Combat in Where Winds Meet doesn’t pull punches. The fast-paced wuxia battles demand constant awareness, and even skilled players will take damage during challenging encounters. Unlike some action games with generous healing systems, Where Winds Meet implements a limited healing charge mechanic that forces you to manage resources carefully—especially during extended dungeon runs or boss fights.
If you’ve been burning through medicine quickly and wondering why you can’t carry more healing items into battle, you’re not alone. The game’s healing system works differently than most action RPGs, requiring both inventory management and strategic upgrades to maximize your survivability.
This guide covers everything you need to know about increasing your healing charges, upgrading your Medicine Chest, farming Medicinal Tales, and keeping your medicine inventory stocked for tough encounters.
Before diving into healing mechanics, make sure you’ve covered the fundamentals in our Where Winds Meet tips and tricks for beginners.
Understanding the Medicine Chest System
Where Winds Meet’s healing system revolves around the Medicine Chest, which determines:
- Maximum healing charges you can carry into battle (starts at just 1!)
- Healing potency of your medicine
- Additional benefits like damage reduction or heal-over-time effects
- Automatic refill mechanics when resting at Boundary Stones
Key Limitation: Even if you have 99 healing items in your inventory storage, you can only carry a maximum of 5 charges at once into active combat. When you rest at a Boundary Stone (the game’s fast-travel and checkpoint system), medicine automatically transfers from your inventory storage into your Medicine Chest up to your current charge limit.
This system resembles Bloodborne’s Blood Vial mechanic more than traditional Soulslike Estus Flask systems—you need to maintain an inventory reserve, not just rest to refill charges.
How to Increase Maximum Healing Charges
Default Starting Point: 1 healing charge (severely limiting for early-game combat)
The only way to increase your maximum healing charges is by upgrading your Medicine Chest through Medicinal Tales. Here’s the progression breakdown:
Medicine Chest Charge Increases:
- Rank 1-4: 1 healing charge (starting capacity)
- Rank 5: Unlocks 3 healing charges
- Rank 8: Unlocks 4 healing charges
- Rank 11: Unlocks 5 healing charges (maximum capacity)
Additional Benefits at Other Ranks:
Between major charge increases, you’ll unlock valuable bonuses:
- Increased healing potency (more HP restored per charge)
- Damage reduction buffs after consuming medicine
- Heal-over-time effects for sustained recovery
- Improved efficiency for various healing item types
Total Investment Required: Reaching Rank 13 (the maximum Medicine Chest level) requires 90 Medicinal Tales total. This is a substantial long-term investment that you’ll work toward throughout your entire playthrough.
If you’re wondering whether healing efficiency matters for your playstyle, consider joining the Silver Needle sect from our all sects guide—they specialize in healing mechanics and earn rewards for medical assistance.
Where to Find Yaoyao and Upgrade Your Medicine Chest
Location: Yaoyao can be found at the Evercare Clinic in the Qinghe region.
Step-by-Step Upgrade Process:
- Travel to the Evercare Clinic (use fast travel if unlocked)
- Locate and speak with Yaoyao
- Select the “Submit Medicinal Tale” option from the dialogue menu
- Choose how many Medicinal Tales to submit (if you have multiple)
- Confirm the upgrade to increase your Medicine Chest rank
Important: Each rank requires progressively more Medicinal Tales. Early ranks might only need 2-3 Tales, while higher ranks demand significantly more. Plan your submissions carefully if you’re trying to reach specific charge breakpoints.
The upgrade process is permanent and account-wide, meaning all your characters benefit from Medicine Chest improvements (though Where Winds Meet primarily uses a single-character system).
Best Ways to Farm Medicinal Tales
Medicinal Tales are essential progression items, and you’ll need dozens to maximize your healing potential. Here are the most reliable farming methods:
1. Quest Rewards (Most Reliable)
Many main story and side quests reward Medicinal Tales upon completion. Priority quests include:
- Blind to the World – Rewards 1 Medicinal Tale plus the excellent Blinding Mist skill (see our complete quest guide)
- Echoes of Old Battle series – Check our guides for the wall puzzle and General’s Statue dungeon
- Regional exploration quests in Qinghe and beyond
Pro tip: Prioritize side quests marked with unique rewards—these often grant Medicinal Tales alongside other valuable items.
2. Exploration Rewards
The game’s exploration system generously rewards thorough investigation:
- Open treasure chests scattered throughout regions
- Complete regional exploration milestones for bulk rewards
- Discover hidden locations marked by environmental clues
- Qinghe Exploration Points sometimes unlock Medicinal Tales at specific thresholds
Exploration is particularly rewarding in early regions where you’re naturally discovering new areas. Check your regional progress menu to see which milestones you’re approaching.
3. World Bosses
Defeating world bosses provides excellent rewards, including Medicinal Tales:
- Look for boss indicators on your map (marked with special icons)
- World bosses respawn periodically, allowing repeated farming
- Bring healing items—these fights are genuinely challenging
- Consider grouping with other players for difficult encounters
Note: World boss rewards often include multiple progression materials, making them efficient farming targets even beyond Medicinal Tales.
4. Dungeon Clears
Instanced dungeons frequently reward Medicinal Tales as first-clear bonuses:
- Focus on dungeons appropriate for your level
- Some dungeons have weekly reset rewards
- Difficulty modifiers may increase reward quality
- Coordinate with friends for smoother clears
Dungeons also provide excellent combat practice, helping you reduce the need for healing through improved skill execution.
5. Event Activities
Limited-time events often feature Medicinal Tales as rewards:
- Check your event calendar regularly
- Participate in seasonal activities
- Complete event-specific challenges
- Log in during special periods for bonus rewards
Don’t sleep on events—they’re often the most efficient source of rare materials during their active periods.
Where to Get Healing Items in Where Winds Meet
Having healing charges means nothing without actual medicine to fill them. Here’s your complete guide to sourcing healing items.
Buying Basic Healing Items
Hemostatic Powder (the basic healing item):
- Vendor: Xiong Da at Heaven’s Pier
- Alternative: Qinghe General Goods Vendor at Harvestfall Village
- Additional Source: Kaifeng city vendors
- Weekly Purchase Limit: 99 items per vendor per week
Cost Considerations: Basic healing items are relatively inexpensive, but costs add up quickly if you’re dying frequently. Budgeting for medicine should be part of your weekly resource planning.
Crafting Healing Items
If you prefer self-sufficiency, crafting is the way to go.
Hemostatic Powder Recipe:
- Materials Required: Herbs + Meat Scraps
- Crafting Location: Any accessible crafting station
Where to Get Crafting Materials:
Herbs:
- Qinghe General Goods Vendor (Harvestfall Village)
- Kaifeng vendors
- Found while gathering in the open world
- Weekly vendor purchase limit: 99
Meat Scraps:
- Same vendors as Herbs
- Dropped by defeated animals/enemies
- More common from hunting wildlife
- Weekly vendor purchase limit: 99
Pro tip: The game provides location hints for materials. When viewing any item in your menu, select it to see where you can obtain it—this context-sensitive help is incredibly useful for tracking down specific materials.
Advanced Healing Items
As you progress, you’ll unlock superior healing items with better efficiency:
- Higher-grade medicines restore more HP per charge
- Specialty items provide additional buffs (damage resistance, stamina recovery, etc.)
- Sect-specific healing items may be available through faction shops
- Crafted variants often outperform vendor purchases
Experiment with different healing items to find what suits your playstyle. Some players prefer instant full heals, while others benefit from heal-over-time effects during boss phases.
Automatic Healing Inventory Management
Where Winds Meet includes a thoughtful quality-of-life feature: automatic healing item switching.
How It Works:
- If you carry multiple types of healing items in your inventory
- When one type runs out during combat
- The game automatically equips another healing item from your storage
- This happens seamlessly without manual intervention
Strategic Implications:
- Carry multiple healing item types for extended fights
- Prioritize using lower-grade medicine first (save the best for emergencies)
- Stock diverse healing items before challenging dungeon runs
- Mix instant heals with heal-over-time effects for sustained encounters
This system reduces downtime from manual inventory management during intense boss fights, but you still need to maintain diverse medicine stocks.
How Resting at Boundary Stones Works
Boundary Stones function as Where Winds Meet’s checkpoint and fast-travel system, but their healing mechanics differ from typical Soulslike games.
What Happens When You Rest:
- Your current HP fully restores
- Medicine automatically refills from your inventory storage up to your maximum charge capacity
- Enemies respawn (with some exceptions)
- Temporary buffs may expire
- Fast travel becomes available
Critical Difference: Resting doesn’t create healing charges from nothing—it only transfers medicine from your inventory storage into your active Medicine Chest. If your inventory storage is empty, resting won’t refill your healing charges.
Best Practices:
- Always maintain 20-30 healing items in inventory storage
- Craft/buy medicine in bulk during town visits
- Check your storage before challenging dungeons
- Rest at Boundary Stones before boss fights to ensure full charges
This system encourages resource management rather than unlimited healing access, making combat preparation more meaningful.
Tips for Reducing Medicine Consumption
Rather than just farming more healing items, improving your combat efficiency dramatically reduces medicine consumption:
Combat Technique Improvements:
Master Dodge Timing:
- Perfect dodges often grant invincibility frames
- Practice against common enemies before challenging bosses
- Dodging costs less resources than healing
Learn Enemy Patterns:
- Most enemies telegraph attacks clearly
- Recognizing patterns lets you avoid damage entirely
- Patience beats aggression in most fights
Use Environmental Advantages:
- Terrain can block enemy attacks
- Height differences affect combat dynamics
- Some areas allow tactical retreats
Optimize Your Build:
- Choose weapons that suit your reaction time (check our best starting weapons guide)
- Invest in defensive stats if you’re taking too much damage
- Balance offense and defense appropriately
Strategic Recommendations:
Consider the Panacea Fan: If you’re struggling with medicine consumption early game, taking the Panacea Fan as one of your starting weapons can save significant resources. This weapon specializes in healing and support, dramatically reducing your dependence on consumable medicine during the early game grind.
Our starting weapons guide covers why this option excels for new players or those pursuing healing-focused builds.
Join Silver Needle Sect: If healing efficiency is your priority, the Silver Needle sect (detailed in our complete sects guide) specializes in medical mechanics and earns bonuses for healing activities. This synergizes perfectly with Medicine Chest upgrades.
Farm Efficiently: Rather than grinding healing items constantly, focus on Medicinal Tale acquisition to permanently increase your capacity. A fully upgraded Medicine Chest with 5 charges dramatically outperforms a Rank 1 chest, even with unlimited basic medicine.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Not Upgrading Early: Many players hoard Medicinal Tales without upgrading. Don’t wait—each upgrade provides immediate combat benefits that make progression easier.
Ignoring Inventory Storage: Running out of healing charges mid-dungeon because your inventory storage was empty is frustrating and avoidable. Always maintain reserves.
Buying Instead of Crafting: Vendor medicine is convenient but expensive. Crafting costs significantly less once you establish material supply lines.
Overlooking Alternative Healing: Some builds incorporate lifesteal, regeneration buffs, or defensive skills that reduce medicine dependence. Explore diverse playstyles rather than relying solely on potions.
Skipping Medicinal Tale Quests: Quests offering Medicinal Tales should be prioritized over generic combat missions. The permanent Medicine Chest upgrades provide lasting value.
Medicine Chest Upgrade Priority Guide
If you’re deciding how to spend limited Medicinal Tales, here’s my recommended priority:
First Priority – Rank 5 (3 Charges): The jump from 1 to 3 charges is game-changing. This should be your immediate goal—it transforms boss fights from resource starvation to manageable challenges.
Second Priority – Rank 8 (4 Charges): Four charges provide comfortable breathing room for difficult content. Most players can complete main story content at this level without excessive struggle.
Third Priority – Rank 11 (5 Charges): Maximum charges unlock true endgame viability. You’ll want this before attempting the hardest optional bosses and dungeons.
Final Priority – Rank 13 (Maximum Benefits): The final ranks mainly provide healing potency increases and minor bonuses. These are valuable but less impactful than raw charge increases.
For context, completing quests like Blind to the World contributes toward these upgrades while also providing other valuable rewards like the Blinding Mist skill.
Additional Resources and Related Guides
Healing management is just one aspect of Where Winds Meet’s deep progression systems:
- Master the gacha system for acquiring rare equipment
- Learn proper bow emote techniques for social interactions
- Customize your character with our appearance and hairstyle guide
- Choose the right faction with our complete sects overview
You can also grab the game on Steam, PlayStation, or visit the official website for latest updates. Additional information about the game’s development can be found on its Wikipedia page.
Final Thoughts on Healing in Where Winds Meet
The Medicine Chest system initially feels restrictive compared to unlimited healing in other action games, but it creates meaningful resource management that enhances combat tension. Knowing you have limited healing charges forces more thoughtful engagement with enemy encounters rather than face-tanking damage.
Prioritizing Medicinal Tale acquisition early dramatically improves your entire playthrough experience. The difference between 1 and 3 healing charges cannot be overstated—it’s the single most impactful early-game upgrade available.
Remember: healing charges are permanent account upgrades, while consumable medicine is temporary. Invest time into Medicine Chest upgrades, and you’ll spend less time farming healing items throughout your journey.
Stock up, upgrade wisely, and may your Medicine Chest never run dry during critical boss fights!
What’s your current Medicine Chest rank? Are you focusing on charge increases or healing potency? Share your medicine management strategies in the comments below!
