There is no official Where Winds Meet tier list, so this page lines up the most recent published ones for Version 2.2 instead of inventing a ranking of our own. In PvE, both lists put Bamboocut - Kite and Stonesplit - Strength in S tier. In PvP, both lists put Stonesplit - Strength and Silkbind - Jade in their top tier. Version 2.2 changed no martial-art numbers, so the most recent balance changes are still the Version 2.0 ones from July 2026.
Last checked: October 6, 2026. Placements were read from each list on that date. Game changes come from the official patch notes linked under Sources.
The tier lists on this page
| List | Published | Game version | What it ranks | Tiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPC Waifu, PvE | September 19, 2026 | After the 2.2 update | Practical damage in real boss fights, where the boss moves; damage paths only | S, A, B |
| Game8, PvE | September 3, 2026 | Version 2.1, before 2.2 | How well a path does its whole job, including support, survivability and group play | S, A, B |
| OnKamii, PvP 1v1 | September 19, 2026 | Version 2.2, global server | Each weapon pair's top potential in high-rank 1v1 Arena | T0 (best), T0.5, T1, T2, T3 |
| Game8, PvP | September 3, 2026 | Version 2.1, before 2.2 | Same criteria as Game8's PvE list | S, A, B |
The same letter does not mean the same thing on every list. NPC Waifu gives S to paths that reach top damage easily, are popular and, in his view, are unlikely to be nerfed soon; his A paths can match them with end-game gear and well-practiced rotations; B is for players who simply enjoy the playstyle. Game8 gives S to builds with excellent overall performance in their role, A to strong builds with clearer flaws or stricter execution, and B to builds with noticeable weaknesses. Read the columns side by side, not as one scale.
PvE tier list (Version 2.2)
| Martial path | Weapons | NPC Waifu (Sept 19, 2026) | Game8 PvE (Sept 3, 2026, v2.1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellstrike - Splendor | Nameless Sword + Nameless Spear | A | S |
| Bellstrike - Umbra | Strategic Sword + Heavenquaker Spear | B | A |
| Bamboocut - Wind | Infernal Twinblades + Mortal Rope Dart | B | B |
| Bamboocut - Dust | Everspring Umbrella + Unfettered Rope Dart | B | S |
| Bamboocut - Kite | Heavenwill Gauntlets + Skygrasp Rope Dart | S | S |
| Bamboocut - Draught | Skystrike Gauntlets + Riven Twinblades | A | S |
| Silkbind - Jade | Vernal Umbrella + Inkwell Fan | A | A |
| Silkbind - Deluge (healer) | Panacea Fan + Soulshade Umbrella | Not ranked | S |
| Stonesplit - Might | Thundercry Blade + Stormbreaker Spear | B | S |
| Stonesplit - Strength | Snowparting Blade + Phalanxbane Blade | S (Phalanxbane focus), A (Snowparting focus) | S |
- S on both lists: Bamboocut - Kite and Stonesplit - Strength. NPC Waifu's S is for the Strength style built around Phalanxbane Blade; he rates the Snowparting Blade style A.
- Same tier on both lists: Silkbind - Jade (A) and Bamboocut - Wind (B).
- Different tiers: Bellstrike - Splendor and Bamboocut - Draught (Game8 S, NPC Waifu A), Bellstrike - Umbra (Game8 A, NPC Waifu B), Bamboocut - Dust and Stonesplit - Might (Game8 S, NPC Waifu B).
- Healer: NPC Waifu ranks damage paths only, so Silkbind - Deluge appears only on Game8's list, in S.
For PvP, the PvP tier list compares OnKamii's 1v1 list with Game8's PvP list and also covers mixed weapon pairs.
Each path, list by list
Each entry shows where all four lists place the path, the reasons the list authors give (paraphrased from their own videos; we have not tested them), and the official changes since our July 8, 2026 edition. Changes that only apply in the Arena are listed in the PvP tier list. To see the weapons of every path side by side, use the Build Planner.
Bellstrike - Splendor: Nameless Sword + Nameless Spear
Placements: NPC Waifu A · Game8 PvE S · OnKamii PvP T1 · Game8 PvP S
What the authors say: NPC Waifu says Splendor's damage has slipped to the bottom of the damage paths since the gauntlets and the Heng Blade arrived. He still rates it A because its long range and simple combo keep its damage steady while a boss moves or jumps, and because it does not depend on a low ping.
Official changes since July 2026: Version 2.0 (July 23) removed the damage falloff when one Sword Energy hit strikes several non-player enemies, and made some Nameless Sword skills chain more smoothly at high latency in online boss fights. Version 2.2 only corrected the description of a Nameless Sword effect; the patch notes say the effect itself did not change.
Our guides: Nameless Sword build guide and Bellstrike - Splendor PvP build, both rewritten for Version 2.2.
Bellstrike - Umbra: Strategic Sword + Heavenquaker Spear
Placements: NPC Waifu B · Game8 PvE A · OnKamii PvP T1 · Game8 PvP A
What the authors say: NPC Waifu credits a new fire damage-over-time effect from a Mystic Skill enlightenment with lifting Umbra's damage again. He still rates it B: it needs several buffs running at once, a moving boss breaks the rotation, and its damage changes a lot from fight to fight. He adds that it is very good in PvP thanks to its crowd control.
Official changes since July 2026 (Version 2.0, July 23):
- Heavenquaker Spear's Soul-Shaken lasts 18 seconds instead of 15, and its full damage-over-time vulnerability now applies only to damage from Strategic Sword or Heavenquaker Spear.
- Bleeding and High Bleeding now deal Qi damage, and more of it to Soul-Shaken targets.
- Wolfchaser's Art (tier 6): Sober Sorrow applies Soul-Shaken to any target it hits, and Wine Gu needs 3 hits instead of 5 within 3 seconds.
- Sword Horizon (tier 3): a guaranteed-Affinity High Bleeding on a non-player enemy extends your own damage-over-time effects by 10 seconds, to a maximum of 16 seconds. This includes Dark Scorch, a new Dragon's Breath enlightenment added in the same patch.
Our guide: Strategic Sword build guide, rewritten for Version 2.2.
Bamboocut - Wind: Infernal Twinblades + Mortal Rope Dart
Placements: NPC Waifu B · Game8 PvE B · OnKamii PvP T0 (said aloud) · Game8 PvP A
What the authors say: NPC Waifu says Wind now deals less damage than the Heng Blade and gauntlet paths, that many players have moved on from it, and that he does not expect a buff soon, so he rates it B. In PvP the picture flips: OnKamii calls it the second-best weapon pair in the game.
Official changes since July 2026 (Version 2.0, July 23):
- Buffs gained from Perfect Dodges with Infernal Twinblades get a 40% longer duration instead of 20%.
- Mortal Rope Dart's Rodent Damage Enhancement now raises Physical and Bamboocut damage by 9%, plus up to 12% based on minimum Physical Attack (before: Physical damage only, plus up to 15%), and Rodent Rampage now scales with Martial Arts Breakthrough level.
- Echoes of Oblivion: effects triggered by light attacks also ignore 10% of the target's Physical Defense and 10 Bamboocut Resistance.
- Infernal Twinblades light attacks and Blade of Heaven's Wrath chain more smoothly at high latency in online boss fights.
Our guides: Dual Blades build guide and Bamboocut - Wind PvP build, both rewritten for Version 2.2.
Bamboocut - Dust: Everspring Umbrella + Unfettered Rope Dart
Placements: NPC Waifu B · Game8 PvE S · OnKamii PvP T1 · Game8 PvP A
What the authors say: NPC Waifu calls Dust's ranged damage steady, but no higher than Wind's and below the gauntlet and Heng Blade paths. He also calls it very ping-dependent: getting resources back from a thrown umbrella takes a precisely timed key press, which a laggy connection makes you miss. He rates it B.
Official changes since July 2026 (Version 2.0, July 23):
- Dreamwrought Bubbles, Everspring Umbrella's charged heavy attack, deals 20% more damage to non-player enemies.
- Phantom Rally: the phantom umbrellas from Dreamwrought Bubbles can trigger Resonance Damage, and chaining Perfect Catches now stores up to 4 instant casts of Dreamwrought Bubbles that need no charging.
Our guide: Umbrella build guide, rewritten for Version 2.2.
Bamboocut - Kite: Heavenwill Gauntlets + Skygrasp Rope Dart
New in Version 2.0 (July 2026), together with the new Gauntlets weapon type.
Placements: NPC Waifu S · Game8 PvE S · OnKamii PvP T0.5 · Game8 PvP S
What the authors say: NPC Waifu says the path is built around one big gauntlet charged attack, and that a charge which misses gives its resources back, so its damage still lands when a boss moves. He rates it S and, because it is so popular, does not expect it to be nerfed.
Official changes since July 2026: none apart from its release.
Our guide: we have not written one yet.
Bamboocut - Draught: Skystrike Gauntlets + Riven Twinblades
New on September 3, 2026, in Version 2.1.
Placements: NPC Waifu A · Game8 PvE S · OnKamii PvP T0 (said aloud) · Game8 PvP A
What the authors say: NPC Waifu says Draught deals the highest damage against a boss that stands still, but almost all of it lands in one short drunken burst window (he puts it at about ten seconds). If the boss moves or a mechanic comes up during that window, much of the damage is lost, and the rotation needs precise timing, a good connection and many weapon swaps. That is why he rates it A rather than S. OnKamii calls it the most ping-dependent weapon pair in PvP.
Official changes since July 2026: none apart from its release.
Our guide: we have not written one yet.
Silkbind - Jade: Vernal Umbrella + Inkwell Fan
Placements: NPC Waifu A · Game8 PvE A · OnKamii PvP T0 (said aloud) · Game8 PvP S
What the authors say: NPC Waifu points out that Jade has been popular since launch. Its ranged damage stays steady even when a boss flies or moves, and the fan's teleport and the umbrella's ranged stun also make it strong in PvP. He rates it A.
Official changes since July 2026:
- Version 2.0 (July 23): Vernal Umbrella's talent now applies to all projectile skills and ignores 5 Physical Resistance on all damage; against Immobilized or Airborne targets it ignores 15. Unfading Flower now refunds Blossoms Points on Immobilized or Airborne non-boss enemies, or on Exhausted bosses.
- Version 2.0 (July 23): Blossom Barrage tier 5 gives Direct Critical Rate instead of Critical DMG Bonus, and tier 4 makes Spring Away and Unfading Flower deal 5% more damage (10% on Exhausted targets) to enemies marked by your Combo debuff, outside the Arena.
- Version 2.1 (August 20): two Vernal Umbrella attunement affixes were merged into one, Frequent Projectile DMG Boost, on Tier 96 and higher gear.
Our guide: Silkbind - Jade PvP build, rewritten for Version 2.2.
Silkbind - Deluge: Panacea Fan + Soulshade Umbrella
The only healing path.
Placements: NPC Waifu not ranked · Game8 PvE S · OnKamii PvP T3 · Game8 PvP B
What the authors say: NPC Waifu's list covers damage paths only. Game8's criteria include support, and it places Deluge in S for PvE. In PvP, OnKamii moved it up to T3 from the lower tier it held on his previous list.
Official changes since July 2026 (Version 2.0, July 23): with Soulshade Umbrella also equipped, Panacea Fan's Mystic Skills never trigger Abrasion; that damage is dealt as normal damage instead.
Our guide: Healer build guide, rewritten for Version 2.2.
Stonesplit - Might: Thundercry Blade + Stormbreaker Spear
Placements: NPC Waifu B · Game8 PvE S · OnKamii PvP T1 · Game8 PvP B
What the authors say: NPC Waifu treats Might as a tank: its damage depends on well-timed blocks that set up its charged attack, so it rarely tops the damage meter, and he rates it B for damage. He notes that it is useful in guild fights for pulling groups of enemies together.
Official changes since July 2026 (Version 2.0, July 23):
- Thundercry Blade's cap on turning Max HP into Max Physical Attack now grows with Martial Arts Breakthrough level instead of stopping at 120 points.
- Its Critical Rate UP talent now gives Max Physical Attack instead and is renamed Physical Attack UP.
- Exquisite Scenery's Cadence lasts 20 seconds instead of 15 and stacks twice instead of once.
Our guide: Mo Blade build guide, rewritten for Version 2.2.
Stonesplit - Strength: Snowparting Blade + Phalanxbane Blade
Placements: NPC Waifu S (Phalanxbane focus) and A (Snowparting focus) · Game8 PvE S · OnKamii PvP T0 (said aloud) · Game8 PvP S
What the authors say: NPC Waifu treats Strength as two styles. The one built around Phalanxbane Blade's charged attacks (he calls it the Mo Blade style) is, in his view, the current mainstream pick: easy to learn and top damage in any boss fight, so S. The Snowparting Blade style (his Heng Blade style) deals less damage but is quicker and more flexible, which he says makes it the better choice for PvP, so A. OnKamii counts the pair among the three strongest in PvP.
Official changes since July 2026 (Version 2.0, July 23):
- Frost-Clad Night (tier 6): Snowbreak Spring extends Dread on an Exhausted boss by 2 seconds.
- Steadfast Devotion (tier 3): the guaranteed critical hit for Burning Heart and Anxi Army Assist now needs 75% final Critical Rate instead of 70%.
- Steadfast Devotion (tier 6): hitting an Exhausted enemy with Burning Heart instantly grants three stacks of Charge Enhancement, and the buff lasts 18 seconds.
- Snowparting Blade's Grave Frost and Snowbreak Spring chain more smoothly at high latency in online boss fights.
Our guide: Stonesplit - Strength build guide, written for Version 2.2.
What changed since the July 2026 edition
- Two new paths. Bamboocut - Kite arrived with the new Gauntlets weapon type in Version 2.0 (July 2026), and Bamboocut - Draught on September 3, 2026, in Version 2.1. There are now ten official martial paths.
- One balance patch. The Version 2.0 patch of July 23, 2026 changed eight of the ten paths, as listed above, along with many Arena rules covered in the PvP tier list.
- No number changes since. The Version 2.1 and 2.2 patch notes changed no martial-art damage or cooldown numbers. Version 2.1 merged two Vernal Umbrella attunement affixes, and Version 2.2 corrected a Nameless Sword description.
- A different method. Our July edition sorted six paths into tiers of our own. From this edition on, we compare published tier lists and name whose list each placement comes from, because a tier list is its author's opinion.
How to pick a path from these lists
- You want a safe PvE pick: Bamboocut - Kite and Stonesplit - Strength are the two paths both PvE lists put in S. NPC Waifu calls the Phalanxbane style of Strength easy to learn.
- Your connection is laggy: NPC Waifu names ping sensitivity as a weakness of Bamboocut - Draught and Bamboocut - Dust, and calls Bellstrike - Splendor steady and independent of ping. OnKamii calls Draught the most ping-dependent pair in PvP.
- You want to heal: Silkbind - Deluge is the only healing path. Game8 puts it in S for PvE; NPC Waifu's damage list does not cover it.
- You also play PvP: Stonesplit - Strength and Silkbind - Jade are in the top tier of both PvP lists.
- You like a path rated B: NPC Waifu's own advice is that B paths are for players who enjoy the playstyle, and that they can still perform well.
Sources
- NPC Waifu, PvE tier list video, published September 19, 2026
- OnKamii, 1v1 PvP tier list for Version 2.2 on the global server, published September 19, 2026
- Game8, Best Builds and Class Tier List, last updated September 3, 2026
- Official Version 2.0 update overview (Gauntlets and Bamboocut - Kite)
- Official Version 2.0 patch notes (path balance changes of July 23, 2026)
- Official Version 2.1 update overview (Bamboocut - Draught)
- Official Version 2.1 patch notes
- Official Version 2.2 patch notes
Version history
- October 6, 2026: rewritten for Version 2.2. The page now compares four published tier lists for all ten paths instead of ranking six paths ourselves, and lists the official changes since July.
- July 8, 2026: re-checked for Version 1.8.
- November 26, 2025: first published.
