How to complete Depths of Illusive Realm in Wuthering Waves

The Depths of Illusive Realm event in Wuthering Waves sees you enter the Somnoire, a dream realm which consists of a number of progressively harder challenges with Tacet Discords to defeat. There’s a lot of rewards to be had within, but it’s not easy. 

You’ll be able to take part in the Depths of Illusive Realm event until June 27, so now is a good time to dive in and earn valuable rewards. It’s a fun ‘mode’, with lots to take into account and mysteries to uncover. 

A couple of things before we get into this:

• I’d recommend starting out by completing the level 40 investigation a few times to build up your character’s stats within the Somnoire before trying to tackle higher level investigations.
• Each level of investigation has varying numbers of challenges. For this guide, I’ll be basing information on the level 40 investigation.
• Completing Depths of Illusive Realm investigations as different characters will allow you to gain Astrite.
• The more you play, the more perks you gain. The more perks you gain, the easier it gets.

How to enter the Somnoire in Wuthering Waves

You’ll need to reach at least Union level 17 before you can enter the Somnoire, and then you’ll find the entrance to it down in Whining Aix’s Mire. If you’ve ever seen the anime Suzume no Tojimari, you’ll be excited to know that you access the Somnoire via an interdimensional door and, behind it, there is a rather large cat who helps you in your journey. 

Talk to the Ebony Gatekeep outside the door and, once the conversation is done, you’ll be able to pass through the door into the Somnoire. 

Choosing an Echo within the Somnoire

Once you’re inside the Illusive Realm, with whichever character you’ve chosen to play as, you’ll first encounter Illusia. She will offer you a choice between two Echos (for the level 40 investigation, my choice has always been between Crownless and Inferno Rider). 

You do not have access to your own Echos within the Somnoire and, unless you choose to add people to your party through the use of Metaphors (more on that later), you’ll be entirely on your own while inside the Somnoire. 

Character upgrades within the Somnoire

You’ll have a few opportunities to upgrade your character within the Somnoire. These upgrades vary, depending on the character you’ve chosen to play as, and the choice you make does not affect the level of your Echo in any way. These upgrades are entirely separate to those which are applied through Metaphors.

How do Metaphors work within the Somnoire?

Metaphors are essentially just buffs which remain effective while you’re within the Somnoire. You have the opportunity to select an additional Metaphor after each encounter with Tacet Discords, but you need to choose wisely, as they affect your Echo as well. 

Your Echo comes with multiple levels which can be unlocked through wisely choosing Metaphors. At the bottom of each Metaphor, one or more symbols will be displayed. These symbols stack up during an investigation, and you unlock new levels for your Echo depending on which Metaphors you choose. 

It’s tempting to choose Metaphors which directly affect your DMG or health, but it’s a good idea to balance this with the criteria for unlocking new levels for your Echo, as you’ll do the most damage while your Echo is being used. 

You’ll be able to get another Metaphor after successfully completing a challenge in a Memory Zone. You can also use Dream Fragments, earned by defeating Tacet Discords and completing challenges within the Somnoire, to purchase additional Metaphors.

Doors within the Somnoire

At certain points throughout an investigation, you may find yourself facing a choice between two doors which take you to new Memory Zones. While I haven’t encountered all of the different door types yet, here’s the doors which appear in the level 40 investigation and what you’ll find if you choose to step through them:

• Memory of Combat
  • Straight forward battle with a selection of random Tacet Discords
• Memory of Training
  • Slightly more difficult fight, though with a chance to get an additional character upgrade once complete
• Memory of a Fierce Struggle
  • High difficulty fight with a selection of random Tacet Discords
• Memory of Deathmatch
  • Much higher difficulty fight in two parts, including protecting a Defense Shield from a large number of Tacet Discords
• Memory of Unknown
  • A Memory Zone which doesn’t involve a fight, but instead an opportunity to gain further Metaphors or Dream Fragments
• Memory of Rest
  • A Memory Zone where you can heal fully and gain additional Metaphors before entering into a boss fight with a very high level Tacet Discord
• Memory of Endgame
  • Boss fight with a high level Tacet Discord

How to spend Memory Points in Wuthering Waves

For each investigation, you’ll earn Memory Points. You gain these whether you complete the investigation or not, but you’ll earn more if you’re successful. These Memory Points can then be used in the Thought Evolution tree to unlock perks which apply every time you enter the Somnoire:

• Cooldown Reduction
  • Reduces Echo Skill cooldown by 30%
• HP Restoration
  • Restores 7% of maximum HP when entering a new Memory Zone
• Dream Residue I
  • Grants an additional 200 Dream Fragments at the beginning of an investigation
• Dream Reset I
  • Allows you to reset the choice of Metaphors once when talking to the Strange White Cat
• Damage Increase I
  • Increases DMG by 15% while inside the Somnoire
• HP Increase I
  • Increases HP by 35% while inside the Somnoire
• Damage Increase II
  • Increases DMG by 20% while inside the Somnoire
• Awakening Will
  • Restores 5% of maximum HP every 2 seconds after casting Resonance Skill, lasting for 10 seconds (25% HP increase over time)
• HP Increase II 
  • Increases HP by 40% while in the Somnoire
• Dream Residue II
  • Grants an additional 300 Dream Fragments at the beginning of an investigation
• HP Increase III
  • Increases HP by 45% while in the Somnoire
• Damage Increase III
  • Increases DMG by 25% while in the Somnoire
• Dream Reset II 
  • Allows you to reset the choice of Metaphors two times when talking to the Strange White Cat

How to use Illusive Specimens in Wuthering Waves

Illusive Specimens are the other currency offered for completing Depths of Illusive Realm investigations. These can be used while the event is active to purchase items which are useful outside of the event and in the main game. 

To access the Illusive Specimens store, open up the Depths of Illusive Realm event page and press ‘Proceed’. in the bottom left corner of the next screen, there’s a shopping cart button. Click this to be taken to the Illusive Specimens store.

Which items you can purchase varies depending on which level of the Illusive Realms you’ve managed to complete, but here’s the full list and unlock requirements for everything you can get: