Arms-On Preview: Wuthering Waves 3.0

Because it first launched in 2024, it is protected to say that Wuthering Waves has taken the free-to-play gaming area by storm. The variety of contemporaries within the style that require no financial funding to completely get pleasure from whereas nonetheless saturating a participant with a metric ton of content material to get pleasure from regardless is… properly, a really low quantity.

After all, if you happen to’ve performed the 1.0 or 2.0 variations of the sport since launch, you already know this. Kuro Video games has achieved a fairly insane job up to now of cramming their world stuffed with content material which you could work via for dozens upon dozens of hours as you play as your favourite assortment of Resonators inside the recreation, of which there are already over 40 to decide on between.

Final week, I used to be capable of go hands-on with a pre-release construct of the three.0 replace, We Who See The Stars, earlier than it goes stay worldwide on Christmas Day, December twenty fifth. This occasion came about in downtown Los Angeles, only a block or so from The Recreation Awards, the place Wuthering Waves would find yourself taking house the award for Participant’s Alternative on the present.

If what I used to be capable of expertise of three.0 was any proof, these gamers that already love the title could have rather a lot to sit up for as soon as Santa drops it off beneath the Christmas Tree. Let’s dive in to what I used to be capable of expertise first-hand with this looming, big replace to top-of-the-line free-to-play experiences on the market.

Faculty-Primarily based Story Content material

My time with Wuthering Waves 3.0 began off in Startorch Academy, which served because the hub for my expertise with something story-related I noticed in my preview. This tremendous sci-fi, tremendous visually placing location was bustling with NPCs, fellow college students, and quest markers to chase down.

As a long-time, well-documented Persona lover, seeing Wuthering Waves on this faculty setting instantly felt intriguing, cozy, and unusually acquainted to me regardless of being all new content material. I had a good time merely trying round this space, and vibing laborious to the music all through.

Within the slice of the narrative that I received to expertise, I listened to and engaged with tons of dialogue sequences, which had me fully locked-in the entire time. The truth is, I used to be so locked-in that I would fully missed the observe on my desk on the preview occasion suggesting that I skip via a few of the dialogue simply to make sure there was ample time for me to see the entire new gameplay bits that Kuro was keen to indicate off to me.

Fortunately, I nonetheless wound up with time to work via the remainder of the demo in my timeslot, however I believe it is a testomony to the story I’ve seen of three.0 to date that I simply did not need to skip something both. The characters have been charming, together with a standout efficiency from S.I.G.M.A., the academy’s resident robotic who’s obsessive about bike security and was positive to grill my get together concerning the guidelines of the highway earlier than permitting me to leap onto my new bike for the primary time. Talking of which…

The (Totally Customizable) Motorcycle And Radio

Maybe the one new factor from 3.0 that Kuro was most keen to indicate off to us on the preview occasion was the addition of the bike to the sport. Actually, I completely perceive why, as a result of it is fairly unbelievable. In such huge worlds to discover in video video games, having a enjoyable technique of traversal is paramount to the expertise, and Wuthering Waves now has its metal steed to get the job achieved.

As soon as accessible to me within the preview, I went via a tutorial part of types on the bike, cruising down an extended, expansive freeway that stretched so far as the attention might see all through the brand new space of Lahai-Roi. There are additionally new digicam modes added into the sport for once you’re on the bike, together with a type of autopilot function that permits you to toggle on a cinematic mode so that you’re positive to have the ability to soak up all of the sights as you drive around the globe.

For me, nevertheless, I most popular controlling the bike myself, as a result of it actually feels nice, and comes full with enhance, leaping, and extra mechanics to make your Level A to Level B journeys far more dynamic and pleasant to any extent further. After spending sufficient time with the bike within the recreation, I will not be shocked if gamers marvel how we ever received alongside with out the bike in earlier Wuthering Waves iterations. It truly is superior.

Moreover superior is the radio station that now pops up once you trip the bike, permitting you to customise the music you are listening to each step of the best way. For me, this was an superior function since Wuthering Waves boasts a fully superb soundtrack. Further consideration to element right here to spotlight the jams is a superb contact.

You will additionally have the ability to customise the bike, including coloration swaps and particulars to particular areas of it to get it trying precisely how you like. I did not have a ton of choices to fiddle with within the preview, however nonetheless loved making it half metallic gold and half navy blue as an homage to my Indiana Pacers.

Lastly, Kuro has added within the function to have one other get together member hop on the again of the bike with you, which ends up in distinctive dialogue between your characters. These moments change based mostly on the duo you select to placed on the bike, which means there are tons of recent traces and good, particular encounters to uncover between your favourite Resonators. From a role-playing perspective, it is a function I think about many followers will come to like.

New In-World Occasions And Mini-Video games In A number of New Areas

Past the scope of including in what looks like a ton of recent story content material and the tremendous cool bike, Wuthering Waves 3.0 can be bursting on the seams with new occasions, mini-games, and areas to discover. What’s extra, there’s additionally now the flexibility to customise the present climate within the recreation with the press of the button, so you’ll be able to expertise these areas in exactly the vibe you like.

The brand new world of Lahai-Roi appears dynamic, diverse, and huge. I solely received to see a portion of what’s going to finally be on provide right here, however there are 9 totally different places/biomes current in 3.0 that each one appear to supply loads to do and expertise as you merely soak up the great thing about this new world round you.

The map is very populated with issues like stargazing occasions, races and competitions on the bike, new puzzles referred to as Smartprint Cubes, little Korok-like creatures to search out, and wave-based enemy encounters with distinctive combos of mini-bosses on the finish. Merely put, there’s a lot to do on the planet, and it actually looks like 3.0 goes to be jam-packed with issues to maintain gamers busy with nonstop.

And naturally, all of this, mixed with the addition of the bike to get you from Occasion A to Mini-Recreation B, makes all the pieces all of the extra pleasant. I actually cannot stress how frequently impressed I’m that Wuthering Waves manages to place a lot accessible content material into the sport with out hiding something behind a predatory paywall. You will don’t have any scarcity of issues to do in 3.0, and all totally free, if you happen to select.

A lot Of New Enemies, Echoes, Resonators, And Fight Choices

After all, with a brand new, large replace to Wuthering Waves additionally comes the addition of recent Resonators, skills, weapons, and fight experiences. I received to spend time with Lynae and Mornye, each of whom felt superior within the warmth of the battle. Lynae particularly was additionally closely featured within the story content material I received to expertise, and with out giving something away, appears to be enjoying a significant, attention-grabbing function in how all the pieces will unfold in 3.0.

She additionally is solely a pleasure to have on display every time she’s there, continuously stealing the present together with her massive persona, enjoyable one-liners, and excellent assortment of bike tickets and infractions that S.I.G.M.A. was positive to pester her about close to the storage of the academy.

Each Lynae and Mornye are five-star Resonator choices, so both of the 2 can be high-tier additions to the gathering of Resonators inside the recreation. As such, you’ll be able to anticipate to get plenty of use out of them in fight. Each have been enjoyable and fluid to manage, with Lynae’s particular means of launching her bike at enemies being significantly spectacular.

In apply, I personally discovered myself swapping in Mornye a bit much less continuously into battle, as a result of her moveset is a little more ranged, and never what I sometimes gravitate to in Wuthering Waves as a Soulslike fan who simply desires to dodge and punish with melee assaults until the cows come house. Nonetheless, as soon as I will spend extra time studying her moveset when 3.0 is correctly launched, I am positive she’ll grow to be a worthy addition to the get together.

As you’d anticipate, there are additionally loads of new enemies and managers to come across in 3.0, which implies new echo expertise to unlock as properly. In my preview, I used to be capable of problem one boss the crew needed to indicate off to me, in addition to a few mini-bosses that got here on the conclusion of a few wave encounters I ran into out within the open world.

If you recognize the fight of Wuthering Waves already, you recognize that it greater than holds its personal, significantly for a title that additionally has to seamlessly work on cellular gadgets as properly. Each enemy encounter I had in my 3.0 preview was nice, and I actually loved studying new boss movesets to completely time my dodges and counter-attacks to come back out victorious in a few of the extra hard-fought battles I had.

As at all times, the fight loop of utilizing your cooldown expertise and swapping between characters for his or her entrance/exit strikes feels superior, and actually units Wuthering Waves other than different rivals in related areas. If you recognize, you recognize, however that is hands-down top-of-the-line feeling video games within the free-to-play market by way of fight, and three.0 appears to solely be making issues even higher.

There’s additionally the fully new Off-Tune Fight Mechanic, which provides yet one more further layer to Wuthering Waves’ already extraordinarily deep assortment of powers and talents inside battle.

Why I am Excited To Dive In On Christmas

Reality be instructed, whereas I used to be acquainted with Wuthering Waves going into this preview occasion, I am additionally not somebody that is sunk dozens upon dozens of hours into the sport up to now. I’ve performed and loved some points of 1.0, however as a Video games Journalist, there’s at all times one thing else on the horizon to dive into and canopy earlier than I’ve typically had an opportunity to completely expertise one thing as a lot as I would sometimes favor.

Wuthering Waves has been one such instance of this for me, maybe as a result of the free-to-play nature made me really feel like I might at all times depart the sport and are available again a lot later with out feeling like there was an funding I used to be losing by strolling away from one thing I would spent cash on.

The Kuro Video games crew current was eager to counsel new gamers merely soar into 2.0 to arrange for 3.0, but additionally that 3.0 was aimed to seize new/less-experienced gamers in addition to WuWa veterans alike. This can be a nice method, and actually has me feeling like Christmas is lastly the precise time for me to go all-in on the sport myself as we look forward to the slate of 2026 video video games to disclose itself.

I would already favored what I would skilled with Wuthering Waves earlier than 3.0, however after spending time in Lahai-Roi, assembly classmates in Startorch Academy, cruising round on the bike whereas listening to the banging soundtrack, and partaking in all the brand new content material crammed into each nook and cranny of the map, I am personally very prepared for extra.

It looks like 3.0 goes to be the replace that will get me to commit 100% to Wuthering Waves, and I anticipate I will not be the one participant to have this similar feeling as soon as everybody else is ready to go hands-on with it. Returning gamers and diehard followers have tons of recent content material to dive into, and new/lesser skilled gamers now have what appears to be the best entry level as properly.