Aemeath Weapon Guide: Best Weapons & Alternatives

With the release of Version 3.1 in Wuthering Waves, the Glacio roster has finally received its true hypercarry: Aemeath. As a relentless brawler who utilizes Gauntlets to deliver rapid-fire Resonance Skill strikes, Aemeath brings a ferocity to the battlefield that distinguishes her from existing options. She demands a weapon that can keep up with her high Attack Speed, complex combo strings, and stringent Crit requirements.

Unlike previous Glacio units like Lingyang, who rely heavily on aerial mechanics and transformation states, Aemeath is grounded and focused on a mechanic known as "Skill Weaving"—the act of canceling basic attack animations into Resonance Skills to maximize DPS throughput. This specific playstyle drastically changes the value of certain weapons. While pure Attack stats are always beneficial, weapons that offer Skill DMG Bonus and Crit Rate are mathematically superior for her kit scaling.

Choosing the right weapon is not just about big numbers; it is about rotation smoothness, Echo building efficiency, and resource management. Whether you are preparing your Astrites for her signature banner or looking through your inventory for a viable 4-star alternative, this comprehensive guide will analyze the math behind every viable Gauntlet for Aemeath in the current meta.

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Aemeath’s Weapon Needs Analysis

To truly understand which weapon serves Aemeath best, we must first dissect her damage profile. Based on the 3.1 beta data and live server testing, Aemeath is what we classify as a "Skill-Scaling Hypercarry."

Her damage distribution is roughly broken down as follows:

Resonance Skill (Glacial Impact): 65% of Total Output. This is her bread and butter. Her skill has multiple charges and a low cooldown, allowing for constant spamming.
Heavy Attack (Detonation): 15%. Used primarily to consume "Frostbite" stacks and regenerate Concerto energy.
Resonance Liberation (Ultimate): 15%. A massive burst window that buffs her subsequent skills.
Basic Attack: 5%. Essentially filler used only to weave between skills or parry enemies.

The Golden Rule of Stats:

Aemeath ascends with Crit Damage. This is a crucial piece of information. Because her innate growth provides Crit DMG, she suffers from a lack of Crit Rate unless you get lucky with Echo substats. Therefore, a weapon that provides Crit Rate (like her Signature or the Battle Pass weapon) effectively acts as a "difficulty modifier" for your build—it makes farming Echoes significantly easier and your damage output more consistent.

Weapon Tier List (Summary)

Here is the quick ranking for Aemeath’s Gauntlet options in Version 3.1. This tier list assumes a standard level 90 Aemeath with Level 10 talents.

Tier	Weapon	Performance Verdict
Best In Slot	Frost-Bitten Caestus	Signature 5-Star. Tailor-made for Skill spam. Offers ~18% higher DPS than the next best option.
T1	Abyss Surges	Standard 5-Star. High base ATK and Energy Regen make it comfy, but the passive is lackluster.
T2	Stonard (R5)	Battle Pass 4-Star. The massive Crit Rate makes it the best 4-star, rivaling T1 at max rank.
T3	Hollow Mire	Craftable 4-Star. A solid F2P baseline that offers ATK% and Liberation buffs.
T4	Marcato	4-Star Gacha. High Energy Regen solves rotation issues but sacrifices too much damage.

Deep Dive: The 5-Star Contenders

Frost-Bitten Caestus (Signature Weapon)

Stats (Lv 90): Base ATK: 587 | Crit Rate: 24.3%

Passive (Rank 1): Increases All Attribute DMG by 12%. When the wielder casts a Resonance Skill, gain 1 stack of "Frostbite," increasing Resonance Skill DMG by 24% for 8s. Stacks up to 2 times.

Mechanical Analysis:

This weapon was designed to solve every problem Aemeath has. First, the 24.3% Crit Rate allows you to equip a Crit Damage main-stat 4-Cost Echo (like Lampylumen Myriad), instantly pushing her Crit DMG over 250%. Second, the passive trigger condition is "cast a Resonance Skill." Since Aemeath's rotation involves using her skill 3 to 4 times in rapid succession, she maintains 100% uptime on the 48% Skill DMG bonus (2 stacks x 24%). No other weapon provides this specific multiplier magnitude.

Pull Advice: If you are a low spender ("Dolphin"), getting Aemeath’s S0 (Sequence 0) combined with this weapon is a significantly higher damage increase than getting Aemeath to S1 or S2 without the weapon. The weapon banner in WuWa is guaranteed, making this a safe investment.

Abyss Surges (Standard 5-Star)

Stats (Lv 90): Base ATK: 587 | ATK: 36.4%

Passive: Increases Energy Regen by 12.8%. When hitting a target with Resonance Skill, increases Basic Attack DMG bonus by 10%, stacking 2 times.

Why it falls short:

On paper, Abyss Surges looks great due to the high base stats typical of a 5-star weapon. The Energy Regeneration is also comfortable, allowing Aemeath to run an ATK% or Glacio DMG% 3-cost Echo without worrying about her Ultimate uptime. However, the passive effect buffs Basic Attack DMG. As noted in our damage analysis, Basic Attacks constitute less than 5% of Aemeath's total output. You are essentially using a 5-star weapon with no passive effect for 95% of your rotation. It is a "stat stick" and nothing more.

The Best 4-Star & F2P Options

Stonard (Battle Pass)

Stats (Lv 90): Base ATK: 412 | Crit Rate: 20.3%

Passive (Rank 1-5): When casting Resonance Skill, increases Resonance Liberation DMG by 18% - 54%.

If you buy the Pioneer Podcast (Battle Pass), this should be your priority choice. The Base ATK is lower than 5-stars, but the secondary stat is Crit Rate. For Aemeath, Crit Rate is king.

At Rank 1: It is decent, serving mostly to balance your Crit ratio.

At Rank 5: It becomes a monster. A 54% Liberation DMG bonus is significant. While Liberation is only 15% of her damage profile, boosting that portion by half is noticeable, and the Crit Rate consistency allows for more aggressive play.

Hollow Mire (Craftable / F2P)

Stats (Lv 90): Base ATK: 412 | ATK: 30.3%

Passive: After using Resonance Liberation, increases ATK by 15% for 15s.

Available at the crafting bench in Jinzhou, this is the accessible baseline for F2P players.

Pros: It is free, and you can theoretically reach Rank 5 over time. The ATK buff is universal and covers her entire combo window if you open with her Ultimate.

Cons: It provides ATK%, not Crit. This forces you to farm a Crit Rate 4-Cost Echo, which lowers your damage ceiling compared to Crit Damage builds. It is a "workable" weapon but will feel weaker in endgame Tower of Adversity stages.

Marcato (Gacha 4-Star)

Stats: Energy Regen focused.

Verdict: Only use this if you are playing Aemeath as a "Nuke" burst sub-DPS rather than a sustained main DPS. In a quick-swap team with Luuk Herssen, where Aemeath only comes in to press Ult and leave, the Energy Regen ensures she is always ready. However, her personal damage will be lackluster compared to offensive options.

Echo Tuning Strategy Based on Weapon

Your choice of weapon dictates your Echo build. You cannot simply copy-paste builds from the internet without considering your main hand.

Weapon Equipped	4-Cost Echo Main Stat	Sub-stat Priority
Frost-Bitten Caestus	Crit DMG	Crit Rate > ATK% > Skill DMG > Flat ATK
Abyss Surges	Crit Rate	Crit DMG > ATK% > Skill DMG > Energy Regen
Stonard	Crit DMG	Crit Rate > ATK% > Energy Regen
Hollow Mire	Crit Rate	Crit DMG > Crit Rate > ATK%

Optimization Tip: If using Frost-Bitten Caestus, aim for a 60/240 Crit Ratio. If using Hollow Mire, a 70/180 ratio is more realistic and consistent. Do not sacrifice Crit Rate for "screenshot damage" numbers.

Damage Comparison Table (Math Breakdown)

To provide a clear picture, we simulated a standard 20-second rotation: Intro > Liberation > Skill x3 > Heavy Attack > Skill x2 > Outro. We assume 4-3-3-1-1 Echoes (Moonlit Clouds set for consistency in calc) and balanced substats.

Weapon	Relative DMG	Detailed Notes
Frost-Bitten Caestus (R1)	100%	Baseline. The Skill DMG multiplier applies to the bulk of her rotation.
Abyss Surges (R1)	86%	The gap exists because Basic Attack DMG bonus is a "dead stat."
Stonard (R5)	84%	Crit Rate carries this weapon. Competitive with 5-star stat sticks.
Stonard (R1)	78%	Low rank passive is weak, but still better than craftables due to Crit.
Hollow Mire (R5)	75%	Good F2P baseline, but requires better Echo RNG to balance Crit.
Amity Accord (R5)	72%	Liberation bonus is nice, but misses the 65% Skill DMG profile.

Should You Pull the Weapon Banner?

The weapon banner in Wuthering Waves is unique because it is 100% guaranteed (no 50/50 chance like in other gacha games). This makes pulling for weapons much safer than in titles like Genshin Impact.

Verdict for Different Players:

The "Aemeath Main": Yes. If you plan to play Aemeath for the next 3-4 months, the Signature weapon changes her gameplay feel entirely. The damage smoothness from the high Crit Rate is worth the Astrites.
The "Meta Slave": Yes. Glacio has been weak for a while. Aemeath with her weapon is currently the highest DPS unit for the Scar boss fight in Tower of Adversity.
The F2P Saver: No. If you have Abyss Surges from the standard banner, it is "good enough." The 14% damage difference allows you to clear content, just slightly slower. Save your pulls for the next Resonator.
The Battle Pass Buyer: Maybe. If you already have an R5 Stonard, you are very close to standard 5-star performance. You can skip the signature unless you want that extra 15% edge.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Is R1 Frost-Bitten Caestus better than R5 Abyss Surges?

A: Yes. Even at max rank, Abyss Surges buffs Basic Attack DMG. While the numbers on the buff get higher, they are buffing the wrong part of Aemeath's kit. The Signature weapon at Rank 1 remains superior due to the Skill DMG multiplier.

Q: Can I use the 3-star weapon "Gauntlets of Night"?

A: Only if you are Account Level 30 or below. Once you reach the mid-game, the low Base Attack of 3-star weapons scales poorly. Craft Hollow Mire as soon as possible.

Q: Does the weapon passive stack if I swap out?

A: For Frost-Bitten Caestus, the buff duration is 8 seconds. If you swap out and swap back in quickly (e.g., using a quick-swap team with Sanhua), the buff might persist, but generally, Aemeath is a selfish carry who wants to stay on field to use the buff duration fully.

Q: Which standard 5-star weapon selector should I choose if I main Aemeath?

A: If you don't pull her signature, picking Abyss Surges from the Union Level 45 box or the standard banner selector is a solid choice. It is a universal stat stick that works on Jianxin and Lingyang as well, giving your account flexibility.

Q: How much Crit Rate is "enough" for Aemeath?

A: Aim for 65% minimum. Because her heavy hits are concentrated in her Skill instances, missing a Crit on a Skill cast results in a massive DPS loss for that rotation. Consistency is key.

Conclusion

Aemeath is a character defined by her weapon choice. Equipping Frost-Bitten Caestus transforms her from a strong DPS into a top-tier hypercarry capable of clearing the Hazard Zone in record time. It is one of the highest value signature weapons we have seen released in Wuthering Waves to date.

However, Battle Pass buyers can rest easy knowing that Stonard provides a competitive alternative that doesn't require dipping into your Astrite savings. For F2P players, Hollow Mire serves faithfully, provided you put in the work to farm high-quality Echoes.

If you need to top up for the weapon banner to guarantee that 100% drop, check out ManaBuy's Top-Up Deals for a safe and cost-effective way to get your Lunites.

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