If you’re new to Wuthering Waves, you’ve probably seen snippets of flashy limited-time events with free 5-star characters, premium astrite, and exclusive cosmetics floating around social media, and wondered when do you unlock events in Wuthering Waves for your own account. I remember when I first started playing, I spent 10 hours mindlessly grinding open world chests waiting for the event tab to pop up, only to realize I was missing a key main story checkpoint. Most events don’t require hundreds of hours of grind to access, but there are specific hard requirements you have to hit before they show up in your menu. This guide breaks down exactly what you need to do to access every type of event, plus mistakes to avoid so you don’t miss out on time-limited loot.
When Do You Unlock Core Permanent & Limited Events in Wuthering Waves?
The unlock timeline for events varies slightly by type, but there’s a universal baseline you have to hit first for the main event tab to appear on your home screen. The earliest you can access the main event tab is Account Level 8, right after you finish the first segment of the main story in Jinzhou called “A New Dawn”. That quest takes most new players 2 to 3 hours to complete if they don’t get distracted by open world collectibles along the way. Once you finish that quest, you’ll get a pop-up notification letting you know the event menu is now available.
Basic limited-time events, including character and weapon banner events, unlock as soon as you hit Account Level 10, which usually comes right after you finish the first act of the main story. Permanent events like the Deep Dive roguelike mode and weekly boss rush events unlock a bit later, at Account Level 18, after you complete the short “Echo of the Past” side quest that pops up automatically when you hit that level. Special collab events, like the recent cross-promotion with snack brands, usually have a slightly higher unlock threshold of Account Level 15, to prevent bot accounts from hoarding collab-exclusive rewards.
You don’t have to pay for any content to unlock events, by the way. All events, both limited and permanent, are available to free-to-play players as long as they hit the required level and story checkpoints. The only exception is paid event bonus tracks, which are optional and only give extra cosmetic rewards, no power progression items.
Common Roadblocks That Block Access to Wuthering Waves Events
Even if you hit the right account level, you might still find that events don’t show up in your menu for a handful of easily fixable reasons. Level grinding alone won’t unlock events if you haven’t hit the required main story checkpoint, which is the most common mistake new players make. I’ve seen players grind their way to Account Level 12 just by opening chests and fighting random overworld enemies, then get confused when the event tab is still locked, because they skipped the main story entirely.
Another common issue is running an outdated version of the game. Event assets are usually added in the patch that drops 1 to 2 days before an event goes live, so if you haven’t updated your client, the event won’t appear even if you meet all the requirements. Always check for game updates 24 hours before a scheduled event goes live to avoid missing the start window, especially if you have auto-updates turned off on your mobile device or PC launcher.
Some other less common issues that delay event access include:
Server timing differences can also play a role. Events roll out at the same local time for each server, so if your friend plays on the North American server and you play on the European server, their event might go live 6 to 8 hours before yours. Don’t panic if you don’t see an event right when leaks say it should drop, just check the official in-game notice board for the exact start time for your region.
Different Event Types and Their Specific Unlock Requirements
Not all events have the same unlock rules, so it’s helpful to know what to expect for each category so you can plan your progression accordingly. Limited-time story events, the ones that add temporary open world areas and unique quest lines, usually have extra requirements beyond just account level. Most of these events require you to have unlocked the region the event is set in, so for example, an event set in Lumo County will require you to finish Act 2 of the main story first, even if you’re already at Account Level 20.
Limited-time story events often have pre-requisite side quests that pop up 3 days before the main event launches, so keep an eye on your quest tab. These pre-quests are usually only 10 to 15 minutes long, and you have to complete them to unlock the full event when it goes live. I once missed out on a free 4-star event weapon because I skipped the pre-quest and forgot about it until the event was halfway over, so don’t make that same mistake.
Permanent recurring events, like the weekly boss rush and Deep Dive roguelike mode, have fixed unlock requirements that don’t change between patches. These events give you consistent rewards every week, including premium currency, rare upgrade materials, and exclusive character echoes. Permanent events give you recurring rewards every week, so it’s worth unlocking them as soon as you hit the required level, even if you don’t plan to play them right away.
Community events, which run on the official Wuthering Waves website and social media, have the lowest unlock threshold. You can participate in most of these events as soon as you hit Account Level 5, as long as you link your game account to your official Kuro Games account. These events usually give you free in-game rewards for completing simple tasks like sharing event posts or answering trivia questions about the game’s lore.
Tips to Unlock Events Faster Without Wasting Resources
If you’re racing to unlock an event that’s already live, there are a few easy ways to speed up your progression without wasting stamina or materials you’ll need later. Prioritizing main story quests will cut your time to unlock events by nearly 50% compared to grinding open world content first, because main story quests give way more account EXP per minute than any other activity in the game. You don’t have to do every side quest or open every chest as you go, just stick to the golden main story quest line until you hit the required checkpoint for the event you want to access.
If you’re only 1 or 2 account levels away from the required threshold, use your daily commissions and a single weekly boss run to get the extra EXP you need, instead of grinding open world chests. Daily commissions give you a huge chunk of account EXP for just 10 minutes of work, and weekly boss runs give you even more, plus rare upgrade materials you can use later. Don’t waste your stamina on low-level material farms until you unlock the event, because most events give you way more upgrade materials as rewards than you could farm on your own in the same amount of time.
New players also get a 7-day 2x account EXP boost when they first create their account, so take advantage of that buff if you’re just starting out. You can hit Account Level 10 in less than 2 hours if you focus solely on main story quests while that buff is active, which is fast enough to access almost all ongoing limited-time events. If you’re still stuck just below the level requirement when an event launches, check the official event notice page for temporary unlock exceptions. Kuro Games often lowers the level requirement for popular events by 2 to 3 levels to let new players join, especially for events that give out free 5-star characters.
If you’ve hit all the listed requirements and the event still isn’t showing up, try restarting your game first, then reach out to customer support if the issue persists. In most cases, it’s just a small glitch that fixes itself after a quick restart, but support can manually unlock the event for you if there’s an issue with your account.
At the end of the day, figuring out when do you unlock events in Wuthering Waves is a lot simpler than most new players make it out to be. As long as you follow the main story path, keep your game updated, and keep an eye out for pre-event quests, you’ll never miss out on limited-time rewards again. I’ve been playing since launch, and the only times I ever missed event loot were when I ignored the main story to grind for echo sets for weeks at a time, so take it from me: a little bit of story progression goes a long way. If you’re still having trouble accessing an event, you can always reach out to customer support for help, but 9 times out of 10, you just missed a small story checkpoint you can knock out in 15 minutes.