Where Winds Meet walkthrough: How to complete Volume I – Echoes of Old Battles side quest

Early in Where Winds Meet, you’ll be able to complete a variety of side quests such as Echoes of Old Battles. Chronologically speaking, this is the first side quest of the game, and it introduces you to a couple of puzzle styles that you may come across later in your Wuxia adventures. It can be a challenging side quest, if you aren’t paying attention to the clues you’re given, because they do lead you to the puzzle solutions.

You’ll also have to fight through a few groups of bandits, so make sure you’re comfortable with the combat style before simply jumping into Echoes of Old Battles in Where Winds Meet. If you’re struggling with this side quest, here’s what you need to know about it.

Steps to complete Echoes of Old Battles in Where Winds Meet

Once you’re free to wander Verdant Wilds in Where Winds Meet, you can open up the map, track Echoes of Old Battles, can begin it. Just head over to the area marked on the map below, and you can take the first step, which is to investigate the eavesdropper by the gate. They’ll begin this quest for you, and allow you to take the other steps to wrap this little adventure up.

Steps for Echoes of Old Battles

• Investigate the eavesdropper by the gate, Open the gate and enter the Northern Vow Ruins
• Eavesdrop on the gatekeepers’ conversation, defeat the enemy leader on the training ground
• Search the training ground for the treasure map hidden by Zhang Bao, Search for the treasure map clue and light the correct flame contraption, use Mighty Drop to activate the training ground contraption
• Venture Forward, Inspect the Corpse with an odd pose, Find the Northern Vow’s secret chamber, Examine the Northern Vow’s heroic statue and take a stance
• Explore Further, Use the Waterwheel and open the gate, Open the final stone gate, search for the “treasure” hidden by the soldiers of the Northern Vow

1) Investigate the eavesdropper by the gate, open the gate and enter the Northern Vow Ruins

By speaking to Lie Bujin, you’ll learn there are Treasures of the Northern Vow in this little fortress, and that we need to keep it down to avoid being overheard. There are bandits in here, after all. This gives you your first Clue about the side quest, and that you’ll need to open the gate, and explore the Northern Vow Ruins for this step of Echoes of Old Battles in Where Winds Meet.

2) Eavesdrop on the gatekeepers’ conversation, defeat the enemy leader on the training ground

Before you eavesdrop, grab the Fire Arrow quiver on the ground, because it will make the coming fight much easier. Then, get close enough until you see an icon appear at the gatekeepers, and press that button. It will let you safely listen in. Or, you can be like me, and just immediately fight them.

Use your Fire Arrow when you’re ready to hit the red barrels next to them to blow them up and deal these enemies considerable damage. You will also need to deal with the guard standing on a platform above them, so take all of these enemies out. The fight will likely also draw in some other foes, so be prepared for more enemies, just in case.

Before you move on, explore the nearby tents to find at least one treasure chest, and pop it open. You’ll see an icon on screen that alerts you that treasure chests are nearby, in the form of a box icon in a black circle. Then, head to the training ground, when the objective changes, so you can defeat the enemy leader.

The enemy leader isn’t alone though, so what I recommend is shooting them with an arrow to lure them in, and then blast them with the explosive barrels when they get close to them. That should make the minions easy pickings, so you can then fight the enemy leader.

Zhang Bao, the enemy leader is strong, but you can take him at even low levels. If you’ve already unlocked Tai Chi, throw him near an explosive barrel, and then shoot it to deal even more damage. His attacks are slow, and easy to parry, so just parry what you can, and bulldoze past him and resume this Where Winds Meet quest.

3) Search the training ground for the treasure map hidden by Zhang Bao, Search for the treasure map clue and light the correct flame contraption, use Mighty Drop to activate the training ground contraption

The treasure map is easy to find in Where Winds Meet. Just go open the glittering treasure chest directly at the end of the training grounds. It will show you a map of the base, and offer you a puzzle if you want to proceed. You need to search for the treasure map clue and light the correct flame contraption.

There are several Flame Contraptions scattered throughout this base. You may also need to clean up a few more bandits so you can explore freely, so do that before starting the Flame Contraptions. You’ll also want to explore thoroughly, because there are several treasure chests in this area. Here’s how we solved this puzzle:

• Jump onto the wall with the red doors, and light the Flame Contraption
• Return to the Training Ground Flame Contraption and light it

That should be all there is to it! However, when you’re on top of the wall with the Red Door, you’ll see another Flame Contraption on top of a tower with some wooden platforms on its sides. If you head there, you can drop through the roof and pick up another treasure chest.

When you’re ready for the next step of Echoes of Lost Battles in Where Winds Meet, go to the now-raised stone circle in the training circle. Stand on the circle, do a double or triple jump, and do a Mighty Smash (L3 on the controller), to create a path to travel down.

4) Venture Forward, Inspect the Corpse with an odd pose, Find the Northern Vow’s secret chamber, Examine the Northern Vow’s heroic statue and take a stance

Head down into the stone area, and you can proceed with Echoes of Lost Battles in Where Winds Meet. Push the door open, and then inspect the Corpse with an odd pose. You’ll see a gesture you’ve seen before. This will give you Clue #3, which will be invaluable before too long. This is the Yanyun Oath. This will also unlock the Pose: Oath of Vow.

Now you need to find the Northern Vow’s secret chamber. Follow the path, avoid the rope that’s in the hallway, and you’ll come to a huge statue before long. Stand before it, and press the icon you see on screen to use Emote “Yanyun Oath”.

The statue will then rotate, and a series of Chinese letters will erupt out of the walls. Some of them will be glowing, and some of them will not. While this might seem really confusing, there’s a very simple solution. Look at the image above, with Clue #3 on it. The characters you see on that need to be lit up along the walls.

On the left wall, from where you entered, the only symbols that should be lit up are the first four characters of the hint. Then, look at the second set of symbols, and make sure they’re lit up on the right wall. You can see the solutions on the images above for each wall. You can also find it in the embedded video at the top, at the 19:54 timestamp. Completing this puzzle will open the door, and allow you to pass.

5) Explore Further, Use the Waterwheel and open the gate, Open the final stone gate, search for the “treasure” hidden by the soldiers of the Northern Vow, Examine the writings on the wall

Watch out for another rope trap when going down the hallway. Jump across the wooden beams to grab another treasure chest, and then drop down to follow the path again. You’ll see a waterwheel, but it appears to be stuck.

To complete this part of Where Wind Meets’ Echoes of Old Battles, you need to walk through the waterfall and activate the item you find inside. This will open another door along the path. Before you leave this area, climb up the ladders for another Treasure Chest.

When you’re ready, follow the path once again, and push open the final stone gate. Crack open the chests in this room, particularly the golden one. This will give you a few rewards, most notably the Touch of Death technique. This lets you assassinate enemies if you sneak up behind them.

Once you leave this area, you’ll get a brief tutorial on how this works. Finally, go to the red markings on the wall and read Lie Yan’s final words. With that, you’ll complete Echoes of Old Battles in Where Winds Meet, and will be ready to continue your journey.

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