Wuthering Waves 3.6, “Lamplight in Mirage, Sword in Heart,” finds Xuanfang Hold still perilous as Muyu continues to plague the area with his inhumane experiments. As Yangyang (Rebecca Yeo, WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers) and the rest of the Wardens strive to secure the region, Rover (Jane Jackson, Arknights Endfield) and the Paragon Qingxiao (Kirsty Rider, Clair Obscure: Expedition 33) strike out to end Muyu’s threat once and for all.
Narrative is often not Wuthering Waves‘ strongest element. Always focused far more on character than plot, Kuro Games’ work frequently pushes the story behind the personalities that fill it. While this isn’t always the case, this latest expansion certainly falls into that familiar category. This entry manages to get away with it thanks to how well the writing delivers on its newest character.
Qingxiao may be my new favorite character on Solaris-III. Soft-spoken yet strong, the Sword Transcendent is a nuanced character that feels complicated enough to be the multi-century-old being that she is. While many of the game’s most noteworthy personalities command attention by projecting their presence through outspoken delivery, Qingxiao commands attention with her elegance and an aura of competence. She speaks, and you feel a compulsion to listen.
Kristy Rider’s incredible voice work brings Qingxiao to life.
The character’s words gain further strength through Rider’s incredible voice work. Due to The Paragon’s training as a Cultivator, one who harnesses and controls their emotions, it would be easy for the character to come across as flat and emotionless. However, Rider never lets that happen, as her character’s feelings are always present, though often allowed to simmer just below the surface.
Qingxiao’s character is further augmented by Rider’s precision in delivery. This character’s every movement feels purposeful and considered. Rider ensures her voice matches this trait. Every thought is expressed with a clarity and focus that must be tiring to project. And despite this precision, Rider’s work somehow manages not to lose sight of Qingxiao’s other key element, her elegance.
Whether flying across the sky of Xuanfang on her sword or playing music to clear her mind, The Paragon always feels refined. As a centuries-old character, little is new or uncertain to her, allowing her the confidence to perform everything with a grace that is breathtaking. This elegance flows through the character’s words, showing that, despite spending decades alone at times, Qingxiao has seen fit to master her words as closely as she has her swordmanship.
Kuro flips the script to deliver a fresh take on the tried-and-true for Wuthering Waves 3.6.
All of Qingxiao’s various personality traits come together wonderfully on their own, but Wuthering Waves 3.6 takes the character to the next level through a tried-and-true method for the game’s world. One that feels like it should be worn out by now. However, thanks to its writers’ creativity, it remains fresh despite repeated use.
This brightest of moments for The Paragon comes when she is forced to confront her literal Inner Demon. The dark version of her, formed of all the negative emotions the Cultivator has suppressed over the centuries, seeks to break the hero, forcing her to unleash all of her negativity into the world.
When this sequence started, I was genuinely concerned. By my count, this is the fourth time we’ve followed a hero as they faced themselves reflected “through a mirror darkly,” and no trick can stay fresh forever. Furthermore, given the masterful subversion of the sequence the devs pulled off the last time they played this moment out with Lucilla, I couldn’t see how this moment could possibly land well. And then I was reminded why I don’t do that kind of writing.
How Kuro flipped the script to once again deliver a fresh take on the tried-and-true moment is genius. Not only does it provide an unexpected twist on the moment, but that twist feels like a perfect fit for the precise and calculated Qingxiao. And Rider manages to find the perfect dark reflection of her core performance to give voice to the darker and crueler version of her character, making it feel like an authentic part of Qingxiao.
Jingran has some compelling moments as a compelling trickster opposite Qingxiao.
While Qingxiao calmly steals the show whenever she is present, Wuthering Waves 3.6 spares nothing in lending its fantastic character writing to its other personalities as well. Fellow newcomer to the world, Jingran has some great moments within his shorter time on screen. The “Cat of the Nether Lamp” provides a compelling trickster personality whose unique voice is growing on me. His sly and brazen charm also pairs perfectly as a counterpoint to the reserved Qingxiao.
This update also features a slew of brief cameo appearances by older characters, making the best use of the game’s growing history. Each appearance makes sense for the characters involved and helps keep the world feeling interconnected and real.
The only place where Wuthering Waves 3.6 stumbles with its characters is with the appearance of Sentinel Hsin. While Kuro may understand the intricacies of making heroes face their darker selves wonderfully, they continue to stumble with heavy-handed attempts to create mystery.
Wuthering Waves 3.6 delivers a story with great moments of tension and excitement.
Hsin’s appearance before Qingxiao and Rover near the end of the story prompts some obvious questions. As Xuanfang’s Sentinel, why hasn’t Hsin helped in a more direct manner? Despite the fairness of the question and the fact that it is even being leveled at her by the Arbiter, her only response is, effectively, “trust me.” This smacks of infuriating obfuscation surrounding Rover’s past, where characters in the know simply can’t be bothered to state what they know. If Hsin can’t be functional as a character, then don’t have her present.
This unnecessary frustration feels like a moment born of conflicting needs. They need to tease Hsin to build hype for when the character’s banner goes live, but she doesn’t have a place in the story yet and needs to be kept removed from current events, leaving her in a weird limbo state that hurts the narrative, even if it lets her show off her gorgeous visual design.
Beyond the characters, the larger story of Wuthering Waves 3.6 delivers moments of tension and excitement. The threat to Xuanfang plays out in an interesting way, allowing for unique experiences within its narrative. The story also continues to keep tabs on characters who aren’t with Rover, allowing it to feel bigger than in previous arcs, where little is shown outside Rover’s perspective.
Sword flying doesn’t work quite as well as it should.
How the story uses Qingxiao’s long life also deepens the layers of threat and the scope of the danger. Seeing Xuanfang’s entire history get some contextual tweaks helps to further deepen the player’s connection to the world as we learn and then rediscover what is really going on.
From a gameplay standpoint, one of the biggest introductions in Wuthering Waves 3.6 is a solid miss. In certain scripted moments, players get to take to the sky to sword-fly along with Qingxiao. While it was already known that this function would only work on predetermined flight paths, the restrictiveness of the ability is even greater than that, leaving little enjoyment in its moments.
What ruins this concept is the fact that the camera is fixed behind Rover’s back. You cannot pan around, and since you are on-rail, there is largely nothing to do but stare at Rover’s backside unless some scenery catches your eye. And there are times when you fly by some gorgeous views, but it doesn’t salvage the experience.
Further hamstringing the sword-flying is the introduction of combat to the mechanic near the end of the story. In a couple of sequences, debris falls towards the player, requiring them to strike it before it reaches them. Or at least it would, if their AI allies weren’t attacking it before the obstacles even enter your range.
Anyone who plays Wuthering Waves wouldn’t expect these moments to be hard, but why introduce them if I’m not even going to get the chance to interact with them? Had they had the AI serve as a last-ditch protective measure, having your comrades snag debris you failed to strike, that would be fine. But having them go off before I even get the chance changes a thematically fun moment into just an annoyance.
While the sword flying largely falls flat, the update’s other new gameplay feature fares much better. Rover is gifted a musical instrument that players can use to perform pieces. Despite its lack of key musical qualities, I was instantly taken with the gameplay. The controls are very intuitive on controller, and I can definitely see the potential to perform some great music with the feature if I were capable of carrying a tune at all.
Wuthering Waves 3.6 continues to deliver the great characters the game has become known for.
While novel gameplay elements are a mixed bag, Qingxiao shines as the newest playable character. As a main Aero DPS, she provides a visually stunning rotation to play through. With a couple of different stances she utilizes, the character has a rewarding buildup woven into her kit. Starting on the ground, she soon takes flight as she telekinetically throws swords at her opponents before calling down a maelstrom of damage with her Resonance Liberation. It is as satisfying to execute as it is stunning to see.
The only other element of note is some technical errors that I encountered while playing the game. Due to scheduling requirements, much of my experience was on my iPad Pro M5. After failing to realize I had installed the required update, I had to reinstall the entire game to get it to start.
From there, I had to weather four game crashes and a recurring problem where the game stopped registering the right side of the screen as my camera control, making the left virtual analog stick control both the camera and my character. That didn’t go well. This is the first time I’ve encountered noticeable bugs in the game since 1.0, and hopefully it will prove to be an isolated incident.
Wuthering Waves 3.6 continues to deliver the great characters the game has become known for. While there are some hiccups, the overall journey is fantastic, leaving a wonderful impression while also hinting at the potential of things to come.
Wuthering Waves is available on PC, PlayStation, mobile devices, and Xbox Series X|S.