Where Winds Meet takes an interesting approach to the free-to-play model. Yes, it has gacha mechanics—but before you groan and close this tab, hear me out. This isn’t your typical gacha system that locks powerful weapons or characters behind randomized pulls. Instead, it focuses entirely on cosmetics, which fundamentally changes how the system impacts your gameplay experience.
For a game set in such a visually rich Wuxia world, having cosmetic variety makes sense. The action RPG gives you massive freedom in combat styles and exploration, and now you can look exactly how you want while doing it—without worrying about whether your wallet determines your power level.
Let me break down exactly how this system works and why it’s worth understanding, even if you never plan to spend a penny.
What Makes Where Winds Meet’s Gacha Different?
The fundamental distinction here is simple: zero pay-to-win elements. Every pull from the gacha banners rewards you with cosmetic items, consumables, or visual effects—nothing that gives you a competitive advantage.
What you’ll find in gacha banners:
- Cosmetic skins – Outfit appearances for your character
- Consumable items – Dyes for customizing your appearance, temporary buff items, medicine
- Ability effects – Special visual effects for specific skills
The game runs both standard permanent banners and limited-time event banners, but the core principle remains the same across both types. You’re rolling for style, not stats.
This approach means you can experience the entire game—every quest, every combat challenge, every piece of content—without touching the gacha system at all. It’s purely optional flavor for players who want to stand out visually.
Understanding the Pity System
Where Winds Meet does include a pity mechanism to prevent exceptionally bad luck streaks, though it requires patience.
Pity mechanics breakdown:
- 150 pulls needed to reach guaranteed pity on a single banner
- Every 10 pulls guarantees one Epic quality item
- Pity appears to be banner-specific (doesn’t carry between different banners)
That 150-pull threshold is admittedly high compared to some gacha games, but considering everything is cosmetic rather than gameplay-essential, it’s less painful than it might seem. The guaranteed Epic every 10 pulls provides some consistency along the way, preventing completely dry streaks.
Strategic tip: If you’re free-to-play and saving currency, focus your pulls on banners that contain multiple items you actually want. Spreading pulls across different banners will delay your pity progress significantly.
Gacha Currencies Explained
Where Winds Meet uses a dual-currency system for its gacha mechanics, which initially seems confusing but actually serves a clear purpose.
Lingering Melodies (Limited Banners)
- Cost: 200 Echo Jades per pull
- Used for: Time-limited exclusive banners
- Availability: Limited purchase quantity from Jianghu Treasures shop
- Rarity: More expensive and restricted
Resonating Melodies (Standard Banner)
- Cost: 160 Echo Jades per pull
- Used for: Permanent standard banner
- Availability: Unlimited purchases available
- Accessibility: Cheaper and easier to stockpile
Both currencies are purchased using Echo Jades, which is the game’s primary earned currency (not the premium top-up currency). This is actually important—it means free-to-play players have legitimate access to gacha pulls through gameplay alone.
The price difference (200 vs 160) and purchase restrictions on Lingering Melodies create natural scarcity for limited banners, which is standard for gacha games. Plan accordingly if there’s a limited banner with cosmetics you really want.
How to Earn Echo Jades (Free Currency)
The good news is that Where Winds Meet is genuinely generous with Echo Jade distribution. You’re not stuck grinding for weeks to afford a single pull.
Main Echo Jade sources:
- Exploration rewards – Opening treasure chests scattered throughout the world
- Quest completions – Both main story and side quests provide consistent rewards(check our beginners guide for tips)
- Guild participation – Join a guild and contribute to earn regular bonuses
- Arena battles – PvP activities reward competitive players
- Daily/weekly activities – Regular login rewards and activity completions
- Achievement milestones – One-time bonuses for hitting various game milestones
The variety of sources means you’ll accumulate Echo Jades naturally just by playing. You don’t need to hyper-optimize every activity—just engage with the content you enjoy, and the currency will follow.
Free-to-play perspective: If you’re patient and consistent, you can absolutely build up enough currency for meaningful gacha participation without spending money. The system rewards active players over time.
Is This System Actually Pay-to-Win?
Short answer: No, not even close.
Unless your personal endgame involves winning a fashion competition (which, admittedly, is valid), nothing from the gacha banners will improve your combat effectiveness, progression speed, or ability to complete content.
What gacha items DON’T do:
- Increase your damage output
- Improve your defense or survivability
- Unlock new abilities or skills
- Give stat advantages in PvP
- Gate any story content or areas
What about those consumable buffs?
Yes, gacha banners can reward temporary buff items and medicine that boost your character’s stats. However—and this is crucial—all of these consumables can be crafted in-game using materials you find through normal exploration and gameplay.
Getting buff items from gacha is essentially a convenience factor, not a power advantage. Dedicated players who craft their own consumables are on completely equal footing with those who pull them from banners.
Alternative to Gacha: Direct Store Purchases
Not interested in randomized rewards? Where Winds Meet offers a straightforward alternative.
The in-game store includes a selection of outfits and skill effects available for direct purchase—no RNG involved. If you see something you like and want to skip the gacha gamble, this option exists.You can also earn free outfits through gameplay.
When direct purchase makes sense:
- You have a specific cosmetic in mind
- You prefer guaranteed outcomes over randomized pulls
- You’re willing to spend premium currency for convenience
For players who want certain looks without dealing with gacha mechanics, browsing the store first is a smart move. You might find exactly what you’re looking for without needing to pull at all.
Need help applying your new cosmetics once you get them? Check out our complete appearance customization guide.
External Resources
For more information about Where Winds Meet:
- Official website: Where Winds Meet Game
- Steam page: Where Winds Meet on Steam
- PlayStation: Where Winds Meet on PS Store
- Game information: Where Winds Meet – Wikipedia
Should You Engage With the Gacha System?
This ultimately depends on how much you value cosmetic customization.
Engage with gacha if:
- You enjoy collecting cosmetic varieties
- You have excess Echo Jades from regular gameplay
- You want exclusive limited-time skins
- Fashion and visual customization enhance your enjoyment
Skip gacha if:
- You’re purely focused on gameplay progression
- You prefer direct purchases over randomized rewards
- You’d rather spend Echo Jades on other store items
- Cosmetics don’t impact your enjoyment
The beauty of Where Winds Meet’s approach is that neither choice puts you at a disadvantage. Your martial arts master will perform identically whether dressed in starting gear or the rarest gacha cosmetics. The choice is genuinely about personal preference rather than competitive necessity.
Final Thoughts
Where Winds Meet’s gacha system represents a respectable middle ground in free-to-play game design. By limiting gacha rewards to purely cosmetic items and craftable consumables, the developers avoid the pay-to-win pitfalls that plague many modern games.
The 150-pull pity system is admittedly high, but when nothing you’re pulling for impacts your actual power level, that sting is significantly reduced. Combined with the game’s generous Echo Jade distribution through normal gameplay, even free-to-play players can reasonably participate without feeling pressured to open their wallets.
If you’re someone who enjoys cosmetic collecting and character customization, the system offers plenty to chase. If you couldn’t care less about appearance and just want to experience the Wuxia world and combat, you can completely ignore the gacha mechanics without missing out on any meaningful content.
That’s how free-to-play monetization should work—optional, transparent, and never mandatory for full game enjoyment.
