Where Winds Meet: How to Increase Elegance Attribute Complete Guide

Elegance is one of those attributes in Where Winds Meet that sounds fancy but feels impossible to level up at first. Unlike combat stats that naturally increase as you fight, or Constitution that grows with health management, Elegance requires you to actively seek out specific activities—namely, petting cats and eating delicious food.

If you’re struggling to figure out how to boost your Elegance attribute or wondering why it even matters, this guide has you covered. I’ll show you exactly where to find every food stall vendor, how to locate cats efficiently, and what benefits Elegance actually provides for your character.

What is Elegance in Where Winds Meet?

Elegance is an Aspiration Attribute that governs exploration skills related to charisma and social interactions. Think of it as your character’s charm, refinement, and ability to navigate social situations with grace.

What Elegance affects:

• Disguising as NPCs (stealth and infiltration)
• Credibility (how trustworthy you appear)
• Gift of Garb bonus passives (outfit-based benefits)
• Persuasion tactics (convincing NPCs during dialogue)
• Conviction (demanding items from NPCs)
• AI chat success rates (befriending and convincing NPCs)

The higher your Elegance, the easier it becomes to succeed at social challenges, persuade stubborn NPCs, and even get away with unreasonable demands. If you’ve been stuck trying to convince an NPC to give you information or an item, low Elegance is probably your problem.

For more information on character stats, check out our complete guide on all character stats and attributes.

How to Increase Elegance in Where Winds Meet

There are two primary methods for increasing Elegance in Where Winds Meet: completing the Kitty Lover feat and the Gourmet Challenge. Both require exploration and attention to detail, but they’re worth the effort for the attribute points and exploration rewards.

Method 1: Kitty Lover Feat (Petting Cats)

The Kitty Lover feat is exactly what it sounds like—find cats scattered throughout the world and give them the pets they deserve. Each cat you pet grants you Elegance points.

How to find cats in Where Winds Meet:

1. Listen for meowing – Cats make audible sounds when you’re nearby
2. Visit Meow Meow Temples – Both Kaifeng and Qinghe have temples with guaranteed cats
3. Check player Signposts – Other players often mark cat locations with messages
4. Explore thoroughly – Cats hide in alleys, rooftops, and quiet corners

For a complete list of cat locations, check our dedicated Qinghe Meow Meow puzzle locations guide.

How to pet cats properly:

1. Approach the cat
2. Press ‘E’ to interact
3. Select ‘Pet the Cat’ dialogue option
4. Watch the entire cutscene (don’t skip with Spacebar!)

Important: If you skip the cutscene by pressing Spacebar, the Elegance point won’t count. You need to let the full petting animation play out for the game to register your progress.

If you’re using Signposts to track your exploration, marking cat locations for other players is a nice community gesture.

Method 2: Gourmet Challenge (Food Stalls)

The Gourmet Challenge requires you to visit food stall vendors across the world and purchase their local delicacies. Each food item you buy counts as one Elegance point increase.

Cost: Commerce Coins per food item
Reward: Elegance points + Exploration points for each region

While this method costs currency, it’s reliable and systematic—you can work through regions methodically and clear them one by one. Plus, completing the full Gourmet Challenge unlocks additional rewards beyond just Elegance points.

All Food Stall Locations in Where Winds Meet

Here’s the complete list of every food stall vendor in the game, organized by region. Visit each one and purchase their food to max out your Elegance through the Gourmet Challenge.

Qinghe Region Food Stalls

Qinghe is where you’ll spend most of your early game, so knock out these food stalls as soon as you unlock the region. For more Qinghe content, check out our Search for Little Lu Unbound Cavern guide.

Kaifeng Region Food Stalls

Kaifeng has significantly more food stalls than Qinghe, so plan to spend some time (and Commerce Coins) here. If you’re exploring Kaifeng, don’t miss our Raw Leaf Porridge quest guide and Shadows in Bloom quest walkthrough.

Tips for Completing the Gourmet Challenge

• Stock up on Commerce Coins first – You’ll need a decent amount to buy all the food
• Work region by region – Complete all Qinghe stalls before moving to Kaifeng
• Use Boundary Stones – Teleport to nearby stones and walk to vendors efficiently
• Mark completed vendors – Keep a checklist to avoid revisiting the same stalls
• Combine with exploration – Knock out other objectives while hunting for food stalls

For more ways to maximize your exploration efficiency, check our guide on best ways to get exploration points.

Gourmet Challenge Rewards

Once you’ve collected all food delicacies from each region, you’ll unlock the Gourmet Rewards, which include:

• Major Elegance attribute boost (from all accumulated points)
• Exploration points (substantial boost for each region)
• Achievement completion (for completionists)
• Possible additional rewards (cosmetics or items depending on the region)

The exploration points alone make this worthwhile, especially if you’re working toward breaking through level caps or unlocking new areas.

Why You Should Increase Elegance in Where Winds Meet

Let’s talk about why Elegance actually matters beyond just being another number to increase.

Social Interaction Benefits

Persuasion Success: High Elegance dramatically improves your success rate when using AI chat features to convince NPCs. Whether you’re trying to extract information, negotiate prices, or befriend an important character, Elegance gives you the edge.

If you’re working on NPC relationships, our guides on befriending Fu Lushou and Li Laizuo affection can help.

Conviction and Demands: One of Elegance’s most powerful benefits is the ability to demand items from NPCs and actually get away with it. Low Elegance? NPCs will laugh you off. High Elegance? They’ll hand over their goods with minimal resistance.

Exploration and Infiltration Benefits

Disguise Effectiveness: Several quests (like Shadows in Bloom) require disguises to infiltrate restricted areas. Elegance improves how convincing your disguises are, reducing the chance of being caught.

Credibility Boost: NPCs are more likely to trust you and share information when your Elegance is high. This unlocks dialogue options and quest paths that low-Elegance characters can’t access.

Gift of Garb Passives: Certain outfits provide special bonuses that scale with Elegance. Higher Elegance means better passive benefits from your equipped cosmetics. For more outfit options, check our all free outfits and hairstyles guide.

Combat-Adjacent Benefits

While Elegance isn’t a direct combat stat, it can affect your ability to avoid fights altogether through successful persuasion or intimidation. Sometimes talking your way out of a situation is smarter than fighting, especially when outnumbered.

For actual combat benefits, check our guides on best weapons and martial arts tier list and best early builds and weapon combos.

Tips for Maximizing Elegance in Where Winds Meet

Here are some practical tips for efficiently increasing your Elegance attribute:

For Cat Hunting:

• Use headphones – Cat meowing is easier to hear with good audio
• Check community resources – Other players share cat locations constantly
• Return to areas – Cats can respawn in certain locations
• Don’t skip cutscenes – The Elegance point only counts if you watch the full animation

For Food Stall Hunting:

• Budget your Commerce Coins – Plan spending for cooking recipes too
• Fast travel efficiently – Use Boundary Stones to minimize travel time
• Clear regions systematically – Don’t jump randomly between areas
• Combine with other activities – Visit food stalls while completing quests in the area

General Elegance Tips:

• Prioritize early – High Elegance makes many quests easier
• Balance with other attributes – Don’t neglect Constitution or Vitality
• Use Elegance actively – Test your social skills in conversations frequently
• Track your progress – Keep notes on which stalls and cats you’ve completed

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Increasing Elegance

Elegance might seem like an odd attribute to prioritize—after all, who cares about petting cats and eating food when there are epic martial arts battles to fight? But trust me, high Elegance makes life significantly easier in Where Winds Meet.

The social benefits alone are worth the investment. Being able to persuade NPCs, demand items successfully, and infiltrate restricted areas without suspicion opens up quest solutions and shortcuts that low-Elegance characters simply don’t have access to. Plus, the Gourmet Challenge exploration points help with overall progression.

My recommendation: dedicate a play session to maxing Elegance early. Work through Qinghe’s food stalls first, then move to Kaifeng. While you’re exploring, keep your ears open for cat meowing and pet every feline you encounter. The initial Commerce Coin investment pays off quickly once you start succeeding at social interactions that would otherwise fail.

And honestly? Petting cats in a wuxia game is just wholesome content. Take the W.

Looking for more attribute and character progression guides? Check out our articles on how to increase Constitution, Vitality mechanics, martial arts leveling and gearscore, and how to level up fast.

Now available on PlayStation and PC—go pet some cats and eat some delicious food!

For more social content, check out the Mirage Boat event guide and our complete beginner tips.