Where Winds Meet has been one of the more anticipated RPG releases in recent weeks, and it’s mainly because of its F2P open-world exploration and the twist that it brings to the MMO genre. Hence, the game has a lot of nuances that you will want to keep in mind if you are looking to have the perfect start.
So the list below goes over some essential things that you need to know before starting your journey in Where Winds Meet.
How to prepare for Where Winds Meet
Here are some essential things that you will want to keep in mind for Where Winds Meet:
1) Single Player experience over MMO in the Early Game
Where Winds Meet is not a typical MMO, as the single-player content here is quite extensive and will be important when it comes to the overall progression of your character. There is a solo and an online mode in the game that you will be able to freely swap between; each of them will have its uses when tackling certain aspects of the game’s content.
When you are solo play, you will be following the main story, completing NPC side quests, and taking part in mini-games to get your hands on additional loot.
Early on, you will be spending a lot of time in Single Player mode. You will encounter a few other players in your journey, and also have the option to take on missions with up to 300 players. So you and your friends will be able to take on the same missions together.
The online mode, on the other hand, will unlock after you progress a fair bit in the story. It will give you access to the same map; however, there are a few key differences to take note of:
- The main story and side quests will not be available to you.
- You will see more MMO-style activities like guild quests, PvP battles, dungeon expeditions, and boss raids.
- The map will also be filled with a lot of other players who are playing the same mode as you.
While the Single Player mode will help you reach the endgame, it’s in the Online mode that you finally start to min-max your character.
2) F2P title with in-game purchases
Where Winds Meet is a free-to-play game that monetizes through in-game cosmetic purchases. Fortunately, not all cosmetics are locked behind a paywall, as there are many character skins and mounts that you will be able to unlock by completing certain aspects and challenges in the game.
The game will also feature a battle pass system with some tracks that are unlocked for free, but for the rest, you will need to buy the entire pass.
Moreover, there are some special currencies that will let you purchase certain cosmetics from the in-game shop. While you can directly purchase these currencies, there are ways of acquiring them for free by completing content in the open world; however, the pace at which you get them will be much slower.
3) Game is set in 10th-century Wuxia
Where Winds Meet is set in 10th-century China, in Wuxia to be exact, and features notions of chivalry and heroic deeds with a very heavy focus on martial arts when it comes to its main combat themes.
The time is marked by the turbulence that is created by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms era. Here, you play the role of a young swordsman who is looking to make a name for themselves, and along your journey, you will slowly start to uncover more truth and mysteries of who you really are.
Speaking of the journey, the open world that you explore is large, with over 20 different regions that you can visit. All the different biomes are vibrant and unique, boasting their own backstory, unique side quests, and vendors. Completing these special side quests is how you are able to get your hands on some of the best abilities in the game.
4) There is a lot of vertical exploration
No matter the region you visit, you will be able to enjoy a lot of vertical exploration in Where Winds Meet. You can scale buildings, head to rooftops, and traverse large distances using a very cool aerial ability (lightness skills).
Traversal is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game, which makes exploration a very interactive part of your journey in Wuxia.
5) Combat takes some time to get used to
Where Winds Meet’s gameplay loop is pretty combat-heavy, however, its approach to the ARPG genre is a bit different, and you will need some time to get used to the various combat mechanics that the game has to offer.
The ceiling to master the game is pretty high, and you will be able to enjoy different difficulty settings based on how familiar you are with the genre.
As the game takes a souls-like approach to combat, going ham on your enemies without worrying about defense is going to make you have a hard time. You will have to focus on block, dodge, and parrying quite a bit, and then strike enemies when you see an opening.
While blocking will mitigate some of the incoming damage, parrying will completely mitigate it, leaving enemies open to a devastating counterattack. If you deal enough damage to an enemy’s posture bar and deplete it, you will leave them stunned for some time, which will drastically increase your DPS uptime.
Perfect dodges will slow time down for some time, and will be particularly useful against large groups of enemies where you are quite reliant on setting up longer combo strings.
So to master combat in the game, especially in higher difficulties, you will need to learn enemy movesets.
6) Weapon Types and Synergy
There are 8 different weapon types that you will have access to in Where Winds Meet. 7 out of them are primary weapons, which you can equip two of and swap between them at any given time during combat.
The eighth weapon type, which is the bow, is accessible to all players and is primarily used as a tool for exploration. You can also open combat with a bow, to instantly chip away at an enemy’s HP bar before going in with your weapon.
As you can carry two primary weapons at the same time, this is where the concept of weapon synergy comes in. Not all weapons pair well with each other. For example, the Dual Blades go perfectly well with the Rope Dart, allowing you to have great pressure with the combination at both close and mid-range. But the Dual Blades do not go well with a Sword or Spear.
Spears, on the other hand, pair up quite well with a Fan or MO Blade. While for a full support build, you will want to use a Panacea Fan with a Soulshade Umbrella.
Weapons have their own Martial Paths as well, which lets you completely move their skill sets, helping them fit the playstyle that you are going for.
7) A deep character progression system and endgame
While there is no class system in Where Winds Meet, the character progression is tied to the different types and abilities, and skill trees that you come across. Apart from this, there are many more upgrades that you can unlock on top of this
The most important upgrade that you will need to think of first is the Martial Arts Path, which includes combat skills that are directly tied to the weapons that you are using. So once you study them, you will then get access to the weapon category that they belong to.
Moreover, not only do you get to make your Martial Arts stronger by unlocking these paths, but they also include their own skill trees with more bonuses and effects that will help you become significantly stronger.
This means that you will be able to master all the weapons, but you will have to invest a significant amount of time in the game to be able to do so. With the lack of a class system, you are not automatically locked to a weapon type in Where Winds Meet.
Apart from the Martial Arts, you also have the Internal Arts in the game, which provide various combat perks ranging from additional healing to damage buffs, and more. While some Internal Arts are tied to Martial Arts, other passives are tied to exploration.
Apart from Martial and Inner Arts, you will also have the Mystic Arts, which are active abilities that work quite differently from the ones that are tied to weapons. These Arts include skills like Fire Breathing, Dragon Fist, AoE debuffs, buffs, and more. Mystic Arts can be unlocked through side quests
Finally, you have talents that you unlock with skill points. Skill points are obtained when your character levels up, and you can unlock more talents with them that offer a variety of passive benefits.
Now this progression system seamlessly ties into the endgame of Where Winds Meet. The game has something for everyone, if you are a PvP fanatic or a PvE grinder, this is something or the other to look forward to.
Dungeons are the best way of getting high-tier loot, and you will want to generally spam them to build your character and take on world bosses and PvP content.
World Boss Raids are the hardest content in the game, and without the right set-up, your party can get easily wiped out.
PvP, on the other hand, features 1v1 duels to large-scale multiplayer guild matches. PvP is more skill-based, however, and your success there will depend on just how proficient you are with your weapons and not the build that you are championing.
