Traversing Wuthering Waves’ sprawling open world can feel like a chore early on. You’re stuck climbing every steep cliff, running through toxic marshes that drain your health, and gliding just short of that hidden chest you spotted on a distant island. I spent my first two weeks of playtime sticking to marked paths, because I didn’t know there was a tool that would fix almost all of these pain points. If you’re wondering how to get the levitator in wuthering waves, you’re in the right place to skip all the dead ends and frustrating mistakes I ran into when I first tried to unlock it.
Prerequisites You Need to Meet Before You Get the Levitator in Wuthering Waves
You can’t start the quest to unlock the Levitator as soon as you start the game, and that’s a point a lot of new players miss. Before you head to the quest location, make sure you tick all three of these boxes to avoid wasting your time:
First, you need to be Adventure Rank 22 minimum. If you’re still below that rank, focus on daily commissions, side world quests, and opening chests to level up fast. Casual players can hit AR22 in 2 to 3 days of regular play, so it’s not a huge grind. Second, you need to have completed the "The Shore of Parting" main story arc. This is the quest that unlocks the southern Jinzhou region, so you won’t be able to access the mining site where the quest starts without finishing it. Third, clear out 3 empty consumable inventory slots before you leave. You’ll need to pick up three energy cores during the quest, and you can’t progress if your inventory is full.
I can’t stress this enough: double check these prerequisites before you head out. I still remember wasting 20 minutes running in circles around the mining site, confused why the NPC everyone talked about was nowhere to be found, before I realized I’d skipped a main story chapter.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough to Unlock the Levitator
Once you meet all the prerequisites, a small yellow quest marker will pop up on your map for the "Floating Prototype" side quest, located in the abandoned southern Jinzhou mining site. Follow the marker to start the quest, and use these steps to finish it quickly:
First, talk to the injured researcher Li Yao, who’s leaning against a broken mine cart near the site entrance. He’ll explain that his team was testing the Levitator prototype when a group of roaming monsters attacked, stealing the three energy cores that power the device. He’ll ask you to retrieve them for him in exchange for a fully functional Levitator once you’re done.
The first core is held by a level 28 Frost Luxmander patrolling the lower mine tunnels. Bring a fused or thermo character to break its frost shield fast, otherwise the fight will take way longer than it needs to. I tried fighting it with only a frost team my first run, and I died twice before I swapped in my level 20 Jiyan to melt the shield. The second core is in a locked chest on the upper mine platform. You’ll need to activate three pressure plates in the correct order: red, blue, then yellow. The color markers are small and painted on the ground next to each plate, so look down closely if you’re stuck. The third core is hidden behind a breakable rock wall at the back of the mine. Use a heavy attack character like Verina or Changli to smash the wall open, the core is sitting on a crate right behind it.
Once you have all three cores, head back to Li Yao to hand them over. He’ll fix the prototype in a short cutscene, then ask you to test it by navigating a 3-minute obstacle course over the mine pit. Don’t worry if you fall off, you can restart the course as many times as you want with no penalty. Once you finish the course, you’ll get the Levitator added to your traversal tool wheel immediately.
Key Features of the Levitator That Make It Worth Unlocking
Once you get the levitator in Wuthering Waves, you’ll wonder how you ever played the game without it. It’s not just a fun gimmick, it’s a game-changing traversal tool that makes exploring every corner of the map way easier.
The core function of the Levitator is that it lets you hover 5 meters above the ground for up to 10 seconds, with zero stamina cost. That means you can cross toxic marshes, lava pools, and fields full of low level enemies you don’t want to fight without taking any damage or wasting stamina you could use for climbing. You can use the Levitator mid-glide to extend your air time by another 10 seconds, which is perfect for crossing large gaps between islands or reaching high ledges you couldn’t get to with just a glider. If you’re someone who loves hunting for hidden lore chests, getting the levitator in Wuthering Waves should be at the top of your to-do list.
You can also upgrade the Levitator later using materials you get from weekly boss fights and hidden chests. Fully upgraded, it lets you hover for up to 18 seconds, move up and down while hovering, and even use light attacks while you’re in the air. The only downside is that it has a 20 second cooldown, so you can’t spam it nonstop. Pair it with your glider and climbing abilities to get the most out of it, and plan your routes around the cooldown if you’re traversing long stretches of dangerous terrain.
I use mine almost every time I play, especially when I’m farming for upgrade materials in the volcanic region of the map. It saves me from having to weave around lava pools and fight every small enemy that pops up in my path.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Trying to Unlock the Levitator
I made almost every possible mistake when I was unlocking this tool, so I’ve compiled the most common ones to help you avoid wasting your time:
- Don't skip the story quest prerequisite: A lot of players head to the mining site early and can’t find Li Yao, because he only spawns after you finish "The Shore of Parting" arc. If you don’t see him when you arrive, go back and finish the main story first before you waste time searching.
- Don't forget to clear inventory space first: If you don’t have 3 empty consumable slots, you can’t pick up the energy cores, and you’ll have to teleport back to a storage point mid-quest, which can add 10 or more minutes to your run.
- Don't bring only frost characters to the mine: The first core is guarded by a Frost Luxmander, which is immune to frost damage. You’ll spend 10 times longer fighting it if you don’t have a thermo or fused character to break its shield fast, and you’ll probably waste a bunch of healing items too.
If you avoid all these mistakes, you’ll have no trouble figuring out how to get the levitator in wuthering waves in under an hour. There’s one more small mistake I see a lot of players make: they don’t take the obstacle course slow. You have 3 full minutes to finish it, which is more than enough time. You don’t need to rush, and rushing is the easiest way to fall off and have to restart. Take your time, get used to how the Levitator controls during the test, and you’ll finish it on your first try.
The Levitator is easily one of the most useful quality of life tools in Wuthering Waves, and it only takes about 45 minutes to unlock once you meet all the prerequisites. It cuts down traversal time by half, lets you reach hidden areas you couldn’t access before, and makes exploring the map way more fun. Now that you know how to get the levitator in wuthering waves, you can head out and grab it on your next play session, no messy trial and error required. If you’ve already unlocked it, feel free to share your favorite way to use it in the open world in the comments.