Where Winds Meet anniversary and version 2.4 Hutuo

The short version: log in after November 13 to claim a free outfit worth 2,580 Echo Beads, play the Hutuo River campaign, and keep your Echo Jade for the anniversary banners. Everything else on this page explains the details and flags what is still unannounced. For the year that led here, see our Where Winds Meet hub.

Hutuo 1st Anniversary Announcement Trailer (official PlayStation channel)

When the anniversary update starts

Three official sources agree on the date. NetEase's X account says the anniversary version launches on November 13 (UTC), the version 2.4 dev letter of November 9 says Hutuo opens on November 13, and the PlayStation Blog post of October 27 by Eric Zheng, head of Where Winds Meet publishing, says the same. Korean coverage from Inven Global lists the same launch as November 14 in Korea Standard Time.

The update arrives on every platform at once: PC through Steam, Epic and the official launcher, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, iOS and Android. Your account carries across all of them, so the rewards land on your character wherever you claim them. NetEase has not posted an exact start time or maintenance window yet; that usually comes with the update overview on the day.

Free anniversary rewards: the "over $150" package

NetEase values the anniversary rewards at over $150. That is the publisher's own number, but the list behind it is official and specific. From the X post of November 2, word for word where it matters:

• "No Requirements, Claim on Login": pick 1 of 12 outfits, valued at 2,580 Echo Beads. No level, no purchase.
• "Easy In-Game Rewards": Lingering Melody x42 and Resonating Melody x27.
• "More Perks in November and December": 5 free outfits plus accessories and items.

The Melodies are the real value. A Lingering Melody is one draw on the Celestial Echo, the limited premium banner, and costs 200 Echo Beads in the shop. A Resonating Melody is one draw on the permanent Solemn Echo banner, bought for 160 Echo Jade. Together that is 69 free draws. How the gacha and its pity work is in our monetization and gacha guide.

Two more official extras. On the left, the redeem code 1113HUTUOGO, which is also printed on the roadmap; trackers list it at 200 Echo Jade, 20,000 Coins and 2 Resonating Melody, and it sits with 15 working codes on our Where Winds Meet codes page. On the right, the Goose Gifts Galore event on the official site, running November 7 to December 4, 2026 (UTC), with hardware prizes such as a PS5 Pro, a Nintendo Switch 2 and Razer gear. Entry rules are on the official site.

Hutuo: the war torn third region of Hidden Mountain

The dev letter places Hutuo as the third region of Hidden Mountain, after the 2.0 expansion and its later chapters. This is a border at war. The PlayStation Blog describes northern invaders crossing the border, frontline defences failing and old pacts broken. The story asks whether you obey a crumbling throne or ride with sworn companions to protect civilians.

The side stories lean on ordinary people rather than generals: a conflicted soldier who defies orders, survivors singing among the river reeds, villagers who shelter refugees at night. After the main battle you can return to the riverbank to collect relics and retrace the stories of fallen comrades.

What is not published yet: the level or quest requirement to enter Hutuo. If the pattern of earlier regions holds, you will need to have progressed through Hidden Mountain, but treat that as our expectation, not an announcement.

The Hutuo River campaign and Zhongdu Bridge

The new campaign is called Hutuo River, subtitled "Divergent Fronts, Shared Destinies" in the dev letter. Per the letter, 200,000 Later Jin soldiers face the Khitan forces, and you see the war from several angles: carrying messages between command tents, raiding behind enemy lines and charging the front. The storylines meet at Zhongdu Bridge.

The campaign boss is the Khitan general Xiao Han, who fights with what previews call Blood-forged Super Armor. Two independent previews, mmohuts and Inven Global, name him; the full move set will only be clear once the update is live. We will add him to our boss guide after testing.

Three new Jianghu Legacies

Jianghu Legacies are the game's longer story quests. Version 2.4 adds three, all named on the official roadmap and described in the dev letter:

Left: Luancheng from the rooftops, with the dye cloths that set the scene for The Deepest Cut. Right: the reed channels of Silvereed Shoal, where Melody Amid Reeds takes place. Both are official 2.4 images.

New world bosses: Wayfarer Bingshen and Yelu Abuli

Two world bosses arrive on November 13. The dev letter names and describes both, and mmohuts confirms them independently. Inven romanises the first one differently; we use the official English name.

Wayfarer Bingshen is a former student of Dragonbend Academy, which ties him to Kindle the Void. You find him at Moonveil Knoll. The dev letter describes fast combos signalled by red and yellow cues: the tells you parry, deflect or dodge. Practise those reactions before you go; our weapons and martial arts guide covers which weapons deflect best.

Yelu Abuli is a Khitan princess and shaman priestess who fights at an altar on the Hutuo River. Per the dev letter she shapeshifts into an eagle or a wolf and summons foxfire, so expect the fight to change shape as it goes. The gameplay shot on the right is from the official 2.4 material.

New modes and Dual Spears on November 26

Two board game modes come with the anniversary, and the official roadmap dates them separately:

• Horse Racing Chess (November 13). Players are the living pieces and roll dice to race; the roadmap's tagline is "Roll dice and race to victory".
• Jianghu Tactics (November 26). An auto chess mode. You build a lineup and win through positioning, gear and round by round synergies; the roadmap calls it "Master strategic formations in auto chess".

Dual Spears is the new martial art, and the roadmap marks it 11.26. It was choreographed with Yuen Woo-ping, the action director of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Per the PlayStation Blog, the Light Spears are the offensive half, the Heavy Spears break stance and counter, and you build a Spear Stance meter that feeds combo loops. The roadmap sums it up as offence and defence with paired spears. Damage numbers and the unlock route are not out yet, so any tier placement before November 26 is a guess. Our weapons tier list will rate it after release.

Dual Spears Mo-Cap BTS with Yuen Woo-ping (official Where Winds Meet channel)

PS5 owners also get technical upgrades with Hutuo, per the PlayStation Blog: enhanced PSSR and upgraded ray traced reflections at a stable 60 FPS on PS5 Pro, DualSense adaptive trigger and haptics support, fewer hitches in effect heavy fights, and faster loading through asynchronous asset streaming.

Confirmed, not yet published, and how to prepare

1. Finish Scarlet Whispers before November 13, 17:59:59 server time (UTC+8).
2. Redeem 1113HUTUOGO and the other working codes; if the anniversary code fails before the update, try again after it.
3. Save Echo Jade. Resonating Melodies cost 160 Echo Jade each, and new banners land with the update.
4. Progress through Hidden Mountain so you are ready when Hutuo opens.
5. Log in on November 13 or later and claim the free outfit; pick carefully, you only get one.
6. Practise parry and dodge timing for Bingshen's red and yellow cues.

New Martial Art Teaser ft. Yuen Woo-ping (official Where Winds Meet channel)

The anniversary is also a milestone. In August 2026 Where Winds Meet passed 100 million players worldwide, counting the Chinese service, and it won Best Mobile Game at the Gamescom Award 2026. Version 2.4 is the publisher's thank you, and on paper it is the most generous free package since the November 2025 launch.

FAQ