If you’re a new player jumping into Wuthering Waves for the first time, one of the first questions you’ll probably ask is how to unlock rare Resonators and weapons to build your dream team. The game’s gacha system, called Wishes, works a bit differently from similar open-world gacha titles, and small mistakes can cost you weeks of saved premium currency. Understanding how do you wish in Wuthering Waves is the first step to making the most of your playtime, whether you’re a free-to-play player or a low spender.
How Do You Wish in Wuthering Waves: Step-by-Step for New Players
Accessing the Wish system is simple once you progress past the opening prologue, which takes roughly 30 to 45 minutes of playtime. First, open the main menu by tapping the icon in the top right corner of your screen (or pressing Esc on PC), then select the glowing “Wish” icon marked with a shooting star graphic. You’ll be taken to a page showing all currently active banners, including limited-time character banners, limited weapon banners, and the permanent standard banner.
Each banner requires a specific type of pull currency to use. Limited character and weapon banners use Star Flares, while the standard banner uses Star Glimmers. You can buy these currencies from the in-game shop using Astrite, the game’s primary premium currency, or earn them for free through event rewards, battle pass tiers, and weekly shop exchanges. Once you have the right currency for the banner you want, just tap the “1 Pull” or “10 Pull” button, confirm your selection, and watch the animation play out to see what you get. You can only use matching currency for each banner type, so don’t accidentally waste Star Flares on the standard banner if you’re saving for a limited Resonator.
You also have the option to skip pull animations entirely in the settings menu if you don’t want to wait through the cutscene every time. This is a huge time saver if you’re sitting on 50 or more pulls saved up for a banner you’ve been waiting months for.
Key Wish Rules and Pity Thresholds You Need to Know
Wuthering Waves uses a pity system that guarantees you get rare drops after a certain number of pulls, even if you get unlucky with random rolls. For limited character banners, soft pity kicks in at 75 pulls, meaning your odds of getting a 5-star Resonator increase drastically with every pull after that point, and you’re guaranteed a 5-star at 80 pulls if you haven’t gotten one already. For limited weapon banners, soft pity starts at 65 pulls, with a guaranteed 5-star weapon at 80 pulls. Limited banner pity carries over between banner runs, so you won’t lose your progress if you only have 40 pulls saved when a banner ends and pick it back up when the character reruns.
Limited character banners also use a 50/50 system. The first time you get a 5-star on a limited character banner, there’s a 50% chance it’s the featured rate-up Resonator, and a 50% chance it’s a random 5-star from the standard banner pool. If you lose the 50/50, your next 5-star on any limited character banner is guaranteed to be the featured rate-up unit. Your 50/50 guarantee also carries over between limited character banners, so you don’t have to worry about resetting that progress if you skip a banner between runs.
Many players like to track their pity counts across multiple accounts if they run alt accounts for different server regions, or even take quick breaks between saving up pulls to refresh their focus before big banner drops. If you're the type who likes casual, low-stakes games to pass the time while waiting for your daily energy to refresh or a new banner to go live, you can try Jaiho Win for short, fun sessions that don't take away from your main grind.
There are a few common mistakes new players make with the Wish system that are easy to avoid if you know what to watch for:
- Spending premium currency on the standard banner before you have a solid core team of Resonators, since limited units are almost always stronger and more useful for endgame content
- Forgetting to claim free wishes from event rewards, battle pass tiers, and mail promotions, which can add up to 10 or more free pulls per month
- Pulling on a limited banner with only 10-20 pulls saved if you're specifically targeting the rate-up 5-star, since you’re unlikely to hit pity with that small of a pool
Best Practices to Maximize Your Wish Returns
If you’re a free-to-play player, the best way to maximize your Wish count is to prioritize earning as much free Astrite as possible every week. You can earn 160 Astrite per day just by completing 4 daily commissions, plus thousands more by exploring the open world, completing side quests, clearing event challenges, and ranking up in the PvP arena if you enjoy competitive play. Completing the entire open world map of each new region can net you upwards of 10,000 Astrite, which is enough for 62 pulls, almost enough to hit full pity on a character banner.
If you don’t mind spending a small amount of money on the game, the monthly supply pass is easily the best value for your money. It gives you 900 paid Astrite up front, plus 90 Astrite per day for 30 days, totaling 3600 Astrite for a price that’s far lower than buying Astrite directly. Never convert paid Astrite to wishes unless you've exhausted all free Astrite sources first, since paid Astrite can be used for other exclusive items like limited Resonator skins that are only available for paid currency equivalents.
You should also always prioritize limited character banners over weapon banners if you’re a new player. A strong 5-star Resonator will have a far bigger impact on your ability to clear content than a 5-star weapon, even if the weapon is technically best-in-slot for a unit you already own. Wait until you have a core team of 3-4 strong Resonators before you start pulling on weapon banners to upgrade their kits.
What to Do If You Don't Get Your Desired Wish Result
It’s normal to feel frustrated if you lose a 50/50 or hit hard pity without getting the unit you wanted, but it’s important not to tilt and spend more money than you can afford to make up for it. Remember that every limited Resonator in Wuthering Waves gets a rerun roughly every 6 months, so you’ll have another chance to get them later, and all your pity progress will carry over to that rerun. You can also use the time between runs to save up more pulls so you have a better chance of getting them when they come back.
All 4-star characters and weapons in Wuthering Waves are viable for clearing all endgame content, so don’t write off lower rarity units just because they aren’t the 5-star you wanted. I’ve cleared the highest difficulty of the Hollow Deep endgame dungeon multiple times using only 4-star Resonators and level 70 4-star weapons, so you don’t need rare pulls to enjoy every part of the game. Experiment with different team comps using the units you do have, and you might find a combination that works even better than the meta team you were trying to build.
If you find yourself getting too stressed about the Wish system, take a break from saving for a specific banner and pull on the standard banner a few times for fun, or focus on exploration and side content for a week or two. The game is supposed to be enjoyable first, and you don’t need every limited unit to have a good time.
At the end of the day, learning how do you wish in Wuthering Waves is one of the first core skills every new player needs to pick up to get the most out of their time in the game. As long as you follow the basic pity rules, avoid common mistakes that waste your premium currency, and don’t let bad luck stress you out, you’ll be able to build a strong team of your favorite Resonators without spending a fortune. Take your time, plan your pulls ahead of time, and remember to have fun along the way.