Wuthering Waves is shaping up to be the closest competitor to Genshin Impact to date, fueling plenty of anticipation from gacha gamers eager for something new.
Although Wuthering Waves certainly shares familiar mechanics with other gacha games, it uses its own terminology, which can initially be confusing for some folks. Add its own unique gameplay to the mix and you might need your own “WuWa” mint picker, er, whisperer to help you understand stuff the first time you start the game.
More:All Intro and Outro Skills for Every Character in Wuthering Waves
Here’s a beginner guide with a rundown of some key terms used in Wuthering Waves as well as key mechanics you need to keep in mind. The game is now available for download at the official Wuthering Waves site, by the way.
First off, some friendly advice before we get to the nitty gritty stuff.
12 quick tips when starting Wuthering Waves
Here are some quick tips to get you started on the right track with Wuthering Waves.
- Save your Astrite for limited character pulls: As premium currency, you can use your Astrite for many things. Veteran gacha game players, though, know to save such premium currency for pulling characters that show up during timed event banners, which can take a long time to save for, especially for free-to-play gamers. The limited banner is different from the standard banner, by the way, and it is not recommended to use Astrite for pulling characters on the standard banner.
- Raise your Union Level: Raising your Union Level grants you plenty of rewards from resources for pulling characters such as Lustrous and Radiant Tides. If you took part in the Wuthering Waves Pre-Registration event, for example, you can receive your free 5-star Echo reward in the game once you reach Union Level 8. Getting your Union Level all the way to Level 45 also gives you a bunch of Astrite and unlocks a 5-star weapon selector so you can pick one 5-star weapon of your choice for free (if you are not sure, the sword would be one of the good options to pick since it has a nice effect and is used by many characters, including your Rover MC). A good way to raise your Union Level early on is by completing quests and exploring the world.
- Get your Data Bank to Level 15 ASAP: Getting your Data Bank up to Level 15 will significantly boost Echo drop rates and allow you to farm the highest rarity Echoes (Rank 5 or Gold), which can provide better stats. In fact, you don’t want to do super hardcore Echo farming or raising until your Data Bank hits this level. That being said…
- Acquire one of each Echo you can get: Capturing an Echo for the first time grants you experience for leveling up your Data Bank, so go ahead and try to nab every new one you see. Just don’t waste resources on building your Echoes unless they’re at least purple rarity with great main or sub stats (ideally, you want to strengthen Echoes of Gold rarity since resources can be limited).
- Do your daily quests: Daily tasks or “dailies” are a regular part of the gacha game hamster wheel, which can be admittedly annoying at times. That being said, they’re great for acquiring resources and experience for raising levels. You can unlock daily quests by going through the campaign and finishing Chapter I, Act 3 and unlock the Activity tracker.
- Use your Waveplates wisely: Waveplates are Wuthering Waves’ version of Stamina or Energy in gacha games, which you will need to expend to do certain actions. Doing Simulation Training at the city of Jinzhou near the gate, for example, will require 40 Waveplates (more details on Waveplates are explained below in this article), which is good to do early on to farm resources to level up your characters or strengthen your weapons. You can also use it to do Tacet Fields for farming Echo resources but that isn’t as important until you hit Data Bank Level 15 and start getting Gold rarity Echoes.
- Save your limited resources: While some resources can be farmed in the overworld and respawn regularly, there will also be resources that are limited in number and can’t be attained as easily. You will want to save those resources for when you really need them and not waste them. Certain resources for Echoes, for example, should only be used on higher rarity Echoes, such as Gold 5-stars, with the right main stats. At the very least, the lowest rarity you’d want to use them on are Purple Echoes — and only those with good main stats — which you might need to use for a while early on until you unlock 5-star Echo farming.
- Use your Sensor when exploring: Speaking of farming resources, it can be hard to see plants, rocks and other stuff when you are out and about, even with their telltale sparkle. By saving your Sensor in your quick menu, you can use it as you walk around and it will turn resources into a more noticeable yellow.
- Take advantage of Echo Sonata Effects: When you start acquiring Echoes, you will notice that they can grant you special buffs known as Sonata Effects if you combine Echoes that synergize with each other (this can include Echoes of the same element but not always). The effects provide various buffs when for your characters that can increase their attack, elemental damage, energy regeneration, how much they heal and the like when equipping either a two-set or a full five-set combination of compatible Echoes. This is something you can take advantage of even with the trashy, unleveled Echoes you use in the early game so make sure to use it to your advantage. You can check out the Echo section further below in this article for the various Sonata Effects that you can get.
- Don’t forget to do your weekly bosses: Wuthering Waves features special bosses that can only be done a few times each week. These bosses drop materials needed for ascending characters so make sure to fight them so you don’t get delayed from strengthening characters because you’re missing unique boss materials (other ascension materials can be found while exploring the world or buying them from shops in a pinch). Speaking of materials...
- Don’t forget to pick up your boss rewards: It’s easy to get excited when you beat a boss and acquire its Echo. Before you check out your shiny new monster, however, don’t forget to pick up its drops. The first time I beat Impermanence Heron, for example, I happily equipped it while rearranging my other Echoes for my team and by the time I was done, the boss had respawned and my drops were gone. The lesson as always is, I’m an idiot.
- Don’t forget to include Echo attacks in your combos: Characters in Wuthering Waves have such fun kits that its easy to forget to weave in your Echo attacks in there as well. That would be a mistake as some Echoes have some pretty nifty moves. So try to remember to use them as soon as you switch in a character.
What are Resonators?
Resonators serve as the linchpin that drives the story — and gacha pulls — of Wuthering Waves. Think of them as the main actors of Wuthering Waves’ stage.
Resonator: Special individuals who are able to exhibit special powers by resonating with their environment and manipulating it — also known as Resonance. Wuthering Wave’s characters such as Rover, Jianxing and Calcharo are all Resonators.
Tacet Mark: A special mark on a Resonator’s body that symbolizes their ability. These can be located at different locations, such as the forehead for Calcharo or the thigh for Baizhi.
Forte Circuit: The unique core ability of a Resonator (pronounced “for-tay” for non-native speakers who might be wondering). For folks who have played Kuro Games’ other title Punishing Gray Raven, this is like that game’s Core Passive ability. Jianxing’s Forte Circuit ability, for example, allows her to gather chi and generate a shield to reduce the damage she takes. Abilities are influenced by a Resonator’s life experiences and subconscious mind.
Resonance Skill: A unique special move or skill for each character. This move is equivalent to the “E” or Elemental Skill in Genshin Impact.
Resonance Liberation: An even more powerful move than the Resonance Skill. This is similar to the “Q” or Elemental Burst in Genshin Impact.
Wuthering Waves elements and elemental reaction effects
Elements refer to a special attribute of a character, echo or enemy in the game. Wuthering Waves has six elemental attributes available in the game at launch:
- Aero (Wind)
- Electro (Lightning)
- Fusion (Fire)
- Glacio (Ice)
- Havoc (Dark)
- Spectro (Light)
Concerto: Refers to the energy gathered while damaging enemies with basic and heavy attacks and skills. Concerto Energy can be used to trigger a Concerto Effect. Think of these as the Wuthering Waves’ take on elemental reactions, except they trigger upon switching. Maxing out the Concerto Energy bar also allows players to perform a Concerto Skill (QTE) when switching characters. This skill is based on the character you are using.
The five types of Concerto Effect in Wuthering Waves are:
- Ensemble (Any Two Elements): Increases either Normal, Heavy, skill or ultimate attack damage by 40% for 12 seconds or until the buffed character switches out, whichever comes first. (Normal and Heavy Attack Boost: Aero + Fusion or Glacio + Electro. Skill damage boost: Aero + Glacio or Fusion + Electro. Ultimate attack boost: Aero + Electro, Fusion + Glacio.)
- Unison (Any Similar Element): Deals damage based on the element used on enemies within range.
- Legato (Havoc + Aero or Electro or Fusion or Glacio): Boosts skill damage by 20% for 15 seconds for incoming character. The effect is maintained and doubled when switching back to the original character within the time limit.
- Sustenance (Spectro + Aero or Electro or Fusion or Glacio): Creates a stagnant field of effect that slows enemies. It also recovers 10 Concerto Energy for the incoming Resonator.
- Duet (Havoc + Spectro): Boosts all types of elemental damage for 12 seconds.
Resonator combat basics: What you need to know
Resonators also have several standard moves as part of their kit.
Basic Attack: A standard multi-hit combo for each Resonator.
Heavy Attack: A stronger normal attack. Performed by holding the attack button or attacking after a successful dodge. Heavy Attacks deal Vibration damage, which can deplete a foe’s stagger meter.
Parry: A move that allows certain characters to block an enemy attack, making foes susceptible to being staggered or paralyzed. It can be performed with a well-timed basic attack or heavy attack as well as a Resonance Skill. When an attack can be parried, two golden rings appear around a character and the parry can be initiated when they merge.
Evasion: A move that allows Resonators to dodge enemy attacks. Do it with perfect timing to perform an Extreme Evasion that allows you to counter an enemy.
Intro and Outro Skills: These are skills that trigger when a character switches or swaps in or out with another character while having energy built up. Switching in allows a character to do an Intro Attack against an enemy. Switching out also triggers a skill that can provide beneficial effects such as buffs depending on the character. Check out our Wuthering Waves Intro and Outro Skill Guide for more details.
The world of Wuthering Waves
The story of Wuthering Waves occurs in Sol-III, which is the third planet from the sun.
That sure sounds familiar…
Sol-III is a tumultuous world marked by constant disasters that make survival a struggle for the remnants of human civilization.
The Lament: A catch-all term to describe all the disasters and catastrophes occurring on Sol-III. The arrival of the Lament signaled human civilization’s downfall and the hardships that continue today.
Waveworn Phenomena: A collection of anomalies that emanate from The Lament. These include Tacet Fields, Tacet Discord Outbreaks and a mysterious material known as Tacetite.
Tacet Discords: Dangerous entities that possess amorphous forms that constantly change. They feed on frequencies, allowing them to mimic the abilities of its prey and evolve. They also possess Tacet Cores.
Tacet Field: These are special areas that feature a sky with inverted seas and a cross-shaped Tacet Mark on the ground. They link the human world to an unknown space using a Resonance Cord. Tacet Fields are where Tacet Discords come from.
Remnant: A pure form of frequency energy.
Tacetite: A special substance that can hold Remnant Energy. It serves as an important material for constructing weapons that Resonators can use to fight Tacet Discords.
Sonoro Sphere: A transdimensional space that is rich in Remnant Energy.
Reverberation: Refers to the vibrating frequency that forms from the alteration of matter and energy by Waveworn Phenomena.
Wuthering Waves gacha system
Here is a quick overview of key terms for Wuthering Waves’ gacha system, including currency and resources.
Waveplate: This is the stamina resource for Wuthering Waves that you need to acquire certain resources. For folks who have never played a gacha game before, think of it as fuel to perform certain activities or actions. For you Genshin Impact players out there, this is basically like Resin. You generate 1 Waveplate every 6 minutes and can hold a maximum of 240 Waveplate.
Shell Credit: Straight cash, homey. This is the basic universal currency in Wuthering Waves.
Astrite: This is the premium currency in Wuthering Waves and can be used to buy things like Waveplates or for buying items used for character pulls. The typical recommendation is to save Astrite for your limited character pulls (as opposed to the standard character banner).
Convene: This is Wuthering Waves version of banners for pulling characters and gear. These include standard banners for characters that are always available to be pulled and event banners that feature a limited character that is only available during that time.
Lustrous Tide: This is an item used for pulling in the standard banner.
Radiant Tide: This is an item used for pulling on limited event banners.
Sonance Casket: These are special materials that you can find while exploring Wuthering Waves’ world. They can be turned in to increase your Sonance Casket level, which provides various rewards such as Astrite and items. This is equivalent to the Oculus farmed in Genshin Impact.
Lunite Subscription: This is Wuthering Waves’ monthly battle pass subscription for earning extra rewards while playing the game.
Wuthering Waves Echo list and Sonata Effects
Defeating a Tacet Discord triggers the chance of dropping its Echo. The Echo can then be acquired by a Resonator, who can then summon the Echo to fight as a partner, kind of like a Pokemon. And just like Pokemon, there’s a chance to acquire Shiny Echoes with an alternate color as well. Echoes basically function sort of like relics (or Artifacts for you Genshin Impact players).
Echoes range in rarity from 1 to 5. The higher the rarity, the higher the max level an Echo can attain, which also allows it to unlock more substats (typically a new one every five levels). You start the game by only being able to acquire low-rank echoes but can start getting higher ones by leveling up your Data Bank.
Each Echo also comes with a specific cost to equip — either 1 point (Common), 3 points (Elite) or 4 points (Overload or Calamity). As you level up your character in Wuthering Waves, you’ll be able to equip 12 points worth of Echoes, with certain combinations granting you bonuses. The ideal combination is to equip one 4-cost Echo, two 3-cost Echoes and two 1-point Echoes.
Echoes also can be classified by their element or Sonata type, which triggers a Sonata Effect when you have either 2 or 5 different Echoes of the same element or type equipped (the 5-set combination will have a stronger buff). Depending on the Sonata Effect, you can get a boost to your elemental damage, healing, energy regeneration, etc.
Here are the various Echo Sonata Effects from Wuthering Waves:
- Celestial Light
- Freezing Frost
- Lingering Tunes
- Molten Rift
- Moonlit Clouds
- Rejuvenation Glow
- Sierra Gale
- Sun-sinking Eclipse
- Void Thunder
In the meantime, here is a list of all Echoes available in the game so far.
- Aero Predator
- Autopuppet Scout
- Baby Roseshroom
- Baby Viridblaze Saurian
- Bell-borne Geocholone
- Carapace
- Chaserazor
- Chasm Guardian
- Chirpuff
- Cruisewing
- Crownless
- Cyan-Feathered Heron
- Diamondclaw
- Electro Predator
- Excarat
- Feilian Beringal
- Fission Junrock
- Flautist
- Fusion Dreadmane
- Fusion Prism
- Fusion Warrior
- Glacio Prism
- Glacio Predator
- Gulpuff
- Havoc Dreadmane
- Havoc Prism
- Havoc Warrior
- Hoartoise
- Hoochief Cyclone
- Hooscamp Flinger
- Impermanence Heron
- Inferno Rider
- Lampylumen Myriad
- Mech Abomination
- Mourning Aix
- Phantom Feilian Beringal
- Phantom Hoartoise
- Phantom Impermanence Heron
- Phantom Mourning Aix
- Phantom Rock Guardian
- Phantom Thundering Mephis
- Rocksteady Guardian
- Roseshroom
- Sabyr Boar
- Snip Snap
- Spearback
- Spectro Prism
- Stonewall Bracer
- Tambourinist
- Tick Tack
- Thundering Mephis
- Traffic Illuminator
- Vanguard Junrock
- Viridblaze Saurian
- Violet-Feathered Heron
- Whiff Whaff
- Zig Zag
— This article will be updated as more information is confirmed.
