%. Aria: Elemental damage +48-96%. Interlude: Elemental Mastery +240-480	Offers crit damage and depending on the random melody gives a huge bonus to ATK, Elemental damage or elemental mastery. When playing through the Melt reaction, is the best epic book, which is in the top 5 position at R3. However, it is important to keep in mind that for Frozen or mono-Cryo, the EM buff becomes useless.
Ballad of the Boundless Blue (F2P) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Base stat:: 44-565 Energy recharge: 6,7%-30,6%	For 6 seconds after hitting an enemy with a normal or charged attack, normal attack damage will increase by 8-16%, and charged attack damage will increase by 6-12%. The effect can stack up to 3 times and occurs once every 0,3 seconds.	An event weapon that increases damage of normal and charged attacks. The lack of ATK and crits is compensated by a fairly high base, a noticeable increase in auto-attacks (especially at R5) and energy recovery. This is one of the best F2P catalysts.
Dodoco Tales (F2P) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Base stat: 41-454 ATK: 12%-55,1%	Hits with normal attacks make charged attacks 16%-32% stronger for 6 seconds, and charged attacks, in turn, increase attack power by 8%-16% for 6 seconds.	Another event weapon. Increases the damage of charged attacks if you hit with a normal hit, as well as ATK when you hit with a charged attack. Overall, the passive effect fits easily into the classic character rotation, so he will be able to get all the buffs without any problems.
Solar Pearl ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Base stat: 42-510 CRIT Rate: 6%-27,6%	Hitting with a normal attack increases the damage of elemental skills and elemental burst by 20-40% for 6 sec. Conversely, hitting with elemental skills and elemental burst increases the damage of a normal attack by 20-40% for 6 sec.	A weapon from the BP. Increases crit chance, damage of a normal hit and elemental burst. After using the ult, you need to hit with basic attacks for 6 seconds, that is, do not switch, since there is no other way to get the bonus. It is also recommended to activate the burst within 6 seconds after a normal attack.
Flowing Purity (F2P) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Base stat: 44-565 ATK: 6%-27,6%	Activating an elemental skill increases all element damage bonus by 8-16% for 15 sec and places Bond of Life equal to 10% of Max HP once every 24 sec. When Bond of Life is removed, all element damage bonus for 15 sec increases by 2-4% for every 1000 Bond of Life HP. All element damage bonus cannot exceed 12-24%.	Free craft book from Fontaine. Increases ATK in the main stat and gives a bonus to damage of all elements in the passive. To trigger the passive effect, it is enough to use an elemental skill and continue to strike enemies for 15 seconds to use the max. boost.
Frostbearer ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Base stat: 42-510 ATK: 9-41,3%	Normal or Charged Attack hits have a 60-100% chance to create an ice crystal above the enemy and drop it, dealing 80-140% of attack power damage in an area. If the enemy has the Cryo effect, it deals 200-360% of attack power damage. Can occur once every 10 seconds.	An excellent crafting option in mono-Cryo squads and Frozen teams. The second part of the passive ability is almost half the damage from the weapon, so it is better not to neglect it and comply with the condition of the Cryo status on the enemy. It is better not to use the Catalyst in teams through Vaporize with a large amount of Pyro.
Twin Nephrite ⭐⭐⭐ Base stat: 40-448 CRIT Rate: 3,4%-15,6%	Defeating an enemy increases movement speed and attack power by 12-20% for 15 sec.	If you can't get the weapons discussed, you can equip Twin Nephrite, which is obtained from Liyue chests. For a weapon of such rarity, it has a pretty good base and increases crit. chance. After defeating an enemy, it also increases movement speed and ATK.

Other equipment options can be found at weapon tier list.

Top Artifacts

When choosing artifacts for Wriothesley, it is recommended to use sets that:

• Increase damage of normal/charged attacks.
• Increase ATK.
• Provide bonus elemental damage.

Name	Description	Recommendation
Marechaussee Hunter ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	2 parts: Increases normal and charged attack damage by 15%. 4 parts: Increases crit chance by 12% for 5 seconds when current HP increases or decreases. The effect can stack up to 3 times.	An excellent set that will increase not only the damage of basic attacks, but also the chance of a critical hit from 12% to 36%. The second bonus is triggered if the character's health increases or decreases. The passive talent There Shall Be a Reckoning for Sin and the signature have the same condition, so the set corresponds to the mechanics of the hero.
Disenchantment in Deep Shadow ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	2 Piece:+ 18% to ATK. 4 Piece: The Superconductor's reaction damage is increased by 80%, and the Star Conductor's by 40%. When the wearer attacks an enemy with the Superconductor or Star Conductor status, the critical chance of that attack is increased by 16%.	A situational option for groups using the Star Guide. Generally, if the top-1 set is already fully assembled, there's no point in swapping it for this one.
Blizzard Strayer ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	2 parts: Increases Cryo damage by 15%. 4 parts: Critical Chance. hits increase by 20% when hitting an enemy with Cryo status. If the enemy is Frozen, crit chance. hits increase by another 20%	A strong set of artifacts for DD, but not in all builds. The set is best revealed in a squad through Frozen, since only in this case you can get the maximum 40% bonus to the chance of critical hit. Not recommended when playing through Melt, since it will not be possible to maintain the Cryo status on enemies.
Gladiator’s Finale Blizzard Strayer Marechaussee Hunter	2 parts: Increases attack power by 18%. 2 parts: Increases Cryo damage by 15%. 2 parts: Increases normal and charged attack damage by 15%.	If you can't get full sets, you can use any of the 2+2 combinations. A great option would be Blizzard Strayer + Marechaussee Hunter. If you lack ATK, Gladiator’s Finale (or another attack set) + Marechaussee Hunter will also work.
Shimenawa's Reminiscence ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	2 parts: Increases attack power by 18%. 4 parts: When using an elemental skill, if the character has 15 or more energy, they lose 15 energy, and the damage of normal attack, charged attack and plunging attack is increased by 50% for 10 seconds. The effect cannot be reactivated during this time.	The set has the necessary buffs: it increases ATK, damage of normal and charged attacks. At the same time, unlike the Marechaussee Hunter, to get a boost for basic attacks, you will need to sacrifice an elemental burst. Using the skill removes energy in exchange for the bonus, so you will have to activate the ult less often.
Vermillion Hereafter ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	2 parts: Increases attack power by 18%. 4 parts: elemental burst increases attack power by 8% when activated. When a character loses HP, attack power is increased by another 10%. The effect occurs a maximum of 4 times no more than 0,8 seconds. The buff disappears when the character leaves the battlefield.	The set is extremely situational, but significantly increases ATK up to 36%. To do this, you will need to rebuild the rotation: start with an elemental burst, then use the skill and only then basic attacks. In other words, you cannot switch after using the ult, otherwise the bonus will not work. Can be used if there's a shortage of attack power. Otherwise, it's better to choose other artifacts or 2+2 options.
Martial Artist ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐	2 Piece: Increases normal and charged attack damage by 15%. 4 Piece: Increases normal and charged attack damage by 25% for 8 seconds. after using an elemental skill.	A beginner's set. If you're just starting out and don't have the time to assemble the necessary artifact sets for Risley, the Warrior is a great option that perfectly suits the character. Just remember to continue attacking enemies for at least 8 seconds after using the E-skill to maximize its effect.

Teams

Risley is the primary damage dealer the team builds around. As a Cryo elemental champion, he pairs well with Pyro and Hydro-elemental heroes to trigger Melt and Freeze reactions. The Duke can also play with Ice heroes in mono-groups or with Star Conductor.

Healers, although not mandatory, can be used for additional insurance. But it is worth considering that the passive talent There Shall Be a Plea for Justice does not work before unlocking C1 if the hero has more than 60% HP.

Best Characters

Below are all the heroes that synergize best with Wriothesley. They are sorted in tables according to their role in the squad.

Secondary damage dealer

Pocket damage dealers that help dealing extra DPS from off-field.

Character	Element	Weapon	Effects
Sandrone	Cryo	Claymore	Because both characters occupy the main damage dealer position, their team together is not as harmonious, but it allows you to try out the game through Star Guide.
Cryo Traveler	Cryo	One-handed sword	In groups with Electro, GG plays more as a main damage dealer than a secondary damage dealer. However, if an account doesn't have Odette or other heroes with Star Blade, he can be added to activate Risley's mechanic.
Yelan	Hydro	Bow	Inflicts a large amount of Hydro status using the ult for Frozen, while increasing all damage dealt to the active character.
Xingqiu	Hydro	One-handed sword	Budget analogue of Yelan. In addition to distributing Hydro, increases resistance to interruption by an elemental skill and can heal a little.
Furina	Hydro	One-handed sword	Secondary pocket DPS. Can heal with her skill, and gives damage buff with her ultimate.
Mona	Hydro	Catalyst:	Distracts enemies with her E and deals periodic Hydro damage. Increases DPS dealt to an enemy with the ult after the bubble explodes.
Ganyu	Cryo	Bow	A good sub-DD for a Frozen party or for mono-ice groups. Active party members in the area of ​​her elemental burst receive a 20% Cryo damage bonus.
Kaeya	Cryo	One-handed sword	Can act as a battery due to the fast rollback of her E. Creates ice floes with an elemental burst that follow the active character and deal Cryo damage.
Rosaria	Cryo	Polearm	Deals decent damage and has skills with a quick recharge. In addition, increases the critical chance to 15% after using the ult.
Chongyun	Cryo	Claymore	With the passive talent Rimechaser Blade reduces the Cryo resistance of enemies who have received damage from the Spirit Blade. At C2, reduces the cooldown of skills in the area of ​​​​his skill.
Dehya	Pyro	Claymore	Grants resistance to interruption, redirects part of the damage received by allies to herself, deals fire damage from the pocket with an elemental skill.
Xiangling	Pyro	Polearm	Convenient secondary DD, which is given for free. Deals Pyro damage with her E and has an elemental burst that follows the active character.
Mavuika	Pyro	Claymore	Her E-hits are quite rare, but she can maintain a constant elemental status on enemies with another Pyro character or through Burning.
Pyro MC	Pyro	One-handed sword	Provides enough Pyro status to trigger the Melt reaction, which the damager can inflict with normal attacks.
Durin	Pyro	One-handed sword	He almost always plays in Dark Stance with Risley. The exceptions are when fighting against groups of enemies, which requires area-of-effect attacks.
Kazuha	Anemo	One-handed sword	One of the best teammates: keeps enemies in constant control, triggers Swirl reaction in a large area and buffs elemental damage.
Lynette	Anemo	One-handed sword	Another free hero. Swirls and increases attack power when using an ultimate. Can become an ally in any build.
Sucrose	Anemo	Catalyst:	Pulls enemies together, Swirls and increases elemental mastery. Since EM is needed only for Melt, the hero is recommended for this particular lineup, but can play in any other lineup due to pulling.
Nahida	Dendro	Catalyst:	Can maintain a constant Pyro status on enemies from Burning, increases elemental mastery through her buffing dome created by the ult. Suitable for Melt teams, where there is no opportunity to allocate a full-fledged Pyro damager.
Emilie	Dendro	Polearm	Another Dendro character option that works well in Burning squads. Doesn't provide the Elemental Mastery buff like Nahida, but can wear the Instructor set or simply compensate for the missing buff with her own damage.

Supports

Support characters that provide protection, healing, or buffs to squads.

Character	Element	Weapon	Effects
Escoffier	Cryo	Polearm	Heals, deals damage with an E-type device, and reduces enemy resistance to Cryo and Hydro damage in Freeze teams.
Shenhe	Cryo	Polearm	Cryo Damage Support. Reduces enemy elemental resistance and grants bonus ice damage to allies with her ultimate. Long-pressing the electric skill increases the damage of her normal, charged, and falling attacks.
Bennett	Pyro	One-handed sword	His elemental burst not only heals, but also increases ATK. Since it heals only in the area of ​​​​the circle, the process of health recovery can be controlled.
Nicole	Pyro	Catalyst:	A strong shielder that protects against all incoming damage and also buffs ATK. Works best when paired with Durin's Melt.
Thoma	Pyro	Polearm	Capable of acting as both a shielder and a sub-DD due to Pyro damage dealt from off-field. At C6, when receiving or updating a shield, increases all allies' damage from all types of attacks by 15%.
Layla	Cryo	One-handed sword	Grants a shield, deals ice damage from off-field with an elemental skill and elemental burst. At C4, buffs normal and charged attacks after using E.
Diona	Cryo	Bow	In addition to creating a shield, like Bennett, she creates a field that heals in a certain area, which allows you to control the amount of HP restored.
Charlotte	Cryo	Catalyst:	ATK Healer, Mass Cryo Applicator and a solid battery. Gets a healing bonus when teamed with Fontaine characters.
Barbara	Hydro	Catalyst:	An elemental skill creates a ring that periodically heals the active character and applies the Wet status to nearby enemies. Heals the entire squad with an ult.
Zhongli	Geo	Polearm	Places a strong shield on allies and reduces the elemental resistance of enemies in a small area. Keeps enemies under control with an elemental burst.
Yun Jin	Geo	Polearm	Buffs normal attack damage with the ult's effect. At C6, characters under this effect also gain a 12% attack speed bonus.
Jean	Anemo	One-handed sword	An elemental burst instantly restores the health of the entire team, and then periodically deals Anemo damage and heals allies in the area of ​​effect of the ability.
Sayu	Anemo	Claymore	The ult works roughly the same as Jean's: it deals damage in a certain area, Swirls, and heals the active hero. However, it does not have an instant heal or a pulling ability.
Lan Yan	Anemo	Catalyst:	The skill creates a shield that will protect Wriothesley during his HP decrease. Can extend the duration of protection with her basic attacks.
Xilonen	Geo	One-handed sword	Provides healing and a damage buff. Cuts enemy defense.
Citlali	Cryo	Catalyst:	While for the Cryo DD himself Citlali isn't the best choice, she can be useful for his allies if he plays with Pyro or Hydro sub-DDs.

Effective teams

With the characters considered, the following teams can be used for Wriothesley.

Star Guide

Such compositions must include at least one companion with Star Wedge—without it, the "Injustice Will Be Revealed" ability will not be activated.

Character 1	Character 2	Character 3	Character 4	Description
Wriothesley	Yae Miko	Odette	Qiqi Diona (C6)	The best team from Star Guide. Odette activates the ability from Risley's Prophecy and Yae Miko, which is responsible for Electro damage. Qiqi is the ideal choice for the fourth slot, but if she's unavailable, Diona is also an option.
Wriothesley	Yae Miko	Sandrone Cryo Traveler	Qiqi Diona (C6)	A squad for those who couldn't knock out Odette. Instead of the ballerina, Sandrone or Cryo GG can activate the Star passive, but they're not particularly suited for support roles, so their damage output will be significantly lower.

Frozen Teams

Teams consisting of Cryo and Hydro characters. Their interaction allows you to freeze enemies for a certain time. Please note that Frozen does not work against bosses.

Character 1	Character 2	Character 3	Character 4	Features
Wriothesley	Furina	Yelan Xingqiu	Escoffier	A top-tier squad with two Resonances. The best combo is Furina and Ye Lan, as they boost each other's HP and energy, allowing for lower HE% requirements and more offensive stats.
Wriothesley	Shenhe	FurinaYelan Xingqiu	Escoffier	An alternative option without Hydro Resonance, but with Cryo Buffer. It's important for the third-slot companion to have sufficient energy regeneration to avoid issues activating the ultimate on cooldown.
Wriothesley	XingqiuYelan	Shenhe	Xilonen Jean	One of the strongest freezing units without Escoffier. Xingqiu/Ye Lan inflict Hydro status to trigger a reaction. Shen He buffs Cryo and basic attack damage of Damage Dealers. Shilonen heals and reduces resistances; she can be replaced with Djinn.
Wriothesley	Furina	Yelan Xingqiu	Xilonen Kazuha	A squad with two Hydro damage dealers. The best combination is Yelan and Furina, since they both benefit from the HP boost from Hydro Resonance, but Xingqiu can also be used. The fourth slot can be used for either a buffer or a healer, depending on how carefully you play.
Wriothesley	YelanFurina	LaylaCharlotte	Kazuha	Charlotte's strengths are instant healing and mass DPS, which will help build Furina's Fanfare stacks. However, if Furina is not available, Layla looks preferable, as she has a strong shield with no cooldown. At C4, she also buffs normal and charged attacks.
Wriothesley	Xingqiu	Rosaria	Sucrose	A more budget-friendly version of the previous team that has no healing. If you don't have Yelan or Kazuha, Xingqiu and Sucrose will take their place. Rosaria is an excellent battery and sub-dps, which at the same time increases crit chance.
Wriothesley	MonaFurina	Chongyun	Xingqiu	An alternative option with two Cryo and two Hydro characters. Mona allows allies to deal high instant damage due to the Omen effect from the elemental burst. Furina switches between two states: damage and healing, and also buffs damage. Chongyun lowers the Cryo resistance of enemies.
Wriothesley	Kaeya	Lynette	Barbara	Free-to-pay team. Kaeya helps the main DD to restore energy faster and deals additional damage from the pocket with the ult. Lynette Swirls and buffs attack power, also pulls at C1. Barbara applies status on enemies and heals allies.

Melt Teams

Teams built on the interaction of Cryo and Pyro elements. They create the Melt reaction, which deals high damage to one or more targets.

Character 1	Character 2	Character 3	Character 4	Features
Wriothesley	Durin	Emilie Albedo Sucrose	Nicole	A top-tier squad from Melting featuring Sabbat heroes. For the third slot, you can take either Albedo with his good personal damage, or Emilia, who will maintain Pyro status more reliably on the enemy, or Sucrose with her MS boost and resistance reduction—depending on your character composition. Breaking the Durin/Nicole combo is not recommended, as it will significantly reduce overall damage.
Wriothesley	DurinXiangling Mavuika	KazuhaShenhe	Bennett Nicole	A team with Pyro Resonance, which increases ATK by 25%. Attack is also buffed by Bennett or Nicole, and Goba's pepper from Xiangling's elemental skill. If you use Mavuika, instead of an ATK boost, you'll get a universal damage buff. Kazuha will provide a pull-together effect, or Shen He will provide a Cryo bonus.
Wriothesley	Xiangling Pyro MC	MavuikaDehya	Citlali	A squad with Pyro and Cryo resonances. Citlali protects the squad from incoming damage and reduces enemy resistance to Pyro. The damager hits while on the field, performing a full rotation, without worrying about interrupting the series of attacks.
Wriothesley	DurinDehya Mavuika	Nahida Emilie	Bennett Nicole	A team using Meltdown with Dendro. The damage output in such a team can be quite high, but it's crucial to maintain a rotation: first, the Dendro character uses their abilities, then Dehya/Mavuika, Bennett, or Nicole use their abilities, and then the main damage dealer enters the field and attacks until the Pyro status wears off.
Wriothesley	Nahida Emilie	Kazuha	Thoma Nicole	An alternative team with Dendro as the hero. Kazuha's ultimate is important to use Pyro to further maintain this status on enemies. Toma is built with a standard HP build, as he doesn't need damage in this team; he simply provides survivability and prepares the base for damage. He can be replaced with Nicole if desired.
Wriothesley	Xiangling Pyro MC	Mavuika Dehya	Zhongli DionaLayla	Xiangling and Dehya/Mavuika apply a permanent Pyro status from the pocket to make the damage dealer react. The last slot can be used for another Cryo character, such as a healer, shielder or sub-DD, or Zhongli.
Wriothesley	RosariaKaeyaCharlotte	DehyaXiangling Pyro MC	KazuhaSucrose Lan Yan	The Anemo character Swirls Pyro so that as many enemies as possible are under the status. Subsequently, the DD hits these enemies, creating Melt. The second Cryo character will allow the damager to restore energy faster and will inflict additional DPS.
Wriothesley	Ganyu	Bennett	Jean	Sunfire Team with Ganyu. The group works like this: Bennett uses his Elemental Burst, immediately after that Jean ults, then comes Ganyu, at the very end Cryo DD comes out and starts dealing damage.

Mono-Cryo teams

Teams consisting primarily of Cryo heroes. They rely not on reactions, but on support buffs and their own damage.

Character 1	Character 2	Character 3	Character 4	Features
Wriothesley	GanyuRosariaChongyun	Shenhe	Xilonen Zhongli	Wriothesley is the main DD. Shenhe lowers the enemies' Cryo resistance, buffs allies' Cryo damage with an elemental burst and basic attacks with an elemental skill. Xilonen protects through healing and gives debuffs, she can be replaced with Zhongli. Ganyu/Rosaria/Chongyun deal additional damage.
Wriothesley	Kaeya	Diona	LynetteSucrose	A simpler version of the previous build. Free Kaeya is placed in the role of sub-DD. Instead of Kazuha, you can use Lynette or Sucrose, which wear the Viridescent Venerer to reduce resistance to Cryo. Diona provides the party with healing and shields.
Wriothesley	Yun Jin	Shenhe	Zhongli XilonenLayla	This squad focuses on buffing Wriothesley with Shenhe's abilities, increasing normal damage with Yun Jin's ult, and reducing elemental resistance with Zhongli's shield or Xilonen's healing. These legendaries can be swapped out for Layla if needed.

Characteristics

The character's main stat is critical damage, which increases as the character ascends. Along with this, health, ATK и defenseSpend on it Wandering luckIt's possible to develop to level 95/100, but often there are heroes on your account that will pay off better.

Leveling

Almost all resources can be found in Fontaine's territory.

Ascension

To level up to lvl 90, you need the following resources:

Resource	Where to find it
Slivers, fragments, chunks and gemstones of Shivada Jade	Dropped by weekly and world bosses.
Clutch gears ×18 Gears of the mechanism ×30 Strange Gears ×36	Can be obtained for defeating meks or sold for Masterless Starglitter at Paimon's store.
Tourbillon ×46	Resource from the boss Experimental Field Generator.
Subdetection Unit × 168	A Fontaine Oddity that can be found in the wild and around the Fontaine Kinetic Energy Research Institute.
Hero's Wit × 421	Awarded for events, tasks, and clearing the Ley Line Outcrops.
Mora ×1	All gaming activities.

Talents

To develop one talent to level 10 you will need:

Resource	Where to find it
Teachings on "Order" ×3 Instructions on "Order" ×21 Philosophy of "Order" ×38	Talent books from the Mastery Dungeon Pale Forgotten Glory, available on Wednesday, Saturday и Sunday.
Clutch gears ×6 Gears of the mechanism ×22 Strange Gears ×31	Dropped by land cruisers.
Primor­dial Green­bloom × 6	Material from the weekly boss Guardian of Apep's Oasis
Crown of Insight × 1	An item for leveling talents up to 10.
Mora ×1	Rewarded for all game activities.

Skills

All of the Duke's skills, including basic attacks, deal Cryo damage. In his rotation, he most often uses normal and charged attacks, which receive additional buffs due tohis elemental skill and passive talents. With his elemental burst, he deals damage in an area, and also uses the energy of Ousia.

Basic (Active) Skills

Next, we’ll look at how Wriothesley’s abilities work and in what order it’s best to level them up. In addition, we will consider the constellations and separately note those that are most useful for unlocking the maximum potential of the character.

Talent Leveling Order

Normal Attacks ≥ Elemental Skill (E) > Elemental Burst (Q)

1. Normal attack make up the largest portion of the DPS dealt, so they are given priority first.
2. Elemental Skill works as a boost to normal attacks, it is recommended to level it along with normal attacks to get maximum damage.
3. After that you should level the elemental burst, which also plays an important role in the rotation and allows you to deal a decent amount of DPS in an area.

Passive Skills

Secondary abilities are unlocked at different stages of ascension and are aimed at increasing the Duke's damage:

All passive talents of the hero

Talent	Description
There Shall Be a Plea for Justice	When Wriothesley's HP is below 60%, he receives Gracious Rebuke. His next charged strike Forceful Fists of Frost intensifies to Rebuke: Vaulting Fist. It does not consume stamina, deals 50% increased damage, and hitting an enemy restores Wriothesley's HP equal to 30% of his max. HP. Gracious Rebuke can be obtained in this way no more than 1 time every 5 sec.
There Shall Be a Reckoning for Sin	When Wriothesley's current HP increases or decreases while he is in the Chilling Penalty state from Icefang Rush, Chilling Penalty gains one level of Prosecution Edict. The effect stacks up to 5 times. Each level of the effect increases Wriothesley's ATK by 6%.
The Duke's Grace	When creating Ascension Materials for the weapons, has a 10% chance to create an additional item.
Injustice will be exposed	Radiance - Star Conduit: Ascension Talent Justice Prevails changes to the following: When Risley's HP drops below 60%, he gains the Blessed Penalty: Reveal. His next charged attack, Ferocious Fists of Frost, is upgraded to Radiance: Leaping Frost Fist. It consumes no stamina, and hitting an enemy restores Risley's HP equal to 30% of their Max HP. Risley can restore HP this way once every 2 seconds. Additionally, the third and fifth strikes of Fists of Exile, upgraded with Chilling Punishment, deal 60%/80% of their original Cryo damage, respectively, and Radiance: Leaping Frost Fist deals 100% of the original Cryo damage in an area. This damage is considered Star Conduit's reaction damage. Risley's Star Conduit's reaction damage has been increased by 30%. Additionally, while in the Guiding Star Limit, Risley enters the state of Radiance - Star Guide.

We also separately mention the talent There Shall Be a Plea for Justice.

There Shall Be a Plea for Justice

Description: When Wriothesley's HP is below 60%, he receives Gracious Rebuke. His next charged strike Forceful Fists of Frost intensifies to Rebuke: Vaulting Fist. It does not consume stamina, deals 50% increased damage, and hitting an enemy restores Wriothesley's HP equal to 30% of his max. HP. Gracious Rebuke can be obtained in this way no more than 1 time every 5 sec.

This passive ability is designed to enhance charged attacks. When Wriothesley's HP drops below 60%, he is surrounded by dark aura, indicating the effect of this talent. Use a charged strike to deal a large amount of damage and restore HP without losing stamina.

The main difficulty with implementing this talent is that at C0 the hero loses his health more often than he restores it, and the buff from normal hits only works when HP is above 50%. Thus, in order to maintain both buffs, it is necessary to maintain health between 50% and 60%, which is extremely difficult.

This problem can be partially solved by not being healed all the time in the stance. Drop your health to <60% and get the bonus, then heal the hero. This way you will keep the buff to the charged strike and bonus damage of normal strikes from the E.

In addition, this problem becomes irrelevant when you unlock C1, since the first constellation allows you to use the buff more often and heal yourself. This increase is enough to keep the HP above 50% without a healer in the team and activate the charged strike more often.

Constellations

Wriothesley's best constellations are С1, С2 and С6:

• The first constellation – a buff to the "Let Justice Prevail" talent, which increases the hero's charged attack. The passive now triggers more frequently (instead of once every 5 seconds, to once every 2,5 seconds), increases overall damage by an average of 9-38% depending on the situation, and allows for playing without a healer without losing the buff from the elemental skill. This eliminates the need to lose health to activate the talent, as the effect now triggers on every fifth hit. Important: When playing through Star Conductor, the value of Constancy decreases, and it becomes simply an addition to comfort, rather than a significant increase in damage.
• The second constellation buffs the talent There Shall Be a Reckoning for Sin. When the character's HP increases or decreases in the state of the skill's Chilling Penalty, he gains Prosecution Edict levels (up to 5 times). Previously, stacks affected only ATK, but now they also increase the damage of the elemental elemental burst by 40% (with all stacks - by 200%).
• Sixth Constituency – Increases critical hit chance and critical damage of Punishment: Frost Fist Leap (the charged strike of the passive talent "Let Justice Prevail"), and also allows for an additional charged strike. This increases the chance of inflicting Cryo and the character's overall damage.

How to play Wriothesley

The Duke is the primary damage dealer, dealing damage using damage bonuses and the abilities of his supports. Based on Risley's abilities, the primary gameplay revolves around basic attacks with a stance buff and E-level.

The difficulty arises from the fact that most of the mechanics are based on decreasing and increasing health level. Therefore, when playing him, you will need to carefully monitor the situation on the battlefield so that the hero is under buffs and at the same time does not lose much HP.

Rotation

Skill Order: E (elemental skill) > 3 normal attacks > 1 charged attack (when HP is below 60%) > repeat the combo of 3 normal + 1 charged strikes until the end of the stance > Q (elemental burst).

This rotation is the most optimal in terms of modifying Risley's HP and damage. Although the elemental skill only buffs normal attacks, charged attacks are still crucial for overall damage and can be buffed through the passive talent. Combining these attacks allows her to first reduce her health to activate the charged attack buff, and then restore her health to maintain the E buff.

So, the optimal rotation looks like this:

1. At the beginning of the battle, use the skills of the support characters so that after entering the battle, the overseer of the Fortress of Meropide can receive all the necessary bonuses.
2. Switch to Wriothesley and cast his skill. This will put you into a state of Chilling Penalty, which will increase your basic attacks and resistance to interruption.
3. Hit your opponents with normal strikes 5 times, while also reducing the hero's health. Make sure the character has less than 60% HP and perform a charged attack without consuming stamina to increase damage and restore part of HP. If there is C1, watch for the red aura.
4. Repeat step 3 until your ultimate is charged or your support abilities run out.
5. Use the elemental burstto deal Cryo damage in an area in front of you multiple times. At the end, a Surging Blade with Ousia energy will also appear.

Is The Character Worth Pulling?

Risley has a number of its own issues, such as the requirement to stay between 50% and 60% HP, which can only be resolved by unlocking C1 or playing through the Star Conductor. Therefore, to unlock its full potential, it requires additional investments that will provide useful bonuses and make gameplay more enjoyable.

Duke is suitable for players who like to invest heavily in their heroes, but extracting maximum value from him on a free-to-play account can be difficult. With strong supports, he can perform well in the 7.X meta thanks to his updated skills, but without them and the latest top supports like Durin, he's quite difficult to cover content with.

Which is better: Signature or C1?

In most cases, it is worth giving preference to C1, not the signature weapons. The signature provides Wriothesley with crit chance, which, given the native stat of the character himself and his best set, can sometimes be in excess. At the same time, the first constellation completely solves all the problems with strengthening the stance, turning the Duke into a stronger and more stable damage dealer.

However, if you plan to play with Star Conductor, then C1 goes from practically mandatory to simply enjoyable, and no longer plays such a role. In that case, you can pick up Risley's signature card.

History (biography)

Wriothesley is a commander of the fortress located on the seabed, where criminals from all over Fontaine are sent. This fortress is a real haven for villains. Despite its inconspicuousness, conflicts of interest that arise there can cause trouble, and anyone who plans to enter this place disappears without a sound.

The Duke seems older than he is because he takes his responsibilities really seriously. Many are surprised by how easily he solves any problems that arise. In response, he always says: "You've got it all wrong. These people need a place with rules. I'm just giving them the peace of mind they need."

The development of the hero's story can be found in his quest Cerberus: Reborn in the Land of Grievances.