Why Wuthering Waves is NOT a Genshin Impact Clone

Wuthering Waves had plenty of comparisons with Genshin Impact when it first released and we’ve all waited to see how it would differentiate itself. Now that the game is finally out, we can compare both games on an equal footing and see how they stack up. Despite all the similarities, here are some of the unique ways in which Wuthering Waves proves that it’s not just a Genshin Impact clone.

Wuthering Waves and Genshin Impact Differences

Echo and Databank System

The Echo and Databank system incentivizes you to go out explore the world and face every type of enemy available. With each enemy defeated, you have a chance to absorb their Echo and you can then slot these echoes into your character builds for unique buffs. Not just that, these Echoes are unique and you can channel each of their abilities in battle, and even for traversal. This incentivizes fighting enemies a lot more as you want to keep collecting more Echoes and upgrading your existing ones.

Combat Mechanics

Combat mechanics is a very broad term, as this is the category where Wuthering Waves has innovated the most over Genshin Impact. For starters, you only have teams of three and combat is a lot more fast-paced in general. Swapping involves intro/outro skills that you need to take care of, there is a dedicated parry mechanic against several types of enemies, and enemies now have a proper stagger meter followed up with finishing attacks as well. Combat in this game has been received a lot better than Genshin Impact.

Mobility and Movement

One great thing Wuthering Waves has done to make its open-world traversal less fatiguing is improving your mobility options. Not only do gliding and running feel faster, but running consumes no stamina, and you can now also sprint while climbing. Add to this the tether points spread across various locations, and you can zip around cities and the wilderness a lot more easily with stamina becoming a non-issue for the most part.

A Skip Button

One of the most requested features from Genshin Impact fans makes its debut in Wuthering Waves: a skip button for cutscenes. While not available in every quest, it allows you to skip dialogue in side quests and whenever the developers feel appropriate. Wuthering Waves’ dialogue isn’t exactly stellar, and this skip button helps a lot for impatient players who only care about the gameplay.

Enemy and Boss Variety

Lastly, we have the enemy boss variety and design in Wuthering Waves. It’s very different compared to the slower and more telegraphed bosses and enemies from Genshin Impact. Enemies have more variety and they generally attack faster. Bosses in particular have incredibly fast and layered movements that demand quick reflexes and precise counters. It’s a lot more engaging than Genshin Impact and the endgame bosses will probably require a lot more practice to perfect.

Those are all the major differences between Wuthering Waves and Genshin Impact that allow the former to set a more unique identity than the latter. While you’re here, learn about the daily reset time and the best team comps in Wuthering Waves.