If you’ve spent hours trekking across Wuthering Waves’ massive open world, climbing steep cliffs and waiting for fast travel cooldowns, you’ve probably wondered how to get levitator Wuthering Waves’ most versatile early-game mount. Unlike basic ground mounts, the Levitator hovers above rough terrain, lets you glide short distances without using stamina, and cuts down travel time by almost 60% in most areas. I’ve put over 300 hours into Wuthering Waves since launch, and I still use the Levitator more than any other mount I own, even the paid ones I bought from the in-game shop. I spent three days missing hidden quest steps when I first tried unlocking it, so I put together this no-fluff guide to help you skip the mistakes I made.
How to Get Levitator Wuthering Waves: Core Unlock Requirements
Before you can even start the unlock quest, you’ll need to hit a few non-negotiable prerequisites first. I tried picking up the quest at Rank 20 and couldn’t find it anywhere, so don’t make that same mistake. First, you need to complete the main story arc up to “The Other Side of the Wall”, which unlocks the northern Jinzhou exploration zone. This main quest line takes most new players around 12 to 15 hours to complete from the start of the game, so you don’t have to rush through it if you’re still enjoying side content along the way.
Second, you need to be at least Account Rank 22 to accept the side quest tied to the Levitator. You can level up your account rank quickly by completing daily commissions, opening exploration chests, and finishing side quests scattered across the map. Third, you’ll need to have 3 Unidentified Energy Fragments in your inventory, which drop from level 20+ Aberrant enemies across the open world. If you don’t have enough, you can farm them in the abandoned mine just north of the Jinzhou central waypoint in 10 to 15 minutes. You’ll also need 5000 Shell Credits to pay for the final calibration, which you can earn easily from daily commissions and selling extra enemy drops you don’t need for crafting.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough for the A New Flight Side Quest
Once you meet all the prerequisites, the “A New Flight” side quest will pop up in your quest log, and you’ll see a marker for the quest giver on your Jinzhou map. The entire quest takes around 30 to 40 minutes to complete if you don’t get stuck on any steps, and follows this clear sequence:
- Speak to NPC Old Hu at the east gate of Jinzhou market to accept the "A New Flight" side quest
- Collect 4 Anti-Gravity Coils from the marked abandoned research outposts west of Jinzhou
- Activate 3 calibration beacons on the mountain peaks north of the research outposts
- Complete the Levitator test race through 12 floating checkpoints within 90 seconds
- Return to Old Hu to claim your permanent Levitator mount
Bring a resonator with high climbing stamina for the beacon step, because two of the peaks don’t have teleport waypoints nearby, and you’ll have to climb almost 200 meters to reach them. Resonators like Verina or Jiyan both have passive stamina bonuses that make this step way faster, so swap them into your party before you head up the mountains. I failed the race twice at first because I kept hitting the floating rock obstacles, so go slow around the sharp turns instead of holding the acceleration button the whole time. You’ll have plenty of time to spare if you avoid crashing. Once you finish the race, Old Hu will hand over the permanent Levitator unlock, and it’ll be added to your mount menu immediately.
Key Levitator Features You Should Use Right Away
Once you get your Levitator Wuthering Waves open world traversal feels completely different, and you’ll wonder how you ever played without it. The first feature you’ll notice is that it hovers over shallow water, rocky terrain, and even small gaps without slowing down, so you don’t have to dismount every time you hit an uneven patch of ground. It also doesn’t get stuck on small obstacles like bushes or low fences, which is a huge upgrade over the basic ground mount you get early on.
The Levitator’s short glide ability lets you jump off cliffs and glide for 3 seconds without using any of your resonator’s stamina, which is perfect for crossing deep valleys or skipping long climbing sections. You can hold the jump button while riding to activate the glide, and you can steer mid-air to land exactly where you want. It doesn’t consume any stamina or items to use, so you can summon it and dismiss it as many times as you want with no cooldown outside of combat.
There’s one small downside to keep in mind: it’s slightly slower than the ground speed mount on flat paved roads, so you can swap between mounts depending on the terrain you’re crossing. You can also upgrade the Levitator later to increase its glide time to 7 seconds, and unlock neon color skins from seasonal events, so it’s not just a functional mount but also customizable if you want to make it feel unique.
Common Unlock Mistakes to Avoid
I’ve helped dozens of my clan mates unlock the Levitator over the past few months, and I see the same mistakes pop up over and over again. Don’t leave the Jinzhou market immediately after accepting the quest — Old Hu will give you a special scanner item that highlights the Anti-Gravity Coils through walls, which cuts your collection time in half. If you forget to pick it up, you’ll have to search every room in the outposts to find the coils, which takes way longer.
Second mistake: Trying to activate the calibration beacons during a thunderstorm. The beacons short out during bad weather, so you’ll have to wait until the storm passes to activate them. You can check the weather forecast in your map menu to pick a clear time to do this step, so you don’t waste a trip up the mountain just to have to come back later. Third mistake: Selling your Unidentified Energy Fragments for extra credits early on. I did this on my alt account and had to farm for an extra hour to get the 3 I needed for the quest, so hold onto any of these fragments you get before Rank 22.
You don’t need to pay for any premium currency to unlock the Levitator, even if you see pop-ups for paid mounts in the shop. It’s a 100% free unlock for all players, no purchases required. If you follow these tips, you won’t run into any of the frustrating delays that most players face when they try to unlock the Levitator Wuthering Waves for the first time.
Once you know exactly what prerequisites you need and what steps to follow, figuring out how to get levitator Wuthering Waves only takes around 45 minutes of playtime, and it’s one of the most useful upgrades you can get for your open world exploration. It’ll save you hours of walking and climbing over the course of your playthrough, and it makes hunting for hidden chests and exploration collectibles way more fun. If you hit any snags during the unlock process, feel free to drop a comment below and I’ll help you work through it.