Where Winds Meet offers a rich and challenging martial arts experience, but not every player seeks the same level of challenge. Whether you’re here for the epic story or to test your skills to the absolute limit, the game’s difficulty settings allow you to tailor the experience.
This guide will explain all available difficulty modes, their key differences, and exactly how to change them.
Available Difficulty Modes Explained
The game features four primary difficulty modes, each designed for a different type of player. Understanding their core mechanics is crucial to choosing the right one for you.
Story: This mode is for players who want to focus on narrative and exploration. Enemies are easier, and you receive significant combat assistance, including more time-stops (slow-motion prompts) and assist prompts when enemies use powerful skills.
Recommended: This is the balanced, intended experience for most players. It provides a solid challenge without being overwhelming. There are no extra time-stops or assist prompts, requiring you to rely on your own reflexes and understanding of combat mechanics. It’s the perfect blend of engaging combat and immersive exploration.
Expert: For seasoned action players seeking a tough fight. Enemy difficulty is significantly higher, and all training wheels come off. Assist Deflection is disabled, meaning you will not receive any time-frozen prompts or assists, forcing you to read enemy animations purely by sight.
Legend: This is the ultimate challenge. It features the highest enemy difficulty and completely disables time-stops and assist prompts. As a reward for this monumental task, defeating bosses can grant unique identifiers and badges. Crucially, this mode can only be selected when creating a new character and is permanent—you cannot switch into or out of it later.
Note: A “Hardcore” mode is mentioned in the game but is currently unavailable.
How to Change Your Difficulty Setting
For most modes, changing the difficulty is straightforward and can be done at any time. Here’s how:
Open the main Pause Menu.
Navigate to Settings.
Select the Game tab.
Find the Combat Difficulty option.
Choose your desired mode from the dropdown list (Story, Recommended, or Expert).
The change will take effect immediately. You can experiment with Story, Recommended, and Expert as often as you like to find the perfect balance for your playthrough.
The Exception: Legend Mode
As stated, Legend mode cannot be selected from this menu. It is a permanent choice made during character creation. If you started your game on Story, Recommended, or Expert, you cannot change it to Legend on that same character.
Key Differences Between Difficulty Modes
| Feature | Story | Recommended | Expert | Legend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enemy Strength & Health | Low | Moderate | High | Very High |
| Time-Stop/Assist Prompts | Yes | No | No | No |
| When Can It Be Chosen? | Anytime | Anytime | Anytime | Character Creation Only |
| Permanent? | No | No | No | Yes |
| Unique Rewards | No | No | No | Yes (Badges, Identifiers) |
FAQ: Changing Difficulty in Where Winds Meet
Q1: Can I change the difficulty to Legend later in the game?
A: No. Legend mode is a permanent, hardcore-like choice that is only available when you first create a character. You cannot switch to it from an easier difficulty.
Q2: Do trophies or achievements require a specific difficulty?
A: No. There are no trophies or achievements tied to completing the game on any specific difficulty setting. You can earn the Platinum trophy while playing on Story mode.
Q3: What is the best difficulty for a first-time player?
A: Recommended mode is the ideal starting point. It offers a fair and engaging challenge that teaches you the game’s mechanics properly without the training wheels of Story mode or the brutal punishment of Expert.
Q4: If I start on Expert, can I lower it to Story if it’s too hard?
A: Yes. You can freely change between Story, Recommended, and Expert at any time through the settings menu. Only Legend mode is locked in.
Conclusion
Where Winds Meet provides flexible difficulty options to suit a wide range of players. You can seamlessly switch between Story, Recommended, and Expert to adjust the challenge to your liking. However, if you are a warrior seeking the truest test of your skills and the prestige that comes with it, the permanent Legend mode awaits—just be sure you are ready for a commitment, as that choice is made at the very beginning and cannot be undone. Choose wisely, and tailor your journey through this wuxia world to your own preferences.