Wuthering Waves 1.1 'Thaw of Eons': A 2026 Player's Retrospective

Hey, fellow Rover! 👋 I'm just a regular player who's been sailing the WuWa seas since day one. As of 2026, we're already swimming in version 3.1 content, but let me tell you — version 1.1 'Thaw of Eons' was the update that truly thawed my frozen doubts. It dropped earlier than expected on June 28, 2024, right after 06:00 AM (UTC+8). Version 1.0 ended at 05:59 AM, and then maintenance kicked in. I remember refreshing the launcher like a madman. So, let's take a trip down memory lane — no cap.

The 5-Star Headliners: Jinhsi and Changli

Version 1.1 gave us two absolute bangers: Jinhsi and Changli. Both are 5-stars and both play huge roles in the story. If you ask me, they were the reason a lot of us kept grinding.

Jinhsi is the magistrate of Jinzhou city. She wasn't just picked by some random committee — the Sentinel Jué chose her directly. Jinzhou went years without a magistrate until Jinhsi stepped up. She's a Spectro character and a Broadblade user. I speculated she'd be in the first phase of the 1.1 banners, and I was right. Pulling her felt like hitting the jackpot.

Changli, on the other hand, is the counselor of the Jinzhou Magistrate — aka Jinhsi's right hand and mentor. She's described as persuasive and patient, and she's a native of Jinzhou. Changli is a Fusion character and a Sword user. She was speculated to be in the second phase of the 1.1 banners. Her design? Chef's kiss. Her personality? She could talk you into anything, and you'd thank her for it.

New Weapons: Ages of Harvest and Blazing Brilliance

Alongside the characters, WuWa 1.1 added two new limited weapons. Ages of Harvest is a Broadblade and Jinhsi's signature weapon. Blazing Brilliance is a Sword and Changli's signature weapon. Both were expected to be very strong, and let me tell you — they delivered. If you managed to snag both, you were basically playing the game on easy mode for a while.

Mt. Firmament and the New Boss Jué

The new area, Mt. Firmament, was a breath of fresh air. It wasn't just a pretty backdrop — it came with a new boss named Jué. The lore hints that Mt. Firmament is where Sentinel Jué is imprisoned (assumedly by the Fractsidus). Players expected to fight either a copy or a corrupted version of Sentinel Jué. That fight was no joke. If you went in underleveled, Jué would send you back to the lobby real quick.

Eight New Overworld Mechanics

Version 1.1 added eight new mechanics for overworld puzzles in Mt. Firmament. Here's the full list:

• Photon Vault

• Photon Barrier

• Pressure Platform

• Stone Lift

• Light Emitter

• Light Gatherer

• Leap Device

• Chronosorter

These weren't just filler. They made exploration feel like a proper puzzle box. I spent hours fiddling with light beams and pressure plates, and I loved every second.

Two New Gameplay Modes

The update also introduced two new overworld gameplay modes:

1. Tactical Hologram Ski — Slide down through checkpoints to reach the destination.

2. Echo Challenge: Clang Bang — Use Clang Bangs to solve puzzles in the open world.

These modes were a nice change of pace from the usual combat grind. Sometimes you just want to slide down a mountain like a penguin, you know?

Seven New Echoes

The Echo roster got seven new additions. Here's the quick rundown:

Echo	Effect
Sentinel Jué	Summon Jué to attack enemies, dealing Spectro damage. Resonance Skill deals sustained Spectro damage over time.
Lumiscale Construct	Transform and enter a Parry Stance. Counterattack when hit. Parrying a Special Skill interrupts it and deals extra damage.
Lightcrusher	Lunge forward dealing Spectro damage. Hold to gather momentum and lunge farther.
Glacio Dreadmane	Transform to deal consecutive attacks. Can be cast mid-air.
Lava Larva	Summon a lava larva that continuously attacks, dealing Fusion damage.
Clang Bang	Summon a Clang Bang that follows enemies and self-combusts, dealing Glacio damage.
Dwarf Cassowary	Summon a Dwarf Cassowary to attack, dealing Physical damage.

I still use some of these in my builds today, even in 2026. Sentinel Jué's Echo is a Spectro staple.

Six Events and Loads of Rewards

Version 1.1 didn't skimp on events. There were six major events, plus daily login and a special check-in. Here's a quick table:

Event	What It Was	Key Rewards
Tales from Mt. Firmament	Area exploration event unlocked after main quests	Shell Credits, Astrite, Premium Resonance Potion, Premium Sealed Tube, Premium Energy Core
Traces of Mt. Firmament	Photo collection with Uncle Fu and Chrono Tracing	Shell Credits, Astrite, Advanced Energy Core, Advanced Resonance Potion, Advanced Sealed Tube
Depths of Illusive Realm: Dreams Ablaze in Darkness	New Illusive Realm event with a familiar fiery figure	Premium Resonance Potion, Echo, Premium Sealed Tube, Premium Tuner
Tactical Simulacra	Fight simulated formidable adversaries	Astrite, Echo, Premium Tuner, Premium Sealed Tube
Lollo Campaign	Assist Maji with his business plan assessment	Astrites, Shell Credits, Premium Resonance Potion, Premium Energy Core, Sweet & Sour Pork, Blind Box, Premium Tuner, Crystal Solvent
Gift of Celestial Light	Daily login event	5x Lustrous Tides, 5x Radiant Tides

Plus, the special check-in event gave:

• July 4th, 04:00 AM (UTC+8): Radiant Tides x10

• July 6th, 04:00 AM (UTC+8): Forging Tides x10

• July 10th, 04:00 AM (UTC+8): Lustrous Tides x10

Free pulls? Yes please. The gacha gods were smiling.

Quality of Life Changes That Mattered

Kuro Games also dropped a bunch of QoL changes. Major updates included:

• Waveplate residual storage

• Increased Echo and development material yield

• More Depths of Illusive Realm content

Minor updates included:

• Shell cost reduction for Echo development

• Removing the reward cutscene of the Tacet Field

• Reducing the PC custom key bind prerequisite to Union Level 2

The Waveplate residual storage was a game-changer for casual players. No more feeling punished for not logging in every single day. And removing that Tacet Field cutscene? Thank you. I can only watch the same animation so many times before I lose my mind.

Final Thoughts from 2026

Now, in 2026, Wuthering Waves has evolved massively. We've got version 3.1 guides, new characters, and a whole lot more. But version 1.1 'Thaw of Eons' will always be special. It was the update where Kuro Games showed they were listening. It had performance issues in 1.0, sure, but 1.1 proved the game had legs.

If you're a new player jumping in now, you might look back at 1.1 and think, 'That's old news.' But trust me — without 1.1, we wouldn't have the WuWa we love today. So here's to Jinhsi, Changli, Mt. Firmament, and all the memories. Keep sailing, Rovers. And may your pulls always be golden. 🎮✨