Is Where Winds Meet f2p-friendly or pay-to-win?

Where Winds Meet has some specific mechanics that may trip the pay-to-win alarm for many players. There's some deep impressions of an f2p gacha game in its menus: various currencies, including one that's locked behind real money, and even Stamina and time-gating systems to put a lid on how much progress you can make within a given time.

However, after playing the global betas and looking at the game's test-run in China, I am happy to report that Where Winds Meet is not pay-to-win, and gives only a negligible advantage to paying players.

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Where Winds Meet is as f2p-friendly as it gets, with zero pay-to-win allowances

A cursory look at Where Winds Meet's menus may give out a faint sense of a p2w-fest. Most crucially, if you go to its currency store, there's a real-money currency called Changming Pearls. As far as we are aware, there's no in-game manner to obtain this currency. Thankfully, though, this real-money premium currency only unlocks Cosmetics.

Generally, a live-service model similar to Where Winds Meet tends to espouse multiple ways to incentivize grinding. This game has the glaring progression staples of Throne and Liberty or any other Korean MMO, including sub-stats on your gear.

However, there is no link between rerolling these sub-stats and Changming Pearls, nor can you purchase your way out of the time-gating that the Stamina system enforces. Where Winds Meet completely separates its MMO homework from any spin-to-win real-money gamble or even pay-for-convenience methods.

In my books, this makes Where Winds Meet even more f2p-friendly than Warframe, a leading example of live-service game that sidesteps pay-gating content.

Read More: Where Winds Meet review: The best, most compelling Wuxia game in years

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The only advantages paying players get is minimal in Where Winds Meet

As you'd expect out a Battle Pass in any game, there's a premium track, and you get some extra stuff there.

On top of that, Where Winds Meet also has a Monthly Pass you can buy, and this gives you some more Stamina (which means you can grind more without having to face the time-gate). However, the advantage of Stamina here is meagre, and negligible in the grand scheme of things.

However, as far as pay-to-win shenanigans go, this is extremely tame. The average MMO p2w gives min-maxing advantage to essenitally translate real money into the top-end gear to skip grind.

With this game, this advantage is instead just some bonus daily/weekly currency you can get within an hour of two or gameplay, plus a Stamina that lets you get slightly more grind per week if you're a loot goblin.

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Does Where Winds Meet have gacha mechanics?

The gacha is cosmetic-only (Image via NetEase || YT @Zada-g4i)

Where Winds Meet does have gacha mechanics, but it's only limited to cosmetics. To sweeten the pot even more for free-path gamers, you can buy cosmetics without actually dropping a real dime on the game. A currency called Treasure Money, for example, lets you purchase cosmetics that you'd otherwise have to buy with Changming Pearls.

There's days and weeks of grind till you get the most expensive cosmetics this way, though. As the tenet of a free-to-play game would dictate, if you don't pay with money, you pay with your time.

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The region-locked Chinese client of Where Winds Meet has been out for nearly a year, and as per player reports, NetEase has stuck to this f2p-friendly nature. Those who are looking for a fair and steady progression in a live-service game that doesn't force you to think with your wallet, this is a great game to try.

Stay tuned for more Where Winds Meet updates and guides on Sportskeeda.

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Edited by Sambit Pal