Wuthering Waves guide: 15 tips to know before you play

Wuthering Waves is a free-to-play, open-world adventure RPG developed by Kuro Games. In it, you play as Rover, an explorer who has found themselves lost in a mysterious land. Soon, you learn of an ongoing war between heroes known as Resonators and dangerous foes known as Tacet Discords.

Our Wuthering Waves guide has everything you need to know before you set out on your journey, from available Resonators to Echo Abilities and more.

Resonator heroes and their elemental effects

At time of writing, Wuthering Waves will include 17 playable characters, known as Resonators. Each one makes use of a particular element—Spectro (light), Glacio (ice), Aero (wind), Electro (lightning), Fusion (fire), and Havoc (dark).

Note that Resonators are classified as either 4- or 5-star characters. Some are available through storyline progression, while others are unlocked via events. Several also come from the Convene feature, which is a “gacha” mechanic where you spend real money/premium currency to obtain rewards. Here are the characters we’ve seen so far:

5-star Resonators:

• Rover: Spectro/Havoc (Elemental attributes can be changed via progression unlocks.)
• Verina: Spectro
• Lingyang: Glacio
• Jianxin: Aero
• Jiyan: Aero
• Calcharo: Electro
• Yinlin: Electro
• Encore: Fusion

4-star Resonators:

• Yangyang: Aero
• Aalto: Aero
• Chixia: Fusion
• Mortefi: Fusion
• Baizhi: Glacio
• Sanhua: Glacio
• Yuanwu: Electro
• Danjin: Havoc
• Taoqi: Havoc

Maximize the use of Intro and Outro Skills

Your party in Wuthering Waves consists of up to three characters. In battle, you can swap between them (hit '1,' '2,' or '3' on your keyboard) to use their respective abilities. Changing characters can also trigger Intro and Outro Skills.

Outro Skills are triggered by the character leaving the field, while Intro Skills are triggered by the one you're swapping in. They're unique to each character, so some might deal damage to all enemies while others offer healing and support buffs.

Unleash your Resonance Liberation

The more you damage your foes, the more you fill up your Resonance Liberation meter (displayed in the bottom-right corner of your screen). When fully charged, you can press the 'R' key to unleash your ultimate ability and change the tide of battle.

 

Collect and empower enemy Echoes

One of the most unique features in Wuthering Waves is the use of Echoes. Many of the Tacet Discord enemies you defeat will leave behind transparent outlines that you can interact with. Doing so collects their Echo, which you can then activate by pressing the 'Q' key.

Essentially, this is a way for you to transform or summon a creature so they can cast their own skill. Here are some examples:

• Lampylumen Myriad: Transform into a monster that continuously attacks enemies and deals Glacio damage.
• Roseshroom: Summon this monster, which fires a laser that deals Havoc damage.
• Hoartoise: Turn into a Hoartoise and slowly restore your HP over time.

Equip Echoes to gain more buffs

Apart from activating Echo abilities, you can equip sets of Echoes to unlock unique passive buffs, called Sonata Effects.

For example, the Thundering Mephis Echo ability lets you transform into a Thundering Mephis and deal Electro damage—but it's also part of the Void Thunder set. If you equip two different Echoes from the Void Thunder set, you'll increase your Electro damage. Equip five, and you'll increase it even further after heavy attacks or using your Resonance Skill.

Each Echo you equip has a corresponding point cost. You can increase the maximum points of your characters by collecting more Echoes and leveling up your Data Bank.

Spend Waveplates and increase your SOL3 Phase

Many of the activities in Wuthering Waves—such as clearing dungeons, completing daily collections, or battling bosses—use up a resource called Waveplates. You automatically replenish one Waveplate every six minutes. However, you may also use currencies like Crystal Solvents and Astrites to regain 60 Waveplates.

The more activities you undertake and complete, the more Union EXP you gain. Think of this as your overall experience in terms of progression and exploration. At certain intervals, you can increase the SOL3 Phase (i.e. World Level). This makes encounters tougher—but also more rewarding. You may increase or decrease the SOL3 Phase difficulty every 12 hours.

 

Fast travel via Resonance Nexuses and Beacons

You can reveal more of the map by interacting with large towers known as Resonance Nexuses. These structures will then act as fast travel points.

There are other ways to fast travel, including smaller towers known as Resonance Beacons and points-of-interest like dungeons and boss arenas.

Speed up exploration by wall-running

Stamina is important when exploring the world of Wuthering Waves. Actions, such as your initial dash and swimming, gradually deplete your stamina.

However, it’s worth noting that stamina doesn't continuously deplete if you maintain a sprint after the initial dash move. Moreover, you can sprint up and along walls, pillars, cliffs, and other surfaces.

Use tools like the Glider, Grapple, and Camera

Speaking of exploration, you obtain a Glider within the first few minutes of the campaign. You can make use of it by jumping and pressing the spacebar. Do keep in mind that stamina is consumed while you’re gliding.

Later, you’ll receive various tools, which you can equip via the Utilities tab in your menu. These can be accessed by holding the Tab key, selecting the tool, and pressing 'T.' Here are the gadgets we’ve seen so far:

• Grapple: Lets you cross gaps and traverse via grapple points.
• Sensors: Reveals materials and important NPCs or objects in your surroundings.
• Levitator: Make objects float. Used in puzzles.
• Camera: Press the 'T' key to take photos, even in combat.

Follow Mutterflies to points-of-interest

Mutterflies are golden insects that float around various areas. If you see them, try your best to follow them, as they'll eventually lead you to treasure or points-of-interest.

 

Be on the lookout for Sonance Caskets

Sonance Caskets are golden cubes that float in mid-air. They should appear on your minimap when you're nearby. Be on the lookout for them since they can be exchanged for valuable goods with Relic Merchants.

 

Solve puzzles that you come across

Certain locations in Wuthering Waves feature puzzles that need to be solved. For instance, the Levitator gadget must be used to place objects on sensor plates. There are even thorny vines that you can burn down by throwing flaming plants.

Additionally, you might see devices called Signal Decoders. These require you to connect tiles of the same color without allowing the lines to overlap.

 

Face challenging world bosses

As you venture forth into the unknown, you’ll eventually encounter stronger Tacet Discords on the world map. These Tacet Discords possess powerful abilities and drop unique rewards, including materials used for skill upgrades, Resonator breakthroughs, and weapon crafting—though obtaining a reward from these encounters consumes 60 Waveplates.

 

Enter the Tower of Adversity

The Tower of Adversity contains the toughest challenges for those brave enough to face them. There are three zones with three towers, all of which contain several challenges (i.e. random modifiers and enemy spawns).

If you succeed, you can earn various rewards, including items that grant experience points for Resonators, Echoes, and weapons, as well as Astrites and Hazard Records. Note that the Hazard Record currency is used to purchase EXP potions and credits from the Points Shop.

 

Participate in daily, weekly, and seasonal events

Wuthering Waves is chock-full of events that are sure to keep you playing. Some are permanent, while others are only available in a given month or season. Here are some examples:

• Gifts of Thawing: Log in each day to receive Lustrous Tides and Radiant Tides (used for the Convene gacha feature). You receive Sanhua for free on the fifth day.
• Shadow and Recollection: Obtain Astrites by completing objectives.
• Rumbling Hollows: Clear the Tower of Adversity’s Stable Zone to receive a free Yuanwu.

There are other rewards up for grabs. The milestones you achieve net you trophies, while the Pioneer Podcast acts as a battle pass where you earn goodies by completing the required daily, weekly, and seasonal objectives.

That does it for our Wuthering Waves guide. Hopefully these tips helped prepare you for the long road ahead!

Wuthering Waves is free-to-play and it's available now on the Epic Games Store. Don’t forget, you may want to add friends via their user IDs (UIDs) before jumping into some co-op activities.