Where Winds Meet has hundreds of systems in operation at once, and even simple character development will require mastering many of them to remain effective in combat as the difficulty increases.
One of the most significant ways to strengthen a character and create a powerful build is to discover and master Inner Paths. There are quite a few of them in the game, and each can have a powerful impact when combined with the right build. Let’s take a look at each one.
What are the Inner Paths?
Inner Paths are passive effects that can be equipped to a character . Some have relatively simple effects, while others can completely change the player’s playstyle and are designed to synergize with specific weapons.
Your character can equip up to four Inner Paths at once , and their effects are cumulative. Paths also have four rarity levels, which largely indicate their relative strength. Each Inner Path is unique, and once unlocked, you cannot lose it.
This also means that you can only equip one instance of each Inner Path .
How to unlock the Inner Paths
Each Inner Path in the game must first be unlocked . Fortunately, the game provides an initial hint for each one. These hints will expand as you discover more, though some may only have one available.
Many Inner Paths are unlocked as rewards for completing quests or completing specific Lost Chapters . These are usually awarded in the form of a scroll that immediately unlocks the corresponding Path.
However, some of them consist of multiple parts that must all be collected before you can unlock the Inner Path.
Once an Inner Path is unlocked, it’s yours forever . Each one can be acquired naturally through gameplay. Furthermore, this is the only way to obtain them—you can’t simply pay money to instantly unlock the most powerful Paths.
How to Improve Inner Paths
After unlocking an Inner Path, you can Breakthrough it to make it even more powerful . This requires Notes for the corresponding Path, which almost exclusively drop from Inner Path Note chests. The Notes you receive are random, so there’s no guaranteed way to upgrade the Paths you prefer.
Each Inner Path has a development tree with a fixed path. By achieving a Breakthrough, you unlock the next slot on this tree . You don’t choose a skill—they unlock in a strict order.
Some of these skills are simple static bonuses that increase percentages. But sometimes they provide entirely new effects . For example, the third level of the Inner Path, “Echo of Oblivion,” grants the Samsara effect on a perfect dodge, increasing health damage by 5% for targets affected by “Sin Incarnate” and “Karmic Harvest.”
All Inner Paths and their effects
There are currently 37 Inner Paths in the game , divided into three rarity levels. A Path’s usefulness depends less on its rarity than on your goals. Generally, the higher the rarity, the more complex and specialized the Path.
Here is the full list:
| Name | Effect | Rarity |
|---|---|---|
| Transfiguration of the Sword | The Nameless Sword’s charged attack releases multiple energy waves while equipped with a Chi Shield. | Legendary |
| Royal Medicine | Increases the clone’s healing effect from Panacea’s Fan’s Healing Rain skill by 10%. You receive one Dewdrop each time it heals you. | Legendary |
| Exquisite Landscape | Defending with the Thunder Roar Blade allows you to deliver a charged heavy attack without charging. Can restore 1 segment of Fighting Will. | Legendary |
| Echo of Oblivion | A normal light attack from the Flame Twin Blades inflicts Sin on enemies, while a light attack in Slicing Flame mode inflicts Karma. When both effects are applied, 10% of the target’s physical defense and slashing resistance are ignored. | Legendary |
| Song of the Fighting Spirit | Attacking or healing has a chance to increase your damage dealt or healing received. This effect can stack up to five times. | Legendary |
| Edge of Seasons | After using a Dual Wield skill, one of the following parameters is temporarily increased: Critical Hit Chance, Vulnerability Hit Chance, Physical Damage Bonus, or All Attributes Damage Bonus. | Legendary |
| Horizon of the Sword | After using a Combat Art, Special Skill, or Charged Skill with the Strategic Sword, you can perform a Crosswind Blade attack that deals high Bleeding damage to enemies with maximum stacks of this effect. | Legendary |
| Flower Flurry | The umbrella skill “Spring Sorrow” creates two charges, and hitting an enemy increases the damage they take from projectile skills. | Legendary |
| The Art of the Wolf Stalker | Reduces the combo count required to receive the buff from the Skyshaker Spear’s “Sober Sorrow” skill. Hitting a bleeding enemy with this skill has a chance to increase the combo count by one, up to 100% at five stacks of bleeding. | Rare |
| Adaptive Steel | Each weapon, except for the Rope Dart, provides a unique effect (regardless of the equipped martial arts style):
|
Rare |
| The Hunted Beast | Taking damage while below 30% HP creates a shield that absorbs damage up to 30% of your maximum health. | Rare |
| Inspired Warrior | Increases all damage dealt and healing received by 5%, but getting hit disables this effect for five seconds and increases your damage taken by 5%. | Rare |
| Life Stealing | Using the skill “Exhaustion Execution” restores HP equal to 8% of the damage dealt. | Rare |
| Harvest of Fury | Certain recovery actions have a 50% chance to generate one unit of Life Force. | Rare |
| Dodge with Charge | After performing a Perfect Dodge, there is a 50% chance to restore the stamina spent on the dodge. | Rare |
| The Power of the Mountain | Nameless Spear’s martial arts skill, Mountain Swing, increases stamina cost reduction to 20% for five seconds. | Rare |
| Thunder Blossom | After moving more than 15 meters in three seconds, you gain the Spring Thunder buff, increasing the damage of your next three Heavy Attacks by 15% for 12 seconds. | Rare |
| Restorative Flower | Critical Heals apply a stack of Care for three seconds, which can stack up to three times, increasing healing received by 2% per stack. | Rare |
| Ebb Reflex | Hitting an enemy with a control skill reduces the cooldown of the current martial arts skill by one second. | Rare |
| Bitter Seasons | Each hit has a chance to apply Poison, which deals damage over time and reduces physical defense. | Rare |
| Divine Roulette | After reflecting, you gain one of the following buffs. This buff can only occur once every 30 seconds.
|
Rare |
| Spark of a Forest Fire | Restores some stamina each time you use it. | Rare |
| Battle Hymn | Charged skills deal more damage to bosses. | Rare |
| Insightful Strike | Dealing Precision Critical Damage increases your ability to counterattack enemies, increases Precision Critical Damage, and has a chance to reduce damage taken. | Rare |
| Flying Gourds | The fan skill “Silence of the Peak Source” creates two charges, but has an increased cooldown. | Rare |
| Reaching the Stars | Throwing an enemy into the air gives a bonus to physical attack. | Rare |
| Esoteric Renaissance | Panacea’s Fan skill “Golden Dawn Revival” restores more HP to the resurrected target. | Rare |
| Healing Loom | The umbrella skill “Growing Echo” restores Dew Drops when used, and consuming them provides more healing. | Rare |
| The Art of Resistance | HP shields and the effects of skills that create them last longer. | Rare |
| Hard as a Rock | The Storm’s Roar spear skill grants increased damage reduction while Taunted, and also reduces your damage output while increasing aggro. | Rare |
| Vendetta | The Vendetta Token from the Tied Thread blade lasts longer and restores Gratitude Tokens. | Rare |
| Breaking Point | Landing a critical hit on exhausted enemies (whose Chi bar is depleted) grants a stack of “Disintegration,” which can stack three times. It grants additional physical penetration and a critical damage bonus. | Rare |
| Fivefold Bleeding | Each hit has a chance to inflict Bleeding, which is instantly removed upon reaching maximum stacks, dealing piercing damage. | Normal |
| Wind under the Wings | Reduces the stamina cost of the jump dash from mystical movement skills by 10%, granting a 30% speed boost for three seconds after landing. Also restores additional HP upon killing an enemy. | Normal |
| Evening Snow | You gain Snow Vision for four seconds after entering combat if your HP falls below 60% within the first 12 seconds. This restores 2% of your maximum HP + 600 bonus HP every second. | Normal |
| Unwavering Stance | Reduces the chance of being stunned by attacks from normal enemies. | Normal |
| Shadow Onslaught | Increases the range of Touch of Death by 1.5 meters and its damage by 10%. Restores HP for 5% of the damage dealt. | Normal |
As you can see, some Inner Paths are only effective with certain weapons or even specific skills . Therefore, it’s best to equip only those that truly benefit your build and check them whenever you change gear.
Conversion of Internal Path Records
The Inner Path system has one element of leniency: the “Convert Records” menu. Despite the confusing description, it allows you to use Records for Breakthrough on one Path and convert them into Records for another Inner Path of your choice .
However, this system has several limitations. First, you have a limited number of free conversions—four per game season , for a total of eight conversions. Once you reach this limit, you’ll have to wait until the next season begins.
Secondly, Records can only be converted within the same rarity. Legendary Inner Path Records can only be converted into other Legendary Paths . The same applies to Rare Paths. Common Inner Path Records cannot be converted at all.
