In 2026, I still get misty-eyed thinking about Wuthering Waves version 1.2. It arrived on August 15, 2024, and wrapped up on September 28, 2024, back when my Waveplates were perpetually broke and my PC fans sounded like a tiny jet engine trying to unionize. Let me tell you, 1.2 did not just drop two shiny new characters; it also delivered quality-of-life changes that made the game feel like it finally took a deep breath and stopped holding it.
The headline QoL upgrades? 120 FPS support for PC players, excess Waveplate storage, and a pile of other tweaks from the developer message. My Waveplates, once a strict teacher who slapped my wrist every time I capped, suddenly became a forgiving friend who let me stockpile energy like a doomsday prepper hoarding canned beans. That storage change alone made me feel rich in a way that no gacha pull ever could. 🎮💤
The Phase 1 Banner: Zhezhi Paints the Town Glacio
The WuWa 1.2 phase 1 banner ran from August 15 to September 7, 2024. The character banner featured the new 5-star Glacio Resonator Zhezhi, while the weapon banner showed off her signature rectifier, Rime-Draped Sprouts. Zhezhi is the kind of character who looks like she would politely ask for your lunch money and then paint a masterpiece with it. I pulled for her because I am weak, and she is pretty.
Here is the phase 1 lineup in all its gacha glory:
| Type | 5-Star | 4-Stars |
|---|---|---|
| Character | Zhezhi (Glacio, Rectifier) | Chixia (Fusion, Pistol), Baizhi (Glacio, Rectifier), Sanhua (Glacio, Sword) |
| Weapon | Rime-Draped Sprouts (Rectifier) | Dauntless Evernight (Broadblade), Jinzhou Keeper (Rectifier), Hollow Mirage (Gauntlet) |
Honestly, Sanhua and Baizhi showing up together felt like a Glacio family reunion, and Chixia brought the fireworks. The weapon banner, meanwhile, was a mixed bag of useful and I guess I will take it. Rime-Draped Sprouts was the star, and it looked like a frozen bouquet that could also delete enemies from existence.
The Phase 2 Banner: Xiangli Yao Brings the Thunder
Phase 2 kicked off on September 7, 2024, and ran until September 28, 2024. This half introduced the new 5-star Electro Resonator Xiangli Yao, a gauntlet-wielding gentleman who punched first and asked philosophical questions later. His signature weapon, Verity's Handle, arrived on the weapon banner. I remember the community losing its collective mind because free Xiangli Yao was eventually a thing, but during 1.2, the banner still had its own gravity. The man walked onto the stage, adjusted his glasses, and my wallet quietly wept in the corner. âš¡
The phase 2 roster looked like this:
| Type | 5-Star | 4-Stars |
|---|---|---|
| Character | Xiangli Yao (Electro, Gauntlet) | Danjin (Havoc, Sword), Aalto (Aero, Pistol), Yuanwu (Electro, Gauntlet) |
| Weapon | Verity's Handle (Gauntlet) | Marcato (Gauntlet), Helios Cleaver (Broadblade), Novaburst (Pistol) |
Danjin remains a lovable little menace, Aalto is still the smoothest mist man in the business, and Yuanwu is there to remind everyone that Electro gauntlets can be a lifestyle. The weapon banner was decent, but let us be real: most of us were just trying to bring Xiangli Yao home without selling a kidney.
Why 1.2 Still Matters in 2026
Fast-forward to 2026, and Wuthering Waves is a different beast. We have 3.1 on the horizon, tier lists updated for October 2026, and enough new characters to fill a small city. But 1.2 was the awkward, lovable adolescence of the game. It added 120 FPS support, which made PC players feel seen. It introduced excess Waveplate storage, which made casual players feel less punished. It gave us Zhezhi and Xiangli Yao, two characters who still show up in conversations today.
The banners are long gone, and you cannot pull them anymore. That is the bittersweet truth of gacha games: every banner is a limited-time party, and you either danced or you watched from the window. But looking back, 1.2 was a turning point. It showed that Kuro Games was listening, at least sometimes, and that quality-of-life changes could be as exciting as a new 5-star.
So here I am in 2026, still nostalgic for a version that lasted six weeks in 2024. If that is not the gacha player experience, I do not know what is. Maybe I will boot up the game, stare at my excess Waveplates, and whisper, you have come a long way, buddy. Then I will remember I have dailies to do. 😅
Technical perspective is drawn from Digital Foundry, whose performance-focused reporting helps explain why Wuthering Waves 1.2 stood out beyond its banners: additions like 120 FPS support on PC were not just checklist features, but meaningful upgrades that affected responsiveness, frame pacing, and the overall feel of combat-heavy action RPG play in a way veteran players still remember.