If you’ve spent even a few hours exploring Wuthering Waves’ open world, you’ve probably stumbled on the Data Bank system early on and wondered how to level it up fast. Many new players overlook this feature at first, but it’s one of the most consistent sources of high-value rewards including 5-star weapon ascension materials, resonance core upgrade items, and permanent account-wide buffs that make every fight easier. If you’re trying to figure out how to get Data Bank EXP in Wuthering Waves without wasting hours on low-effort tasks, this guide breaks down every tested method I’ve used to max out my Data Bank in less than two weeks of casual play.
How to Get Data Bank EXP in Wuthering Waves: Core Prioritized Methods
I’ve tested every single activity that rewards Data Bank EXP over three playthroughs, and some methods give 10x more rewards than others for the same time investment. You don’t have to grind every possible activity to level up fast, you just need to focus on the ones that give the highest return. Even if you only play a few hours a week, sticking to these core activities will get you to max Data Bank level faster than players who grind random side content for hours every day.
- Main story chapter completions: Each full main story chapter gives between 800 and 1,200 Data Bank EXP, plus bonus points for completing hidden story objectives scattered across each region. This is by far the fastest way to level your Data Bank in the early game, and you’ll hit level 10 just by finishing the first three chapters without any extra grind.
- Lost Data Fragment collections: These glowing blue collectibles are hidden across every map, and each gives 50 Data Bank EXP when collected. You’ll find most of them near abandoned research facilities and old military outposts, and you can track uncollected ones once you unlock the region’s map survey feature at Account Level 20.
- Weekly Data Purge missions: Unlocked at Account Level 25, these repeatable weekly tasks ask you to clear specific domain challenges or defeat elite enemies across the world. Each gives 300 Data Bank EXP, and you can complete up to 10 per week for a total of 3,000 extra EXP without extra grind, since you’ll likely be doing these activities for other rewards anyway.
You might notice that side quests give very little Data Bank EXP, so don’t waste time grinding them if your only goal is leveling up this system. I made that mistake when I first started, spending 3 hours clearing low-level side quests just to get 100 total EXP, which is less than what you get from two lost fragments. Save side quests for when you want to take a break from progression or earn extra mora, not for Data Bank levels.
Hidden Bonus Data Bank EXP Sources Most Players Miss
Even if you’ve cleared all main story chapters and collected every visible lost fragment, there are hidden EXP sources you can use to fill gaps when you’re a few hundred points short of a level up. These sources are rarely mentioned in official tutorials, so most players don’t even know they exist until they’re late into the game.
First, interacting with old research terminals in abandoned facilities often gives a one-time 75 Data Bank EXP reward, plus a small lore entry that unlocks additional bonus EXP when you read it in your Data Bank menu. Most players just walk past these terminals because they don’t look like standard collectibles, but checking every terminal you see can add up to 500 extra EXP per region. I found 300 extra EXP just by checking terminals in the first starting region when I was replaying the game on an alt account last month.
Another underrated source is defeating roaming world bosses that are tied to Data Bank research entries. Every time you defeat a boss you haven’t registered in your Data Bank before, you get 200 EXP automatically added to your total. You don’t have to claim any extra reward, it just hits your account as soon as the boss is defeated, so make sure to fight every new boss you encounter even if you don’t need their drop materials right now. Also, don’t forget to check your Data Bank’s achievement tab regularly. Small milestones like registering 10 different enemy types or collecting 20 lore entries give bonus EXP that many players don’t even know exists. I recently found 800 unclaimed EXP in my achievement tab after forgetting to check it for three weeks, which was enough to unlock two extra levels of rewards.
Common Mistakes That Waste Data Bank EXP Progress
A lot of players slow down their progress without even realizing it by making small, avoidable mistakes. Fixing these mistakes will cut your total grind time in half, even if you don’t change any other part of your play routine.
First, don’t skip cutscenes or story dialogue when you’re playing main chapters. If you skip story segments, you won’t unlock the hidden lore entries that give extra Data Bank EXP at the end of each chapter. I tested this when I was replaying a chapter on an alt account, and skipping cutscenes made me miss out on 300 extra EXP that I got on my main account when I watched all the dialogue. That’s the equivalent of six lost fragments, for no real gain other than finishing the chapter 10 minutes faster.
Another mistake is ignoring the weekly Data Purge mission reset. These missions reset every Monday at server time, and if you don’t complete them before the reset, you lose out on all that free EXP forever. I recommend setting a quick reminder on your phone to do these missions over the weekend, since they only take about 20 minutes total to finish all 10. If you miss two weeks of these missions, you’re losing out on 6,000 EXP, which is enough to unlock three full Data Bank levels.
Also, don’t waste time collecting lost fragments before you unlock the map survey feature. The survey feature marks all uncollected fragments on your map, so you don’t have to wander aimlessly looking for them. Collecting fragments before you unlock this feature will take you three times longer, and you’ll probably miss half of them anyway. Wait until you get the survey tool for each region, then do a single collectible run for all fragments in one go.
What to Spend Your Data Bank Level Rewards On First
Once you start leveling up your Data Bank fast, you’ll unlock a ton of rewards that can speed up your account progression by weeks. It’s tempting to grab the first shiny item you see, but prioritizing the right rewards will give you the most long-term value, especially if you’re a free-to-play player.
First, always grab permanent account-wide buffs first. These include things like 5% extra damage against all elite enemies, 10% more stamina for gliding and climbing, and 15% extra resonance core drop rate from bosses. These buffs apply to all your characters forever, so they’re way more valuable than one-time materials. Even a small 5% damage buff will make every fight in the game easier for the rest of your playtime, so it’s always worth picking these first.
Next, grab the 5-star weapon ascension materials that you can’t get anywhere else in the game. These materials are required to ascend the best free-to-play weapons, and you can’t farm them from domains or world bosses, so they’re extremely rare. You’ll only get 3 of these materials total from maxing out your Data Bank, so make sure you save them for your main DPS weapon, not a random support character you barely use.
Only grab the common upgrade materials like mora or experience crystals if you have no other rewards left to claim, since you can farm those easily anywhere else in the game. I made the mistake of grabbing 100,000 mora as my first reward when I started playing, and I regretted it a week later when I needed a rare ascension material to level up my main DPS weapon, and I had to wait two more levels to get it.
You don’t have to spend 8 hours a day grinding to level up your Data Bank fast, as long as you focus on the high-reward activities we covered and avoid the common mistakes that slow down progress. Take it slow, prioritize the activities that fit your play schedule, and you’ll be able to unlock all the best rewards in no time. If you’ve been struggling to figure out how to get Data Bank EXP in Wuthering Waves, starting with the core methods we listed first will give you the fastest results right out of the gate. Don’t forget to check your Data Bank tab regularly for unclaimed rewards and hidden milestones too, you never know how much extra progress you’ve already made that you haven’t claimed yet.