Kuro Games’ open-world action RPG Wuthering Waves has launched globally on Steam along with its Version 2.3 update, Fiery Arpeggio of Summer Reunion, marking the game’s first anniversary since its initial release in May 2024.

Alongside new content and a strong Steam debut with 14,563 concurrent players within 24 hours, the update has sparked discussion with an unexpected design change to the weekly boss character Fleurdelys, partially reverting her previous censorship.

As noted in prior updates, Fleurdelys alongside other characters had her design altered in a hotfix update, where oversized black spats were added in replacement of her skintight undergarments, a move by Kuro Games to reduce suggestive visuals despite the game’s age rating increasing to 16+ mere weeks prior. However, in the 2.3 update, Kuro Games has fractionally walked back this change.

The oversized black spats have been swapped out for a redesigned pair of panties, bringing Fleurdelys’ look closer to her original design while still offering more coverage than her initial depiction.

This change carefully avoids reintroducing explicit details, such as the “camel toe” shading that was previously removed from characters like Cantarella.

This change likely comes in response to the strong backlash from the Chinese player base, who alongside global fans voiced heavy criticism over the conservative redesigns introduced in the 2.2 hotfix. It stands as proof that fan pushback matters; had players not spoken out as loudly as they did, the developers might have quietly let the censorship stand without walking anything back, even partially.

The partial rollback suggests that Kuro Games is trying to strike a middle ground between listening to fan feedback and complying with broader content restrictions, likely influenced by CCP regulations. While Fleurdelys’ original design hasn’t been fully restored, the return of her panties is seen by some as a small “win” for artistic integrity within the game.

Whether this ends up being a one-off compromise or the beginning of greater creative freedom remains unclear. Still, for fans keeping track, it’s one of those rare moments where community pushback might have actually moved the needle, if only slightly.

The Fiery Arpeggio of Summer Reunion update is otherwise a festive one, featuring the debut of new 5-star Resonators Zani and Ciaccona, complete with their companion stories and weapon banners like the Blazing Justice gauntlets and Woodland Aria pistols. Anniversary festivities including combat events, photo challenges, and login rewards will run through June 11, 2025.

That said, Wuthering Waves’ anniversary rewards have been met with widespread criticism from its dedicated player base, who slammed them as underwhelming and stingy, a reaction reminiscent of the backlash miHoYo faced during Genshin Impact’s infamous 2021 anniversary debacle which resulted in widespread review bombings.

While Wuthering Waves’ anniversary update technically dishes out about the same amount of Astrites and Tides as previous 2.1 and 2.2 patches, roughly 90 pulls total if you grind through events, quests, and challenges, the actual anniversary-specific rewards are shockingly barebones. Kuro Games is offering up to 15 Radiant Tides, five Lustrous Tides, and a measly 300 Astrites, awkwardly split across three separate login events.

To make matters worse, there’s no free 5-star character or guaranteed pity system for the anniversary, meaning Kuro’s so-called generosity could end up amounting to nothing if you miss your shot at the limited character you want. The rewards are spread thin across three separate banners featuring the new 5-stars Zani and Ciaccona, plus a 2.3 anniversary rerun banner offering a chance at Jiyan, Yinlin, Zhezhi, Xiangli, or Phoebe.

But with such a limited stash of pulls and a hard pity set at 80, the odds aren’t exactly in your favor. Just like in Genshin, pulling a 5-star on a banner triggers a 50/50: you might get the featured character… or you might get a random standard pool 5-star instead. And sure, if you lose that first 50/50, your next 5-star is guaranteed to be the rate-up but that means, worst case, you’re looking at burning through 160 pulls just to secure a single unit.

So yeah, tossing out an extra ten pulls during an anniversary celebration? That’s not generous, it’s insulting.

The so-called “free cosmetics” players will receive during the anniversary by participating in the Cubie Derby: Warmup event amounts to a single glider skin that isn’t even usable in all regions, while actual outfits remain locked behind a paywall.

To top it off, many of the event mini-games have simply been recycled from earlier patches. It’s a short-sighted move, considering that player satisfaction drives both engagement and long-term revenue. But clearly, Kuro Games would rather nudge players toward endless spending than toss free-to-play users a meaningful bone, like a selectable free 5-star character during what’s supposed to be a celebration.

Additionally, the Steam launch has once again spotlighted the game’s ongoing compatibility issues for Steam Deck and Linux users thanks largely to its reliance on Tencent’s Anti-Cheat Expert (ACE). ACE still lacks proper Linux support, a recurring problem also seen in other titles like Delta Force and Infinity Nikki.

While anti-cheat systems like EAC and BattlEye have been updated to support Proton allowing games like Apex Legends and PUBG to run on the Steam Deck with developer opt-in, Tencent’s Anti-Cheat Expert (ACE) lacks any such integration. This has caused major headaches for Wuthering Waves on the Steam Deck’s Linux-based SteamOS.

Player reports vary wildly: some face black screens with only audio, while others can reach the main menu but are unable to actually play the game.

There’s growing speculation that ACE uses a device whitelisting system, potentially greenlighting specific Steam Deck models (like the LCD or OLED variants) while blocking others and outright denying access to desktop Linux setups. Some users even believe ACE might lock out additional Linux systems after a single login attempt, further muddying the waters.

Kuro Games has acknowledged the situation, stating they’re working on improving compatibility and will share updates with the community. However, without a major overhaul of ACE or a complete anti-cheat switch, these issues are unlikely to disappear anytime soon. Other ACE-powered titles, like Mecha BREAK, have managed partial Steam Deck support by specifically approving Steam Deck hardware but they still refuse to launch on desktop Linux.

This shows there is a possible workaround if Kuro chooses to prioritize the growing portable PC gaming crowd. That said, no official commitment to Linux compatibility has been announced. For now, the future remains uncertain but for those keeping track, this debacle is just another reminder of how deeply anti-cheat systems can undercut accessibility in modern PC gaming.