Progression in Wuthering Waves follows a similar pattern to other gacha titles. The early levels go by quickly as you quest, learn the mechanics, explore, and unlock new features. And like its fellows, when you reach Union Level 30 in Wuthering Waves, the whole game changes and with it, your goals.
What to Do Before Union Level 30 in Wuthering Waves
Union Level 30 transforms Wuthering Waves from a fast-paced, story-based action RPG with gacha mechanics into a much slower character-building and account progression grind. As such, there are a few things you should definitely do in the lead-up to Union Level 30 that will save you time and annoyance.
- Get your Databank to at least Level 15. One of the big changes at Union Level 30 is the ability to farm 5-star Echoes, one of the foundations of any character’s build. However, you can’t actually unlock Databank 15 until you reach UL 30, but you continue to accure Union Level EXP beyond the level lockout. The real prize is actually UL 17, as that increases your 5-star Echo drop rate to 50%. Ideally, then, you should try to reach Databank 17 before you reach UL 30, but it’s not strictly necessary.
- Build up a stock of upgrade materials. One of the most important things not to do before you get to Union Level 30 is to use too many resources to upgrade lower-tier gear. Yes, you should totally keep some 3-star weapons around, but you should not invest tons of weapon EXP items into them. Level 50 is as high as I would take any 3-star weapon you plan on replacing. The same goes for your Echoes and characters you have but are looking to replace. Level 40 or maybe 50 should be as much as you’re willing to take characters you don’t intend to use, and no 4-star or lower Echo should go higher than +10.
- Defeat every type of monster you can. Echo farming past Union Level 30 is a lot of hunting specific monsters all across the map, often for hours at a time for the right stat rolls. And while you can search for each monster type through the Echo Gallery in the Databank, knowing which monsters have yielded what rarity of Echo will help you level your Databank faster. It also ensures you can easily search the Sonata Gallery (also in the Databank) for Echoes with specific set bonuses without needing to hunt the monsters down first.
- Unlock the entire map. Not only will having the whole map unlocked let you farm Echoes easier, but it also allows you to access world bosses, the hundreds of additional exploration chests, and the different regions’ monsters without needing to hike everywhere. To that end, you should activate every Resonance Beacon and Nexus you find to add more nodes to your fast travel grid.
What to Do After Reaching Union Level 30 in Wuthering Waves
The first thing you’ll notice about reaching Union Level 30 is how much more Union Level EXP you need to advance to the next level. 30-31 alone costs 6,500 EXP, and that number only increases the higher your level goes. As such, your progression will automatically shift from increasing your Union Level to progressing your character builds.
I’m going to assume you’ve either reached Databank l=Level 15 or are really close by the time you reach UL 30 because a lot of your time here relies on having reached that stage. Here’s everything you’ll be doing after reaching Union Level 30:
- Level at least two teams to level 60. However, you should make sure the team you invested in first is as good as you can possibly make them before starting another. You only need one team for open-world exploration and experience grinding. And you want that team to be able to stomp anything and everything in its path to make farming materials and Echoes from your second team go as fast as possible.
- Farm a full set of 5-star Echoes for at least two teams. The Tower of Adversity will eventually require three fully built teams to properly complete, but no one’s going down that road until they hit at least Union Level 40, and takes at least a couple of weeks for even the more hardcore players. You can, however, spend your time farming 5-star Echoes not only for your main team but with future teams in mind as well. The more Echoes you collect of any kind could be the best-in-slot options for characters that come out in the future or will work for your teams later on.
- Build an Asterite bank. If you plan to pull for any limited character now or in the future, you’ll need a hefty stack of Asterite to do so. That means doing lots of side quests, world loot, and events and activities like the Depths of the Illusive Realm. If you save all the Asterite possible in the game, you’ll easily have over a hundred pulls saved up and ready to go. You don’t need to 100% clear the map to have that volume of currency, either, as events and new regions will only add to what you earn.
- Complete Tower of Adversity through Exploration Zone. The last thing you’ll probably do after Union Level 30 is take on the Tower of Adversity’s Exploration mode. This mode requires two fully-built teams and rewards an additional 1,000 Asterite, so it’s more than worth the time investment. It also unlocks the Hazard Zone, the three-team gauntlet that resets progress semi-regularly. You probably won’t be tackling Hazard for a while yet, but getting a feel for how ToA difficulty ramps will be helpful nonetheless.
That’s about everything you need to do both before and after reaching Union Level 30 in Wuthering Waves. It’s quite the list, and will take you hours and hours to properly complete, but if you’re in the game for the long haul, doing the early prep worth is definitely worthwhile.
For more on the latest gacha game craze, check out our Wuthering Waves guides hub.
