Where to Find the Coolest Wuxia Magic in Where Winds Meet
The swordplay is cool, but the real Wuxia fantasy is the magic. Here's how to stop fighting like a grunt and start fighting like a Wuxia master.
Let's be honest, we're all playing this game to live out our Crouching Tiger or Kung Fu Hustle fantasies. The weapon combat is great, but the Mystic Arts are where the magic happens.
These are your cooldown-based skills, but they're not just for combat. Many of them are used for exploration, puzzle-solving, and general thievery.
Some are a pain in the ass to get, but here are the essential ones you can grab relatively early to make your life infinitely cooler.
Essential Arts from Qinghe (The Starting Zone)
You can grab a whole arsenal of powerful and useful arts right in the game's first region. Prioritize these to make your journey way smoother.
Tai Chi
This is basically the first one you get, so don't miss it. You learn it from a bear near the very beginning of the game. You'll be introduced to the "skill theft" minigame where you just... stare at it.
It's your classic "redirect" move. You pull an enemy in and hurl them away, which is great for slamming them into walls or, even better, right off a cliff.
Cloud Steps
This is your grapple hook, and it's essential. It lets you instantly leap up to marked spots and is a lifesaver for exploration and skipping climbing sections.
You find this in a secret underground passage at the General's Shrine. Go to the roof, look down on the west side, and use a Mighty Drop attack on the cracked stone pavement.
You'll have to burn some vines and fight some guys, but at the bottom of a long set of stairs, you'll find a corpse holding the book.
Meridian Touch
This is your ranged "paralyze" skill. It's fantastic for locking down an annoying enemy from a distance or for... other, less noble purposes on NPCs.
You get this right after the General's Shrine. In the Stonewash Strand area, you'll see a bunch of people who have been turned to stone. Talk to the stone figure named Yan Quiren, and he'll teach it to you.
Use the skill on him to un-petrify him, and you're good to go.
Heavenly Snatch
This is the one you want. This is the Jedi Force Pull. You can yoink items from a distance, pickpocket people, and even disarm enemies in combat and throw their own weapon back at them.
When you get to Heaven's Pier early in the story, find a guy named Qiu Yuehai. He'll give you a quest called "Foul Play."
He teaches you the skill so you can steal a "Nullifying Pill" from a cheater in a drinking contest. It's one of the most useful and fun skills in the entire game.
Lion's Roar
Yes, this is the Kung Fu Hustle move. You slam down a giant bell and unleash a massive, deafening AOE roar that knocks enemies on their ass.
To get it, you have to find and ring four specific copper bells in the Qinghe region:
At the General's Shrine (near where you found Cloud Steps)
On the southwest path out of the General's Shrine
Northeast of the region near Buddha Fort
West of the region near the Wraith Village
Ring all four, and the art is yours.
Leaping Toad
This one is a weird but fun combat art that gives you toad-like agility, letting you flip away, lunge forward, and even cast venom.
You learn this at the General's Shrine, in the same western area as the Cloud Steps entrance and one of the Lion's Roar bells. You'll see a guy kneeling in a toad pose. Talk to him, then use skill theft on the gold toad in front of him.
Veil of Stillness
This is your stealth camo. It's not true invisibility—enemies can still spot you if you're careless—but it's required for stealth sections and for stealing other martial arts from practicing NPCs.
Once you hit Level 8, travel to the Peacebell Tower in Qinghe. You'll find that same dude, Qiu Yuehai, again. He'll have you spy on a nearby martial artist, letting you steal the art.
Glow of Fireflies
This one has zero combat use, but it's essential for exploring. It lights up dark caves with a cloud of fireflies.
You unlock this in the Gleaming Abyss cave (a campaign boss location). To even get in, you need to use Meridian Touch to paralyze the two NPCs standing guard outside the stone door. Once inside, just run around and collect five of the fireflies you see floating around.
Talon Strike
A fast, defense-breaking attack that has you swoop down on an enemy like a bird of prey.
You learn this from a falcon at the Palace of Annals in the southernmost part of Qinghe. The place is swarming with tough enemies. Look for a lone island you can cross to via a wooden bridge. Drop down to a safe spot, find the falcon's nest, and interact with it to start the skill theft.
Advancing Your Arts in Kaifeng
Once you progress the story and reach the next major city, a new set of powerful (and hilarious) arts opens up.
Ghost Bind
This is the big brother to Meridian Touch. It's an AOE version that can immobilize up to six enemies at once. It's a lifesaver in group fights, though it has a long cooldown.
Once you're in Kaifeng, head to the Forsaken Quarter for a quest called "Unwanted Hospitality."
A mysterious guest will teach you the art through a window and ask you to paralyze the goons waiting outside. It's a simple, and very funny, quest.
Dragon's Breath
This is pure, unadulterated Wuxia spectacle. You take a drink and then breathe a giant arc of fire at your enemies.
In Kaifeng's Fairground district, go to the Beast Reverie building. Talk to a disciple named Luo Jiu, who is being scolded. He'll give you a quest to find a man named Liang Yuan at the Small Shoes Camp to the south.
Use Heavenly Snatch to steal a Travelogue item from Liang Yuan, bring it back to Luo Jiu, and he'll reward you with this incredible fire-breathing technique.