Wuthering Waves Starter Banner Guide: Novice Convene Explained (2026)
TL;DR: Pull the Novice Convene ("Utterance of Marvels") to completion using only free Lustrous Tides — it's the single best-value banner in Wuthering Waves: a guaranteed standard 5★ Resonator within 50 pulls at a 20% discount (a 10-pull costs 8 Tides instead of 10, so all 50 pulls cost at most 40 Tides). The banner closes permanently once you hit the 5★, and a second guaranteed banner opens: the Beginner's Choice Convene, where you pick your target standard 5★ and get them within 80 pulls. Spend Astrite on neither — free Tides from exploration and events cover both comfortably, and every Astrite belongs to limited banners.
Rules below are verified against the in-game banner descriptions as of Version 3.7 (October 2026). These two beginner banners have been stable since launch, but if a future patch touches them, the banner description in-game is the source of truth.
The two beginner banners at a glance
| Feature | Novice Convene ("Utterance of Marvels") | Beginner's Choice Convene |
|---|---|---|
| Unlock condition | Available from the start | Opens after the Novice Convene closes |
| Max convenes | 50 | 80 |
| Guarantee | Standard 5★ Resonator within 50 pulls | Your selected standard 5★ within 80 pulls |
| Discount | 20% — a 10-pull costs 8 Lustrous Tides | None — full price |
| Max total cost | 40 Lustrous Tides for all 50 pulls | 80 Lustrous Tides |
| Pull format | 10-pulls only | Singles and 10-pulls |
| Closes when | 5★ obtained (or 50 pulls used) | 5★ obtained (or 80 pulls used) |
| Base 5★ rate | 0.8% (2.4% average incl. guarantee) | 0.8% (1.8% average incl. guarantee) |
Why the Novice Convene is the best value in the game
Run the arithmetic. On a limited character banner, a guaranteed 5★ costs up to 80 pulls at full price (0.8% base rate, 80-pull hard pity, 50/50 on the featured unit — see our pity system guide for the full mechanics). The Novice Convene instead gives you:
- A hard 50-pull guarantee — better odds per pull than any other banner in the game (2.4% average vs 1.8% on standard).
- A 20% discount on every pull — you pay 40 Tides for what would cost 50 anywhere else.
- No 50/50 coin flip — the guarantee is simply "a standard 5★ Resonator", and every standard 5★ is a real account upgrade at this stage.
Per Tide spent, nothing else in Wuthering Waves comes close. That's why the standard advice holds: all free Lustrous Tides go here first, and the banner has no time limit, so there's zero reason to rush it with premium currency.
Beginner's Choice: the one banner where you pick your 5★
Once the Novice Convene closes, the Beginner's Choice Convene opens, and this is where planning matters. You select a target standard 5★ Resonator (changeable at any time before they drop) and are guaranteed to convene them within 80 pulls. The pool centers on the launch standard 5★s — Verina, Encore, Calcharo, Lingyang, Jianxin (check the in-game banner details for the current full list, as it can expand with patches).
| Pick | Role | Choose if… |
|---|---|---|
| Verina | Healer / universal support | You value long-term account health — she fits literally every team and never leaves the meta |
| Encore | Fusion Main DPS | You need a real damage carry to build your first team around |
| Calcharo | Electro Liberation DPS | You like the playstyle — note he's been power-crept, so pick on fun |
| Lingyang | Glacio Gauntlet DPS | You want melee sustain damage; niche pick |
| Jianxin | Aero Support / shielder | You want grouping and shielding utility in one slot |
The community default is Verina if you're unsure, Encore if you lack damage — and that default holds up in 2026. Verina is the only standard 5★ who stays relevant in every team archetype indefinitely, while Encore anchors a complete budget Fusion team with two 4★s you'll likely own anyway (see the team templates in our Team Comp Guide).
The currency rule: Tides vs Astrite
The beginner banners are designed to be cleared with free currency, and the game gives you plenty: exploration milestones, chests, battle pass, events and login rewards all hand out Lustrous Tides. Keep the two currencies strictly separated:
| Currency | Spends on | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Lustrous Tides | Novice Convene, Beginner's Choice, standard banner | All of it goes to the two beginner banners first |
| Astrite | Buys Tides (160 per pull) — or Radiant/Forging Tides for limited banners | Never convert to standard pulls; save exclusively for limited banners |
If you've already spent some Astrite here by accident — it happens — the damage is bounded and the banner guarantee still lands. Just stop, and let the free Tide income finish the job. To see how your current Astrite stock maps onto upcoming banners, run it through the Pull Calculator.
What about weapons? The standard weapon banner and the free selector
Beginners often overlook a second guaranteed prize: hitting Union Level 45 grants a one-time selector box for a free standard 5-star weapon. Because it is a box you choose from — not a random drop — this is usually your account's first real 5-star weapon, so the pick deserves the same care as the Beginner's Choice Convene. The short version: pick the weapon type your strongest DPS actually uses, and prefer Crit Rate or Crit DMG main stats (our weapon tier list keeps the current per-type ordering, and the Weapon Compare tool shows refinement scaling side by side).
The standard weapon convene itself uses Lustrous Tides with a selectable target 5-star and its own 80-pull guarantee — better value than a limited weapon banner, but still a trap for new accounts. Weapons don't change what team you can field; characters do. During the first months, standard weapon pulls should stay at zero while Tides finish the two character banners.
Pacing the two banners around limited banners
Because both beginner banners are permanent-until-cleared, you control the timing entirely. The clean sequence most accounts should follow:
- Clear the Novice Convene first (40 Tides max for a guaranteed 5-star — nothing competes with this).
- Chip away at Beginner's Choice with whatever free Tides trickle in; it has no deadline.
- When a limited banner you want is live, pause the beginner banner and let Astrite + Radiant Tides do that job — the beginner banner will still be waiting afterward.
- Return and finish Beginner's Choice between limited banners, using the Tides you have accumulated in the meantime.
The only mistake here is urgency. A guaranteed standard 5-star in two weeks costs the same as in two months — and jumping the queue with Astrite is the one version of "two weeks" that is strictly worse.
Rerolling: does the starter banner matter?
Rerollers should know one quirk: because the Novice Convene's guarantee is random from the standard pool, it's actually a decent reroll vehicle — you're fishing for a specific standard 5★ at the game's best odds. The usual targets are Verina (support) or Encore (carry). That said, rerolling in WuWa is slower than in most gachas (no skip button for early story), so most players are better off skipping reroll entirely: the Beginner's Choice Convene exists precisely so that a no-reroll account can pick its missing piece deterministically later. Our full walkthrough is in the reroll guide.
Common starter-banner mistakes
- Spending Astrite on the discount banner. The 20% off makes it feel efficient, but the currency trade is still terrible — 160 Astrite per Tide never pays for itself on a standard pool.
- Ignoring the banner because it "will always be there". It won't — it closes on your 5★ or at 50 pulls. Leaving free Tides unspent while hoarding for a limited banner just delays a guaranteed 5★.
- Picking a duplicate role in Beginner's Choice. If the Novice Convene already gave you Encore, your second carry matters less than a healer. Pick for the roster hole, not the tier list position.
- Forgetting the 4★ pity. Both beginner banners guarantee a 4★+ every 10 convenes, so you're passively building a 4★ roster and earning Afterglow Corals along the way — plan your Talent/Skill upgrades around whoever drops.
Use this with our tools
- Pull Calculator — model your Tide and Astrite income across the two beginner banners plus the limited banner you're saving for.
- Echo Scorer — once your new 5★ lands, grade the echoes you've been banking for them.
- Related reads: Pity System Explained, Team Comp Guide 2026, Beginner Guide 2026.
FAQ
- Is the Novice Convene banner time-limited in Wuthering Waves?
- No. It stays available indefinitely until you obtain a 5★ Resonator or use all 50 convenes — whichever comes first. After it closes, the Beginner's Choice Convene opens in its place.
- How much does the full Novice Convene cost?
- With the 20% discount, each 10-pull costs 8 Lustrous Tides instead of 10, so completing all 50 convenes costs at most 40 Tides — and you're guaranteed a standard 5★ Resonator somewhere in those pulls.
- Who should I pick in the Beginner's Choice Convene?
- Verina is the safest pick — a universal healer who fits every team forever. Encore is the pick if you need a damage carry for your first real team. Otherwise, choose for your roster's missing role rather than raw tier position.
- Do beginner banner pulls count toward standard banner pity?
- No. Every banner type keeps its own separate guarantee counter in Wuthering Waves — Novice Convene, Beginner's Choice, standard, limited character and weapon banners all track independently.
- Should I spend Astrite to finish the starter banners faster?
- No. The banners have no deadline, and free Lustrous Tides from exploration, events and the battle pass will complete both banners comfortably. Astrite is worth several times more saved for limited banners.