Qinghe & Kaifeng Beginner Tips: 15 Little Things the Game Never Explains

Qinghe and Kaifeng are beautiful, dense, and sometimes a little mean to new players.
This isn’t a full quest walkthrough. It’s a list of small things that make your early hours in these two regions less painful and more fun.

If you're still wondering whether this game is for you, start here first: Is Where Winds Meet for You? A Simple Breakdown for Souls & Genshin Fans.

If you've already decided to dive in and just want a smooth start, you can also read: Where Winds Meet Beginner Guide: Simple Tips for Your First 3 Hours.

Use this article after that one, when you’re ready to explore Qinghe and Kaifeng a bit more freely.

1. Don’t bully the big goose in the starter village

Early on in Qinghe there’s a big, very aggressive goose.

Yes, you can attack it. No, it’s not worth it.

It’s tanky and annoying to fight when you’re undergeared.
If it aggroes you, the easiest solution is jumping into the river – it loses aggro, and you can move on.

Think of it as the game’s way of saying:

“Not every enemy-shaped thing is worth your time.”

2. Crime and bounties: how not to get hunted by real players

Where Winds Meet lets you do questionable things: pressure-pointing NPCs, starting fights in town, stirring trouble.

A few rules for new players:

Don’t randomly pressure-point every NPC you see. It can raise your crime and get you arrested.
If constables start chasing you, run – use alleys, rooftops, gliding. Fighting them head-on early is rarely worth it.
Letting your bounty rise too high can make you a target for other players, not just NPC guards.

You can absolutely lean into the outlaw fantasy later.
For your first days, keep things mostly clean so you can learn the game in peace.

3. Content warning: creepy quests you may want to avoid

Qinghe and Kaifeng both have moments that lean into horror vibes.
If you’re sensitive to that, it’s better to know what you’re walking into.

In Qinghe, there’s a side encounter where an old man asks you to help him find a child.
- Following this through can trigger a “ghost army passing through” style event.
- If ghostly processions aren’t your thing, you can simply skip that request.
In and around certain villages, clinics, and forests, there are:
- Faceless or unsettling NPCs,
- Creepy basements or clinics,
- Storytellers whose tales can lead into horror sequences.

General advice:

If the atmosphere suddenly feels very eerie and you don’t want that, you can often walk away or save and come back later.
If you enjoy horror, these are some of the more memorable side stories in the early game.

💡 Survival Tip: Qinghe and Kaifeng have environmental hazards that can make you sick. Learn free cures in our Illness Guide — water therapy cures Fire Madness, fire therapy cures Miasma.

4. Burning your inn and other dramatic choices

At one point, you’ll face a big decision about burning down your little home base (often nicknamed the inn).

What you should know:

Pushing the main story only up to a certain point before triggering this event lets you see more of the “peaceful” phase.
Burning it down is not reversible, but you can rebuild later, so it’s not permanent ruin.
If your home seems stuck at House Level 3, you usually just need to place more furniture until your prosperity reaches a certain threshold.

Rule of thumb for big, dramatic prompts:

If you’re not sure, finish the immediate story beat, think for a minute, then decide.
Don’t mash “yes” just because the cutscene is cool.

5. Joining the “underworld” crowd without getting lost

At some point you’ll hear about a shadier faction – the kind of people who live between legal and illegal.

Without spoiling the exact quest chain, a few hints:

You’ll meet figures who ask for money or favors before letting you in on their secrets.
Some encounters only become available at specific in‑game times (for example, during certain hours of the day).
There are also “unearned wealth” or “ill‑gotten gains” opportunities that tie into this underworld theme.

For beginners, all you need to know is:

Don’t stress about “missing” this path early.
When you see side stories about street gangs, gamblers, or storytellers with strange offers, they’re often connected.
If you enjoy morally gray choices, mark these points on your map to come back when you’re stronger.

6. Easy wood and stone for furniture and building

If you like decorating or just want your base to look lived-in, you’ll need a lot of wood and stone.

Two early tips:

Wood: look for bamboo groves on the roads out of Qinghe.
- A heavy slam or ground‑pound style skill can cut down multiple bamboo stalks at once.
- Each run gives you a chunk of building material.
Stone: near the ancient canal area in Kaifeng, there are plenty of rocks and stone nodes to gather.
- It’s a calm place to farm materials without dangerous enemies.

You don’t have to grind these from day one, but knowing where they are saves you a lot of running later.

7. How to “rent” a house and keep the furniture

In Kaifeng there are places where you can rent a house or room.

There’s a neat trick:

Rent a place that comes pre‑furnished.
Use the option to return or remove the furniture.
The furniture then becomes yours to keep, and you can use it to decorate your own home later.

For players who enjoy housing systems, this is an early way to get a decent set of decor without heavy crafting.

8. Doctors are your best friends (especially if you’re shy)

When you’re injured in town or after a rough quest, you don’t always have to chug consumables.

Find a doctor NPC in town – they can heal you efficiently.
You usually don’t have to engage in long conversations; just interact, accept treatment, and you’re done.
Some interactions show a “like” or “praise” system – tapping a few likes is enough.

If you’re the kind of player who doesn’t want every NPC interaction to be social pressure, doctors are refreshingly straightforward.

9. Boundary stones are more than just fast travel

Any time you see a boundary stone / world marker, make a habit of interacting with it.

Most of the time, it will:

Unlock fast travel from your map,
Restore your health or resources,
Act as a checkpoint for when things go wrong.

This combines perfectly with our beginner guide advice:

New area → look around → “Where’s the boundary stone?” → then start doing risky things.

It turns the map from scary into playful very quickly.

10. Horse farms: catching and selling horses

Somewhere out in the fields you’ll come across horse farms where horses roam more densely.

Why they matter:

You can catch horses to get a mount you like.
Extra horses can often be sold to NPCs, turning them into early-game income.
Having a consistent mount makes Qinghe and Kaifeng feel much less tedious to cross.

If you find yourself running everywhere on foot, set “get a good horse” as a short‑term goal. It changes the pace of the whole game.

11. How to cheese a tough extermination quest from far away

In Qinghe there’s a clear‑out / extermination type quest in an area filled with bandits and supplies.

If you’re under‑leveled or just don’t feel like getting mobbed:

Look around for explosive barrels or containers.
Use a bow or other ranged option to shoot them from a safe distance.
The explosions can clear enemies while you stay mostly out of danger.

The game still counts it as a successful clean‑up, and you get to feel smart instead of frustrated.

12. When in doubt, follow the road signs

Qinghe and Kaifeng both use road signs and signposts more than many games do.

If you’re lost or stuck between quests:

Take a second to actually read the physical signs in the world.
They often hint at the next major town, landmark, or story area.
Combining signs with your map zoom level can quietly nudge you in the right direction without a giant arrow on the screen.

It’s a small immersion detail that doubles as soft navigation. Use it.

13. A spectacular “molten sky” worth recording

Without spoiling the exact trigger, there’s a scene in Kaifeng where the sky and surroundings take on a dramatic, molten‑gold look – a huge, almost apocalyptic visual moment.

When you notice the world suddenly turning like this:

Take a moment to slow down and look around.
Consider recording a short clip or taking screenshots.

Many players later regret not having a personal record of it. It’s one of those “you had to be there” moments.

14. A tiny spoiler about “that important guy” (read or skip)

Tiny story spoiler ahead – skip if you want to discover it naturally.

Early on you’ll meet a man who seems like just another wandering martial artist, someone you might treat as a friendly senior or big brother.

Later story reveals make it clear he is far more important than he first appears – think “someone at the very top of the power structure”.

Why mention this here?

Not to spoil the twist, but to encourage you to pay attention to how he behaves and what he says.
It makes re‑watching old scenes more interesting when you know who he really is.

End of spoiler.

15. Washing away your bounty in a bathhouse

If you do lean into crime a bit and your bounty gets high enough that guards and even other players are after you, there is a stylish way to reset things.

Look for a high‑end bathhouse / pavilion in Kaifeng:

Taking a proper bath there can, under certain conditions, help clear or reduce your wanted status.
It fits the wuxia fantasy nicely: wash away your sins, walk out refreshed and anonymous.

If your wanted level is stressing you out more than it’s entertaining you, treat yourself to a bath and start fresh.

Final thoughts: use these tips as comfort, not homework

You don’t need to memorize all 15 points.

Instead, treat this article as:

A way to avoid a few “I wish I’d known that sooner” moments, and
A gentle nudge toward the most fun, flavorful parts of Qinghe and Kaifeng.

When in doubt, remember the three core ideas:

It’s okay to play safe and curious at first.
You can skip horror or intense content until you’re in the mood.
The world is full of little tricks and secrets – you’re allowed to enjoy them slowly.

Qinghe and Kaifeng are meant to be walked, not speed‑run.
Let them surprise you on your own terms.