To fly in Where Winds Meet, unlock a flight lightness skill such as Meteor Flight, then raise that region's Area Exploration to Level 4 and claim its flight item: the Afterglow Pendant in Qinghe or the Flight Medallion in Kaifeng. Then hold Jump to take off: Space on PC, X on PS5, A on Xbox. There are four flight skills, and you can equip one at a time.
Last checked: November 1, 2026, for Version 2.3.
How to fly, step by step
- Get a flight skill. Meteor Flight comes from the Qinghe side story Afterglow: a fisherman by a pond west of Moonveil Mountain starts it, and you finish it with a jumping challenge across jars on the water. Thousand-Mile Flight is free on day 4 of the A Warrior's Journey login rewards (the book icon in the Esc menu).
- Equip it under Abilities > Mystic Skills > Movement. Only one flight skill can be active.
- Raise the region's Area Exploration to Level 4. Exploration points come from activating Boundary Stones, collecting Oddities, opening chests, Meow Meow challenges and main and side quests.
- Claim the flight item. Open the map and select your exploration level in the bottom-left corner. The Area Exploration Progress screen lists every reward; claim the Afterglow Pendant there.
- Finish Afterglow. Show the pendant to the fisherman, Qiu Yuehai, and you can fly anywhere in Qinghe.
- Take off. Hold Jump. A half-circle bar fills in the air, and pressing Jump again as it reaches each mark starts the next stage of the flight. Letting each stage play out before you press again carries you further.
Flying in each region
Permission is per region: the Afterglow Pendant does nothing in Kaifeng, and Kaifeng's item does nothing in Qinghe.
| Region | What you need |
|---|---|
| Qinghe | Area Exploration Level 4 for the Afterglow Pendant. Fan Glider follows at Level 5 and Wind Rider at Level 6. |
| Kaifeng | Kaifeng Area Exploration Level 4 for the Flight Medallion. Kaifeng has its own exploration level, separate from Qinghe's. |
| Hexi | Version 1.4 added Moonleap Morph, which turns you into a fish that glides across the sand. Step into a glowing circle on the ground to use it. |
| Qinchuan | Version 1.6 added Idle Wind: on arriving in Qinchuan you learn to turn into a breeze and soar across the region. |
Some zones block lightness skills altogether.
Lightness skill not working?
- "Area exploration progress insufficient": you have the skill but not the region's flight item. Get the area to Exploration Level 4 and claim the item, a keepsake, on the Area Exploration Progress screen.
- It works in Qinghe but not in Kaifeng: the Afterglow Pendant only counts in Qinghe. Kaifeng needs its own Flight Medallion.
- Nothing happens when you hold Jump: check which flight skill is equipped under Abilities > Mystic Skills > Movement. Only one can be active at a time.
- It stopped inside a story area: some zones block lightness skills. Leave the area and try again.
All four flight skills
| Skill | How to unlock | How it flies | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thousand-Mile Flight | Day 4 of A Warrior's Journey | Rides a flying sword in a long forward dash; climbs slowly but ends up highest | Long, flat stretches |
| Meteor Flight | The Afterglow side story, plus the Afterglow Pendant | Throws a spear and launches you after it | Getting up a cliff or onto a roof quickly |
| Fan Glider | Qinghe Exploration Level 5 (6,000 points) | Throws your fan and glides after it | Looks |
| Wind Rider | Qinghe Exploration Level 6 (9,000 points) | Flies with no weapon in quick bursts | Everyday travel |
Which lightness skill is best
- Wind Rider is the one most players settle on: the quickest take-off, the easiest to turn mid-flight, and it goes nearly straight up without clipping a cliff.
- Meteor Flight climbs fastest in its first stages, so it is the pick for rooftops and peaks.
- Thousand-Mile Flight comes free with the login rewards and covers a long flat distance if you wait out each stage.
- Fan Glider is the weakest of the four in players' tests.
- For longer trips, fast travel instead. Past a few hundred meters, teleporting to the nearest Boundary Stone is quicker than any flight; our fast travel guide covers how.
- If the camera swings around while you fly, the settings have a camera option for flight skills; switching it to free look makes flights easier to aim.
Basic movement skills
These are lightness skills too. You switch them in the same Movement tab.
| Skill | What it does | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Threefold Skywalk | Up to three jumps in mid-air | From the start |
| Skywalk Dash | A forward dash after those jumps | From the start |
| Mighty Drop | Stops you in mid-air and drops you fast; smashes boards and stone covering holes | From the start |
| Safe Mighty Drop | The same drop without hurting yourself on landing | First clear of the Mysterious Outpost |
| Abyss Dive | Dive and swim underwater; watch your breath meter | From the Qinghe story |
| Wallstride - Swiftstride | Runs up walls and leaps over them | Hand 21 Qinghe Oddities to Qi Sheng near the General's Shrine |
| Wallstride - Shadowdash | A nimbler sprint that weaves through crowds and runs on water | Hand 45 Qinghe Oddities to Qi Sheng |
A hard landing without Safe Mighty Drop can leave you with an injury that lowers your stats until it is treated; our illness guide covers the cures.
Lightness skills in towns
Busy places watch how you move. Barging into people, flying through crowds or riding your horse into passers-by fills a suspicion bar above the people around you, and when it is full they turn hostile or report you. Kaifeng City is the most crowded; small villages are more forgiving. Stealing fills the same bar.
How to raise exploration quickly
- Activate every Boundary Stone you pass. Each one adds exploration points and becomes a fast-travel point.
- Collect Oddities. They count for exploration, and the same Oddities unlock both Wallstride skills.
- Open chests and do the Meow Meow challenges as you cross an area.
- Finish side stories, Afterglow included.
More early tips for Qinghe and Kaifeng are in our tips guide, and riding is in our mounts guide.
Sources
- Version 1.4 update overview, March 2026: Moonleap Morph
- Version 1.6 update overview, April 2026: Idle Wind
- Lightness Skills on the Fextralife wiki
