Kicking things off, the Wuthering Waves 1.0 banners give us our first batch of characters and weapons to spend our hard-earned Astrite on. But what’s available and what should you choose? Well, that’s a complicated question but one that’s important to understand so you’re not throwing your Astrite away from day one.
To avoid the ensuing sadness of making the wrong decision, this guide will break down all of the characters and weapons in the Wuthering Waves 1.0 banner releases. After all, these are limited banners, meaning you’ve got to make up your mind before these items leave to return at a later date. Check out the current and next Wuthering Waves banners to learn more about this system.
Wuthering Waves 1.0 Banners
The Wuthering Waves 1.0 banners are:
- Jiyan - phase one (five-star, Aero, Resonator)
- Chixia - phase one (four-star, Fusion, Pistol)
- Mortefi - phase one (four-star, Fusion, Resonator)
- Danjin - phase one (four-star, Havoc, Sword)
- Yinlin - phase two (five-star, Electro, Rectifier)
- Taoqi - phase two (four-star, Havoc, Resonator)
- Aalto - phase two (four-star, Aero, Resonator)
- Yuanwu - phase two (four-star, Electro, Resonator)
Wuthering Waves 1.0 banner phase one, Prevail the Lasting Night, is available from Wednesday, May 22, until Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Version 1.0 banner phase two, When Thunder Pours, is available from Wednesday, June 12, likely until Wednesday, July 3, 2024.
There are also two phases of weapon banners that coincide with the character banners:
- Verdant Summit - phase one (five-star Broadblade - Jiyan's signature)
- Dauntless Evernight - phase one (four-star Broadblade)
- Variation - phase one (four-star Rectifier)
- Hollow Mirage - phase one (four-star Gauntlets)
- Stringmaster - phase two (five-star Rectifier - Yinlin's signature)
- Jinzhou Keeper - phase two (four-star Rectifier)
- Cadenza - phase two (four-star Pistols)
- Lunar Cutter - phase two (four-star Sword)
Split into a character and weapon banner, each with two phases with four characters or weapons in each (one being the rate-up five-star), Wuthering Waves’ 1.0 banner will feel very familiar to fans of other gacha games, especially HoYoverse’ Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail.
Wuthering Waves 1.0 Banner Phase One
The highlight of phase one is Jiyan, the rate-up five-star Aero Broadblade user. As the leader of the Midnight Rangers, Jiyan is a formidable fighter. As such, he makes for a great main DPS character in your teams. If you’re in need of a team leader and DPS unit, then Jiyan will likely be your best bet right now. However, since main DPS characters are generally the first to get power-crept, there’s no guarantee Jiyan’s power will keep him in the meta for the long run.
Joining Jiyan are Chixia, Mortefi, and Danjin, four-star characters. Mortefi is the strongest character of the bunch, providing strong sub-DPS and utility to his team. If you’re pulling on this banner for the four-stars, then Mortefi is the one to go for. While Chixia and Danjin are competent DPS characters in their own right, they don’t quite stack up to five-star alternatives yet will be similarly power-crept.
Wuthering Waves 1.0 Banner Phase Two
Yinlin headlines the 1.0 banners in phase two. This five-star Electro Recifier character is a very strong sub-DPS character as not only can she deal serious damage while on-field, but she also keeps up the offensive once they’re off-field. Due to her long attack animations, Yinlin is easy to learn but hard to truly master as you need to be able to animation cancel to sustain her DPS. Importantly, as Yinlin won’t often be used as the main DPS character, she has a much better chance of staying in the meta in the long run, unlike Jiyan.
Alongside Yinlin, you can get the four-star units Taoqi, Aalto, and Yuanwu. Unfortunately, these supporting units aren’t nearly as strong as Yinlin, or as good as the four-stars in Jinyan’s banner. While they’re still useful to have, especially Taoqi if you’re in need of a healer, it would have been nicer to see stronger characters alongside Yinlin.
Should you pick Jiyan or Yinlin in Wuthering Waves 1.0?
Overall, Yinlin is likely to be the stronger character in the long run. Although Yinlin’s banner isn’t as ideal due to the rate-up four-stars accompanying her, as a sub-DPS and hybrid character, she’ll have much greater staying power. Jiyan is a superb DPS unit, but these types of characters are the first to get power-crept. So if you can only pick one, you’re generally best off thinking about the long-term potential.
Well, that’s all there is to know about the Wuthering Waves 1.0 banners, including all the characters and weapons you can get your hands on - if you’re lucky, of course. So, save up all the Astrite you can and add some Radiant or Forging Tides to your basket.