Wuthering Waves is a clone of Genshin Impact, which takes over many mechanics from the original but is not without its own individual characteristics. Some of them may raise questions, so we have prepared a guide for beginners to briefly talk about all the features of the new product.
How to start playing
First, you must decide what you will play on. There are several platforms available - PCs and phones based on Android and iOS. The game will also be released on consoles, but later. After that, register on the official website of the game. This is necessary to save progress, since you can start the passage on a PC and then continue from the same place on the phone.
Which character gender should you choose?
Like in Genshin Impact, you will have a whole team of heroes, but you will choose the main one at the very beginning. Decide on the gender - that's all that's required. Otherwise, the boy and girl have identical characteristics. The plot also does not change.
How to navigate the world
You will most often have to explore the world on your own two feet, but there are some bonuses. Almost at the very beginning you will receive a glider that allows you to glide from high objects until your stamina runs out. The exact same tool is also available in Genshin Impact.
But what was missing was a grappling hook. The gadget will open according to the story and will allow you to quickly climb to higher ground, even in battle. Additionally, sprinting does not drain stamina outside of combat, which also saves you time. The heroes can also run along steep walls and automatically cling to obstacles, as well as climb (nothing new here).
Interestingly, the gadget selection menu slows down time, which in the future makes it possible to combine different devices and achieve an incredible level of mobility.
There will be a number of other tools in the arsenal to simplify navigation. For example, a scanner will highlight objects of interest, and a levitator will lift an object into the air, which is useful in puzzles.
Some Echo abilities and personal skills of characters will also allow you to accelerate, but we will talk about this below.
It wouldn't hurt to have tall heroes in your squad. Oddly enough, this makes a difference, since tall characters run faster and spend less stamina climbing.
How fast travel works
The game provides a mechanic for quickly moving through previously explored territories. This will require resonant beacons and Nexuses. Both types of buildings serve the same purpose, but Nexuses also reveal interesting objects on the map, while beacons are simply points for “teleportation”. All towers, as well as other places to explore, can be seen on the interactive map in our guide .
For exploring the world you can receive awards from the Pioneer Association. Similar to the Traveler's Guild from Genshin Impact, the Association awards bonus rewards for almost every ordinary action aimed at discovering the map and local secrets.
Why do we need wave plates and SOL-3 phases
To complete activities, complete quests and events, you need to spend wave plates. Every 6 minutes one such plate is restored automatically. Special currencies “crystalline solvents” or “astrites” allow you to exchange them for 60 plates at once. In general, this mechanic is a natural limitation, akin to energy in mobile games.
By completing quests, you will receive Unity experience. In simple terms, this is the player's experience, regardless of the heroes used. The higher your experience, the more chips are available to you. Every 12 hours, with a certain number of Unity points, you can increase the level of the world (phase SOL-3). The monsters will become more difficult, but the rewards will be higher. The good news is that the level of peace can be lowered.
Why are golden butterflies needed?
While traveling, you can notice a swarm of golden butterflies. Don't miss them. As soon as the hero comes closer, the butterflies will begin to move. Follow them to discover a treasure or other interesting place.
Why are golden cubes needed?
In various places around the world there hang golden cubes called Sonance boxes. They are worth collecting, as the finds can then be exchanged with the relic dealer. We also have a guide to the location of each box.
What is the legacy of the tide
Legacy of the Tide - special places where you need to defeat a strong enemy to unlock a star (purple or white). After victory, activate the star to receive rewards and some other items that can be exchanged for upgrade resources.
What to do with puzzles
There are many puzzles in the world of Wuthering Waves, but they are conventionally divided into several types - use a physical object to, for example, burn an obstacle; place objects on platforms using a levitator; fix signal decoders where you need to connect tiles of the same color with non-intersecting lines. There will probably be other tasks in the future, but in any case, you shouldn't skip them, as they are a relatively easy way to get rewards and resources peacefully.
Are there bosses?
Of course there are bosses in the game. All their locations can be viewed on the interactive map. You'll need to pay 60 Waveplates to enter the fight, but the rewards are well worth it. Bosses provide resources for qualitatively improving heroes and weapons.
Things to do in the open world
The range of activities is quite large; we will highlight the main ones that are especially important. First, don't ignore events and activities. Some of them are limited in time and will give you the opportunity to get new heroes.
Secondly, be sure to visit a number of locations and points of interest. The first of these is the Simulation Zone . This is a series of battles for which you will receive resources for upgrading heroes, weapons and Echo. The cost of participation is 40 plates.
Counterfeit testing is another activity. The cost is the same as the previous one. Here you will receive specific materials for weapons.
Bosses - no surprises, kill strong opponents for 60 plates and get tons of rewards. On average, bosses respawn every 3 minutes after defeat.
Taset Fields - activities for the development of Echo. Involves several fights. Cost: 60 plates.
The Tower of Adversity is a particularly dangerous dungeon that is also limited in time. Don't get there too early. This type of entertainment is for the most pumped up resonators. The tower is divided into zones. The first is stable and consists of 4 stages. The second is experimental, already consists of 8 stages and will require several teams of resonators (about 3). The third zone is dangerous, 10 stages respectively.
Depths of the Illusory World is a roguelike game where the resonator team receives random upgrades that make further advancement easier. The stages also change each time, but the boss always awaits you at the end. The advantage is that the Depths do not require plates.
Who are resonators
Resonators are all playable heroes. Many of them come to your team during the story or after events, but others will have to be knocked out in the local Gacha, which is called Convocation. Resonators resist quiet dissonances - bosses. A distinctive feature of all resonators is their sensitivity to one or another element:
- Spectro (light);
- Glacio (ice);
- Aero (wind);
- Electro (lightning);
- Fusion (fire);
- Havoc (darkness).
All resonators are divided by rarity. The most useful ones are those whose rarity is 4 or 5 stars.
What do resonator characteristics mean?
Each hero has an impressive list of characteristics, which will gradually increase.
- Health (HP) is the amount of life or the amount of damage that, in numerical terms, a hero can withstand before dying;
- Attack power (ATK) is pure physical damage without buffs or other improvements;
- Defense (DEF) - how much the hero reduces damage received;
- Maximum endurance (Max Stamina) is an indicator that indicates the hero’s reserve of strength, which he spends on various physical actions, for example, dashing or climbing;
- Critical hit chance (Crit Rate) - the probability of critical damage;
- Critical damage (Crit DMG) is an indicator that shows how much critical damage a hero will inflict if the chance turns out to be in his favor;
- Energy Regen - this will help you understand how quickly the hero will restore his magical powers for especially powerful attacks;
- Resonance Skill DMG Bonus - buff to damage from magical attacks;
- Bonus to damage from basic attacks (Basic Attack DMG Bonus) - buff on pure physical damage from basic attacks;
- Heavy Attack DMG Bonus - buff on damage from heavy physical attacks;
- Resonance Liberation DMG Bonus - damage buff from the most powerful magical attack (resonance release);
- Bonus to elemental damage (Elemental DMG Bonus) - increases all elemental damage, for each indicator will be individual;
- Elemental Damage Resistance (Elemental DMG RES) - reduces the damage the hero receives from elemental attacks;
- Healing Bonus - increases the amount of healing.
What do the elements affect?
As we already wrote above, each of the heroes is good in a certain element. Accordingly, they have resistance or weaknesses to some of them. The same applies to enemies. If you can always defeat weak opponents only with physical attacks, then with bosses you will have to think about the composition of your team in order to achieve the ideal combination. If you make a mistake, the monster will have resistance to elemental attacks, and your effectiveness will decrease significantly, which will naturally affect the difficulty of the battle.
What classes do the characters have?
This division is arbitrary, since heroes can be tailored to suit your needs, but most characters initially have a certain predisposition to a role in the squad. Conventionally, all roles can be divided into three large groups:
Main damage dealers (main DD) - the main striking force of the squad and those who deal maximum damage;
Secondary damage dealers (sub-DD) - are needed mainly to give the main damage dealers time to recharge their skills. Sub-DDs also deal decent damage and can buff your main characters;
Supports are heroes created to provide support. Supports include those who heal and those who apply various protective buffs or shields. As a rule, such characters are not strong in direct confrontations, but can absorb quite a lot of damage.
How to assemble the best squad
Here it is only important to point out that you have quite a lot of room for imagination. Even the weakest heroes can be adjusted, and your main goal is mutual support. Look for characters that will successfully complement each other. It is important to know that there are always three people in a team. It will not be possible to take more into the squad.
Weapons of heroes
When creating a team, it is important to understand that each hero only owns one type of weapon and will not use another. There are a total of 5 means of killing in the game:
- Gauntlets - melee combat and high attack speed, but low damage area, so they are ineffective for large groups of enemies;
- Sword - melee combat, but a slightly lower attack speed than the gauntlets, but a large strike zone, a universal remedy against most threats;
- Broadblade - melee combat, but even slower than a standard sword, but the affected area is significantly higher;
- Rectifier - similar to the catalyst from Genshin, which allows you to fire elemental projectiles at enemies at medium distance;
- Pistols are an analogue of the bow from Genshin, allowing you to hit enemies at a long distance, you can perform aimed shots.
Weapons only affect the affected area and the hero’s place in battle. It is logical that a character with a heavy wide blade should not appear far from the center of the battle, and vice versa - the owner of pistols should be left aside.
What are banners
For all fans of Genshin Impact and other similar games, the Gacha system is familiar, however, if you are a beginner, the banners can be confusing. It is banners that open up the opportunity for a local casino, where by spending a certain amount of special rare resources you can get new characters or equipment. There are three types of banners in Wuthering Waves:
- Persistent - do not depend on patches or events and are always available, or for a very long time. Activation requires "Brilliant Tides", sold for 160 Astrit in the in-game store;
- Temporary - clearly tied to events or patches. There you can find both completely new heroes and get old ones. Requires Shining Tides and Forging Tides, sold for 160 Astrit in the in-game store;
- Newbie banners are one-time spins that become unavailable after the character receives 5 stars. Requires Tides of Glitter.
What is a data bank
A special feature of Wuthering Waves is that by pumping up the data bank, you reduce the cost of heroes and increase the chance of getting especially rare ones, as well as the variety of Echoes. To advance, you will have to catch various creatures in order to replenish information about them.
What is Echo and how to get it
Echo is another distinctive feature of the game that competitors do not have. As you kill enemies, you will periodically notice orange holograms that remain in place of their bodies. The frequency of their appearance directly depends on the level of the data bank. This is Echo. Each hero has a certain limit of points (initially 8), which can be spent on installing several Echoes. Each Echo costs a certain amount of these points, so it won’t be possible to put all the most expensive ones in any case.
The character will receive the active and passive abilities of the creature he killed and whose Echo he activated. It is important that the first Echo in the column will give an active skill that can turn you into the same monster or give you other powers. All other Echoes give only passives.
Essentially, Echoes are a variant of the artifacts from Genshin Impact, but more advanced. As in the case of artifacts, the quantity and specific composition of the Echo chain matters. You will receive some especially strong bonuses by collecting a strictly defined sequence. Read more in a separate guide .
How to level up characters
Along with the characteristics, each hero has a number of indicators that will improve over time. The first is, of course, the level. The higher it is, the more powerful the hero. There are 90 levels in total, which are divided into 6 stages of elevation. To move from one stage to another, you will have to collect a certain set of resources, after which the levels will continue to increase. The second indicator is ability. These are active skills that can also be upgraded to level 10 with a different set of resources. Finally, the resonance chain is a variant of the constellations from Genshin Impact. You can develop this indicator using duplicates of the hero.
Upgrading equipment and weapons occurs in a similar way. There are also 90 levels and already its own 6 stages of elevation. And yes, you understood everything correctly - you will need a special set of resources.
Echo can also be improved. This will require duplicate creatures and special resources. As a result, the buffs that the hero receives will increase.
How to fight
The battle is in many ways reminiscent of the same Genshin Impact. You have a normal attack, a strong attack, a “Resonance Skill” that will gradually recover after each use, “Resonance Release” or just an ult, “Forte Chain” - an individual hero ability, as well as the “Outro” and “Intro” abilities.
The resonance skill can be both offensive and defensive. The beauty is that it can be used quite often, and no special conditions are required for activation.
With Resonance Release, things are a little more complicated. To activate it, you need to charge it by fulfilling a prerequisite, such as extreme evasion.
The Chain Forte gauge is located immediately above the character's health. Activation of an individual skill requires individual conditions, so each resonator has its own.
Outro and Intro skills are activated when the hero leaves the battle and appears in battle, respectively. For them, too, there is a separate scale to the left of health - Concert energy.
Don't forget that you also have an active skill, Echo, which will either turn you into another creature or summon one as an assistant.
An important difference from Genshin Impact is the presence of parries. When a yellow circle appears around the enemy, press the attack button. The hero will automatically counterattack and knock off the enemy's shield or stun him.
Evasion works a little unusually. If you can dodge the attack at the very last moment, the maneuver will be considered extreme. You will instantly replenish the gauge for Outro and Intro abilities, and also launch a powerful counterattack.
Under the health bar of especially strong enemies and bosses there is a white bar called vibration strength. Simply put, this is resistance that is reduced by attacks and any damage. When the gauge is empty, the enemy will be incapacitated for some time, and the hero will inflict a strong finishing move. The fastest way to reduce the strength of vibration is with counterattacks, so you will have to parry often.
Is there co-op in the game?
Yes, the game already has co-op from the start, but there is one thing. Access to joint adventures opens at Unity level 30, so you won’t be able to go through them in a group from the very beginning.
What is the Pioneer Podcast
The local battle pass is called the Pioneer Podcast. For completing set tasks, the player can receive some rewards. The podcast is divided into free and paid (for real money). In the latter, the rewards are significantly better accordingly.
Final tips
If you are a beginner, it will be difficult to comprehend all the information above. Therefore, in the beginning, just study the game and go through the story. The initial stages are quite easy to master; they will allow you to get used to the basic mechanics of the game without top characters and special leveling.
Keep in mind that there is no point in wasting resources on an average weapon, you will quickly find a replacement, and the materials can be useful for something more worthwhile.
Don't rush to raise the level of the world so as not to find yourself in an impossible situation. Also don't forget to use crafting. The game has craftsmen who will create equipment for you on their own. Sometimes it will be no worse than the one you buy or find.
