Just a day before the slated release of Where Winds Meet‘s The Imperial Palace expansion, developer Everstone Studio has provided a complete rundown of the new content that is being added to the open-world RPG. The update will be preceded by a live maintenance from 5 am to 12 pm (UTC+8) on May 28th, during which time players can experience the game normally. However, some features and game modes will be temporarily unavailable.
After the update is live, however, players will be able to explore one of its major new locations – the eponymous Imperial Palace. To visit this new location, players will have to reach character level 32 and complete the Kaifeng Main Chapter I “New Arrival in Kaifeng – The Welcoming Crowd” quest to unlock Kaifeng Lost Chapter “Throne and Tempest”, which will then grant them access to the location.
The Imperial Palace offers plenty of rewards for exploration, like a Justicar’s Barrel (Accessory), a Demon Queller (Face Ornament), and Jadestep Spring (Earring), among other things. Players will also be able to hunt down new Oddity “Golden Echoes” that have been hidden throughout four secret locations: Jade Steps, Incense Candles, Imperial Warden, and Auspicious Rain.
As for the quest Kaifeng Lost Chapter “Throne and Tempest I”, its story revolves around rumors about a new secret treasure that has been built in the palace. These rumors spread rapidly despite the palace guard’s best efforts, however, leading to master thieves ending up in Jianghu to steal the gold and jade.
Unlocking the Imperial Palace area will also give players access to a new Jianghu Legacy: Grand Nuo Ritual, which revolves around the Ritual Masks worn by soldiers and commoners alike.
Players looking for more challenging encounters can look forward to the new Gilded Lament world boss, which rewards players with Gilded Bond (Accessory), 3 Medicinal Tales, 5 Inner Way Note: Custom Chest, and 20 Echo Jade on their first victory. The Cat Emperor is also available as a boss with more rewards, like the Meow Magistrate (Hair Ornament).
The 10-player campaign is getting new additions for players level 91 and over, with the Resounding Majesty mode, where players can compete to get their hands on leaderboard rewards. The first five floors of Skyward Bond will also open up for players of character level 95 and over, pitting the players against Lion Dancer and Ghost Master, which have to be beaten within the time limit.
The update is also bringing with it a host of time-limited events, like a new one about exploration that kicks off on June 1st and can be completed until June 7th. Players can partake in the A Returning Friend and A Familiar Shade exploration event as long as they have reached level 10 and have completed the Qinghe Main Chapter quest “Another New Wing”.
Players who have unlocked the new Imperial Palace zone can also take part in the Palace Chronicle event between May 28th and June 25th, during which wanderers can partake in a variety of challenges that involve randomly-triggered travel events.
Where Winds Meet is a free-to-play game available on PC, PS5, iOS, and Android.
