Where Winds Meet Weapon Tier List: Best Builds & Must-Know Meta Tips

The weapon system in Where Winds Meet is deceptively deep—what you hold and how you fight are two very different things. Whether you’re looking to dominate raids, climb the PvP ladder, or just avoid wasting resources, understanding the synergy between weapons and martial arts is key.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• The difference between weapons and martial arts (and why it matters for your build)
• All 12 martial arts, their primary roles, and Arsenal Path categories
• How damage scales (and the 3 systems that control it)
• Where to find and unlock each martial art, including stealth/theft methods
• Optimal early-game weapon choices (and what to avoid)
• Meta weapon combos for PvE, PvP, raids, and solo play
• Full tier list ranked by performance and role specialization
• Build progression flow from beginner to endgame-ready

Quick Reference: Martial Arts Cheat Sheet

For those looking to jump straight into the action, here is the breakdown of every martial art, its primary role, and its current standing in the meta.

Part 1: Weapons vs. Martial Arts: Core System Breakdown

In the Jianghu, a blade is merely a piece of steel until it is imbued with intent. New players often make the mistake of conflating the physical weapon with the moveset. It is vital to distinguish between the two for proper build planning. The actual weapon is the physical item you hold (e.g., a Legendary Sword), determining raw stats like Attack Power and Critical Rate. The weapon martial arts, however, are the “Souls” slotted into the weapon, determining your moveset, skills, and role.

You can carry all the weapons you find in your inventory, but you can only have two martial arts active—a Primary and a Secondary. This means you effectively wield two weapons in combat, swapping between them to create synergies.

The game organizes these styles into six martial arts categories (Arsenal Paths). Understanding these paths is crucial, as they dictate the weapon’s scaling behavior and role.

The Arsenal Path Index:

Part 2: How Damage Actually Scales

Damage is not solely determined by the weapon’s rarity. To maximize output across the entire game, players must manage three scaling pillars.

1. Inner Ways (Talents): Every Martial Art has a unique talent tree with mechanical breakpoints. For example, the Nameless Sword does not gain ranged projectiles until specific nodes are unlocked. Similarly, the Infernal Twinblades rely on late-tree nodes to fully unlock “Blazing Wrath,” drastically increasing burst potential.
2. Breakthroughs: These are tied to World Level. Damage is capped by your character’s physical cultivation level. Performing Breakthroughs raises the level cap, allowing you to equip higher-grade weapons and unlock keys for Sect Vaults.
3. Affixes: High-rarity weapons provide passive perks. DPS builds should prioritize Critical Rate or Element Damage to generate excellent burst damage, while Tanks need Max HP scaling to withstand incoming damage.

Power Boost Checklist:

• Level Inner Ways: Prioritize the Martial Arts you use most to unlock mechanical shifts.
• Complete Breakthroughs: Do not delay these; they gate your gear score.
• Check Affixes: Ensure your Tank weapons (Mo Blade) have HP% rolls and DPS weapons have Crit/Penetration.
• Refine Arts: Use Martial Points obtained via daily quests to upgrade skill potency.

Part 3: Progression Roadmap & Acquisition

Do not upgrade other weapons randomly. Players must know where to find specific arts, often involving the skill theft minigame. To track these, utilize the develop menu in the UI, which marks the general vicinity of the masters.

Crucial Prerequisite:

To successfully steal arts, you must first unlock:

• Touch of Death: The assassination skill, found in the Echoes of Old Battles underground puzzle (Region 1).
• Veil of Stillness: The stealth skill, unlocked via the Peace Bell Tower questline.
  Without these, you cannot bypass the guards in restricted sanctums.

Early Game: Qi Sheng’s Free Weapon — What to Choose (And What to Avoid)

Early in the story, the NPC Qi Sheng offers a free weapon unlock after the beehive mission.

• Best Choice: Select the Thundercry Blade or Vernal Umbrella. These weapons are difficult to acquire later; if you skip the Thundercry Blade here, you must wait until Kaifeng City to access high-level sect progression or purchase it from faction vendors.
• Avoid Picking: The Panacea Fan or Infernal Twinblades. While excellent weapons, they can be obtained through exploration and skill theft in early regions.

Skill Theft Locations (Region 1 & 2):

• Panacea Fan: Located in the Bamboo Abode (often found on the left side of the early map). Players must find the warehouse key nearby to access the restricted room and steal the skill.
• Inkwell Fan: Found in the Silver Needle Sanctum. Players must infiltrate the sect area to find the master.
• Infernal Twinblades: Located within the Midnight Mercy Sanctum, hidden in the Mistveil Forest area. Requires a stealth puzzle.
• Heavenquaker Spear: For players seeking AoE damage to clear mobs, this art is hidden within the Raging Tides Sanctum.
• Stormbreaker Spear: This is the easiest to acquire, as it arrives via a letter from the Heaven Martial Camp general at Level 3.
• Strategic Sword: Known for high mobility, this is stolen from the Lone Cloud Sanctum near the Encircling Lake.

Endgame Acquisition (Kaifeng City):

• Mortal Rope Dart: This requires infiltrating the Mortal Ways Martial Hall (Nine Mortal Ways). You must disguise yourself to speak with the Mysterious Elder and Qi Sheng inside.
• Vernal Umbrella: Found at the Temporal Pavilion. This involves a detective-style quest where players must find clues, including a specific tabby cat, to deduce the location of the Bramble Hairpin required to access the master.

Part 4: Deep Dive: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Playstyles for Every Weapon

The Swords

The Nameless Sword offers excellent mobility and is a staple for boss battles due to its defensive shielding. It provides high burst damage when the projectile talent is unlocked. The Strategic Sword shifts focus to damage-over-time, applying bleed stacks that require tactical detonation.

The Spears

The Nameless Spear dominates 1v1 duels with crowd control. The Heavenquaker Spear is the king of sustained area damage, using a combo meter to buff its sweeping strikes. The Stormbreaker Spear is essential for tanks, utilizing taunts and significantly reducing incoming damage.

The Fans

The Panacea Fan is arguably the only real support tool available in the game that offers resurrection capabilities. It provides massive healing output and is mandatory for co op raids. The Inkwell Fan changes the paradigm entirely, utilizing ranged attacks and wind walls to juggle enemies in the air.

The Umbrellas

The Soulshade Umbrella is a cornerstone of support in both solo and group play. Its healing turret enables passive recovery in raids, dungeons, and extended boss fights, making it essential in coordinated PvE. The Vernal Umbrella functions as a drone, dealing consistent DPS while the player focuses on movement.

The Dual Blades & Rope Dart

The Infernal Twinblades offer the highest melee DPS potential in the game. They rely on “Blazing Wrath” to deal excellent burst damage but risk survivability. The Mortal Rope Dart, part of the Nine Mortal Ways discipline, excels at mid-range control, summoning spectral rats to attack foes.

Part 5: The Weapon Tier List

This weapon tier list is based on the current global meta, evaluating performance across both PvE and PvP.

S Tier Weapons (The Meta)

• Nameless Sword + Nameless Spear: The ultimate all-rounder. Provides damage buffs, shields, and super-armor.
• Stormbreaker Spear + Thundercry Blade: The “Immortal Tank.” Essential for absorbing heavy hits in raids using HP-scaling shields.
• Healing Umbrella + Panacea Fan: The “Immortal Healer.” Offers infinite sustain and is the backbone of any raid team.

A Tier Weapons (Strong Specialists)

• Infernal Twinblades + Strategic Sword: A high-risk, high-reward DPS build focusing on speed and bleed.
• Mortal Rope Dart + Nameless Sword: Strong mid-range control and burst, though requires finesse to manage the rat summons.
• Panacea Fan + Stormbreaker Spear: A niche “Paladin” build allowing tanks to self-heal while holding aggro.

B Tier Weapons (Situational or High-Skill Ceiling)

These weapons are not weak; they are simply more situational or require significantly more effort to achieve the same results as S-Tier options.

• Inkwell Fan + Vernal Umbrella: While suffering from low PvE damage output, this build is devastating in 1v1 duels if mastered due to infinite kiting potential. However, it is extremely punishing for mistakes in group PvP.
• Heavenquaker Spear: Excellent for clearing trash mobs, but suffers from low burst damage and is underwhelming against single-target bosses compared to the Nameless Spear.
• Dual Spears: Lacks versatility. Once a gap is closed, the player has few escape options.

Part 6: From Noob to Raid-Ready: Build Progression Guide

For new players, jumping straight to an endgame build isn’t always possible. Follow this path for a smooth experience.

Beginner Path Example:

1. Start: Nameless Sword + Spear.
2. Midgame: Panacea Fan Master style + Nameless Sword (for self-sustain).
3. Late: Switch to Thundercry Blade + Stormbreaker (Tank) OR Infernal Twinblades + Rope Dart (DPS).

Raid Composition Tip:

In endgame raids, a balanced team typically requires at least one dedicated Tank (Thundercry/Stormbreaker), one dedicated Healer (Panacea Fan), and two pure DPS (e.g., Twinblades/Rope Dart or Strategic Sword) to meet damage checks while ensuring survival.

Which Build Should YOU Choose?

• For Maximum DPS: Combine Infernal Twinblades with the Strategic Sword or Rope Dart.
• For Solo Survival: Use the Nameless Sword with the Soulshade Umbrella.
• For Raid Tanking: Use the Thundercry Blade and Stormbreaker Spear.
• For Pure Support: The Panacea Fan is your best friend.
• For Aerial Combat: Master the Vernal Umbrella and Inkwell Fan.

Mastering weapons in Where Winds Meet requires patience, but choosing the right fighting style is the key to conquering the Jianghu.