This page is part of our Where Winds Meet hub. Everything below was checked against the official Steam store page, the official patch notes up to version 2.3 (October 29, 2026) and the official cross platform FAQs. Where a detail only comes from player guides, we say so.
Solo, Co-op or Online: the three ways to play
NetEase sells the game with one sentence that sums up the design: "Embark on a narrative-driven adventure filled with rich solo gameplay, or team up with up to four friends for seamless co-op experiences." The closed beta in July 2025 already named the three modes that still exist today: Solo Mode, Co-op Mode and Online Mode. You are never locked into one of them. The patch notes even mention outfits changing automatically "when switching between solo and online modes", which tells you switching is free and reversible.
| Mode | Who is in your world | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Solo Mode | Only you (plus optional Heroic Shadow helpers in boss fights) | The main story, side quests, exploration, solo challenges such as Taiping Mausoleum and Trials |
| Co-op Mode | You plus up to four invited friends | Roaming the open world together and taking friends into boss challenges |
| Online Mode | A shared world with many other players | Group dungeons, raids, guild content, PvP, social activities |
Solo Mode is the default and the place where the campaign lives. Some content is deliberately solo: PCGamesN lists Taiping Mausoleum and the Trials as single player only, and the official 1.2 overview describes the Mistveil Prison stage as "designed for solo play". Solo does not mean lonely in every fight, though. Since version 1.2 the Heroic Shadow Assist lets "a known or unknown Wanderer" drop into your Solo Mode boss fights to help.
Online Mode is the MMO side. You switch to it from the main menu through the Mode Switch button, the bust with the conical hat. Mein-MMO reports that the story campaign and side quests are not available there and that ordinary open world enemies do not spawn, so treat Online Mode as the hub for group content, not as a way to play the story with strangers.
How to play co-op with friends
Co-op is invite based: you open your world to people you choose. Steam's wording is "up to four friends", so the safe way to read it is you plus four others. Player guides disagree on whether that means four or five people in total, so if you plan a five person session, test it in game first. According to PCGamesN, enemy difficulty follows the host's World Level and there is no level scaling for guests, so the strongest player should usually host.
- Progress the story far enough. Co-op unlocks during the main story. PCGamesN got it near the end of the Evercare Clinic dungeon in Still Shore. If the option is still greyed out, raise your level and World Level.
- Open the menu (Esc on PC) and choose Wandering Paths in the Mode row.
- Open Fellowship. This is where co-op sessions start.
- Pick the type: Challenges for invited boss fights, or casual co-op for roaming the world together.
- Invite your friends. On mobile, the May 27, 2026 patch enlarged the tap area of the Accept and Reject buttons in invitation pop-ups, so accidental refusals are rarer now.
Both screenshots come from the official Xbox Store listing. Two player moments like these are the core of the game's social side: sparring with a friend, testing a build on each other, or taking a duel request from a stranger.
Group dungeons and raids
Group PvE lives in the Wandering Paths menu, which also holds the Arena, leisure games and adventure modes. These are the activities that drop the best gear and the ones most players log in for once the story is done.
| Activity | Group size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sword Trial | 5 players (Game8, LDShop) | Repeatable dungeon for gear; rewards claimed with Energy. A Joint Battle variant also exists. |
| Hero's Realm | 10 players (Game8, LDShop) | Raid with a weekly reward claim. Matchmaking spreads healers evenly; tank markers grant Tenacity. |
| Guild Hero's Realm | Guild group | Separate from the Wandering Paths version; invitations are labelled differently since 1.2. |
| Ravening Banes | 10 players (official) | Unlocks at level 91. Auto-match or bring your own crew through Wandering Paths. |
| Martial Path Domain | 5 players (official) | Floor by floor run with Mist effects, Normal and Hard modes. |
| Guild Skyward Bond | Guild group | Hard and Abyss difficulty tiers added in 1.8. |
The official 1.2 overview made raids friendlier: bosses now start at full HP, a marking function was added, and Hero's Realm matchmaking balances healers across groups. The same update added the "Promise Keeper" title, earned with Never-Delay Feathers from Hero's Realm and Sword Trial bosses. The Sword Trial and Hero's Realm sizes above come from player guides that agree with each other; NetEase's own posts confirm the 10 player size of Ravening Banes and the five player size of Martial Path Domain. Boss mechanics for the open world fights are in our boss guide.
Guilds and Guild War
Guilds unlock the group content that solo players never see: Guild Hero's Realm, Skyward Bond and the weekly Guild War. Guild rewards come in their own currencies, Wonder Jade, Treasure Token and Guild Reputation, which you spend in guild shops. Guides disagree on the member cap (figures from 60 to 100 circulate), so expect dozens of members rather than a fixed number.
Guild War is the big one. Mein-MMO, allthings.how and a guild site all describe it as 30 players per side. The official April 30, 2026 overview sets the schedule: weekend matches on Saturday and Sunday at 20:30 local server time for each battlegroup. Inside a match you fight over the Bulwark, carry the Fortune Tree, deal with neutral bosses such as Zhang Bao and Zhuxie Gule, take Xuanyuan Cult Outposts and use Command Skills. A mid match "Halftime Show" breaks up the fight. League ranks run up to tiers like Divinarche, and the 2.x updates added season statistics.
PvP: Arena, battle royale and open world duels
The Arena is scheduled PvP with its own ranked seasons. The official April 30, 2026 overview set these times, all in your battlegroup's local time:
| Arena mode | When it is open | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 1v1 Arena | 24 hours, every day | Ranked duels, score weighted matchmaking up to the Mythic rank |
| 3v3 Arena | 15:00 to 02:00, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday | Team fights; since May 27, 2026 teams without a healer get one revive |
| Group Strategy | 12:00 to 02:00, daily | Larger multiplayer tactical mode |
| Training Terrace | Any time | Custom duel rooms for practice with friends |
Matchmaking pauses for two hours before and one hour after each mid season and full season transition. Since May 2026 you can also try locked Mystic Skill branches inside Group Strategy and 3v3, which makes them a cheap way to test a build before you invest in it. Our builds guide covers which weapon pairs work in PvP and PvE.
Beyond the Arena there are three more competitive formats:
- Perception Forest. Listed in the official notes under the Arena menu; Mein-MMO calls it a battle royale. Mystic Skills and Inner Ways work inside, and version 1.2 added new collectibles to the map.
- Tomb of Fortune. Added in 1.8, described officially as "eerie dungeon exploration meets competitive PvP".
- Open world duels. Both players must accept, so nobody can force a fight on you while you explore.
Crime is the other kind of PvP. The Steam page promises you can "cause chaos, defy the law, and face bounties, pursuit, even time behind bars". Version 1.2 added Joint Punishment: repeat offenders can drag partners, sworn cohorts, masters, apprentices and friends with Intimacy of 16,000 or more into jail with them. A Joint Parade can shorten the sentence.
Left, the Tomb of Fortune art from the 1.8 overview; right, an official Xbox Store screenshot of a crowd on a snowy plateau. Online Mode regularly fills with players gathering for events like this.
Crossplay and cross progression
The Steam page says it plainly: "Play free across XBOX, PS5, PC, and mobile with full cross-play and cross-progression." The official Xbox Launch FAQ (June 8, 2026) adds that character data is fully shared across Xbox, PC, PlayStation and mobile, including items, martial arts, top-ups and progress. The PlayStation Store lists the game as "Online play required" with up to 10 network players.
The rules that trip people up all come from the official FAQs:
- Link before you create a character. Go to Title Screen, User Center, Link Account, or in game to Settings, Other, User Center, Link Account. Supported logins include Google, Steam, X, Apple, PSN and Epic.
- You cannot merge two accounts that both have characters. If you started fresh on a second platform by mistake, linking will fail.
- Xbox players: link first. A character created on Xbox before linking cannot later be bound to an existing account. Link through the Account Center first.
- Unlinking is not self service. Manual unlink is disabled; support at the official NetEase address handles it.
- Same server region only. Cross-play and cross progression work only within one server region, and character data cannot be transferred across regions.
Hardware needs for each platform, including the phone chip tiers, are on the system requirements page. If you play on a phone and a PC, the paid currency question matters too: see the monetization guide.
Servers and battlegroups
Because you cannot move a character between regions, the server you choose on day one is the server you keep. Pick the one where your friends play and your ping is lowest. PvP is then organised in battlegroups, each with its own Guild War time. These are the battlegroups and start times the official notes give:
| Battlegroup | Region | Guild War start |
|---|---|---|
| Canglang | Asia, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan | 20:30 (UTC+8) |
| Yunya | Europe, Middle East | 20:30 (UTC+2 at the time of the notice) |
| Yougu | US East, South America | 20:30 (UTC-4 at the time of the notice) |
| Linhe | US West | 20:30 (UTC-7 at the time of the notice) |
| Jiangzhu | Southeast Asia | 20:30 (UTC+8) |
The US West server arrived in spring 2026; before the April changes there were only three groups. You can switch your Arena battlegroup: the first switch in each half season is free, the second costs 100 Echo Jade and later ones cost more. Switching resets your Rank Points, so do it at the start of a half season, not near the end.
Tips for playing with friends
- Agree on a server region before anyone creates a character. Crossplay ends at the region border.
- Let the strongest player host co-op. Difficulty follows the host's World Level according to PCGamesN.
- Use Fledgling and Returning Swallow bonuses. Bringing a new player into Sword Trial or Hero's Realm in their first 14 days pays extra for both of you.
- Plan around the Arena clock. 3v3 runs only four days a week; 1v1 is always on.
- Join a guild early. Guild War, Guild Hero's Realm and the guild shops are a steady source of Wonder Jade and Treasure Tokens.
- Claim the free stuff together. Codes are per account, and our Where Winds Meet codes page currently lists 15 working codes.
New to the game? Start with the beginner guide and come back here when the Wandering Paths menu unlocks.
Where Winds Meet Out Now on XBOX! The Hidden Mountain Expansion Is Coming (official Where Winds Meet channel)FAQ
Can you play Where Winds Meet solo?
Yes. The whole story campaign is played in Solo Mode, and NetEase advertises over 150 hours of single player content. Some challenges, such as Taiping Mausoleum and the Trials, are solo only.
How many players can play Where Winds Meet co-op?
Steam says you can team up with up to four friends in co-op. Raids are bigger: Hero's Realm and Ravening Banes take 10 players, and Guild War is 30 against 30.
Is Where Winds Meet crossplay between PC, PS5, Xbox and mobile?
Yes, crossplay and cross progression cover PC, PS5, Xbox, iOS and Android, but only within the same server region.
Does my progress carry over between platforms?
Yes, with a linked account. Link the account before you create a character on the new platform, because two accounts that both have characters cannot be merged.
Can you change server region in Where Winds Meet?
No. The official FAQ says character data cannot be transferred across server regions. You can only switch your Arena battlegroup, with the first switch per half season free.
Does Where Winds Meet have PvP?
Yes: 1v1 and 3v3 Arena, Group Strategy, the Perception Forest battle royale, Tomb of Fortune and weekend Guild Wars. Open world duels must be accepted by both players.