Where Winds Meet offers a variety of activities. You can follow the sometimes truly touching main storyline , play doctor online, fish, play card games, fight in the arena, steal from random townspeople, or engage in philosophical debates.
The point is, there’s a huge selection. One such activity is fighting. Like other activities, it can boost your stats. However, it has a bit more gameplay depth than some other minigames, so its mechanics require some time to master.
What is wrestling?
Firstly, the wrestling minigame is missing from Qinghe . You’ll need to progress far enough in the main story to unlock Kaifeng, as wrestling is currently only available there.
The first full-fledged opportunity to compete is in the city of Kaifeng . Fortunately, you can take part in a training match here at any time to familiarize yourself with the mechanics or refresh your memory.
Like other minigames, the battle offers numerous rewards for victory, although most are only awarded for the first victory. These include Jade Coins, Five Dynasties Coins (regular spending money), Trade Coins, Experience, Research Points , and Constitution stat points .
Fighting mechanics
Many of the minigames in Where Winds Meet are fairly simple and only take time to master, like playing various instruments or “Throwing Arrows into a Pot.” Wrestling, on the other hand, is more of a game of anticipation. It’s comparable to a slightly more challenging version of Rock-Paper-Scissors .
The main goal in combat is to completely exhaust the opponent’s Fighting Spirit . This is achieved by using special techniques against them.
Actions are chosen in advance, before they are executed, so neither you nor your opponent knows what will be done until the turn begins.
Let’s take a closer look at each mechanic.
Building momentum
This is the basis for using techniques in combat. When you choose “Build Momentum,” your turn is spent generating one point of Momentum . Momentum is used exclusively for performing offensive techniques.
While you select “Build Momentum,” you are vulnerable to all attacks . Therefore, if an enemy decides to attack, you will take full damage no matter what. However, even if you are attacked, you will still gain a point of Momentum.
You also only lose momentum when you use it . Your opponent has no way to take away momentum points from you.
Blocking attacks
When you’re attacked, you’ll naturally want to block. But since you can’t know when your opponent will attack, you’re left guessing when to block.
In general, NPCs tend to be quite aggressive and attack as soon as they have at least one point of momentum. Therefore, blocking after they’ve built up momentum is always a safe bet. A successful block completely negates damage and forces the enemy to expend all the momentum they used to attack.
There are also two types of block:
- Block – Used to defend against all types of attacks except Vajra Throw.
- Vajra Block – Can only block Vajra Throw, all other attacks will pierce it.
NPCs typically use their strongest attacks when possible, so if they have three Momentum points, you should probably use Vajra Block to parry Vajra Throw. Otherwise, be sure to use a regular block.
Execution of techniques
To deplete your opponent’s Fighting Spirit , you need to perform attacks against them. Your opponent never loses Fighting Spirit without a direct hit , so you can’t just stall for time—there are only 20 rounds per match.
You can perform four techniques . One of them requires no momentum, while the next three require increasingly greater amounts:
- Thrust Strike – Deals light damage and does not require momentum.
- The “Stake” technique deals medium damage and costs one impulse point.
- Push Attack – Deals significant damage, costs two Impulse points.
- Vajra Throw – Instantly drains all Fighting Spirit on hit, costs three Momentum.
As you can see, the main goal is to accumulate three points of momentum for the Vajra Throw , which instantly ends the match . However, any opponent will be waiting for this move once you accumulate three points. This is where the psychological game of fighting begins.
Priority of actions
Since you and your opponent choose actions simultaneously , you can’t plan your moves in advance. This also means that actions have priority, which determines the winner of each round.
In general, more powerful moves take priority over weaker ones . If you use a Push Attack and your opponent uses a Stabbing Move , your attack will take priority. This means the opponent’s attack will be neutralized, and only you will deal damage.
When you choose Build Momentum , any attack will be prioritized , though you’ll still gain a point of Momentum. If you Block against Build Momentum , nothing will happen.
Priority of Actions (continued)
Blocking takes precedence over all offensive moves except Vajra Throw , while the opposite is true for Vajra Blocking . It takes precedence over Vajra Throw but loses to all other moves.
How to win in wrestling
Overall, it’s possible to win fights fairly consistently, regardless of the enemy’s difficulty, and this is due to the predictability of NPC behavior .
NPCs are very reactive and typically use the next round to counter your previous action . So, if you choose “Build Momentum,” they’ll typically block in anticipation of an attack . This makes repeating “Build Momentum” a good choice.
Accordingly, if an opponent builds momentum, they’re almost guaranteed to immediately follow up with an attack , so you should almost always Block. Afterward, they’ll likely try to build momentum again or perform a “Thrust,” allowing you to unhinderedly use a move that requires momentum to defeat them.
If you’ve managed to accumulate three Momentum points, NPCs will almost always assume you’re about to perform a Vajra Throw and, in turn, use a Vajra Block. Because of this, using a Push Attack when you have three Momentum points is usually a great idea to catch them off guard.
However, you can also play wrestling online against other real players .
All these tactics are less applicable in such circumstances, as people are much less predictable than computers. In this case, you’ll have to play psychological games and be more tactful in your actions.
