Do you have to join a sect in Where Winds Meet?

No. You start without a sect and can stay that way. Most sect martial arts can also be learned through Skill Theft, without joining. Staying sectless means no sect rules, but also no sect shop, titles or sect ranks.

When can you join a sect?

From level 10, when the sect clues start to appear. Each clue leads to a place and a sect elder, who sets a trial or a quest. Mohist Hill also needs the Haven Astray story from Version 2.0 first.

Can you leave a sect or switch to another one?

Yes. You can belong to one sect at a time. To leave, use Betray Master in the Sect menu; after that you can join another sect or come back later. The official patch notes mention a cooldown before some members can rejoin.

Which sect is best in Where Winds Meet?

There is no best sect, only a best fit. Each sect has rules with weekly goals: Midnight Blades wants open-world PvP, Silver Needle wants you to heal other players for a fee, Raging Tides never retreats, and Mohist Hill brings the Heavenwill Gauntlets. Pick the sect whose rules match how you already play, or the one that teaches the martial art you want.

Where Winds Meet Sects: All 11 and How to Join Them (2.2)

Q: How many sects are there in Where Winds Meet?

Eleven. In Version 2.2 you can join eight of them: Well of Heaven, Silver Needle, Midnight Blades, Nine Mortal Ways, Velvet Shade, The Masked Troupe, Raging Tides and Mohist Hill. Hollow Vale, Lone Cloud and Inkbound Order have no way to join yet.

Where Winds Meet has 11 sects, and in Version 2.2 you can join 8 of them: Well of Heaven, Silver Needle, Midnight Blades, Nine Mortal Ways, Velvet Shade, The Masked Troupe, Raging Tides and Mohist Hill. Hollow Vale, Lone Cloud and Inkbound Order have no way to join yet. Joining is optional: you start without a sect, the first sect clues appear at level 10, and most sect martial arts can also be learned through Skill Theft.

We checked the official patch notes through Version 2.2 and compared Game8's sect guides (updated between December 2025 and August 2026) with the Fextralife wiki and BlueStacks. Where only one guide gives a step, we name it.

Last checked: October 11, 2026 (Version 2.2).

At a glance

Sect	What it is about	Martial arts it teaches	Can you join?
Well of Heaven	Righteous brotherhood: weekly good deeds, no harming fellow disciples	Thundercry Blade	Yes
Silver Needle	Healers who charge for treatment	Panacea Fan, Inkwell Fan	Yes
Midnight Blades	Open-world PvP for karma	Infernal Twinblades	Yes
Nine Mortal Ways	Tricksters, disguises and pranks	Mortal Rope Dart	Yes
Velvet Shade	Charm and social bonds	Vernal Umbrella	Yes
The Masked Troupe	Performers with stage names	None of its own yet	Yes
Raging Tides	Spear fighters who never retreat, and drink	Heavenquaker Spear, Stormbreaker Spear, Phalanxbane Blade	Yes
Mohist Hill	Hidden crafters and inventors (Version 2.0)	Heavenwill Gauntlets	Yes
Hollow Vale	Healing and poison in balance	Soulshade Umbrella (by Skill Theft)	Not yet
Lone Cloud	Sword discipline	Strategic Sword (by Skill Theft at its sanctum)	Not yet
Inkbound Order	Scholars	None listed	Not yet

How sects work

Level 10 first. Sect clues start to appear once you reach level 10. A clue points you to a place where the sect's elder waits.
A trial, then a gift. The elder sets a quest or a test. If you pass, you join and receive an entry gift: the sect's martial art and a matching weapon.
One sect at a time. To leave, open the Sect menu and choose Betray Master. You can then join another sect, or return to an old one later. The official notes of January 12, 2026 mention a cooldown for one group of members rejoining after Betray Master.
Rules with weekly goals. Every sect has rules, and some count each week. Breaking them costs points such as Precept Value, Virtue or Karma, depending on the sect.
What members get. A sect shop with items only that sect sells, titles, cosmetics and sect ranks. Since January 2026, promotions go to the members with the highest merit, and Version 2.0 put every sect activity on one Sect Gameplay screen.
Staying sectless is fine. You keep full freedom and no weekly duties. You miss the sect shop and ranks, but most weapons can still be learned through Skill Theft.

How to join each sect

Well of Heaven

What it asks: do good deeds each week, keep your weekly earnings modest, and never harm another member.
How to join: the clue leads to Harvestfall Village in western Qinghe, where the initiation quest starts. Game8 and BlueStacks agree on the village.
Teaches: the Thundercry Blade, the tank blade of Stonesplit - Might.

Silver Needle

What it asks: charge for every treatment and collect at least 15 likes a week. Group healing earns extra points.
How to join: find Dr. Yuan near Sage's Knoll on Moonveil Mountain in Qinghe. The Fextralife wiki quotes the in-game clue, which names a trial called the Three Questions. BlueStacks adds that you need the Healer-Initiate rank first.
Teaches: the Panacea Fan and the Inkwell Fan.

Midnight Blades

What it asks: fight other players in the open world. Wins earn karma and defeats cost it, and Midnight Judgment challenges add more PvP.
How to join: the clue sits at Halo Peak in Sundara Land. Game8 says you stain a White Decree by defeating any enemy, then hand it to Icchantika.
Teaches: the Infernal Twinblades.

Nine Mortal Ways

What it asks: earn weekly Fun Points by tricking people and taking part in disguises. Failed tricks or jail time cost Virtue.
How to join: it hides inside the Well of Heaven initiation in Harvestfall Village: the elder you meet is a fake. Game8 says to answer "I'll Go With the Flow" to stay with the Nine Mortal Ways, or "Not happy. I quit!" to go on to the real Well of Heaven.
Teaches: the Mortal Rope Dart. Since Version 1.2, the sect also has a base under the Ghostlight Market.

Velvet Shade

What it asks: a social life of charm, companions and bonds.
How to join: the invitation is tied to ending a partnership with Shi Yimo at Crimson Cliff in Qinghe. The official notes of January 12, 2026 also link Sever Partnership to the Velvet Shade. Game8 says the clue only shows up after you reach Kaifeng, and that a partnership needs a friend at Companions intimacy in Online Mode and a 24-hour wait before it can be severed.
Teaches: the Vernal Umbrella.

The Masked Troupe

What it asks: perform. Members take a stage name and build an audience.
How to join: Game8 is the only guide with steps. The clue leads to the Fairgrounds in Kaifeng City. You talk to Han Yanluo, then perform music or a dance in Online Mode until other players like it. Alternatively, an invitation letter from the Show of Splendor event opens a beginner music contest.
Teaches: no martial art of its own yet. The official notes of May 27, 2026 name its chief, "Virtuoso", and describe how stage names return to the pool when a member leaves.

Raging Tides

What it asks: fight with the spear every day, never retreat in trials, and keep up the drinking.
How to join: win a drinking game. Game8 and BlueStacks agree on that. Game8's version: get the Letter of Initiation, drink nine fine wines, then beat the elder at Heaven's Pier. At launch the in-game clue said the sect was too drunk to take anyone in; Game8's join guide dates from June 2026.
Teaches: the Heavenquaker Spear, the Stormbreaker Spear and the Phalanxbane Blade.

Mohist Hill

What it asks: craft, research patents, stay hidden from the world and keep out of personal feuds.
How to join: reach level 10 and finish the Haven Astray story, both from the official Version 2.0 overview. Game8 adds that the clue leads to the Incomparable Tavern, that you pass Heron's bridge test, and that Elder Stork hands you the token in the Equilibrium Hall.
Teaches: the Heavenwill Gauntlets, the weapon of Bamboocut - Kite.

The three sects you cannot join yet

Hollow Vale balances healing and poison. At launch its in-game clue said no one knew how to join, and no guide has documented a way since. Its Soulshade Umbrella is still learnable by Skill Theft in the Post Station caves in eastern Kaifeng.
Lone Cloud is a sword school. Its sanctum is where Skill Theft teaches the Strategic Sword: the in-game map calls the Strategic Sword Sanctum the Lone Cloud Martial Sanctum.
Inkbound Order is a sect of scholars. Its launch clue said its imperial exams had not begun, and Game8 still lists no martial art for it.

Join a sect, or learn by Skill Theft?

You do not need a sect to learn its weapon. Skill Theft from a master teaches most of these martial arts, and our weapons database lists how to unlock each of the 20 weapons, with sources. A sect is worth joining for what Skill Theft cannot give: the sect shop, titles, ranks, and a ready-made weekly routine.

Which sect fits your play style

You like PvP: Midnight Blades. Its rules pay for fighting other players, and our PvP guide for beginners covers the Arena side.
You like healing: Silver Needle. Its rules ask you to treat players for a fee, and our healer build uses its Panacea Fan.
You like spears and front-line fights: Raging Tides.
You like playing with others socially: Velvet Shade or The Masked Troupe. Both count part of their progress in other players' company or likes.
You like tricks and disguises: Nine Mortal Ways.
You want the gauntlets: Mohist Hill.
You play mostly alone: check the weekly rules first. Silver Needle and The Masked Troupe measure part of their progress in likes from other players.

Official changes since launch

Version 1.2 (January 9, 2026): a new map, the Nine Mortal Ways Base, in the underground Ghostlight Market, open from January 23.
January 12, 2026: changes to Midnight Judgment, the Sever Partnership flow in the Velvet Shade, promotions by merit, Silver Needle consultation fees, and Nine Mortal Ways members rejoining after Betray Master.
May 8, 2026: a fix for the divination animation in the Nine Mortal Ways Base.
May 27, 2026: The Masked Troupe's chief "Virtuoso" and stage names, a Midnight Blades badge, and sect voting.
Version 2.0 (July 22, 2026): the new sect Mohist Hill, and a single Sect Gameplay screen for all sect activities (patch notes).

We found nothing about sects in the Version 2.1 and 2.2 patch notes.