<p>This study investigates the wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) process, focusing on the effects of different weld deposition strategies on the quality of deposited blocks. To address the prevalent lack-of-fusion defects in WAAM, two blocks are deposited: one using conventional additive manufacturing (C-AM), where the block is built by side-by-side weld bead deposition, and another using strategic additive manufacturing (S-AM), which employs a combination of cold metal transfer (CMT), CMT + weaving, and pulsed gas metal arc welding (P-GMAW) in a logical sequence. In the S-AM approach, the overlapping distance initially based on a parabolic function (0.667w) did not result in proper overlap, leading to the development of a modified flat-top model using a polynomial fit. This adjustment achieved an overlapping distance of approximately 0.6w between CMT + weaving conditions. Higher levels of lack-of-fusion defects were observed in the initial tracks of both S-AM and C-AM blocks, likely due to the higher cooling rates caused by the substrate acting as a significant heat sink. Defects sized 0–10 mm² were the most common in both deposition strategies, while defects sized 31–40 mm² were the least common. Larger lack-of-fusion defects were almost non-existent in the S-AM block. The S-AM block showed a 73% reduction in lack-of-fusion defects compared to the C-AM block, demonstrating the effectiveness of the strategic deposition approach in improving the quality of WAAM components.</p>