Where Winds Meet Heaven Quake Spear Build Guide — Pure Spear DPS (2025)

If you've picked up the Heaven Quake Spear and thought:

"Wait, isn't this weapon just a support tool for Strategic Sword builds?"

You're not wrong — but you're also missing out. Heaven Quake Spear can absolutely be your main damage dealer with the right setup.

This guide covers the Pure Spear build (Heaven Quake Spear + Nameless Spear), which offers simpler execution, stable damage output, and a smooth gameplay experience — especially for players who don't want to deal with complex weapon-swap combos.

If you're new to the combat system, start here first:
Where Winds Meet Combat Guide for Beginners.

1. Two Ways to Play Heaven Quake Spear

Before we dive into the build, you need to understand your options:

Option A: Pure Spear (This Guide)

Weapons: Heaven Quake Spear + Nameless Spear
Playstyle: Straightforward DPS with charged attacks and buff stacking
Difficulty: Low-Medium
Best for: New players, solo content, stable consistent damage

Option B: Bellstrike-Umbra (Sword + Spear Combo)

Weapons: Strategic Sword + Heaven Quake Spear
Playstyle: Complex weapon-swapping with bleed detonation
Difficulty: High
Current status: Dropped from T0 to T3 in the current meta

Important meta note: The Bellstrike-Umbra path (Strategic Sword + Heaven Quake Spear) was once the strongest build in the game. After balance changes, it's now rated T3. If you want maximum efficiency, Pure Spear is actually the better choice for new players right now.

This guide focuses on Option A: Pure Spear — the more accessible and currently more reliable path.

2. The Core Weapon Combo

2.1 Main Weapon: Heaven Quake Spear

Heaven Quake Spear is a high-frequency, multi-hit weapon with excellent charged attack potential.

Core skills:

Skill	Cooldown	What It Does
Sweep All (Special)	1s	AoE damage, scales with your current state
Sober Sorrow (Martial)	12s	6-hit combo, grants different buffs based on hit count
Drifting Thrust (Charged)	0.2s	625% damage multiplier, super armor during charge
Spear Conversion	3s	Weapon swap with sweeping attack

The Drifting Thrust charged attack is your bread and butter — 625% damage multiplier is massive, and you have super armor during the charge so you won't get interrupted.

2.2 Secondary Weapon: Nameless Spear

Nameless Spear serves as your stamina battery and combo extender.

Why it works:

Qiankun's Lock skill acts as a "recharge station" — use it 3 times to sustain continuous output
Provides stamina recovery between Heaven Quake Spear rotations
Simpler gameplay loop — no complex weapon-swap timing required

Think of it like having two gears: Heaven Quake for damage, Nameless for recovery. Shift between them as needed.

3. Internal Arts Setup

Internal Arts are critical for turning Heaven Quake Spear into a proper DPS machine.

3.1 Core Build (4 Slots)

Internal Art	What It Does	Why It's Here	Priority
Yi River Song	+10 Penetration, +5% damage at max stacks	Universal must-have. High-frequency attacks stack it instantly.	★★★★★
Shifting Meridians	Spear attacks ignore 12.5% of target's External Defense	Huge penetration boost against armored bosses.	★★★★★
Blades of Bliss	10% chance to apply bleed on hit, detonates at 5 stacks	Synergizes perfectly with multi-hit attacks like Drifting Thrust.	★★★★☆
Song of Valor	+15% charged attack damage at Tier 4+	Direct buff to your main damage source (Drifting Thrust).	★★★★☆

3.2 Why This Setup Works

Heaven Quake Spear's strength is high-frequency multi-hit attacks:

Yi River Song stacks to full almost instantly because you're hitting so many times
Blades of Bliss triggers frequently due to the same reason — more hits = more bleed procs
Shifting Meridians gives you flat defense penetration, which is especially valuable against late-game bosses
Song of Valor directly buffs Drifting Thrust, your highest-damage skill

3.3 Alternative: Wolf Hunter Sutra

If you're struggling to hit the 10-combo requirement for River Flow buff:

Swap Blades of Bliss for Wolf Hunter Sutra
This reduces the combo threshold, making it easier to trigger your damage buffs against single targets

For more Internal Arts options, check out:
Where Winds Meet Internal Arts Guide.

4. Mystic Arts Setup

Big meta update: The Dragon's Breath + Drunken Moon combo got nerfed by 40%. The new T0 Mystic Art is Dragon Rider Return.

4.1 Recommended Setup (Current Meta)

Mystic Art	Cost	Cooldown	What It Does	Why It's Here
Dragon Rider Return	15 Qi	12s	668.7% damage (two hits) + healing reduction	T0 Mystic Art — highest damage per Qi spent (44.5% per point)
Cloud Steps	20 Qi	10s	Dash + wall penetration + damage	Gap closer for spear's shorter range
Golden Jade Hand	30 Qi	20s	30% HP shield + 10% damage boost	Survivability + damage amp during burst
Dragon Head	100 Qi	120s	1634.5% AoE damage + knockup	Ultimate burst for clearing or boss DPS windows

4.2 Why Dragon Rider Return is Now King

Let's compare the math:

Mystic Art Combo	Total Multiplier	Qi Cost	Damage per Qi
Dragon Rider Return	668.7%	15	44.5%
Dragon's Breath + Drunken Moon (post-nerf)	~2,394%	88	27.2%

Dragon Rider Return is nearly twice as efficient per Qi point spent. It also has a shorter cooldown and provides a healing reduction debuff useful in both PvE and PvP.

4.3 How to Use Your Mystic Arts

Cloud Steps to close distance (spears have shorter range than you'd think)
Golden Jade Hand before burst windows for shield + 10% damage
Dragon Rider Return as your primary damage dump — use on cooldown
Dragon Head when boss is staggered or during add-clear phases

5. Attribute Priority

Heaven Quake Spear scales primarily with External Attack and Penetration.

5.1 Priority Order

Max External Attack — Your core damage stat for all skills
External Penetration — Combined with Shifting Meridians, shreds boss armor
Crit Rate — Target 50% base, Internal Arts push higher
Precision Rate — Keep at 95%+ to ensure consistent damage
Strength/Force — Secondary stats for External Attack scaling

5.2 Stat Tip: Prioritize "Max" Stats

When choosing gear affixes, look for "Max External Attack" rather than average or min values. Heaven Quake Spear's Precision damage calculates from your maximum attack value, not average.

6. Combat Rotation

Heaven Quake Spear has a satisfying rhythm once you learn it.

6.1 Standard Rotation (Solo/Daily Content)

Phase 1: Engage

Cloud Steps to close distance
Light attacks to build combo meter

Phase 2: Build Buffs

Sober Sorrow (Martial Skill) — land all 6 hits to build River Flow stacks
Aim for 10+ combo hits to trigger the full River Flow buff

Phase 3: Burst

Drifting Thrust (Charged Attack) x2 — your main damage, 625% multiplier each
Dragon Rider Return — 668.7% damage dump
Golden Jade Hand if you need the shield or extra 10% damage

Phase 4: Recovery

Swap to Nameless Spear
Use Qiankun's Lock to recover stamina
Swap back to Heaven Quake Spear
Repeat

6.2 Boss Rotation (Maximizing DPS Windows)

When a boss is staggered or in a long recovery animation:

Pre-cast Golden Jade Hand (shield + damage amp)
Sober Sorrow to max out River Flow
Drifting Thrust x2 with full buffs
Dragon Rider Return
Dragon Head if available (ultimate burst)

Expected damage: 15,000-25,000+ per rotation depending on gear and buffs.

6.3 Key Tips

Don't overcharge: For Drifting Thrust, charge just enough to get the super armor and full multiplier — holding longer doesn't increase damage
Watch your stamina: Swap to Nameless Spear when low; never run dry mid-rotation
River Flow is key: Your damage is significantly lower without the 10-combo River Flow buff — prioritize hitting that threshold

7. Gear Recommendations

7.1 Weapon Sets

Flying Falcon Set — Best in slot for spear builds
- 2pc: +0.2% Precision Rate
- 4pc: On Precision hit, +2% External Attack per stack (max 5), lasts 5 seconds

7.2 Armor Sets

Soaring Eagle Set — Balanced offense and defense
- 2pc: +2% External Defense
- 4pc: DoT/healing grants damage reduction stacks; at max stacks, next hit takes 90% less damage (halved vs bosses)

7.3 Stat Priority on Gear

Weapons:

Max External Attack
Penetration
Crit Rate
Spear Damage
Boss Damage

Armor:

HP / Defense
Precision-related stats
Stamina recovery (quality of life)

8. Common Mistakes to Avoid

Skipping the combo buildup — River Flow buff requires 10+ hits. Don't go straight into charged attacks without building combo first.
Ignoring stamina management — Heaven Quake Spear is stamina-hungry. Swap to Nameless Spear to recover; don't run dry.
Still using Dragon's Breath + Drunken Moon — This combo was nerfed 40%. Dragon Rider Return is now more efficient.
Forgetting Cloud Steps — Spears have shorter range than swords. Use Cloud Steps to stay in melee range.
Charging too long — Drifting Thrust doesn't gain extra damage from extended charging. Hit the threshold and release.

9. Heaven Quake Spear vs. Other Builds

Aspect	Heaven Quake (Pure Spear)	Strategic Sword + HQ Spear	Mo Blade
Playstyle	Sustained DPS, simple	Weapon-swap burst	Heavy hits, parry-focused
Skill Floor	Low	High	Medium
Current Meta	Solid T2	Fallen to T3	Solid T2
Best For	New players, solo	Min-maxers (pre-nerf)	Tank/DPS hybrid

Choose Pure Spear if: You want consistent, reliable damage without complex rotations.

Choose Strategic Sword combo if: You enjoy optimization and don't mind the current weaker state.

Prefer sword gameplay? → Strategic Sword Build Guide
Want a tanky option? → Mo Blade Build Guide
Looking for PvP setups? → Where Winds Meet PvP Tier List
Need Internal Arts overview? → Best Internal Arts by Build

Final Thoughts

Heaven Quake Spear doesn't get the spotlight that swords do — but it's a rock-solid choice for players who want reliable damage without mechanical complexity.

The key insights:

Pure Spear is currently better than Bellstrike-Umbra — the meta shifted after nerfs
Dragon Rider Return is your new best friend — highest damage per Qi in the game
River Flow buff is essential — always hit 10+ combo before bursting
Stamina management matters — use Nameless Spear as your battery

The spear life isn't flashy, but it's effective. Master the rhythm of build-burst-recover, and you'll be clearing content smoothly.

You don't need the fanciest weapon to be effective. You just need to understand your tools and use them well.

Good luck out there, spear warrior.