Where Winds Meet: the complete guide hub

If you only read one line: Where Winds Meet is a single player wuxia action RPG with an MMO bolted on the side, and you choose how much of the MMO you want. The story, the exploration and almost all the boss fights work solo. Co-op, guilds, raids and PvP are there when you want them. Right now the Where Winds Meet codes page lists 15 working codes, including the anniversary code from the official roadmap.

Global Launch Trailer (official Where Winds Meet channel)

What Where Winds Meet is

The game is set in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of China, the turbulent tenth century. The official Steam description sums up the arc: you rise from a humble village wanderer to the sword master of the imperial capital while uncovering forgotten truths and the mystery of your own identity. Everstone Studio is based in Hangzhou, and NetEase Games publishes the game worldwide.

The official launch announcement promised over 150 hours of single player story, and the systems behind it are big. Steam lists over 30 mystic arts, from Tai Chi to Lion's Roar, and 16 life systems such as crafting, architecture, astronomy, folk games, performance and medicine. Combat mixes melee, ranged and stealth, and the starting weapon list covers sword, spear, dual blades, rope dart, bow, fan and umbrella. Updates have since added Gauntlets, a Waist Drum in version 2.3 and, per the official roadmap, Dual Spears on November 26.

Left, a frame from the official gameplay trailer; right, the App Store listing's "One Blade Against the Realm" screenshot with the mobile combat interface. Same game, same character, on every platform.

Traversal is the other half of the appeal: rooftop parkour, the gliding Windstride and fast travel. You will spend as much time running over tiled roofs as fighting on them. For the systems explained in order, start with our beginner guide; for what to fight with, the weapons and martial arts guide covers every weapon pair.

Platforms, release dates and cross progression

Where Winds Meet launched in China in December 2024 and came to the rest of the world a year later. Each platform arrived on its own date:

Progress follows your account, not your device. You link the account in the in game settings, and the official Xbox FAQ confirms that premium currency is tied to the account and shared across platforms. Play on a phone during the commute and on PC at home with the same character.

Steam Deck and Linux are not officially supported, although players report that it runs under Proton. Mac owners have no native client and need cloud play. Exact hardware numbers are in our system requirements guide.

The map so far: Qinghe to Hutuo

Every big update has moved the map outward. The story starts in Qinghe, moves to Kaifeng, the imperial capital, and then the expansions take over:

Hexi (1.4 to 1.6)The desert frontier opened in March 2026 and grew with Liangzhou Town and Qinchuan.

Imperial Palace (1.7)Palace intrigue and the Gilded Lament world boss, plus the half anniversary in May 2026.

Hidden Mountain (2.0 to 2.2)Mohist machines and cliffside railways, finished in three chapters by September 2026.

Heaven's Threshold (2.1)Hidden Mountain chapter two: a wrecked mechanical giant crowns a forested peak.

Qingzhou (2.3)The coastal region from October 15, 2026, home of the Inkbound Order sect.

Hutuo (2.4)The third region of Hidden Mountain, opening November 13, 2026 for the anniversary.

You do not need to rush. Older regions stay busy with events, world bosses and sect content, and the main story spends a long time in Qinghe and Kaifeng before the expansions come into view. Our leveling guide covers how fast that goes and where level caps sit.

Every version from 1.0 to 2.4

Dates below are the official Steam update overview dates (server time, UTC+8), cross checked against Game8's update list. Where the two disagree, we say so.

Two official broadcast banners from the first year. NetEase previews each expansion on stream, as with Hexi in February 2026, and the geese, the game's running joke, got their own New Year special. The Xbox launch slotted in between 1.8 and 2.0 in June 2026.

Qingzhou Gameplay Trailer, version 2.3 (official Where Winds Meet channel)

What is new right now: anniversary and Hutuo

As of November 11, 2026, version 2.3 is live. The Scarlet Whispers battle pass ends on November 13 at 17:59:59 server time (UTC+8), so finish it this week. Then version 2.4 arrives:

• November 13 (UTC): the Hutuo region, which the official dev letter calls the third region of Hidden Mountain, the Hutuo River campaign around the Battle of Zhongdu Bridge, three Jianghu Legacy quests, world bosses Wayfarer Bingshen and Yelu Abuli, and the Horse Racing Chess mode.
• Anniversary rewards: per NetEase's official X post, a free pick of 1 of 12 outfits on login, valued at 2,580 Echo Beads, plus 42 Lingering Melody and 27 Resonating Melody from easy in game tasks, and 5 more free outfits through November and December.
• November 26: the official roadmap dates the Dual Spears martial art, choreographed with Yuen Woo-ping, and the Jianghu Tactics auto chess mode.

The full breakdown, including what NetEase has not yet published, is in our anniversary and version 2.4 guide. The anniversary code 1113HUTUOGO, printed on the official roadmap, is on the codes page.

1st Anniversary Special Broadcast Recap (official Where Winds Meet channel)

Visual tour: what the world looks like

Screenshots sell this game better than any feature list, so here is a wall of official ones from Steam, the PlayStation Store, the Xbox Store and the official site. Places are named only where the official source names them.

Blossom nightA pagoda framed by glowing white and gold blossom trees under a stormy sky.

Karst archA stone arch on tall karst pillars rising out of a misty lake.

Fallen guardiansA traveller leads a horse through red flowers below toppled giant statues.

Festival lightsA palace glowing with red lanterns reflects in a lake under fireworks.

Sunrise at seaA robed figure on a sea rock looks toward an island tower at dawn.

Cliff villageA many storey wooden village built into a canyon wall.

Two pieces of official concept art from wherewindsmeetgame.com. The finished game keeps that grounded, weathered look for its soldiers and drifters, even when the outfits in the shop get flashy.

From the Xbox Store listing: a duel on training stakes, and the housing editor that arrived with the 1.8 homestead update. Fighting and furnishing really are part of the same game.

Hidden Mountain travelSliding down a cable toward a tiered tower above the clouds.

Blood moonA temple silhouetted against a huge red moon in a storm of red leaves.

Still waterA full moon rises over a quiet lake with a small boat.

Where to start

1. Pick your platform and link an account. PC gives the best image, the phone is great for daily chores, and cross progression means you can use both.
2. Play Solo first. The story and most exploration live in Solo mode. Co-op and Online mode can wait until you know your weapons; our multiplayer and co-op guide explains when they unlock and what they are for.
3. Choose a weapon pair, not a class. You carry two martial arts, each tied to a weapon, and swap between them in combat. The weapons tier list and best builds pages show the current picks.
4. Learn the mystic arts and Inner Ways. They are where builds get deep. Start with mystic arts and Inner Ways.
5. Join a sect when the story allows. Sects add identity, missions and gear; see the sects guide.
6. Redeem codes and save your Echo Jade. The anniversary banners arrive with Hutuo, and Jade saved now goes further then.

How big is it, and is it pay to win?

The numbers are large by any standard. NetEase reported over 5 million global pre-registrations, 2 million players in the first weekend with a Steam concurrent peak near 190,000, and 15 million players in the first month. Steam peaked above 250,000 concurrent players in the second week. In August 2026 the game passed 100 million players worldwide, counting the Chinese service, and it won Best Mobile Game at the Gamescom Award 2026.

On money, the Steam page is blunt: no pay to win, gameplay content is entirely free, and monetization is limited to cosmetics. The paid currency is Echo Beads; Echo Jade is earned in game through quests, events and codes. Critics point out that paid battle pass tiers carry convenience perks, so the honest answer is "not pay to win, but not purely cosmetic either". Our monetization and gacha guide breaks down every currency, the draw banners and their pity.

Every Where Winds Meet guide on this site

Where Winds Meet guides

GuideWhere Winds Meet beginner guide: the first 10 hoursSettings, difficulty, your first weapon, the daily level cap and the early mistakes that cost new wanderers the most time.

Tier listWhere Winds Meet weapon tier list (version 2.3)All 22 martial arts across 11 Paths ranked for version 2.3, with the date of every source and where the lists disagree.

GuideWhere Winds Meet best builds (version 2.3)Core DPS, tank, healer and beginner builds for version 2.3: weapon pair, four Inner Ways, Mystic Skills and gear set for each.

GuideWhere Winds Meet weapons and martial arts: how they work and how to unlock themHow weapons, martial arts and Paths fit together, how dual weapon swapping works, and where to unlock every martial art in version 2.3.

GuideWhere Winds Meet Mystic Skills (Mystic Arts) and Inner WaysWhat Mystic Skills and Inner Ways are, how many you can equip, where to unlock the useful ones and which to take first.

GuideWhere Winds Meet sects: every sect, its rules and how to joinNine joinable sects, from the launch four to the Inkbound Order: where to find them, what they demand each week and what leaving costs.

BossesWhere Winds Meet boss guide: mechanics, campaign and world bossesHow boss fights really work in Where Winds Meet, and a short battle plan for every campaign and world boss worth knowing.

LevelingWhere Winds Meet leveling guide: cap, breakthroughs and checklistsHow the level cap and breakthroughs work, where the fastest EXP comes from, and the daily and weekly routine in one table.

GuideWhere Winds Meet multiplayer, co-op and crossplay guideSolo, Co-op and Online Mode, the group dungeons, Guild War and Arena, and the account rules that decide whether your friends can join you.

GuideWhere Winds Meet monetization: currencies, gacha and passesEcho Beads, Echo Jade, the two draw banners, the battle pass and the Monthly Fund, and an honest answer to the pay to win question.

GuideWhere Winds Meet system requirements on every platformSteam's current PC specs, the launch era launcher tiers, console upgrades, the official phone chip tiers and settings that help weak hardware.

AnniversaryWhere Winds Meet anniversary and version 2.4 HutuoEverything NetEase has confirmed about the first anniversary and Hutuo, and what it has not published yet.

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