Version 2.3, Friends From Afar, is live and the 2.4 Hutuo update lands on November 13, 2026 with two new world bosses. This guide is part of our Where Winds Meet hub. If you still need a weapon to fight with, start with the weapons tier list and the best builds; if you want free Echo Jade before Hutuo, the Where Winds Meet codes page has 15 working codes.
Boss mechanics in 60 seconds: red, gold and Qi
Where Winds Meet bosses telegraph almost everything with colour. Learn to read the flash before you learn the moveset.
- Red glint: deflect. Deflect is the official name for the parry. On PC and console you press Defense at the right moment; on mobile the official notes describe it as long pressing Defense. A well timed deflect counters and drains the boss's Qi. AllThings.how's Ye Wanshan guide puts the timing a beat after the red flash, not the instant it appears, and that matches how most players miss: too early.
- Gold glint: dodge. The January 12, 2026 notes made it official that some skills cannot be deflected or defended and added a golden indicator for them. Blocking a gold attack just eats the hit. Some unblockable moves show no flash at all, so watch the wind up as well as the colour.
- Qi bar: the stagger bar. Deflects and Qi heavy skills empty it. When it hits zero the boss is Exhausted, and the 2.0 notes refer to an Exhaustion Vulnerability effect: Exhausted targets take extra damage. Spend the window on your strongest hits and save the Execute for the end of it, so you squeeze extra damage in before the finisher.
- Your own Qi. The same rule applies to you. Block too much and you become Exhausted and cannot block at all, which is usually how a clean run turns into a reload.
Endurance is the third bar to watch. It pays for dodges and sprinting, and the January notes capped the displayed value at 160 points. A Perfect Dodge is a real mechanic too: the Infernal Twinblades talent Perfect Dodge Enhancement in the 2.0 notes grants buffs from it. If your build leans on dodging, keep enough Endurance for two rolls before you commit to a combo.
Mystic Arts and companions that make bosses easier
Two Mystic Arts show up in almost every boss guide, and for good reason. Our Mystic Arts and Inner Ways guide covers where to get them.
| Tool | What it does in boss fights | Bosses where it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Meridian Touch | Interrupts or locks down many bosses mid cast | Heartseeker (three projectile cast), Qianye (roof slam and wave), Tian Ying (gold shockwave), Zheng the Frostwing (red fan) |
| Cloud Steps | Closes distance fast and cancels charges from mid range | Ye Wanshan and any boss that backs off to charge |
| Ranged weapon | Keeps damage going when a boss rides off or burrows | Ye Wanshan, Dao Lord, Lucky Seventeen |
| Companions | Story helpers summoned from a marker before many arenas; they tank, deal damage and heal | Any campaign boss you are stuck on |
Game8's boss pages give Meridian Touch a 10 second cooldown, so you can usually answer every cast you care about. For companions, Game8's favourites are Yuan Jin'gang for ranged Qi damage and Elder Gongsun for Qi damage and stagger, both of which speed up the Exhausted cycle. The 1.2 update also added Heroic Shadow Assist: in Solo Mode boss fights, another player may drop in to help, and helping others earns Assist Signpost likes.
Two more fixes before a hard fight: upgrade your healing potions at the Evercare Clinic early in Qinghe, and do a breakthrough first if one is waiting. Our leveling guide explains how breakthroughs raise your level cap and stats.
Qinghe campaign bosses
Qinghe is the starting region, and its bosses are the ones the official site shows in its boss gallery. Heartseeker and Qianye belong to Chapter 1; the others unlock through campaigns around the map, and their exact story order is not fixed, so treat the order below as a loose guide.
| Boss | Campaign and place | Key tactic |
|---|---|---|
| Heartseeker | Still Shore, Moonveil Mountain (Chapter 1) | Hide behind the tombstones at the arena edge for the phase 2 Thunderstorm; Meridian Touch her three projectile cast to knock her down |
| Qianye | Blissful Retreat, Moonveil Mountain (closes Chapter 1) | Phase 2 white form shifts at about 75% and 40% HP; always dodge Reaper's Slash, it can one shot you |
| Ye Wanshan | Bodhi Sea, Sundara Land | Deflect the red sweeps and leaps; dodge the gold glaive throw diagonally in phase 2; do not chase him when he rides off |
| The Void King | Gleaming Abyss, Moonveil Mountain | Stay close so he uses red, parryable attacks; his ice projectiles cannot be blocked and leave a debuff |
| Lucky Seventeen | Palace of Annals, Moonveil Mountain | He turns slowly: circle and hit from behind; parry the red swing; phase 2 adds a longer reach sword moveset |
| Tian Ying | Sundara Land, after 6,000 Qinghe Exploration Points | Three phases; in the last, three sand clones appear and each parry of the real one removes a clone; Meridian Touch cancels the gold shockwave |
Heartseeker is the first main boss and the best place to practise. Her second phase Thunderstorm cannot be dodged in the open, only blocked by the tombstones around the edge, and those break when the phase changes, so move to one early. Qianye is the first real test: the shifts into her white form come at set HP marks, so hold burst for right after each shift. She returns in the Hidden Mountain finale, where the official story calls her the mastermind behind the Blissful Retreat tragedy.
Ye Wanshan takes some setup: you ring three hidden drums, found by sound, wake in a ruined dream village and walk to the Hero's Tomb. He fights with his horse on one shared HP bar. AllThings.how recommends the Vernal Umbrella for its range, and the general rule holds for any build: when he rides away, switch to ranged rather than chasing into a charge. Tian Ying moves through a staff phase, then a Sand Golem and a giant Buddha statue, then the clone phase.
Kaifeng campaign bosses
Kaifeng is the second region, and the official boss gallery includes four of its campaign bosses. Guides disagree on some campaign names here, so we stick to the official boss names.
- Dao Lord. Fought in the Unbound Cavern during Chapter 2. In phase 2 he splits into three burrowing enemies with separate HP bars. Keep a bow or other ranged option ready and hit them as they surface.
- Zheng E (Zheng the Frostwing). In the Granary of Plenty. In phase 2 Game8 says to dodge the first two ice waves and parry the third, red one, which breaks his ice pillar and grounds him. Game8's own comments argue about which waves are parryable, so read the colour on each wave rather than counting.
- Murong Yuan. A Kaifeng campaign boss; guides list the campaign under different names, so follow the quest marker.
- God of Avarice. The official name; some guides call him the Black God of Wealth.
Both images come from official update overviews: the Sealed Treasury campaign hall from 1.7 Imperial Palace, and the art for the Liangzhou campaign Death of the Governor from 1.5. Both campaigns end in boss fights listed in the next section.
Expansion campaign bosses: Hexi to Hidden Mountain
Every region since launch has added campaign bosses. Game8's list is the most complete, but it is not in story order, and the bosses are a mix of single fights and multi phase set pieces. Where a second source confirms a name, it is marked.
| Boss | Campaign | Region and notes |
|---|---|---|
| River Master | Heavenfall | Game8 list |
| Guo Xin | Whitecrown City | Hexi, Jade Gate Pass; NetEase press calls him the last Grand Protector of Anxi |
| Wucan | Death of the Governor | Liangzhou campaign from the 1.5 update |
| Sentinel Howlion | Dasan Pass | Liangzhou; NetEase press describes the colossal siege guardian beast as Town Gate Roar |
| Moonlight Master | Sunken City | Qinchuan |
| The Blackclad | Sealed Treasury | Imperial Palace |
| The Lone Tyrant | Confinement Tower | Imperial Palace era |
| Zhang Wanshi | Changeless Heart | Hidden Mountain 2.0; official dev letter: uses puppet formations and commands the mechanical Rosy Faced Swordsworn |
| Bell Toller | Mirkvale | Hidden Mountain; named in the official July 19 dev letter |
| Halcyon | Skyward City Ruins | Hidden Mountain 2.2 campaign |
Game8 also lists Lord Crimson Carp, the Veiled Woman and Peng in later campaigns. Version 2.3's campaign Mount Tai Blizzard, out since October 29, 2026, ends in what the official dev letter calls a fight with a legendary foe, without naming it, and we will not guess the name for you.
On the left, the official art for the Dasan Pass campaign; on the right, a still from the 2.3 dev letter's section on the Mount Tai Blizzard finale, the unnamed legendary foe fight.
Step Into the Storm: Hidden Mountain Finale Trailer (official Where Winds Meet channel)World bosses by region
World bosses roam the open map and are not tied to the main story. The harder ones are best done in a group with a tank or healer, and Gamer Guides notes you can also bring NPC companions through Signposts. Our multiplayer and co op guide covers grouping.
| Region | World bosses |
|---|---|
| Qinghe | Puppeteer Sheng Wu, Sleeping Daoist, Puppeteer Curtaincall, Earth Fiend Deity, Snake Doctor, Yi Dao, Coffin Master |
| Kaifeng | Wolf Maiden, Twin Lions, Ghost Master, Nameless General, Drunk Martial Artist, Feng Ruzhi |
| Hexi and Liangzhou | Wandering Ark, Moongazing Maiden, Pocketrupt Circus, Everdeer, Snowplum Requiem |
| Imperial Palace | Cat Emperor, Gilded Lament |
| Hidden Mountain | Ci and Cuo, Ironheart Centipede, Inkpincer Scorpion, Cloudclutch Serpent, Golden Colossus Taicu, Goshawk |
| Qingzhou (2.3) | Tidewatcher, Old Raftsman, Shuttlecock Champion |
In Qinghe, do the Bell of Demoncalm before farming: collect all eight Qinghe Oddities for Qi Sheng, get the Bronze Bell Fragment and repair the bell at Peace Bell Tower. Game8 says this weakens every Qinghe world boss. Yi Dao is the hidden one: touch the sword by the tree near the burned building on Moonveil Mountain, after you finish Blissful Retreat. At launch, Gamer Guides listed most Qinghe world bosses at level 35, Twin Lions at 40 and Ghost Master and Wolf Maiden at 50; Ghost Master also needs a side quest chain before you can reach Mistveil Forest.
Official art for the Wandering Ark, the roaming vessel boss of the Hexi desert from 1.4, and Everdeer, the Liangzhou world boss from 1.5. For Snowplum Requiem in Hexi, AllThings.how notes the first clear each week is the main payout, so do it once a week rather than farming it.
The two Imperial Palace world bosses from the 1.7 overview: Gilded Lament, in an abandoned courtyard of Kunning Hall, and the Cat Emperor in the Rear Garden, started by talking to Li Jingwei. Both need the Imperial Palace area unlocked.
Get Ready for Imperial Palace World Boss Gilded Lament (official Where Winds Meet channel)Hidden Mountain turned world bosses into mechanical giants from the Mohist legend. According to the 2.1 overview, the Inkpincer Scorpion and Cloudclutch Serpent both need the Mystic Skill Contortion, so pick that up before you go hunting.
New in 2.3 and 2.4: Qingzhou and Hutuo bosses
Qingzhou, the coastal region from October 15, 2026, brought three world bosses in the 2.3 overview, each with its own drop.
The official 2.4 dev letter of November 9 confirms two more for Hutuo on November 13. Wayfarer Bingshen, a former Dragonbend Academy student, waits at Moonveil Knoll. The letter describes fast combos that mix red and yellow cues to test your parry, deflect and dodge timing, so everything in the first section of this page applies. Yelu Abuli, a Khitan princess and shaman, fights at a riverside altar on the Hutuo River and shifts between eagle, wolf and foxfire forms. Chinese server footage shows other names for the Hutuo River campaign boss, but nothing is confirmed for the global version yet.
Official art from the 2.4 dev letter: Wayfarer Bingshen on the left, Yelu Abuli on the right. Go into Bingshen with Assist Deflection off and your Endurance full; it is a timing check, not a gear check.
Energy, rewards and difficulty
Campaign bosses are replayable, but the rewards are gated by Energy:
- Clear each campaign boss once. The first clear reward is free.
- Replay for rewards later. Each further reward claim costs 20 Energy, and the reward tier scales with your Solo Mode level. Game8 lists Heartseeker campaign levels 1 to 11 and Qianye 1 to 16.
- Spend Energy on bosses first. Energy regenerates whether you use it or not, and stops at the cap, so a full bar is waste. The leveling guide has the regeneration numbers.
- Try Hero's Realm for the hard versions. Several campaign bosses, including Ye Wanshan, the Void King, Lucky Seventeen and Dao Lord in Yama's Seal, have multiplayer Hero's Realm versions with extra mechanics.
On difficulty: Legend mode gives boss badges, and since the May 27, 2026 update Expert online boss challenges limit how many times you can revive. If you are stuck, the official fallback is to drop the difficulty to Story, unless you are on Legend for the badges. The other fixes are cheaper: turn on Assist Deflection, swap in Meridian Touch, bring a companion, or come back after the next breakthrough.
FAQ
Who is the first boss in Where Winds Meet?
Heartseeker at Still Shore on Moonveil Mountain in Qinghe, part of Chapter 1. Qianye at Blissful Retreat closes the same chapter and is a big step up.
How do you parry in Where Winds Meet?
Deflect attacks that flash red, a moment after the flash rather than the instant it appears; on mobile you long press Defense. Gold attacks cannot be deflected or blocked, so dodge them. Assist Deflection slows time on parryable boss attacks while you learn the timing.
What does Exhausted mean on a boss?
The boss's Qi bar is empty, so it is stunned and takes extra damage. Use your strongest skills first and the Execute near the end of the window.
Do bosses cost Energy in Where Winds Meet?
The first clear of a campaign boss is free. Every later reward claim costs 20 Energy, and better rewards come with a higher Solo Mode level.
Where is Yi Dao in Where Winds Meet?
On Moonveil Mountain in Qinghe: interact with the sword next to the tree near the burned building. Gamer Guides says you need to finish the Blissful Retreat campaign first.
What new bosses come with Hutuo?
The official 2.4 dev letter lists two world bosses for November 13, 2026: Wayfarer Bingshen at Moonveil Knoll and Yelu Abuli at a riverside altar on the Hutuo River.