Where Winds Meet Gets Major Expansion
The wuxia RPG "Where Winds Meet" will debut its first major expansion Hexi on March 6, introducing Chapter 1: Jade Gate Pass. The new content features an adventure set in an alternate dreamworld, expanding the game's martial arts-focused storyline. It marks a significant content drop for the action-RPG.
The game is developed by Everstone Studio, a team within Chinese tech giant NetEase. First revealed at Gamescom 2022, the title has since attracted a massive audience, reaching a cumulative total of 80 million players by February 2026. *Where Winds Meet* is set during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of 10th-century China, a turbulent era of political fragmentation and conflict between the fall of the Tang dynasty and the rise of the Song dynasty. The game is rooted in the wuxia genre, a style of Chinese fiction centered on martial artists who live by a code of chivalry. Wuxia narratives emphasize themes of honor, justice, and loyalty, often featuring heroes with near-supernatural martial abilities. Gameplay extends beyond combat, allowing players to take on various roles such as a doctor who can heal other players, a scholar, or an architect who can build structures. The open world emphasizes verticality and freedom of movement through Qinggong, or "Lightness Skills," which enable characters to scale walls and leap across rooftops. The expansion's namesake, Jade Gate Pass or "Yumenguan," is a real historical site in the Gobi Desert. Built during the Han Dynasty, it was a fortified gateway on the ancient Silk Road, named for the jade caravans that passed through it while connecting China to Central Asia. *Where Winds Meet* is a free-to-play game that supports cross-play and cross-progression between PC, PlayStation 5, and mobile devices. The developers have stated a commitment to avoiding "pay-to-win" mechanics, focusing monetization on cosmetic items.
