Wuthering Waves 3.7, “Prism’s Illusion, Heart’s Illumination,” looks to wrap up the Xuanfang Arc by answering the final lingering question: What is going on with Sentinel Hsin (Suzie Yeung, Neverness to Everness)? Xuanfang’s guardian has been absent through the region’s recent turmoil, leaving Rover (Jane Jackson, Arknights Endfield) and others to hold the line. Now, with the arrival of the Intendant of Sentinel Affairs, Souming, the question comes to a head. But is Hsin ready to become the Sentinel Xuanfang needs her to be?
In the lead-up to its launch, Kuro Games heavily billed Wuthering Waves 3.7 as the finale to its arc. Now that it is out, this feels like a strange talking point to fixate on. Despite the term finale simply signifying the end of a story, in Wuthering Waves, it has come to signify something particular. Major threats, epic clashes, and a coming together of the narrative’s many characters have all become the expectation of a finale thanks to both how they are handled in the Rinascita and Lahai-Roi Arcs.
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The devs’ long experience making heart-wrenching content comes out in Wuthering Waves 3.7.
With Xuanfang being a much smaller arc, no reasonable person would expect its finale to hit the same levels of epic as those stories. Nonetheless, it’s fair to expect a similar structure. With previous updates hinting at a new Fractsidus Overseer lingering about, a sizable clash would be expected. However, there is no such clash here.
Rather, Wuthering Waves 3.7 centers its narrative purely on Hsin. The Sentinel’s struggles and what needs to be done to restore her to the place of prominence that she needs to be in to maintain the region’s safety is the nearly singular point the narrative fixates on. This wouldn’t be a problem if not for the moments where the story gives us glimpses of other directions it could’ve more thoroughly explored.
To be clear, the core narrative delivers a solid amount of emotional content as Rover discovers the truth behind Hsin. The exploration of the Sentinel’s past is engaging. As the player is pulled into the story, they get glimpses of the trials Hsin has faced, as well as how the people of Xuanfang view their guardian. These moments are given plenty of love and care, benefiting from the developer’s long experience making heart-wrenching content.
After the main quest, a side story introduces Hsin’s Resonator.
However, much of what we learn during the main story is simply isolated examples of Hsin’s life. While at times emotional, they don’t construct a solid narrative to draw the player in. The game would’ve been better off dialing back random sadness in its main arc to elevate what is probably the best story in the entire update.
After completing the main quest in Wuthering Waves 3.7, players unlock a side story that introduces Hsin’s Resonator. Sentinels typically have a chosen Resonator that shares their power and even takes on traits resembling their benefactor’s. The revelations and storytelling surrounding Hsin’s are fantastic. The story not only showcases Hsin’s struggles and ties into the main quest, but it also crafts a cohesive narrative as that pain is explored. Plus, the revealed Resonator is a fantastic character in their own right.
If this story had anchored the main quest’s exploration of Hsin, it would’ve given the narrative a more fluid feel. Hsin’s resonator could’ve joined Rover on their path, guiding them through the story beats as they unfold.
The updated version of the standard photography quest is not to be missed in 3.7.
Weaving this narrative into the main quest would’ve also let the already great story land even better, given how much additional production it could’ve gotten. With live service games like Wuthering Waves, dev teams must decide how much work to put into storylines because they have to meet rapidly approaching deadlines. Main quests get the most; side quests are given less. This structure usually works great, but it fails to do this incredible story justice. A more cinematic approach that is generally reserved for main quest content would’ve put this story over the top.
The other element that undercuts the sometimes unfocused emotional exploration of Hsin in Wuthering Waves 3.7’s main quest is Souming’s part in the story. The diminutive Intendent steals the scene whenever she is present, which is not nearly enough. Despite her somewhat childlike appearance, the multi-century-old Resonator delivers a surprisingly cool and authoritative presence thanks to the exceptional voice work that brings her to life.
This great performance is coupled with an intriguing backstory. Souming’s history and how she’s managed to stay alive so long are fantastic narrative elements that far outdo much of the core story’s focus. What we get in the main quest is supplemented by the character’s presence in this updated version of the standard photography quest, which dives deeper into the characters closest to Souming’s past. It is a side event not to be missed.
Wuthering Waves 3.7’s final boss fight hits a sweet spot of style, visuals, unique mechanics, and story development.
While secondary elements frequently outshine the central portion of Wuthering Waves 3.7, it pulls off an incredible payoff at the end. The final act of Hsin’s story delivers a revelation few will see coming. How this plot beat changes things about the character, right down to making her presence as a playable element make sense, is fantastic. The incredible narrative reveals are matched by the visual flourishes you would expect, making the finale an experience well worth having.
All of this praise is doubly true for the final boss battle. Many clashes in Wuthering Waves are suitably epic, but this one stands out. While it isn’t as grand in scope as some previous battles, like the mech fights of Lahai-Roi, it hits a sweet spot of style, unique mechanics, story development, and visual presentation that lifts it to the same level of quality as the Fleurdelys boss fight from 2.2.
The new region it’s set in also makes the core narrative a strong experience. The sense of wonder and magic is prevalent throughout the new map areas. The gorgeous world and shifting scenery make the largely hand-holding exploration enjoyable as you get swept up in the sights and sounds that surround you.
Hsin’s two modes let her fit into a range of teams.
While nearly omnipresent throughout the story, Hsin also provides a fun presence within the gameplay itself. As an Electro DPS, Hsin has two modes (Electro Flair and Unison) that let her fit into a range of teams, from F2P-friendly builds to premium squads featuring characters from across the game’s run. This versatility makes her a great choice for players who need to carefully consider how to spend their hard-earned asterites.
The most exciting gameplay development in Wuthering Waves 3.7‘s newest character isn’t even about her, though. One of Hsin’s two modes, Unison, is featured on no other characters in the roster. Or at least it wasn’t. With this patch, Kuro updated Jinhsi, a 1.x resonator, with the keyword, working it into her established kit. Effectively buffing the long-forgotten playable character back into meta relevance.
This is a great choice for the game’s playability. Power creep, to some extent, is inevitable, and the regular introduction of new mechanics means that older characters struggle to see play. Working new mechanics into older kits helps players find a reason to revisit older units, as well as making new character mechanics easier to experience.
Along with the narrative and a new character comes a fantastic side mode: Cubie Tower. Bringing back the adorable Cubie versions of the cast first introduced in the first anniversary Cubie Tower event, this auto fighter tasks players with equipping their cube with gear between rounds of battle. Utilizing what can only be a Resident Evil–inspired storage system, players must contend with limited space when buying upgrades.
While fairly simple, this mode is a ton of fun. Specing out your cube, balancing upgrades with storage expansions, and enjoying the fantastic visuals as fights play out all make this one of the best side modes the game has delivered. A solid variety of playable cubes further helps this game mode make a joy of the couple of hours of gameplay.
Wuthering Waves 3.7 brings exciting quality-of-life improvements to the pre-built team screen.
For the second straight patch, Wuthering Waves 3.7 also brings exciting quality-of-life improvements. This patch updates the pre-built team screen. Not only does the number of prebuilt teams double from ten to twenty (thank God!), but players can also choose to view the character models posed together on the team screen, rather than the 2D portraits that have always been there.
Kuro Games went above and beyond with the group poses. Each character has a different pose depending on which slot in the team they occupy, and the offset distances give a slick feel to the shot. Combined with just how fire some of the chosen poses are, the heroes of Solris-III look as cool as one could ask for. Aura farming isn’t just for gameplay and cutscenes anymore.
Wuthering Waves 3.7 delivers a strong final chapter to the Xuanfang Arc. While its main quest stumbles a little in the middle, there is so much greatness built around it, including a phenomenal ending, that it more than makes up for a few stumbles.
Wuthering Waves is available on PC, PlayStation, mobile devices, and Xbox Series X|S.
