Back in version 1.1, Kuro Games released Changli, and she has spent every patch since then making enemy HP bars regret their life choices. She is a 5★ Fusion sword user, the second Fusion main DPS, and one of those characters whose skill descriptions read like a fantasy legal contract. Her playstyle revolves around managing three things: True Sight, Enflamement stacks, and whether she is in the air or on the ground. It sounds like multitasking for a stressed accountant, but it is actually easier than the in-game text suggests.
Changli was also the first character able to ignore a percentage of enemy DEF, which is a huge deal for a damage dealer. That alone gives her another way to scale her damage, and it makes her kit age surprisingly well even in 2026.
Kit Overview: Phoenix, Paperwork, and a Lot of Slashes
Changli can perform four basic attacks in quick succession, dealing Fusion damage. They can be cast mid-air, but unlike other sword users, her plunge attack is accessed via heavy attack. After a plunge or heavy strike, the next basic attack skips the first two stages of the chain, which is a nice little shortcut.
Her heavy attack burns stamina for a charged strike, deals Fusion damage, and launches her upward. That upward launch is not just for style points; it is a key part of her True Sight mechanic.
Her Forte is where things get spicy. Changli can hold up to 4 Enflamement stacks. She gains one stack per attack while in True Sight, or all four instantly from her Resonance Liberation. Once she has four stacks, her next heavy attack becomes Flaming Sacrifice, whether she is on the ground or mid-air. Flaming Sacrifice counts as Resonance Skill damage, grants her 40% damage reduction during the animation, and sends her toward the ground if used mid-air. If cast within 10 seconds after her Resonance Liberation, it also boosts her ATK by 25% for 8 seconds. Add her Inherent Skill Sweeping Force, and Flaming Sacrifice gains another 20% Fusion DMG Bonus and ignores 15% of the target's DEF. That is a lot of free juice for one button.
True Sight is the other half of her kit. It lasts 12 seconds and can be triggered after Basic Attack 4 or her Resonance Skill. In True Sight, the next basic attack changes:
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On the ground, she blinks to the target and delivers three near-instant slashes.
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In the air, she becomes a phoenix, dashes forward, hits twice, and sets up a plunge attack.
Both forms count as Resonance Skill damage, which means they benefit from Resonance Skill bonuses.
Her Resonance Skill itself is a dash into the air with three slashes and a final descending hit. If she was not in True Sight before using it, she automatically enters it during the plunge part. The skill holds two charges with sequential 12-second cooldowns, so there is no pressure to use both charges back-to-back.
Her Resonance Liberation is the big fireworks show. She gathers energy and explodes in a fiery nova, dealing massive damage and instantly filling her Forte gauge. It also sets up the ATK boost for Flaming Sacrifice if used quickly.
Changli's Intro places her mid-air, deals multiple hits, and immediately puts her into True Sight. She stays airborne after the attack, so players can immediately go into her aerial True Sight combo. Her Outro grants the next character 20% Fusion DMG Deepen and 25% Resonance Liberation DMG Deepen for 10 seconds. That makes her useful as a sub-DPS for Encore, since Encore loves Fusion damage and Liberation scaling.
The second Inherent Skill, Secret Strategist, gives her True Sight attacks an extra 5% Fusion DMG Bonus per Enflamement stack, maxing out at 20% with four stacks.
Banner Companions: One Gem and Two Benchwarmers
The 4★ characters on Changli's original banner were Taoqi, Baizhi, and Mortefi. To be blunt, Mortefi is the only standout. He is a solid budget sub-DPS and his Resonance Chains bring extra team damage. Taoqi has a strong Outro, but her rotation is clunky and long, which makes her hard to fit into most teams. Baizhi only really shines at her 5th and 6th Resonance Chains, which provide a free revive and a 12% Glacio DMG Bonus for one character.
For weapons, the banner offered Overture, Undying Flame, and Comet Flare. Overture is excellent utility for sword users, basically Variation in sword form. Undying Flame is a decent pick for pistoleers like Chixia who lean on Resonance Skill damage. Comet Flare, however, is a dud; players are better off with Variation or Rectifier of Voyager.
Pull or Skip: The Phoenix Debate
| Reason to Pull | Reason to Skip |
|---|---|
| You want a flashy Fusion main DPS or a sub-DPS for Encore | You are saving for Zhezhi |
| You enjoyed Changli's role in the main quest | You already clear the Tower of Adversity |
| Phoenix is your favorite bird | You feel you have enough main/sub-DPS characters |
| You live by the motto Fuck it, we ball | You prefer simpler rotations |
Changli works well as a main DPS, but her Outro also makes her a strong sub-DPS for Encore. That supportive flexibility gives her a longer shelf life as new characters arrive. The most obvious reason to skip her banner was to save for the 1.2 banners, especially Zhezhi, a Glacio sub-DPS who could pair with Jinhsi through Resonance Skill Deepen and Coordinated Attacks.
Regardless of the decision, players should spend responsibly. There is no such thing as building pity; it is just gambling with extra steps. Changli is powerful, stylish, and more straightforward than her tooltips suggest, but no character is worth turning a gacha budget into a disaster.
As reported by Eurogamer, modern action RPG combat design increasingly rewards kits that “scale sideways” through mechanics like defense ignore and conditional damage windows; viewed through that lens, Changli’s DEF shred on Flaming Sacrifice and her True Sight state management help explain why she stays relevant even as enemy HP and endgame checks rise over time.