Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves are strong starting points if you want an open-world RPG built around collecting playable characters. Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition offers a different approach: recruiting companions within a purchased adventure. Tower of Fantasy is worth considering when weapon-linked character identities and a shared online world appeal to you.
Those are different collection systems. I would choose between them by how characters are acquired and used, not just how many portraits appear in a roster. A large collection means little if you do not enjoy building or playing the team.
Character collection is not character creation
Creating an avatar changes the identity or appearance of a character you control. Collecting playable characters gives you additional people or combat kits to use. Recruiting companions through quests is another route, while collecting monsters or equippable abilities is a related but separate interest.
This guide focuses on playable characters and party recruitment in substantial explorable worlds. That is why a game with a detailed appearance editor is not automatically included. It is also why a turn-based character collector with no open-world structure would answer a different question.
The first decision is whether you want the collection to continue through an online service or develop within a self-contained adventure. Neither structure is inherently the right answer. They make different demands on your time, spending and willingness to wait for a particular character.
| Game | Collection emphasis | Main check |
|---|---|---|
| Genshin Impact | Elemental party characters | Current Wish rules and available trials |
| Wuthering Waves | Resonator combat kits | Whether the normal combat rhythm suits you |
| Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition | Recruiting companions in an adventure | Nintendo platform and recruitment requirements |
| Tower of Fantasy | Weapon-linked identities and shared-world play | Account, platform and server arrangements |
Genshin Impact: collect for team relationships
Genshin Impact combines exploration with a party of characters whose abilities interact through elemental combat. I would choose it if the interesting part of collecting is finding characters who work together, rather than replacing your current favourite whenever a new portrait appears.
A character can be appealing because of personality, animation or a useful team role. Those are different reasons to want the same unlock, and it helps to identify yours before spending resources. If you mainly want a favourite character for exploration, chasing the most demanding competitive-style build may create work you never wanted.
Characters are obtained through several routes, including the Wish system, with availability and rules that depend on the relevant banner. Read the current in-game details rather than assuming one guarantee applies to every type of Wish. A limited-time promotion also does not mean you need to spend immediately.
My practical approach would be to try available character trials, enjoy the starting party and wait until you understand the roles you actually prefer. Free entry is an invitation to evaluate the game, not a promise that collecting every desired character will be effortless or cost-free.
Wuthering Waves: collect for how a character feels in motion
Wuthering Waves centres its cast on Resonators and combines that collection with active combat. Its appeal here is the relationship between a character’s kit and the way you like to play. I would consider it when evasive movement, counters and transitions between characters are as interesting as a character’s visual design.
Watch a normal combat demonstration and use available trials before judging a character from a dramatic ability animation. The ability you will repeat frequently matters more than the spectacle you see occasionally. A character can look excellent in a trailer and still have a rhythm you do not enjoy.
Treat acquisition and development as separate commitments. Obtaining a character gives you access to a kit; learning and preparing that kit is another part of the experience. The need to develop several characters can be enjoyable if team building is your hobby, or exhausting if you only wanted a casual exploration game.
As with any live-service collector, check the current event and acquisition details inside the game. I would not choose it on the assumption that a launch reward, past anniversary offer or old character promotion remains available to a new account today.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: recruitment within an adventure
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is the alternative I would examine first if paid random character acquisition is not what you want. Its open world on Mira supports a journey in which you recruit party members and develop relationships with allies.
The official Xenoblade recruitment details distinguish recruiting companions from creating your own avatar. This makes it relevant to a character-collection reader without pretending it uses the same model as a gacha service.
My reason for recommending it is predictability of purpose: you buy an adventure to explore and build a party, rather than choosing a service primarily for a future character banner. That does not mean every companion is available immediately or that recruitment has no requirements. It means you should evaluate its quest and party structure instead of comparing promotional pull rewards.
Check the exact platform and edition before buying. The named Definitive Edition is a Nintendo Switch release. Availability of a title on one Nintendo system does not make it a PS5 or Xbox recommendation, and an older version should not be assumed to have identical content or online arrangements.
Tower of Fantasy: understand what the character represents
Tower of Fantasy combines a shared online world with weapons associated with character identities. That distinction matters if you expect each collected portrait to function like an entirely separate conventional party member. I would research its weapon and Simulacra relationship before making it my main collection game.
It is more naturally a shortlist option for someone who wants multiplayer context alongside collecting. A player looking for a solitary, authored RPG with a fixed endpoint may prefer the recruitment-based alternative instead.
Do not assume that an account, server, platform ecosystem or purchase automatically carries across every version. Check those details before investing time or money, especially if friends have already started elsewhere. For an online collection, being able to use the collection where you intend to play matters more than an attractive promotional package.
I would treat this as a conditional recommendation rather than promise it is the fairest or cheapest collector. Current progression systems, events and communities deserve another look when you are actually ready to start.
Compare collection value without inventing a fairness score
A useful collection has three parts: characters you want, a reasonable way to pursue them, and enjoyable activities in which to use them. A game can satisfy the first part spectacularly while failing the other two for your preferences.
Do not compare fairness using the number of free rewards in unrelated promotions. The meaning of a reward depends on the acquisition rules, duplicate system, future availability and the resources needed to develop a character. A large advertised number is not a complete spending explanation.
Set a budget before opening a purchase screen, including a zero-spend budget if that is your preference. Treat money already spent as a past decision, not a reason to continue. If collecting a particular character is becoming more frustrating than playing the game is enjoyable, the collection system is no longer serving your original goal.
This is also a reason not to assign fabricated percentages or a universal value score to these games. The more useful recommendation explains which acquisition structure suits the reader and which trade-off they should examine.
Build a usable party before expanding the roster
A narrow, understood collection can be more satisfying than a large unused roster. Before pursuing the next character, ask whether your existing group has a clear purpose and whether you enjoy its normal combat rhythm.
For example, imagine you have two damage-focused characters but dislike switching between them. Another attractive attacker may not solve that problem. Trying a different role, learning the existing kit or choosing a game with simpler party management might be more helpful. This is a hypothetical decision example, not a claim about one required team composition.
I would start with one collector at a time. Maintaining several services can turn a preference for characters into a routine of managing announcements and resources. Only expand when the actual gameplay remains rewarding, not because another service advertises a limited opportunity.
Choose your collection model first
Choose Genshin Impact when elemental party combinations and a broad fantasy journey are the main attraction. Consider Wuthering Waves when the feel of active character kits is your priority. Examine Tower of Fantasy for its shared-world and weapon-linked approach. Choose Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition when you want recruitment inside a purchased adventure.
These recommendations do not imply that every named game is available on every platform or that its current promotion will remain unchanged. Confirm the relevant edition, account arrangements and acquisition rules before committing.
My first decision would be whether I want to pursue characters through a continuing service at all. Answering that honestly can save more frustration than comparing dozens of character designs. Once the model fits, choose the world and combat you would still enjoy on a day when you acquire nobody new.
Frequently asked questions
Does character collection always mean gacha?
No. Companions can be recruited through quests and progression. Random acquisition is one model, not the definition of collecting playable characters.
Is collecting everyone a sensible starting goal?
Usually I would begin with a small usable party. A complete roster may require more time, resources or spending than the experience you originally wanted.
Do more characters make a game better?
Not automatically. Distinct roles, enjoyable abilities and meaningful ways to use the roster matter more than a portrait count.