Wuthering Waves guide: basic mechanics and tips for beginners

Contents

In Wuthering Waves The guide will help you understand the main mechanics of the game, including the combat system, world exploration, character abilities, hero equipment, secondary activities and the banner system. We will also give tips to beginners that should help them avoid serious mistakes at the very beginning of their passage.

How to start playing Wuthering Waves

Creating an account and choosing a platform

First of all, you will need to create your own profile on official website of the game. To do this, click on the little man icon in the upper right corner of the screen or on the button "Sign Up" below, and then click on the inscription "Register Now" and fill out all the fields provided.

You can also simply log into the site through your social media page or Google account, which will automatically link it to your game profile.

At this point in time, you can play Wuthering Waves on a computer (laptop) or mobile device based on iOS or Android. Later, the developers plan to release the game on PlayStation 5. You can view the system requirements of the project in our separate guide.

You can choose any device, since the game is cross-platform, that is, your progress on your mobile phone can be transferred to your PC without any problems. However, it is still more convenient to play it on a PC, as it has a dynamic combat system and a huge open world that is easier to explore on the big screen.

Russian language

Unfortunately, there is no Russian language in the game at the moment, but a group of fans have already made a localization based on an AI translator. In addition, you can use various on-screen translators, both on your PC and on your mobile device. We talked about this in more detail in separate article.

Choosing the Main Character

At the very beginning of the game you have to choose the gender of the main character, whom everyone will call Rover. Note that male and female characters differ from each other only in appearance and voice, that is, in terms of abilities and combat potential, they are identical. This also has almost no effect on the plot. So you can make your choice based only on your personal preferences.

Prehistory of the world

The events of VuVa take place in a post-apocalyptic future world called Solaris-3 (the third planet from the sun). In the past, a large-scale disaster occurred here, which destroyed most of humanity and led to the emergence of destructive anomalies, such as the Tacet Fields and Tacet Discord Outbreaks, from which various monsters began to appear. All this was called the Wave Phenomenon.

At the same time, people appeared capable of resonating with certain objects and manipulating their frequencies. These unique individuals began to be called Resonators. They exhibit incredible resonant abilities, also known as Fortes, manifested through the Taset Sign on their bodies. Some scholars believe that the skills of Resonators are largely dependent on their past experiences and subconscious.

The main character, nicknamed Rover, is also a Resonator. He remembers nothing about his past and how he came to this world, but decides to help the inhabitants of Solaris-3 uncover the secrets of the Wave Phenomenon and destroy all the monsters.

Exploration and movement

If you have played Genshin Impact or other similar action role-playing games, then you should not have any problems with the movement system. Let us describe only some of its features in VUV:

Sprinting (fast running) does not consume stamina outside of combat.
You will receive a grappling hook (T key), which allows you to make a powerful jump forward and up without consuming stamina. However, its cooldown time is 10 seconds. With it you can quickly climb onto ledges.
Dash in the air (RMB or Shift) costs stamina and recharges as soon as you touch the ground.
Wall running (RMB or Shift) costs more stamina, but allows you to climb vertical surfaces faster.
The game gives you more control over your character's movements while climbing.
If while running along the wall you come across a roof ledge, your hero will automatically grab onto it and climb higher on it.
If you stop flying the glider, but continue to hold down any movement key (WASD), you will still fall in the indicated direction. You can reactivate the glider at any time (consumes a little stamina).
The gadget selection menu (Tab) slows down the gameplay.

To quickly move around the world, you can use Resonance Nexus and Resonance Beacons, which are analogues of the statues of the seven archons and teleporters, respectively, from Genshin Impact. You need to unlock them before you can use them. Chains also reveal the map.

Exploration is an important part of Wuthering Waves, as it allows you to find treasure chests, new enemies, side quests, challenges, puzzles, and of course, materials. Without resources, you won't be able to level up your characters and weapons, and the rewards for these activities often include Astrites. On interactive map you can see the location of all the important things.

Let’s add that for exploring the world (opening chests, solving puzzles, activating teleports, etc.) you can receive additional rewards from the Pioneer Association. You can find it in the western part of Jinzhou, inside a small building standing on the water.

We advise you to use a character with a tall male body model to explore the world, since, all other things being equal, he will run faster and climb to higher ground, and, therefore, he will need less stamina to climb. Let's add that some heroes have abilities that allow them to quickly cover long distances. For example, Verina can glide through leaves.

We recommend that you also use echo Racer's Inferno (Inferno Rider), because if you hold his skill for a long time, you will be able to summon a motorcycle. Be careful, as outside the settlements you may encounter dangerous enemies who may start chasing you if you get too close to them.

Golden cubes

Sonance Caskets look like golden cubes and are scattered throughout the world. In each region you can find different types of these items. We advise you to collect them and then give them to relic traders to receive additional rewards. In separate guide we showed their location.

Legacy of the Tide

Tidal Heritage are special objects that can be found in the open world. They are usually guarded by elite enemies that must be destroyed to unlock a purple or white star. Interact with her to receive various rewards, including shards, which you can later exchange in the gift shop for upgrade materials.

Cooperative

VUV has multiplayer, allowing you to visit the worlds of friends or invite them to your own server to jointly explore locations and fight bosses. It opens upon reaching Union Level 30.

In general, the cooperative mode is very similar to the one presented in Genshin Impact, that is, there is no talk of a full-fledged MMO component here. Plus, you can only invite two users, since a team can consist of no more than three characters.

Characters (Resonators)

Resonators are playable characters in Wuthering Waves. They can mainly be obtained through Convenes, the local Gacha system. However, some heroes can be obtained completely free of charge by completing certain missions or events.

Resonator characteristics

The list below shows all the character parameters in VuV, and briefly notes what exactly they affect:

Health (HP) – shows how much damage the resonator can withstand before dying.
Attack Power (ATK) – shows how much pure damage the resonator can cause.
Defense (DEF) – reduces the damage taken by the resonator,
Max Stamina - Determines how much stamina a character can spend performing various actions (dash, dodge, climb, swim and some attacks) before being forced to stop.
Critical Hit Chance (Crit Rate) – shows the probability of causing critical damage.
Critical Damage (Crit DMG) – determines the damage multiplier when dealing a critical hit.
Energy Regen – determines how quickly the resonator can restore its energy to use resonance release (ultimate).
Resonance Skill DMG Bonus – increases the damage of the Resonance skill.
Basic Attack DMG Bonus – increases damage from basic attacks.
Heavy Attack DMG Bonus – increases damage from heavy attacks.
Bonus to Resonance Liberation Damage (Resonance Liberation DMG Bonus) – increases the damage from the release of resonance (ultimates).
Elemental Damage Bonus (Elemental DMG Bonus) – increases all damage dealt by the character. Please note that there are six different elements in the game, and each of them has its own separate elemental damage bonus stat.
Elemental Damage Resistance (Elemental DMG RES) – reduces the damage the resonator receives from a specific element.
Healing Bonus – Increases the amount of healing provided by the resonator.

Resonator elements

Each character belongs to a certain element, inflicting the corresponding type of damage to enemies. There are currently 6 different elements in the game:

Havoc
Glacio
Aero
Electro
Fusion
Spectro

You should be aware that enemies may have weaknesses or increased resistance to certain elements, and sometimes even have an elemental shield. For this reason, you should carefully study the parameters of elite enemies or bosses before attacking them in order to select the right teams.

Let's add that some supports and sub-DDs are capable of increasing elemental damage, so they are best combined with a main DD of the same element as them. You should also take those Echoes whose bonus to elemental damage corresponds to the hero’s element.

Resonator weapons

Each character can only use one of 5 types of weapons. For example, if he is a Sword master, then you will not be able to equip him with Pistols. The hero's fighting style depends on the weapon:

Gauntlets are melee weapons characterized by a high attack speed but a low damage zone, therefore they are mainly suitable for destroying single targets.
Sword is a melee weapon with a slightly lower attack speed than gauntlets, but a larger impact area.
Broadblade is a melee weapon that has a slightly lower attack speed than a sword, but a larger area of effect.
The Rectifier is an analogue of the catalyst from Genshin, allowing you to fire elemental projectiles at enemies at a medium distance.
Pistols are an analogue of the bow from Genshin, allowing you to hit enemies at long range. By holding down the attack button (LMB), you can perform aimed shots.

Note that the battle itself does not change dramatically depending on what weapon the character uses. Except that the Converter and Pistols allow you to attack enemies from afar. It also does not affect the role of the hero in the squad, that is, one sword user can be a support, and the second can be the main damage dealer.

Character classes

Formally, there are no classes in the game, but depending on the abilities of the characters, they can be divided into three groups:

Main damage dealers (main DD) - aimed at inflicting maximum damage to enemies. These are the ones you will keep on the battlefield most of the time.
Secondary damage dealers (sub-DD) - can cause damage outside the battlefield and enhance the main damage dealers. You will need to occasionally switch to them to activate abilities or deal damage while the main DD's skills are on cooldown.
Supports – buff allies, heal them or apply shields. You will only switch to them to activate their skills. Most of the time they will be inactive.

How to choose the best characters

The tier list of the best heroes in VUV can be found in our separate manual. He will help you select the most powerful resonators for your team. However, in the first hours of the game you are unlikely to need it, since most of the content can be completed with starting heroes.

Banners

If you've played Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail before, you'll quickly get the hang of the local banner system. For example, there are also three main types of banners:

Permanent (Tide Chorus and Weaponry) - valid all the time, regardless of current events, promotions and patches. Thanks to them, you can knock out certain characters and weapons with a rarity of 4 and 5 stars. To perform spins, they require Lustrous Tide, which is sold for 160 Astrites in the in-game store.
Temporary (convening character and weapon events) – change regularly with the release of a new update, and during one patch they change twice. As a rule, they provide a guaranteed opportunity to receive new (if they are released) or old (as part of reruns) 5-star resonators and equipment. To spin, they require Radiant Tide and Forging Tide, which are sold for 160 Astrit in the in-game store.
Newbie Banners are one-time use banners that disappear after the first 5-star character drop. To perform spins in them, Shiny Tides are also required.

We strongly advise you to spend astrits only on Radiant and Forge Tides, because this way you will be more likely to get the character or weapon you need. Let's add that when you drop resonators or weapons, you will be given Afterglow Coral and Oscillate Coral, which can be used to purchase tides, duplicate heroes and materials. You can read more about each banner separately in our other material.

Echo

Echoes are another type of equipment in the game that serve almost the same function as artifacts in Genshin Impact. By equipping the resonator with them, you will receive a significant increase in various characteristics: from HP to energy recovery. For this reason, they should never be ignored.

Each echo has an active ability.
There are a total of 5 echo slots. You can use the creature's active skill if it is installed in the first slot. The order of the others does not matter.
Each echo has a certain cost (Cost), which can vary from 1 to 4 depending on its class. At the beginning, each resonator has a Cost Limit of 8 units, which can later be increased to 12. Thus, in any case, you will not be able, for example, to place an echo with a cost of 4 units in all 5 slots.

Echoes can be distinguished from each other by the color of the card, which indicates their rarity. The number of secondary characteristics unlocked when tuning a creature and its maximum pumping level depend on it. The cost determines what basic parameters the echo increases. More information about this can be found in our separate guide.

Receiving an Echo

Fight monsters in the open world and clear the Tacet Fields to obtain new echoes. The fact is that they will drop from enemies with a certain probability. The drop rate and rarity of consumed creatures depends on the level of your Data Bank.

Opponents in locations are reborn daily along with a server reset. Moreover, this timer is unique for each individual world, so you can join another player to farm creatures that you have already killed in yours.

Database

A special system, the pumping of which determines the cost limit of resonators, the probability of echo loss and their rarity. For this reason, it is recommended to take up the task of increasing the level of the Data Bank as early as possible. To do this, you will need to catch different types of creatures. Let’s add that for unlocking new levels you will also receive additional rewards, including astrits.

Upgrading characters, equipment and account

Characters

Heroes can increase three categories of attributes:

Level – increases from 1 to 90, which leads to an increase in the basic characteristics of the resonator (attack, defense and health). There are also 6 stages of elevation, in order to overcome which you need to obtain certain materials from bosses.
Abilities (Fortes) – we are talking about the hero’s basic attacks, skills, ultimates and talents, which can be increased from 1 to 10 by spending a certain amount of resources on it.
Resonance Chain is an analogue of Constellations from Genshin, which are opened by obtaining duplicates of the hero. They can significantly enhance it.

Equipment

Weapons can also be leveled up from 1 to 90 (and go through 6 levels of elevation), thereby increasing their characteristics, and strengthening their passive ability by increasing their rank (duplicate weapons are required).

To increase the echo level, Sealed Tubes or other creatures are required. Thus, you can increase their characteristics transmitted to the character. After fully leveling up, you can start tuning them to open up their sub-stats.

Level of Unity

This indicator is analogous to the adventure rank and mastery level from Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, respectively. It represents the player's overall progress in Wuthering Waves and is increased by gaining Union EXP, which is awarded by completing quests, solving puzzles, participating in events, and spending Waveplates.

By increasing your Unity level (the maximum value is exactly 60), you will unlock new game features (for example, daily assignments), expand the limits for leveling up characters and weapons, and also open access to certain quests.

SOL-3 phases

In Wuthering Waves, the SOL3 Phase is an analogue of the World level in Genshin. It can be increased every 10 levels of Unity, that is, now the maximum rank can be 7. By increasing this parameter, you will receive more rewards from monsters and challenges, but the enemies themselves will become noticeably stronger.

If you feel that you cannot cope with the strengthened versions of mobs, then we advise you to simply lower the SOL-3 Phase. You can change the rank no more than once a day.

Combat system in Wuthering Waves

The battles in this project take place in real time and are in many ways similar to the battles in Genshin Impact, but they also have a number of differences. All this is manifested in the abilities that resonators have, namely:

Basic attacks or auto attacks that are available at any time. You will use them most often, especially when playing as a main damage dealer. It is they who often open a window of opportunity to perform various combos and use other skills. In addition to regular attacks, there are also heavy strikes performed by long pressing the LMB.
Resonance Skill is an active ability that can provide a variety of effects, ranging from dealing pure damage to healing allies. It usually has a cooldown, so it can't be used multiple times in a row without recharging.
Resonance Liberation is an ultimate, that is, the character’s most powerful active ability. Before using it, you need to first charge it by performing certain combat actions, such as damaging enemies or performing a perfect dodge. You will need to charge it after each use.
Forte Circuit is an ability that determines the character’s gameplay, as it is unique to each resonator. In the game, it is presented as an additional scale located above the health bar. You can find out that it has become available for use by its changed color (it will turn into the hero’s element) and the acquisition of a different appearance, reminiscent of the shape of a sound wave. Different fighters activate this ability in different ways.
Outro and Intro skills are abilities that are activated when switching the resonator if the active character has filled Concerto Energy. It also has its own scale, located to the left of the health bar. After the change, the current hero activates his Outro skill, strengthening the next active fighter. Intro skills are unique attacks that will be performed by the new active resonator.

You can read more about all types of resonator abilities in our separate article on the combat system. In it we also talked in more detail about combinations of attacks, parrying, dodging and other mechanics. Here we will consider them only briefly.

How to use Echo

We noted above that if you put Echo in the first slot, you will be able to use its active ability in battle. To do this, you just need to press the “Q” key. After this, you will either summon him to the battlefield and he will perform an attack, or you yourself will transform into him and strike.

Note that all attacks are carried out automatically and cannot be interrupted, so you become vulnerable to enemy attacks. Fortunately, damage taken in this form is reduced by 50%.

Parry and counterattack

If you see that a yellow outline has appeared around the enemy, this means that you can parry his blow by pressing the attack button (LMB). After this, the character will automatically make a counterattack, temporarily stunning the enemy and partially knocking down his shield (if available).

Evasion

During combat, you can dodge enemy attacks, thereby avoiding taking damage. If you can dodge in the nick of time, perform an Extreme Evasion, which will allow you to regain Concert Energy and immediately launch a powerful counterattack.

The Power of Vibration

Most elite enemies and bosses have Vibration Strength - this is a white bar located under the health bar. If you bring it to zero (the fastest way to do this is with heavy hits, abilities, and counterattacks), you will stun the enemy and be able to perform a finishing blow that deals massive damage.

Main game systems in Wuthering Wave

Waste of daily energy

WuVe has its own primordial resin or energy. We are talking about the so-called Wave-shaped plates. As in the miHoYo games, it is necessary to obtain various materials in dungeons and boss battles. It takes 6 minutes to form one plate. You can keep a maximum of 240 plates with you.

We advise you to try to spend this energy every day to obtain new resources necessary to upgrade your characters and weapons. In addition, it helps to raise the level of Unity. Note that if you do not have enough plates, then you can replenish their number with the help of astrites or Crystal Solvents, which can be obtained as a reward for some missions. For one crystal they give 60 wave-shaped plates.

Completing tasks

There are several types of quests in the game, namely:

Story-related - they are marked in yellow in the mission log and on the mini-map. For them you can usually get astrits and a large amount of Unity experience.
Companions - personal tasks for resonators that allow you to better understand their character and background. They are marked in purple in the mission log and on the mini-map. They also give astrits and Unity points.
Side quests are optional quests that are usually given by minor characters. They are marked in blue in the mission log and on the mini-map. For some of them you can get astrits.
Research – regional tasks through which you can further study the lore of a particular region of the world. They are marked in green in the mission log and on the mini-map.
Activities are daily tasks that are updated regularly. For each such mission, 10 to 20 activity points are awarded. By collecting 100 points, you can receive a daily reward of 60 Astrit.

Additional goals

Some time after starting the game, the Drifting Inscription menu will open, which includes various tasks related to the gameplay. For example, you need to upgrade the resonator to level 60 or absorb at least 10 echoes of purple rarity. For completing these goals you will receive additional rewards.

Pioneer Podcast

The Pioneer Podcast is a Battle Pass that includes free and premium access (which can be unlocked with real money). Players can earn rewards in them by completing daily, weekly, and timed challenges. It resets periodically (most likely every 6 weeks).

Note that the paid version of the pass has a 4-star weapon selector, which is not presented anywhere else, just like in Honkai: Star Rail.

Game modes

In addition to exploring locations, completing missions and fighting monsters, the game can offer you a number of other activities. By participating in them, you can receive additional rewards. However, this will often require wasting wave-shaped plates.

Simulation zone

The Simulation File includes a series of tests, through which you can obtain a variety of materials necessary for leveling up your characters, weapons, and echoes. There is also a separate area for farming credits. Running any Achievement: Challenger will cost you 40 plates.

Blacksmith's Challenge

In the Forgery Challenge, you can mine materials to upgrade weapons and increase Forte. There are 5 types of challenges that drop different materials according to 5 different types of weapons, so be sure to visit the resonator page to find out exactly what resources you currently need. Again you will have to spend 40 plates.

Boss Challenge

In Boss Challenge, you will have to fight against strong opponents to obtain the materials needed to upgrade the Resonators. Different enemies drop different resources.

The boss respawns approximately 2-3 minutes after defeating him. We advise you to move to another location for the resurrection process to occur. To receive a reward for killing an enemy, you will have to spend 60 plates.

Clearing the Taset field

By clearing the Tacet Fields, you will receive materials for tuning Echoes and increasing their level. Each zone rewards you with resources for different Sonata effects, so go through only those that you currently need. To complete one Achievement: Challenger you will have to spend 60 plates.

Weekly Achievement: Challenger

By Weekly Challenge we mean battles with weekly bosses, as a reward for which you can receive special materials to improve Forte, standard forms of weapons (used for crafting), as well as resources for upgrading echoes and weapons. You can receive this reward no more than once a week. You'll have to spend 60 plates.

Tower of Adversity

Tower of Adversity is an analogue of the Twisted Abyss from Genshin Impact, in which you need to defeat various opponents in a limited period of time. For completing each stage, you will receive from 0 to 3 crests, depending on how long it took you to clear the level. The higher the score you get, the more rewards you will be given.

This is an end-game mode, so completing it completely requires you to have powerful and well-pumped characters. The Tower of Adversity is divided into three parts with their own characteristics:

The Stable Zone consists of 4 stages and upon completion gives a one-time reward in the form of Astrit.
The Experimental Zone consists of 8 stages and also gives a one-time reward in the form of astritis upon completion. It is not possible to complete all levels using the same resonators due to energy limitations (read more below).
The Hazard Zone consists of 10 stages, the completion of which rewards astrits. They are much more difficult than previous levels. These stages are updated periodically, allowing players to replay them for additional Astrit.

Energy (Vigor) refers to the stamina system unique to each zone of the Tower of Adversity. Each resonator starts with 10 units of energy, and clearing each stage in the zone requires spending a certain amount of this parameter. For this reason, you will not be able to clear all the Row House with one team. Ideally, you will have to prepare 3 squads consisting of different heroes.

Depths of the Illusory World

Depths of the Illusive Realm is a roguelike game mode where you select Resonators and send them into a simulated world to collect random sets of power-ups that make it easier to fight various enemies. It's essentially the Virtual Universe equivalent of Honkai: Star Rail.

The player must go through a series of semi-randomized combat and non-combat challenges to eventually reach and defeat the boss. Wave plates are not required to participate in this mode. Plus, you can go through it any number of times.

In the Depths of the Illusory World, you can periodically earn various rewards, such as astrits and upgrade materials. Please note that this game mode is currently in beta and it is possible that it will undergo major changes once it actually releases.

Recommendations for newbies to Wuthering Waves

Finally, here are some general tips that don’t fall into any of the categories above:

At the beginning of the game, you don’t have to chase ideal characteristics, SS-class characters, rare echoes, and so on, but simply enjoy the gameplay, since most of the starting content can be completed without any problems with the starting heroes and equipment.
We recommend completing only story quests at first, as they provide the greatest rewards and you can quickly increase your Unity level, unlocking additional functions.
You should not thoughtlessly raise Phase SOL-3 as soon as such an opportunity opens up, since in this case you will significantly complicate your passage - first make sure that you have leveled up the heroes well.
Be sure to explore the world, as you can find a lot of mysteries, treasures and other interesting things in it that can bring you additional astrits and materials.
The most balanced team consists of a main damage dealer, a secondary damage dealer with a support bias, and a support (healer or shieldman). You can read more about creating squads in our separate guide.
We do not advise you to waste resources on upgrading 3-star weapons, since very soon you will replace them with 4-star weapons.
Remember that you can craft 4-star weapons yourself, which will look good on some characters. To do this, you need to seek help from Uncle Wei, who is located in the city of Jinzhou. The pictures below show its exact location.

This concludes the guide for Wuthering Waves. We hope that it will help you quickly get used to the basic mechanics of the game.