Best Light Cone
Past Self in Mirror
Best Relic Set
Watchmaker 4pc
Planar Set
Sprightly Vonwacq
Key Stat
180% Break Effect
Best Partner

Skills

Basic Threading Fragrance

Deals Ice DMG equal to 50% of Ruan Mei's ATK to a single target enemy. Low priority in combat; spending Skill Points on her Skill is almost always the right play. Use Basic only when conserving SP for your damage dealers.

50% ATK Ice DMG
Skill String Sings Slow Swirls

Ruan Mei gains Overtone, a 3-turn buff (decreasing by 1 at the start of her turn). While Overtone is active, all allies' DMG increases by 16% and their Weakness Break Efficiency increases by 50%. This is her primary SP-spending action; use it whenever Overtone has expired to maintain full uptime on the DMG buff.

16% DMG for all allies
Ultimate Petals to Stream, Repose in Dream

Deploys a field lasting 2 turns (decreasing by 1 at the start of her turn). Inside the field, all allies gain All-Type RES PEN of 15% and their attacks apply Thanatoplum Rebloom to enemies hit. When enemies attempt to recover from Weakness Break, Thanatoplum Rebloom triggers, extending Break duration, delaying their action by an amount equal to 20% of Ruan Mei's Break Effect + 10%, and dealing Break DMG equal to 30% of her Ice Break DMG. Enemies cannot have Thanatoplum Rebloom re-applied until they fully recover from Break.

15% All-Type RES PEN
Talent Somatotypical Helix

Passively increases SPD by 8% for the entire team, excluding Ruan Mei herself. When any ally breaks an enemy's Weakness, Ruan Mei deals bonus Break DMG to that enemy equal to 60% of her Ice Break DMG. This means every Weakness Break in the team triggers additional Ice Break DMG, a significant source of bonus output that scales with Break Effect.

8% SPD for team
Technique Silken Serenade

After using the Technique, Ruan Mei gains Silken Serenade. At the start of the next battle, automatically triggers her Skill once without consuming Skill Points, giving her instant Overtone uptime from turn one. In Simulated Universe with Silken Serenade, the team always enters battle treating the attack as hitting an enemy Weakness, and can reduce all enemies' Toughness regardless of Weakness type. For every Blessing held (up to 20), Toughness-Reducing DMG of this attack increases by 100%.

Free Skill on battle start

Build Targets

Relic Main Stats
Head
HP (fixed)
Hands
ATK (fixed)
Body
HP% or DEF%
either is fine
Feet
Speed
highest priority
Planar Sphere
HP% or DEF%
no element bonus needed
Link Rope
Energy Regen Rate
Stat Targets
Break Effect180%+ total
Speed134+
HP3800+
DEF1000+
Substat Priority
01
Break Effect reach 160% on gear
02
Speed 134 breakpoint
03
HP% survivability
04
DEF% endgame tanking
Skill Upgrade Order
Skill
1st
Ult
2nd
Talent
3rd
Basic
Skip
Skill first: Overtone's DMG% buff scales with level and drives her primary support output. Ultimate second for stronger RES PEN and longer Thanatoplum Rebloom. Basic ATK is never a priority for a support.

Best Light Cones

#1
Past Self in Mirror
Past Self in Mirror
Her signature 5-star. Massively boosts Break Effect and provides a party-wide DMG bonus whenever she uses her Ultimate. Also restores Energy at the start of each wave and recovers Skill Points, enabling her to maintain near-constant Overtone uptime from the first turn. Unmatched in all content.
Signature
#2
In Pursuit of the Wind
In Pursuit of the Wind
Strong alternative that increases the party's Break DMG dealt. Note that the effect cannot stack, so only one character on the team should equip this cone. A top pick when running multiple Break DPS units.
alternative
#3
Memories of the Past
Memories of the Past
Excellent 4-star option. Increases Break Effect directly and recovers Energy whenever Ruan Mei attacks. Makes hitting Ultimate uptime thresholds reliable without spending on a 5-star light cone.
f2p best
#4
Meshing Cogs
Meshing Cogs
Budget-friendly 3-star. Restores Energy whenever Ruan Mei attacks or gets hit, helping maintain Ultimate cycling. Easy to superimpose to S5. A solid floor for players not yet investing in light cones.
4-star pick
#5
Carve the Moon, Weave the Clouds
Carve the Moon, Weave the Clouds
Situational pick. Randomly provides ATK%, CRIT DMG%, or Energy Regen Rate to the team at the start of each turn. The random nature reduces its reliability, but it can provide meaningful buffs when you hit the right cycle.
budget

Best Relics

Cavern Sets
1
Watchmaker, Master of Dream Machinations
Watchmaker, Master of Dream Machinations
Her best-in-slot cavern set by a significant margin. The 4-piece bonus grants Ruan Mei enormous Break Effect and, when she or an ally uses their Ultimate, provides a 30% Break Effect buff to the entire team for 2 turns. This alone allows Ruan Mei to independently reach the 180% Break Effect threshold, fully maximizing her Skill DMG buff from the Candle Lights on Still Waters trace.
4-piece Best-in-Slot
2
Messenger Traversing Hackerspace (2+2)
Messenger Traversing Hackerspace (2+2)
A strong 2-piece combination option. Running 2pc Messenger with 2pc Thief of Shooting Meteor or another Break Effect set provides a balanced mix of SPD and Break Effect when you lack well-rolled full 4pc Watchmaker pieces. Effective as a transitional build.
2+2 mix
3
Thief of Shooting Meteor
Thief of Shooting Meteor
Pure Break Effect set. The 4-piece gives up to 16% Break Effect plus energy restoration on Weakness Break. Usable as a transitional option before acquiring Watchmaker, particularly in Break-centric teams where every ally benefits from the Energy recovery mechanic.
4-piece
Planar Ornament Sets
1
Sprightly Vonwacq
Sprightly Vonwacq
Best planar set for Ruan Mei in the vast majority of teams. Provides Energy Regen Rate, which is essential for maintaining constant Ultimate cycling, and crucially its bonus advances Ruan Mei's action at the start of combat when her Energy Regen Rate hits the threshold. This near-guarantees she acts before your DPS on turn one, applying Overtone before any attacks go out.
2-piece Best-in-Slot
2
Penacony, Land of the Dreams
Penacony, Land of the Dreams
Strong alternative providing Energy Regen Rate and a DMG bonus to the same-element ally. Best used when running alongside an Ice DPS like Jingliu or Feixiao, where the element-matching bonus translates to a meaningful team damage increase.
2-piece
3
Broken Keel
Broken Keel
Good option when Ruan Mei already has very high SPD and at least 30% Effect RES. The 2-piece bonus provides a team-wide CRIT DMG boost when the Effect RES condition is met, valuable in CRIT-centric teams. Requires investment in Effect RES substats to activate reliably.
2-piece

Best Teams for Ruan Mei

Ruan Mei's buffs are universal: her SPD boost, DMG amplifier, and RES PEN apply to the entire team. She is best-in-slot in Break DMG teams but works in virtually any composition that benefits from universal damage amplification.

01 · Premium Break Best-in-slot Break hypercarry
Ruan Mei
Ruan Mei
Break Support
Firefly
Break DPS
Fugue
Break Support
Lingsha
Sustain
The premiere Break DMG team. Ruan Mei provides DMG%, SPD, RES PEN, and Weakness Break extension. Firefly obliterates Toughness bars while Fugue amplifies Super Break DMG. Lingsha heals and contributes additional Break output. Dominates Memory of Chaos and Apocalyptic Shadow.
02 · Break + Gallagher Budget-accessible Break team
Ruan Mei
Ruan Mei
Break Support
Firefly
Break DPS
Trailblazer (Imaginary)
Trailblazer
Harmony / Super Break
Gallagher
Sustain
All characters accessible without limited 5-star banners (outside Firefly). Harmony Trailblazer enables Super Break DMG. Gallagher's healing scales on Break Effect and his Ultimate inflicts Besotted, boosting Break DMG taken. Ruan Mei's Break Efficiency buffs the entire loop.
03 · DoT Team Ruan Mei + DoT hypercarry
Ruan Mei
Ruan Mei
Break Support
Kafka
DoT DPS
Gallagher
Sub-DPS / Sustain
Huohuo
Sustain
Ruan Mei is a natural fit in DoT teams because she extends Weakness Break, giving the enemy more turns in a broken state and triggering more DoT ticks before they recover. Her Break Efficiency buff also helps Kafka break faster for more DoT application windows. Huohuo restores Energy and applies ATK buffs.
04 · F2P Budget All free-to-play characters
Ruan Mei
Ruan Mei
Break Support
March 7th
Hunt DPS
Trailblazer (Imaginary)
Trailblazer
Harmony / Super Break
Gallagher
Sustain
A strong budget team requiring no limited 5-stars outside Ruan Mei. March 7th (The Hunt) benefits directly from Ruan Mei's All-Type RES PEN and DMG% buffs. Harmony Trailblazer enables Super Break. Gallagher provides durable healing with Break synergy. Accessible and effective in endgame.
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Eidolons

E 1
Neuronic Embroidery
While Ruan Mei's Ultimate field is deployed, the DMG dealt by all allies ignores 20% of the target's DEF. Since the field should have near-permanent uptime in most teams, this effectively provides a significant permanent DEF shred boost on top of all her other buffs, making it a strong universal upgrade.
High Pull Value
E 2
Reedside Promenade
With Ruan Mei on the field, all allies increase their ATK by 40% when dealing DMG to enemies with Weakness Break. Since Weakness Break is triggered constantly in her ideal teams, this is effectively a permanent 40% ATK buff layered on top of her existing DMG% and RES PEN amplifiers.
Game Changer
E 3
Viridescent Pirouette
Ultimate level +2 (max 15) and Talent level +2 (max 15). The Ultimate level increase boosts the RES PEN value of her field and the scaling on Thanatoplum Rebloom's Break DMG. A solid incremental upgrade for dedicated Ruan Mei mains.
Solid Upgrade
E 4
Chatoyant Éclat
When an enemy target's Weakness is Broken, Ruan Mei's own Break Effect increases by 100% for 3 turns. Since her Candle Lights on Still Waters trace scales the team DMG bonus with her Break Effect above 120%, this dramatically amplifies the buff she provides during active Break phases.
Strong Passive
E 5
Languid Barrette
Skill level +2 (max 15) and Basic ATK level +1 (max 10). The Skill level increase provides a meaningful boost to the DMG% buff granted by Overtone, her most frequently upkept ability. A worthwhile upgrade at this investment level.
Incremental
E 6
Sash Cascade
Extends the duration of the Ultimate's field by 1 additional turn and increases the Talent's Break DMG multiplier by an additional 200%. The field extension makes maintaining full RES PEN uptime far easier. The Talent DMG multiplier jump turns her passive Break damage from a side bonus into a meaningful offensive output source.
Massive Upgrade

Major Traces

Inert Respiration
Ascension 2
Increases Break Effect by 20% for all allies. This passive bonus pushes the entire team toward the Break Effect thresholds needed for scaling damage, and it means Ruan Mei herself only needs 160% Break Effect from gear to hit the 180% total required to max out her Candle Lights on Still Waters buff.
Days Wane, Thoughts Wax
Ascension 4
Ruan Mei regenerates 5 Energy at the start of her turn. This passive energy regen significantly reduces how many actions she needs between Ultimates, effectively lowering the bar for Energy Regen Rate on her Link Rope, and in some builds allows running a lower ER rope while still maintaining full Ultimate cycling.
Candle Lights on Still Waters
Ascension 6
In battle, for every 10% of Ruan Mei's Break Effect that exceeds 120%, her Skill additionally increases allies' DMG by 6%, up to a maximum of 36%. At 180% Break Effect this caps out, meaning her Overtone buff grants up to 52% total DMG to the team (16% base + 36% bonus). This is the reason her Break Effect target is non-negotiable.
+37.3%
Break Effect
+12.5%
DEF
+5
Speed

Upgrade Materials

Immortal Scionette
Character Ascension
Harmonic Tune
Trace Material
Gelid Chitin
Enemy Drop
Past Evils of the Borehole Planet Disaster
Weekly Boss Drop

Frequently Asked Questions

Aim for 180% Break Effect total. However, you only need to reach 160% from gear and substats, as her Ascension 2 trace (Inert Respiration) adds 20% Break Effect to all allies passively. Hitting 180% total activates the maximum 36% bonus DMG from the Candle Lights on Still Waters trace (Ascension 6), making it the single most important stat target on the sheet.
Yes, absolutely. Ruan Mei's kit is so strong that her base buffs (8% team SPD, up to 52% DMG, 15% All-Type RES PEN, Break extension) carry her value regardless of light cone. Memories of the Past provides the Break Effect and Energy she needs at 4-star rarity, and Meshing Cogs is a perfectly serviceable 3-star. Her signature is a clear upgrade but not required to clear all endgame content.
The Firefly + Ruan Mei + Fugue + Lingsha team is widely regarded as the strongest composition in the game for single-target and boss content. Ruan Mei provides Break Efficiency, DMG%, RES PEN, and Weakness Break extension. Firefly and Fugue stack Super Break DMG, while Lingsha sustains and contributes additional Break output. In DoT content, swapping Firefly and Fugue for Kafka and a second DoT dealer is another top-tier option.
Energy Regen Rate on the Link Rope is almost always the correct choice. Maintaining near-constant Ultimate uptime is critical for sustaining the 15% All-Type RES PEN field and the Thanatoplum Rebloom Break extension. Speed is better obtained through substat rolls and her own passive SPD trace bonus. Only switch to a Speed Rope if you are hitting a specific speed breakpoint that dramatically improves her action economy and already have enough Energy Regen through other sources.
Yes. While her kit is optimized for Break teams, her universal buffs (team DMG%, All-Type RES PEN from her Ultimate, SPD from her Talent) benefit any composition. She has historically been used alongside Jingliu, Dr. Ratio, and other non-Break carries to great effect. The DMG% buff from Overtone caps at 52% with full Break Effect, making her a top-tier support even in teams that never focus on Toughness mechanics.
E1 is excellent: DEF ignore on all allies while her Ultimate field is active is a constant, no-condition buff. E2 is arguably the strongest eidolon: 40% ATK for all allies hitting Weakness Broken enemies is essentially permanent in Break teams and dramatically increases overall DPS. E4 is also strong for Ruan Mei herself, giving 100% Break Effect for 3 turns on each Weakness Break and pushing her well beyond the 180% cap. E6 is powerful but expensive; reserve it for players who specifically want to maximize Ruan Mei's ceiling.
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