Wuthering Waves, as a live-service game, depends heavily on temporary events to motivate players to log in regularly. While most of these events center on combat, some, like “All Out! Towards the Peaks of Prestige,” introduce new gameplay mechanics, keeping things fresh and engaging.
This event immerses you in the Septimont region, where you’ll face off against various NPCs and playable characters in a trading card game (TCG) format. After placing your cards on the table, you’ll watch an auto-battle unfold between different echoes, and to secure a win, you’ll need to strategically utilize your cards.
Understanding How the Peaks of Prestige TCG Operates
To access the card game within Wuthering Waves, you’ll need to unlock it by progressing to the Capitoline Hilltop in the main quest titled “Shadow of Glory,” which is part five of the Rinascita storyline. New players might find this process time-consuming, especially if they choose not to skip through the narrative.
You must also achieve Union level 14, a goal you’ll likely reach by the time you complete the necessary story quests.
Once you’ve met these requirements, you can participate in the event through the event screen or by starting the quest from the quest menu. Completing various beginner challenges will teach you essential gameplay mechanics, and here’s a breakdown of those mechanics.
Deciphering Echo Card Stats
When examining an echo card in the game, you’ll notice three key stats: STR, DMG, and CON. Here’s what each represents:
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STR
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This stat indicates the total damage inflicted on enemy echoes once the battle begins. Even though it displays a single number, you can estimate the damage’s effectiveness in combat.
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DMG
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DMG should not be confused with STR; it serves a separate function. If you win the battle, this stat determines the damage you can inflict based on the total DMG of your surviving echoes. You can view each echo’s DMG in the bottom right corner of the screen above your portrait during battle.
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CON
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This represents the defensive capabilities of your echo. Some echoes designed to survive longer in combat will have higher CON.
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In addition to these stats, you might see yellow dots at the top of your echo card. These indicate the energy cost required to play the echo. You’ll notice your current energy displayed on the right side during the game. Each turn begins with an automatic distribution of two energy, but any leftover energy from a previous turn does not accumulate.
You can gain additional energy by deconstructing an echo by dragging it to the right side of the screen. You can deconstruct echoes in your hand or those already on the table, but you’ll earn only one energy from each deconstruction unless the echo possesses specific abilities allowing for greater returns.
Deconstructed echoes are added back to your deck, enabling you to draw them again randomly.
During the card placement phase, it’s crucial to utilize every available card. Once the battle begins, any leftover cards will automatically return to your deck, and you’ll draw new cards at random in the next round. Instead of losing those cards, consider deconstructing them to use your resonator ability if you’re out of other options.
Resonator Tactics Overview
Initially, you’ll only have Rover as your resonator, but as you progress, additional resonators like Cantarella, Zani, Encore, Xiangli Yao, and Carlotta will unlock. Each resonator features special abilities known as tactics, which consist of one active skill and one passive skill.
The passive ability typically has a specific trigger requirement, providing you with continuous advantages during battles if your deck is built around it. Conversely, the active ability can be activated during any round at the cost of some energy. These buffs can greatly influence your success in combat.
Understanding Core Echoes
Apart from standard one-cost and three-cost echoes, you’ll have one core echo in your deck after completing the first few battles. These core echoes do not require any energy for placement in battles, but have unique requirements that you must fulfill in the “Trial” section before they can be entered into play.
Core echoes play a vital role in your deck’s strategy, often influencing the inclusion of other echoes. For instance, the Sentry Construct core echo necessitates having three units with Flank Force activated on the field, which means including Fusion Warrior and baby Viridblaze Saurians in your overall deck will be essential.
Modulation and Special Skills
Modulation is a critical mechanic in the Peaks of Prestige event in Wuthering Waves, as it allows you to unlock various special skills for your echoes. One-cost echoes often possess special skills that remain inactive while placed on the battlefield.
To activate these skills, you need to modulate another echo over them. Following modulation, the new echo inherits the activated special skills from the original echo. Moreover, the overall stats of the modulated card will combine the stats of both the echo being modulated and the one used for modulation.
You can only modulate three-cost echoes with echoes that have already undergone modulation.
Essentially, three-cost echoes require two modulations total.
Once an echo is placed over another for modulation, the original echo returns to the deck. Additionally, core echoes cannot be modulated.
In the card table area during the event, you’ll observe a darker spot in the center between both your and your opponent’s side. This is the transformation slot. Certain echoes possess abilities triggered by transformation, ranging from enhancing your echoes’ stats to providing extra energy.
To avail yourself of these benefits, drag the echo cards to the center, where they are consumed to grant the respective buff. You’ll need a specific amount of energy displayed on the echo card to perform the transformation as well.
Deck-Building Guide
After engaging in the initial battles, you’ll unlock the deck-building feature in the Peaks of Prestige, where the outcome of your victories and defeats will largely be determined. Once you’ve collected a variety of echoes, it’s advisable to create multiple decks for flexibility. However, there are specific guidelines to follow:
- Each deck must contain one core echo, which should be placed in the top slot when constructing the deck and should guide the deck’s overall strategy.
- Every deck can consist of echoes with up to two types of attributes. For example, if you have a Glacio and Fusion echo, all cards must fall under these two attributes.
- You can include up to two copies of any card in your deck, meaning a minimum of ten and a maximum of twenty cards are allowed beyond the core echo.
In addition to these regulations, you should also consider the abilities of each card when building your deck.
Acquiring More Cards
There are two primary ways to expand your card collection:
- Winning battles in the event will earn you one or two new cards each time you succeed, outside of endless mode.
- After victories, you can earn Prestige Points. Go to the Collections section in the main event menu and select the second tab on the left, where you can purchase locked echoes using these points.
Winning Strategies
Beyond the basic mechanics mentioned earlier, keeping a few strategies in mind can help you gain an advantage over opponents:
- Luck plays a significant role in Wuthering Waves’ card game. Not only do you need to draw the right cards from your deck, but the battles themselves involve a degree of randomness. For instance, your Fusion Warrior might occasionally miss attacks against smaller foes, and your AoE abilities may fail to hit agile enemies.
- Aiming for perfect synergy within your deck is crucial. A strong deck typically features a cohesive mix of special abilities and three-cost echoes that can effectively counter various opponents.
- Always analyze your opponent’s deck carefully to identify their strengths and weaknesses before diving into battle. This insight can guide your choice of the most effective deck and resonator against them.
- Pay attention to how you position your units on the battlefield. The left side represents the front line, while the right side is the back line. You wouldn’t want fragile units placed in front of high-damage enemies.
During the event, you can earn rewards such as 1,200 Astrites, a Moment of Triumph flight skin, a Card Duelist banner, and a skin for the Cuddle Wuddle echo.
