NetEase’s Where Winds Meet has finally put its horse on the gacha games race with the Hexi [Home Afar] DLC. This new update introduces a new, major area called “Hexi” and, inside of it, the new sub-region “Jade Gate Pass” — where most of the new content takes place.
However, getting to it is not a simple case of exploring the map until you find it. Although they are simple enough to follow, there are some necessary steps to take in order to access not just the Jade Gate Pass, but all the content within it.
So read on to discover everything you need to do in order to start the new content.
Step 1: Mandatory Prerequisites and the Shoreline Bag Item
Before you can set sail for the Hexi expansion, make sure you’re on at least Character Level 14 and complete the “Qinghe Campaign – Still Shore”. This is easy enough and, most likely, you have already met these requirements as they’re necessary to progress Where Winds Meet main story.
Once that’s taken care of, you need to travel to the Bamboo Abode region in Qinghe and make your way toward the shoreline.
Near the marked quest location, you will find a small bag lying abandoned on the sand (Shoreline Bag). Interacting with this object officially triggers the Hexi expansion questline, serving as the catalyst for your journey into the new territory.
Step 2: Locate the Bamboo Abode Wall Painting
After successfully collecting the bag, the game will direct you to a second specific location within the Bamboo Abode area. Your objective here is to find and interact with a large wall painting found in the environment.
Interact with the painting for the first time, and you’ll be directed to a nearby candle, which you’ll have to light up, and look at the painting again. There are two candles for you to light up, by the way—one beside the mural, and another one on the shed behind you.
Step 3: Explore the Cabin and Its Secrets
Following the cutscene at the wall painting, you will find yourself transported inside an old cabin. This section is entirely guided and focused on narrative immersion, where you’ll meet an NPC called “The Veiled Lady” playing mahjong beside a male-looking character with the face of a camel aptly referred to as “Brother Camel” or “Luo”. You will have to play them, but pay him no mind, it’s her that you’re after.
As Luo leaves and she trounces you in mahjong, she’ll ask you to come back the following evening, which you can do so by fast-forwarding the in-game clock (open up the main menu and choose “Time” > advance to a day after). The Veiled Lady will show up again (after you relight the candles) right outside, asking that you finish the mural.
You don’t need any special items or anything, as this minigame is entirely based on narrative interaction. Just go back to the painting from before and interact with it again.
Step 4: Board the Boat and Arrive at Jade Gate Pass
The interaction above will trigger a really off-your-rocker cutscene where you’ll go through water until eventually your character wakes up in a different cabin, prompted to go outside.
Finally, after exiting the cabin, follow the on-screen prompts to board a large boat—the same vessel featured in the recent “Voyage of Lanterns” live event—which will take you across the water.
A sweeping cinematic will play as you set off for the new region. Once the cinematic concludes, you will be right outside the Jade Gate Pass, which is the point of entrance of Where Winds Meet Hexi region, the main area of the new update.
Final Thoughts
All in all, the Where Winds Meet Hexi DLC marks a good reason to come back to the game if you dropped it between 2025 and 2026. While other releases have happened during this time, the Jade Gate Pass marks the first major update that brings new content across the board for longtime players.
Furthermore, newcomers should not find it too difficult, since the minimum entry level is low enough that you’ll get used to the mechanics and not feel overwhelmed by the amount of quests, new martial arts styles and world-related exploration shenanigans. Jade Pass Gate and Hexi as a whole are not “massive”, but they should not be underestimated, as their content options are numerous, and taking all of them on will make you busy for a while.
If you want to know what kind of content is available on Where Winds Meet Hexi update, the patch notes are available on the game’s official wiki. Where Winds Meet is available as a free-to-play downloadable game on PC, PlayStation 5, Android and iOS.
