How to Heal in Where Winds Meet (And How to Be a Doctor If You Want to Make Friends)
You are going to get hurt in this game. A lot. And unlike other RPGs, standing in a corner for ten seconds won't fix your broken ribs.
The healing system in Where Winds Meet is active, manual, and slightly punishing if you aren't prepared. There is no passive regeneration. If you get stabbed, that hole stays there until you do something about it.
Whether you are just trying to keep your own health bar full or you want to embrace the life of a wandering doctor, here is everything you need to know about staying alive.
Survival 101: Keeping Yourself Breathing
Let's start with the basics. You have a health bar, and it only goes down. To make it go up, you need to use your Quick Use Slot.
You have one slot dedicated to medicine. You need to manually equip your potions (like Hemostatic Powder or Wound Balm) into this slot. In combat, you press the dedicated key (X on keyboard, Up D-pad on controller) to chug.
It’s instant, but resources are limited. You can refill your basic medicine at any Boundary Stone (shrine).
Food also heals you, but it’s slower. Save the buns and soup for after the fight. And if you are really desperate? Equip the Panacea Fan. It’s a weapon that literally beats the health back into you (and your allies).
How to Unlock the Healer Career
If you want to be more than just a patient, you can become a doctor. This unlocks at Level 13 via an exploration quest in Qinghe called "Legacy: Healer's Calling."
Head north to Mercyheart Village and find an NPC named Mu Ji’an. He’s trying to save a patient but lacks the herbs. Go pick some Nightshade for him, and he’ll teach you the basics of medicine.
Congratulations, you are now qualified to treat NPCs, animals, and even other players who are suffering from weird diseases.
The Healing Minigame: It’s a Card Battle
Treating a patient isn't just pressing a button. It’s a turn-based strategy game.
You enter a "mind palace" battle against the illness. You have Vital Energy (your health) and the patient has Affliction Severity (the enemy health). You have 10 rounds to reduce the Severity to zero.
You use "Prescription" cards to attack the disease or shield yourself.
Inner Stillness: Use this first. It shields your Vital Energy.
Essential Remedies: Attacks the illness and lowers its defense.
Anesthesia Powder: Sacrifices your own health to deal massive damage to the disease. Use with caution.
If you run out of Vital Energy or rounds, the treatment fails, and sometimes the illness attacks you back. Being a doctor is dangerous work.
Upgrading Your Medical License
To get better at this, you need to level up your Healer Rank using Career Notebooks. You find these by exploring or buying them from the Season Shop.
Higher rank means more powerful prescriptions and more Vital Energy. You can also upgrade individual prescription cards by finding duplicates. It’s a grind, but a high-level healer is the most popular person in any co-op group.
Dealing with "Status" Ailments
Sometimes you aren't simply hurt, you're sick. Poisons, burns, and fractures don't just go away with a potion.
For minor issues, rest works. For major ones, you need a clinic. Go see Yao Yaoyao at the Evercare Clinic. She charges a fee, but she can fix almost anything.
Or, if you are cheap, find a river. Standing in water washes off certain mental debuffs. It’s not scientific, but it works.
Healing in Where Winds Meet is a job. Treat it like one, stock your supplies, and maybe don't look directly at the sick goose if you don't have a shield card ready.