This guide is designed to help both new and returning players optimize their progression in Wuthering Waves. We’ll break down the most efficient strategies to level up your Union Level and gear up your characters, avoiding common pitfalls and maximizing your early to mid-game experience. This guide is structured around Union Levels, mirroring the game’s progression milestones, particularly up to Union Level 40, which represented a significant point in Closed Beta Test 2 (CBT2) where most core features were unlocked.
Please note, this guide intentionally avoids:
- Story Spoilers: We focus purely on gameplay mechanics and progression strategies.
- Specific Gacha Recommendations (beyond version 1.0 events): Character banners are dynamic, and this guide focuses on general principles.
- Definitive Meta Compositions: While we’ll recommend strong free characters available in version 1.0 and discuss standard 5-star characters, the meta is constantly evolving.
Wuthering Waves Preparation
For a more fundamental introduction to the game’s systems, be sure to check out our Starter Guide.
Wuthering Waves Starter Guide
Character Focus: Standalone Strength
Our character recommendations prioritize standalone effectiveness. This is crucial because, especially for free-to-play (F2P) players, resources become increasingly limited as you advance, particularly beyond Union Level 30 and even more so past Level 40. Investing wisely in characters who can perform strongly on their own is key to resource management.
Based on Closed Beta 2 experience and character potential, our top recommendations for freely obtainable characters, ranked by overall power and versatility, are: Rover (male) > Chixia > Sanhua > Yangyang > Yuanwu.
Strategic Planning vs. Meta Following:
If you prefer a more relaxed approach and aren’t strictly concerned with meta optimization, this guide might still offer valuable insights, especially the top priorities outlined for each Union Level range. These are designed to streamline your progression regardless of your character choices.
Understanding Your 5-Star Novice Banner Character:
The 5-star character you obtain from the Novice Banner can significantly influence your early game. Here’s a brief overview of the standard banner 5-star options to help you adapt your strategy:
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Calcharo: A top-tier Main DPS character within the standard banner pool. While his parry timing can be demanding, he excels at sustained damage output through heavy attacks. Mastering animation canceling will further amplify his damage potential.
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Encore: A consistent Main DPS specializing in continuous damage. Encore’s kit revolves around entering a high-damage state and maintaining it effectively. Unlike many characters, she parries with a plunge attack, requiring a different defensive playstyle.
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Lingyang: A high-skill, high-reward Main DPS. Lingyang’s damage hinges on maintaining his Forte Circuit effect and maximizing airtime during combat. In this enhanced state, he has a single dodge (instead of the usual two) and demands precise attack timing for safe and effective play.
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Verina: Considered one of the strongest healers and support characters in the game. Verina builds Forte Circuit through her 5th normal attack and skill. Her heavy attacks provide party-wide healing, and her Outro skill buffs both healing and the ATK of the incoming character, offering significant team utility.
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Jianxin: Primarily a Support character, with Sub-DPS capabilities. Jianxin’s strength lies in countering enemy attacks, providing tanking and shielding, and grouping enemies with her Resonance Liberation. Upon switching out, she boosts the Resonance Liberation of the next character, enhancing team rotations.
Adapting Your Strategy Based on Your 5-Star:
- If you pull a Main DPS (Calcharo, Encore, Lingyang): Consider developing them as a secondary Main DPS alongside the Rover. This provides flexibility and elemental coverage.
- If you pull a Support (Verina, Jianxin): You can invest in them later. Initially, prioritize building two strong Main DPS characters, including the free and powerful Rover, to carry you through the early and mid-game content.
Union Level 1 – 10: The Foundation
Top Priorities:
- Main Story Progression: Focus on completing the main story quests to unlock essential game features and progress your Union Level quickly.
- Teleport Point Activation: Prioritize activating Resonance Beacons and Nexus teleport points across the map. This significantly streamlines exploration and resource gathering in the long run.
- Map Exploration: Reveal the entire game map as early as possible. This not only aids in navigation but also uncovers valuable resources and points of interest.
- Waveframe Usage (Weapon Materials): Initially, spend your Waveframe (stamina) on weapon ascension materials. Focus on weapon types used by your primary characters, such as Swords and Guns for Rover and Chixia, respectively.
Optional Activities:
- Enemy Defeat and Data Bank Expansion: Defeat enemies encountered during your top priority tasks, especially those not yet registered in your Data Bank. Expanding your Data Bank is crucial for long-term character progression.
- Echo Discovery: Discovering new Echoes grants Union EXP, accelerating your level progression.
- Side Quests: Engage in side quests for additional Union EXP and rewards, but prioritize main story initially.
- Sonance Casket Collection: Collect Sonance Caskets as you explore. These are vital for unlocking Rover’s Resonance Chains, enhancing their combat effectiveness.
Leveling Recommendations:
- Character Leveling: Level the characters you intend to use actively. Early game content is relatively easy, so any level of investment will suffice initially.
- Recommended Early Characters: Focus on Rover, Chixia, and Yangyang. Choose one or two to invest in initially rather than spreading resources too thin.
- Echo Management (Crucial Early Tip): DO NOT waste Echo EXP on Green or Blue rarity Echoes. They are not worth the investment. However, keep them for Data Merge later on, which becomes important for obtaining 5-star Echoes at higher Union Levels.
Union Level 11 – 20: Expanding Your Arsenal
Top Priorities:
- Side Quest Focus: Shift focus to completing side quests for substantial Union EXP gains and valuable rewards.
- Data Bank Completion (Enemy Echoes): Actively hunt down and defeat enemies needed to complete your Data Bank entries. New enemies are more likely to drop their corresponding Echoes, accelerating Data Bank progression.
- Data Bank Level Maximization: Prioritize leveling your Data Bank as high as possible. A higher Data Bank level is essential for equipping stronger Echoes later on.
- Gear Upgrades (Early Weapons and Echo Sets): Equip 3-star or 4-star weapons and basic 2-piece Echo sets. Any 2-piece set bonus will provide a decent early boost. Avoid chasing full sets at this stage, as resources are better saved for 5-star Echoes.
- Sonance Casket Collection (Rover Chains): Continue collecting Sonance Caskets to fully unlock Rover’s Resonance Chains.
- Waveframe Usage (Resource Prioritization): Spend Waveframe on weapon materials and character ascension materials for your developing Main DPS characters. Weapon materials should still be the top priority, followed by ascension materials. Consider Echo EXP if you have surplus, but weapon and character progression are paramount.
- Weekly Challenge Timing: If you haven’t completed your weekly challenges, do them within this Union Level range. Alternatively, save them for Union Level 20+ for potentially better rewards.
Optional Enhancements:
- Rover Forte Circuit Upgrade: If you are focusing on Rover, upgrading their Forte Circuit (the middle ability in the Forte menu) provides a significant damage increase.
Character and Build Recommendations:
- F2P Character Focus: For F2P players, consider prioritizing Chixia or Yangyang (or both) alongside Rover. Chixia offers strong damage potential.
- Rover as Core DPS: Rover remains a highly efficient Main DPS due to their accessible Resonance Chains and ascension materials, making them resource-friendly and powerful early on.
- Early Build Strategy: Focus on achieving 2-piece Echo sets that align with your character’s element and provide ATK bonuses. This is a faster and more resource-efficient approach than aiming for full sets at this stage.
- Echo Upgrade Caution (Critical): ABSOLUTELY DO NOT UPGRADE ANY ECHOES at this Union Level. Save all Echo EXP exclusively for 5-star Echoes, which become available soon.
Union Level 21 – 30: 5-Star Echo Farming and Resource Management
Key Focus Shift: This level range is pivotal for transitioning to end-game gearing.
Top Priorities:
- Data Bank Completion (5-Star Focus): Prioritize filling your Data Bank with 5-star Echoes. They provide the maximum Data Bank EXP, accelerating its leveling. Even if you exceed the current Data Bank level cap, the excess EXP is banked for future levels.
- 5-Star Echo Farming (UL 25-30 Unlock): Once you reach Union Level 25-30 and unlock access to 5-star Echoes, farm them extensively! Specifically target 3-cost and “Shiny” (variant) versions of Echoes as these are highly valuable for end-game builds.
- Cost 4 Echo Accumulation: Farm Cost 4 Echoes as much as possible, even without spending Wavematter. These form the backbone of many character builds.
- 5-Star Weapon Selector Box (Strategic Use): If you obtained a 5-star Weapon Selector Box, strongly consider using it to acquire a sword for Rover. This is a significant power spike for your primary DPS.
- 4-Star Weapon Selection (Tiger’s Maw): Explore Tiger’s Maw for a 4-star Weapon selection box. Preview the stats; Guns for Chixia are a strong consideration here. Strategically allocate your weapon selector boxes to maximize early team strength.
- Exploration Completion: Aim to complete region exploration to unlock valuable rewards and in-game tools.
- Tower of Adversity (Stable Zone): Attempt the Stable Zone in the Tower of Adversity. This challenging content offers significant rewards and tests your character builds.
Character Building and Resource Recommendations:
- UL 30 Build Caution: Be selective about character investment at Union Level 30. Resource costs escalate significantly beyond this point, making it crucial to focus your investments. By this stage, you should ideally have two well-developed Main DPS characters and one Support character ready for more demanding content.
- Echo EXP Management (Strategic Upgrading): Spend Echo EXP judiciously. Once you obtain a 5-star Echo with desirable main stats, level it to +15 initially. While +25 is the maximum, prioritize bringing both of your Main DPS characters to a comparable level to ensure balanced performance in content like the Tower of Adversity. Consider building a full set if you are lucky with drops and want to experiment with set bonuses.
- +25 Upgrade Priority: If you plan to fully upgrade Echoes to +25, prioritize Cost 4 Echoes first, then Cost 3, and finally Cost 1, based on their impact on character builds.
Union Level 31 – +40: Endgame Gearing and Forte Enhancement
Endgame Transition: This phase focuses on refining your character builds and tackling challenging content.
Top Priorities:
- 5-Star Echo Farming (Stat and Set Optimization): Continuously farm 5-star Echoes to obtain the desired stats and set bonuses for all your core characters. This is a long-term investment that significantly enhances character performance. Farming while aiming for specific sets also naturally accumulates other valuable resources.
- Forte Investment (Circuits and Upgrades): Invest heavily in Fortes, particularly Forte Circuits and the one-time upgrades above your active abilities in the Forte menu. These upgrades provide substantial stat boosts and often require weekly boss materials, making them a key progression gate.
- Tower of Adversity Progression (Stable and Experimental Zones): Aim to clear the Stable Zone and progress as far as possible in the Experimental Zone of the Tower of Adversity. While 3-star clears might not be immediately achievable, focus on consistent progress.
- Exploration Reward Completion (Lootmapper Unlock): Complete all region exploration rewards to unlock the Lootmapper. This incredibly useful tool highlights nearby chests, streamlining resource gathering. Ensure you’ve also completed Sonance Casket collection if you haven’t already.
Farming and Resource Recommendations:
- 3-Cost Echo Farming (Co-op Efficiency): Farm 3-cost Echoes as much as possible. They are limited in daily availability and crucial for many builds. Co-op farming is the most efficient F2P method for targeting specific 3-cost Echoes. Tacet Fields are another option, but can be Wavematter-intensive, especially when building multiple characters.
- Echo Set Upgrade Prioritization: When fully upgrading Echo sets (+25), prioritize your two Main DPS characters first, followed by your Support character. Other characters can use partially leveled Echoes or Echoes that are 10 levels below the current maximum obtainable level. For example, if the maximum Echo level is 70, your Main DPS characters should be at level 70, while others can be at level 60. This staggered approach helps manage resource constraints, especially Wavematter and in-game currency, which become significant bottlenecks over time.
Union Level +40 – Endgame Refinement
Endgame Focus: Character min-maxing, tackling the hardest content, and preparing for future updates.
Recommendations:
- Consistent 5-Star Echo Drops: At Union Level 40+, 5-star Echoes should drop more consistently, facilitating endgame gearing.
- Level 70 Ascension and Beyond: Ascending characters to Level 70 is significantly faster than leveling them fully and their Echoes to maximum. However, fully leveling characters and Echoes becomes increasingly resource-intensive. This acts as a deliberate time-gate, aligning with content patch release schedules and resource availability.
Closing Thoughts: The Marathon, Not a Sprint
At this stage, you can shift to a more casual playstyle or focus on min-maxing your preferred characters and tackling remaining challenges. Remember that Wuthering Waves, like many gacha games, is a marathon, not a sprint. Consistent daily progress, however small, accumulates over time, allowing you to steadily advance as new content and resources become available with each update.
For detailed breakdowns of individual characters, visit the character section of our website!
Change Log
- May 25, 2024: Release of the guide.
- July 1, 2024: Updated to 1.1 Information.
