WAVELENGTH DEEP DIVE: STARS & CAMPAIGNS

 
Wavelength offers a whole new world to explore and enjoy. In this deep dive series, we'll give an in-depth look at everything you should know. We'll kick things off with an explanation of how Stars benefit you during Wavelength workouts and Campaigns.
 

STARS: AN OVERVIEW

Stars are an integral part of the Wavelength experience, and they have a wide variety benefits. As a refresher, the only way to earn Stars is by completing Wavelength workouts. Your point total in any Wavelength workout will map to a Star ranking between 0-3, with 3 being the highest. 

Your current point total, and the Star ranking it maps to, is visible during the workout at the bottom of the screen. Here's an example below. 

In the image above, the player currently has 188 points, which maps to 2 Stars. As the player collects more points throughout the workout (by hitting more targets), the blue progress bar will fill to the right, providing real-time scoring feedback. 

Unlike our other game experiences, it is possible to lose points in Wavelength. Penalties occur when you either hit an obstacle or go under the water for more than two seconds.

Because it's possible to lose points in a workout, it's also possible to lose Stars. Back to the image above. Imagine that the player still had 2 Stars but the blue progress bar was all the way to the left. If they were to hit an obstacle or go below the water for more than two seconds, they'd lose a point, and their Star ranking would drop to 1 until they earned that point back.

WHAT DO STARS DO?

We know that you get Stars by completing Wavelength workouts, and in any Wavelength workout, you can earn between 0-3 Stars. But what do you do with Stars once you've got them? Stars bring many in-game and meta-game benefits, which we'll outline below. 

 
In-Game Benefits of Stars: Perks, Level-Ups, & Boosts

Stars Unlock Perks

The first thing to know about Stars is that they unlock special in-game abilities called Perks. Perks are new to the Ergatta experience, and they're unique to Wavelength. They can do things like increase the points you receive from a target, as well as protect you against penalties incurred from hitting an obstacle or going underwater. 

 
You'll unlock your first Perk—Submerge—when you accumulate a total of 3 Stars.  That could be by earning 3 Stars in one workout, or even by earning 1 Star in three workouts. Submerge protects you from losing points if your avatar goes below the water.

  
You'll unlock your next Perk—Shield—when you accumulate a total of 8 Stars. Shield protects you from losing points if your avatar hits an obstacle.

 
And you'll unlock the last Perk available now—Amplify—when you accumulate a total of 15 Stars. Amplify doubles the point total you receive from targets.

Stars also level-up your Perks. You'll notice in the image above that beneath Submerge, it says "Level 1." All Perks have a total of five levels. These levels don't correlate to the strength of the Perk, but rather to the Perk's "recharge" period (ie, the amount of time that must pass in a workout before you can use the Perk again). The higher the Perk level, the shorter the recharge period. 

To level-up a Perk, you have to pass certain Star thresholds while using that Perk. For example, if you've unlocked Amplify, the only way to level-up Amplify is to earn Stars while using it in Wavelength workouts. 

Stars also unlock Boosts. Every 10 Stars you earn unlocks one Boost, which, when activated before a workout, upgrades your selected Perk by one level for one workout. In the image above, you'll see what the Perk selection screen looks when you've applied a Boost to your selected Perk. 

Meta-Game Benefits of Stars: Campaign Progress

Stars don't just benefit you during Wavelength workouts. They also play a huge role in our newest workout mode called Campaigns. 
 

 
Inspired by classic gaming, Campaign are collections of Wavelength workouts that use a level progression system to guide you through structured fitness plans. Similar to our Push Programs, the workouts in a Campaign are completed sequentially. But it's not enough to just complete each workout. You have to "beat" them by earning at least 1 Star in each. 

The image above shows the Wavelength Campaign library. On the righthand side, you’ll see list of the different Wavelength Campaigns available. The individual cards contain more details about each Campaign, including the total number of workouts, the total number of Stars available, the recommended days to complete it, average workout duration, difficulty, and Gameplay Theme. (For more info on Gameplay Theme, check out our blog Introducing: Wavelength.)

On the lefthand side, you’ll see a number of standard filters, like average workout time and difficulty, as well as two new filters: Gameplay Theme and Progress. 

It’s possible to complete a Campaign without accumulating the maximum number of Stars available. For example, the filter “Some Stars” will pull up your Campaigns that are still in progress, as well as Campaigns that you've technically completed but where you haven't earned all the Stars available.  

Stay tuned for more Wavelength deep dives!