The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Your Cult (I Mean, Sect) in Where Winds Meet

Guide
Written By NLM Team

In Where Winds Meet, you are defined by the company you keep, or in this case, the highly specific set of rules you agree to follow for cool loot.

Where Winds Meet Sects Guide: All Factions, Rules, and How to Join

Sects are factions that act as the backbone of your character's social standing. Each one comes with unique Martial Arts, exclusive shops, and a list of "Precepts" (rules) you must follow to avoid getting kicked to the curb. While you can choose to remain "Sectless" and roam the world with total freedom, you will miss out on discounted skills and fancy cosmetics. But don't worry, you can leave a Sect at any time if their rules get too annoying.

The Big Five: Combat and Playstyle Sects

These are the primary factions that define the core gameplay loops, from healing to player-killing (PvP).

PRIMARY SECT BREAKDOWN

Choose your alignment carefully, because these rules will dictate your daily life.

SECT NAME THE VIBE & WEAPON THE STRICT RULES
Well of Heaven The Robin Hoods They protect the helpless and use the Thundercry Blade. You cannot be rich (excessive earnings are penalized), and you cannot harm fellow disciples. You must also pay a mandatory tax.
Silver Needle The Healers Uses the Panacea Fan to heal allies and damage foes. You must demand payment for healing services and earn at least 15 "Likes" from other players every week.
Midnight Blades The Murder Hobos A PvP-focused group using Infernal Twinblades. You must kill wanderers to steal their Karma points. In open-world combat, you are forbidden from sparing lives.
Nine Mortal Ways The Tricksters Street-smart pranksters using the Mortal Rope Dart. You must participate in disguises and earn "Fun Points" by teasing others. Failing a trick or going to jail hurts your standing.
Hollow Vale The Edgelords Yin-Yang masters of poison and healing using the Soulshade Umbrella. You cannot turn living people into puppets. You must balance healing with poison use; for every life healed, you must use poison once.
The Niche Sects: Scholars, Drunks, and Mathematicians If the main combat styles don't fit you, there are several other factions that cater to specific roleplay niches, from hard drinking to literal mathematics.

LIFESTYLE SECTS

For the players who want to dance, drink, or solve equations.

SECT NAME FOCUS & RULES
Velvet Shade A hedonistic group that values romance and alcohol. They use the Vernal Umbrella and encourage maintaining multiple romantic connections simultaneously.
Lone Cloud Obsessed with mathematics and the Strategic Sword. You are only allowed one romantic relationship, and you must participate in arithmetic challenges or lose reputation.
Mohist Hill Inventors who follow the path of "Universal Love". They use mechanical devices and require you to craft items and write essays to advance.
Inkbound Order Scribes who use a sword or brush. They value history and intellect, requiring members to complete puzzles and scholarly tasks.
Raging Tides A drinking-themed military sect using spears. You must fight daily to keep your spear sharp and are forbidden from retreating, but you also cannot get too drunk.
The Masked Troupe Performance artists focused on dance. They prohibit public love confessions and crude language.

How to Join Your Chosen Faction

Joining a sect usually involves finding a specific clue during your exploration or tracking down an elder NPC. Here is where to look for the most popular ones.

Well of Heaven

Head to the hilltop near the great tree in Harvestfall Village (Qinghe). Look for an NPC named Zhang Yihao and complete his task.

Silver Needle

You must first reach the rank of Healer – Initiate. Then, visit Dr. Yuan at Sage's Knoll to begin the "Three Questions of Apricot Grove" trial, which involves healing three patients.

Midnight Blades

Teleport to the Halo Peak Summit in Qinghe. You literally have to jump off the cliff behind the plum blossom stake to trigger the clue, then find the NPC Yi Chanti.

Nine Mortal Ways

You can buy a clue from the NPC San Qian in Harvestfall Village, or simply encounter disciples in the world who claim to be leaders of other sects.

Velvet Shade

To get an invite, you need to either reach 2000 Charm Points or successfully form and break two romantic bonds within a single week.

The Masked Troupe

Go to the river area near Kaifeng District and find Han Yanluo. You will need to perform and earn at least 10 likes from other players to get in.

Reputation and Commands

Once you are in, you need to maintain your standing. You do this by completing "Commands" (errands) throughout Jianghu. Be aware that there is a weekly cap of 1,200 reputation currency, so don't burn yourself out trying to grind it all in one day. Also, you can earn extra reputation if you complete your errands during the weekend.

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