Where Winds Meet is a fascinating blend of familiar elements from popular open-world RPGs and action games over the years, woven into a wuxia world in which freedom isn’t just a part of the gameplay loop, it’s the thread that holds it all together.
However, that comes at a cost. The world is so chock full of things to do that it feels nigh on impossible to make it to one objective before another interesting one pops up and pulls me in another direction. From absolutely hilarious to bizarre, you never know what you could come across as you head out toward your destiny. And if you have a lot of time on your hands, that’s a good thing.
But as we gear up for a new year of gaming experiences, I wonder if my limited time over the holidays is going to be enough to find all that there is to find in Qinghe and Kaifeng. I’ve put together a few reasons why this ambitious title feels like its 150-hour playtime might just have me beat.
1. It’s Just Getting Started
For starters, it’s going to be a lot more than 150 hours. In the immediate coverage of the game since its release, there’s already talk about what’s to come, and new regions are a highlight of those conversations. It’s fascinating to think that Where Winds Meet has so much more up its sleeve for a free-to-play experience of such quality.
However, it’s going to be challenging to divide up my gaming time once new releases hit the shelves, and the thought of missing out on potentially quality content in a great title does give me a pang. Yet, there’s solace in the fact that this wuxia world is likely to welcome you back with open arms as long as the meta around builds remains relatively consistent.
2. The PvP Element
A combat system that’s this good with the staggering build potential that this world has to offer? That’s a recipe for some incredible PvP fun, and Everstone Studios hasn’t disappointed on that front.
From online co-op to the option to take on massive 30v30 battles against other players, arenas, and combat-focused guilds that can be great when you want to let loose with your endgame gear, there’s a lot of replay potential on offer. It’s a way to make many more great memories without the need for the studio to intervene, allowing a thriving community of players to make the most out of the massive world they’ve been given.
3. My Guild Deserves Better
I’m sure that I’m going to return to Where Winds Meet whenever I can spare the time to manage a session of play just to check in with my guild, at the very least. I can’t imagine what my initial hours in the game would have been like if I hadn’t put joining a guild high on my list of priorities.
And despite the fact that I was quite early into my adventure, my guild was quite welcoming, and now I can’t imagine visiting the game’s world without stopping by. I’m quite unlikely to leave the game behind thanks to the ones who made my time with it a lot easier. It’s where I find validation in my choices, and my own cohort of like-minded folks who think the dual blades are the way to go on the combat front.
4. The Side Content
Although the game’s economies are quite complex and nuanced, there’s certainly no shortage of supply as far as side content in the game goes. From amusing little chapters to random encounters that can turn into hours of an entire storyline, many of which have a brilliant boss fight or a bit of awesome gear waiting for you at the end, there’s a staggering amount of stuff to find in this one.
Coming from a fellow player who loves his collectibles and large maps, this one’s going to push even the most diligent among us past our limits. I worry that a lot of the game’s content is going to stay hidden from many of its players, only to be overshadowed by new games that gobble up their attention. But some of the secrets are so well woven into organic exploration that it might be hard to see them all in a playthrough.
5. Becoming the Ultimate Hero
As with the game’s side content, a wuxia fantasy like this one must end with my character being the equivalent of Ezo’s Takezo in their corner of China. That means tracking down every martial art, internal art, and mystic art in the game, arming myself with the knowledge and skills I’d need to become a warrior without a rival in all the land.
That’s a daunting task, however, considering the sheer volume of things there are to find on this front. However, with each move or art being as unique as it is, it could be worth the effort.
6. Stopping By For A Chat
It’s ever so increasingly hard not to stop by and chat with every NPC I find in the world. You never know when you can strike up a friendship with citizens powered by chatbots that allow you to have actual conversations and perhaps even make interesting discoveries as a result.
But of course, that’s quite a time sink considering just how many NPCs there are for you to interact with. When you think about it against the already vast amount of things you need to do in this game, it does show a rather gloomy forecast for anyone looking to take it all in and relish the experience.
7. Fully Exploring Qinghe and Kaifeng
While I’ve been pushing to uncover as much as I can of the map and try and collect as much gear and arts as possible in the interest of testing out builds, I can’t help but feel like I’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what Qinghe and Kaifeng have to offer. A few interesting discoveries when I was watching coverage of the game show that I have so much more waiting for me in each of the two regions.
There are lore drops, hidden stories, exploration milestones, and so much more to get to in the two main regions, which has me wondering just how much a new region could add to the mix once it eventually makes its way to the game.
8. Defeat Every Boss
Given my interest in Soulslikes, I’ve loved almost all of the boss designs I’ve managed to unearth in Where Winds Meet. It makes me want to keep diving back in and exploring just a little further in the hopes of uncovering another formidable enemy to test my skills against.
It’s the boss fights that allow you to truly test out your builds as well as your skill at using all the tools at your disposal to turn the tide. And considering that some of them are waiting for me at the end of some very elusive secret stories, I’m all the more incentivized to see it through, no matter how long it takes. Whether my resolve can last in the face of new games down the line is another question entirely.
9. A Thriving Community
The communities that form around games like Where Winds Meet are generally great places to see what other players are doing in the game and perhaps find out about stuff that you may have missed. This one’s the type of game where finding out about something from another player is kind of a catalyst for a few hours lost exploring the region where your objective is, sometimes long after you find it.
I see myself being turned in the game’s direction from time to time in the near future, and it’s one of the reasons I believe I’d never truly be done with the game.
Trying out different builds, community ideas, and easy to respec
10. The Slick Combat
I’m not going to lie, I do love a meaty combat system that lets you dominate the fight, while there is always the risk of the tables being turned. The combat system in Where Winds Meet is perfect for that kind of gameplay, and my aggressive, risk-reward playstyle has been the source of some very entertaining hours with the game.
Until there’s another game with a combat system that’s as good as the one on offer here, Where Winds Meet isn’t going to see the last of me, no matter what.
11. Keeping Up With the Times
I can almost sense that new content and regions being added to the game will bring loads of new gear, weapons, loot, and potentially new builds to the table. All of them will require a bunch of resources, and I’d rather earn them all consistently over a bit of time rather than have to farm them out in a hurry.
To that end, I’m going to keep coming back to Where Winds Meet to try and take advantage of daily rewards and the gifts that NPCs you befriend send you from time to time. Staying on top of my game so I’m prepared for whatever I have to deal with down the line means I’m going to be quite a regular at my home in the wilderness of Qinghe.
12. Events
If Where Winds Meet is bringing events like the Creator Incentive Event that’s currently ongoing to the table, I’m definitely going to keep coming back for more. With Blades Out, the first official season for the game already announced, its events are a solid reason to keep playing it on a regular basis.
What’s more, the content that each event could bring is going to be quite enticing if it’s on par with what’s already on offer in the game.
13. A Roadmap of New Content
With a lot of DLC additions already planned for the game, Where Winds Meet is going to keep its millions of players quite busy as time goes on. Blade Out and anything that follows are going to be massive if the current size and scope of the game are any indications, and there’s always the possibility that the developers could push their creative chops even further as they get bolder with the game’s success.
That’s going to be quite a draw, and perhaps a great reason to keep stopping by even if your backlog of games to play keeps getting larger in the background.
14. Online Coop
One of my favorite things to do in games such as this, and I’m sure it’s the case for many of you, is to join up with other players looking for some help with places or foes I’m familiar with, and help out. With a robust online co-op system in place, teaming up with other players is a feature that I’m quite drawn to in Where Winds Meet, and it is yet another reason I’m not likely to put it down any time soon.
It’s also quite a distraction as I found myself spending too much time with other players at the expense of progressing my own adventure. But is that time really wasted if you had an absolute blast in the process?
15. Trying to Get It All
Last but definitely not least is that I’m a total completionist who likes to experience every darn thing a game has to offer before I can truly let it go. With a game like this, I doubt I can ever fully be convinced that there isn’t something I missed despite my best efforts. While that’s a part of the beauty of Where Winds Meet, it’s also a concerning detail for players who want to see the game in its entirety.
There’s a frankly overwhelming amount of collectibles, and so much lore to uncover that it’s now a challenge to my pride, and I’m going to be chipping away at the game’s content every chance that I get.
And that’s a wrap on reasons I can never fully complete Where Winds Meet. May it continue to be a gift that keeps on giving.
