If you’ve spent any amount of time playing Wuthering Waves, you know that a diverse roster of characters is the key to clearing hard content, experimenting with fun team comps, and getting the most out of the game’s fast-paced combat. It’s easy to feel stuck when you first start out, with only a handful of free characters to work with, especially when you see other players running teams of rare 5-star units. The good news is that you don’t have to drop hundreds of dollars to expand your collection. This guide breaks down exactly how to get more characters in Wuthering Waves, with actionable tips for both free-to-play and paying players, no sketchy hacks or exploits required.
How to Get More Characters in Wuthering Waves via Free Summon Currency
The primary way to unlock new characters in Wuthering Waves is via the game’s summoning banners, and you don’t have to spend real money to get enough currency for pulls. The game hands out huge amounts of Asterite (the premium currency used for summons) for free through regular gameplay, if you know where to look. You don’t have to grind 12 hours a day to earn enough for regular pulls either, most of these sources require minimal effort to claim.
Daily and weekly commission tasks give a steady 300+ Asterite per week if you complete all of them, plus extra rewards like upgrade materials you can use for your existing characters. Story progression is another huge source of free currency, with each chapter of the main quest giving hundreds of Asterite as a completion reward. Don’t sleep on side quests either, many shorter world quests give 50 to 100 Asterite each, plus extra lore about the game’s world.
Exploring every corner of the map can net you over 10,000 Asterite in your first month of play from hidden chests, puzzle rewards, and viewpoint unlocks. You don’t have to 100% every region immediately, even casual exploration as you work through the main story will give you more than enough currency for multiple sets of pulls. The achievement system also gives thousands of Asterite for completing simple tasks like defeating a certain number of enemies or trying out different combat mechanics, so check back regularly to claim rewards you’ve earned without even noticing.
Make the Most of Limited-Time Event Rewards
Wuthering Waves runs new limited-time events every 4 to 6 weeks, and almost all of them give out free summon tickets and characters as rewards for participation. These events are designed to be accessible for all player levels, so you don’t need a stacked roster to earn most of the available rewards. Even if you only log in for 15 minutes a day, you can claim nearly all the summon-related rewards from most events.
Login events often give free 4-star or even 5-star characters directly, no summoning required. Past login events have given out limited 5-star characters for free just for logging in 7 days in a row, so make sure you check the event page every time you log in so you don’t miss these rewards. Many larger events also have event-specific shops where you can exchange event currency for summon tickets, character upgrade materials, and other useful items.
It’s tempting to spend event currency on cosmetic items like namecards or furniture first, but if you’re focused on expanding your character roster, prioritize summon tickets first. I once skipped a cool limited-edition namecard in an event shop to grab 3 extra summon tickets, and pulled my favorite 5-star support on the last pull, so it was 100% worth the tradeoff. Cosmetic items usually rerun eventually, but you never know when you’ll get a lucky pull that changes your whole team comp.
Smart Summoning Strategies to Stretch Your Currency Further
Earning enough summon currency is only half the battle, you also need to use it strategically to get the most characters for your pulls. Wuthering Waves has a very forgiving pity system that guarantees you rare characters if you save enough currency, but you’ll waste a lot of pulls if you spend them randomly across different banners. Take a minute to learn how the pity system works before you start pulling, and you’ll get way more characters for your effort.
The soft pity threshold kicks in at 60 pulls for 5-stars, meaning your pull rate increases dramatically until you hit your guaranteed 5-star at 80 pulls. If you pull a 5-star that’s not the featured rate-up character, your next 5-star is guaranteed to be the rate-up one, so don’t spread your pulls across multiple banners if you’re targeting a specific character. It’s better to save enough currency for a full pity on one banner than to split your pulls across two or three different banners and end up with nothing you want.
Follow these simple rules to make your summon currency go as far as possible:
- Save at least 80 pulls before pulling on a limited banner if you want to guarantee the rate-up 5-star character
- Avoid pulling on the standard banner unless you have excess summon tickets you don’t plan to use on limited banners
- Don't spend real money on pulls until you've claimed all free summon currency available from tasks and events
4-star characters have their own pity system too, with a guaranteed 4-star every 10 pulls, and a 50% chance that 4-star will be one of the featured rate-up units on the banner. If you’re targeting a specific 4-star, you’ll usually get them within 20 to 30 pulls in most cases, so you don’t need to save up a full 80 pulls just to get a 4-star you want for your team.
Paid Options Worth Considering (If You Want to Speed Up Progress)
You can absolutely get every character you want as a free-to-play player, but if you don’t mind spending a little money to speed up your progress, there are a few paid options that give great value for your money. I don’t recommend spending money on random one-time pull packs, as they’re almost never worth the cost, but a few recurring purchases can double or triple the amount of summon currency you earn each month.
The monthly supply card gives the best value for money, with 100 Asterite per day plus extra bonus items for a low monthly cost. That works out to 3000 Asterite per month, plus extra items like stamina refills that let you earn even more rewards from gameplay. If you’re only going to spend money on one thing in Wuthering Waves, this is the purchase you should pick.
The paid battle pass is another great value option, giving a handful of summon tickets, plus a free 4-star character selector at level 30 that lets you pick any standard banner 4-star for your roster. First-time top-up bonuses give double the normal amount of Asterite for every purchase tier, so those are the best option if you want to buy a one-time chunk of currency for a limited banner you don’t want to miss. Never spend more than you can afford on gacha purchases, and remember that all limited characters rerun eventually, so you don’t have to drop hundreds of dollars to get a character on their first run.
At the end of the day, learning how to get more characters in Wuthering Waves doesn’t require fancy hacks or huge amounts of money. All it takes is a little planning, consistent completion of simple tasks, and smart use of the resources you earn. Whether you’re a strict F2P player or someone who spends a little here and there, you can build a diverse, powerful roster of characters that fits your playstyle. I’ve been playing since launch as a mostly F2P player, and I have 8 5-star characters so far, just by following the tips we covered above. Take it slow, have fun exploring, and don’t get discouraged if you don’t get the character you want on your first few pulls.