Wuthering Waves has established itself as the most credible alternative to HoYoverse's games thanks to faster combat, where dodging and swap timing matter almost as much as team composition. The game has changed a lot since its May 2024 launch: Version 3.7 (September 30, 2026) closed the Xuanfang arc and made Hsin playable, see our 3.7 breakdown. Here's how to tackle the game efficiently, whether you're just starting out or coming back after a break.
Union Level, the backbone of your progression
Just like Adventure Rank in Genshin Impact, Union Level gates your progression. The main story stops at certain levels until you reach them, and every 10 Union Levels a new SOL3 Phase (the game's world difficulty) unlocks, some of them only after an ascension quest. You raise it through the main story, side quests and the recurring challenges in the Guidebook.
Your daily resource is Waveplates. They regenerate at 1 unit every 6 minutes up to 240. Past the cap, the overflow is stored as Waveplate Crystals at half speed (up to 480), so a missed day costs less than in other gacha games. Spend them on the activities your team needs: Simulation Challenges (40), Forgery Challenges for weapon and skill materials (40), Boss Challenges (60), Weekly Challenges (60) and Tacet Fields for Echoes (60).
The Tower of Adversity, the game's flagship end-game mode, unlocks at Union Level 15. It has four parts: the Stable, Experiment and Overdrive Zones, whose rewards you collect once, and the Hazard Zone, whose rewards refresh every cycle. Don't rush the Hazard Zone before you have a stable team: pushing the story and leveling your characters pays more early on.
Building your first team: Convenes, Resonators and Echoes
The gacha system runs on Convenes. Two banners are made for new players, and you should use them before anything else:
- The Novice Convene (Utterance of Marvels): 50 pulls at a 20% discount (40 Lustrous Tides instead of 50), with one standard 5-star Resonator guaranteed. It closes as soon as you get that 5-star.
- The Beginner's Choice Convene, which replaces it: up to 80 pulls, with one standard 5-star guaranteed, and you choose which 5-star it will be. You can change your pick at any time.
On limited banners, think in terms of the guaranteed pity threshold rather than luck, and keep your Astrites until you're sure you want the character on offer. For a first team, aim for:
- A main DPS who deals most of your damage.
- A sub-DPS or support who buffs the team through their Outro Skill.
- A healer or shielder: survivability matters far more than raw damage in your first few dozen hours, before you've mastered dodging.
Don't overlook Echoes, the equivalent of Genshin's artifacts. You get them by defeating Tacet Discords in the open world. The Echo in your top slot also gives your Resonator an extra active ability, the Echo Skill, so pick it for its skill as well as its stats. Get a matching Echo set first before chasing perfect substats.
Team composition: favor synergy over raw individual power
Wuthering Waves rewards well-timed swaps more than mashing a single DPS. Each Resonator has a Concerto Energy gauge: when it's full, swapping out triggers their Outro Skill and the incoming character's Intro Skill. In practice:
- Fill Concerto Energy, then swap, to chain Outro and Intro Skills and stack buffs.
- Learn to dodge just before an enemy attack lands: a well-timed dodge gives a short window of damage immunity, and it matters even more in the Tower of Adversity.
- Before pulling a limited character, check that they work with someone already in your team. A carry without the right support runs on empty.
What matters most starting out
Wuthering Waves cares as much about combat skill as it does about your roster: push Union Level through the story, use the Novice and Beginner's Choice Convenes first, keep your Astrites for a Resonator who fills a gap, and learn your dodge timing before you take on the Hazard Zone. Three complementary characters and a couple of well-chosen Echoes are enough to clear most of the content. If you play other gacha games too, our Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail beginner guides follow the same approach.
