In Where Winds Meet, there are not only dungeons and world bosses but also real raids. How good they are and whether MMORPG players get their money’s worth has been examined by MeinMMO expert Cedric Holmeier.
Right from the start, Where Winds Meet shows that MMORPG players were considered. Thus, you may choose an MMORPG control scheme directly in the tutorial, where the mouse is active the entire time.
Fans of the genre should also get their money’s worth in terms of gameplay. The developers offer dungeons, world bosses, but also raids. These were unlocked last weekend with the level increase to level 55, and our expert tested them for you.
Donkey? Donkey!
The raids in Where Winds Meet have very few prerequisites. A group needs at least one tank, three healers, and six damage dealers who reach the necessary combat skill mastery. Then, as usual, the group is formed and registered via a menu.
Our run lasted about 30 minutes – perfect if you want to play something challenging but not overwhelming after work. Our preparation was nearly zero. And that made it so exciting because we had no idea what surprises awaited us.
The first enemy was the sleeping Taoist. The boss is actually a world boss who defends a herd of donkeys. You will also encounter these donkeys in the raid, and you yourself will repeatedly transform into a donkey to play the mechanics of the boss fight.
Thus, the group had to blend in with the herd of donkeys disguised so as not to be attacked by the boss. It went differently when several players suddenly floated above the arena, and the group had to panic and transform into donkeys to quickly catch them again. Of course, no one caught me, and I hit the ground faster than I could say “Hee-haw”.
All in all, the boss fight was above all: teamwork!
As donkeys catch team members, free team members from root prisons, transform comrades and ensure that you don’t spread donkey disease. All of this screams teamwork.
What the boss fight definitely was not, was a consistent sequence of attacks that you simply had to memorize. The boss’s attack patterns changed repeatedly, and even in the second and third attempts we needed, the boss fight was always somewhat different than before.
After the boss is before the boss
After the first boss, there is loot before facing the second, tougher opponent. Here, Murong Yuan awaits, who is full of explosive power.
This boss fight also revolves around teamwork. My group constantly had to clear fire barrels out of the way and then let them be hit by various boss attacks to destroy them. If you don’t do this, there is a major attack later that clears the battlefield and may take the group with it.
After the boss, loot awaits me as well as the extra skill tree. Here, I can distribute skill points for each challenge completed, which makes the boss fight a bit easier next time. The additional raid skill tree ensures that each further run feels like a small power boost. It’s not a complicated progression system, but enough to give the feeling of really getting stronger and more efficient.
Good or bad, how are the raids?
Where Winds Meet not only tries to attract classic MMORPG fans but also aims to surprise them. Instead of another raid by the book, the game serves up boss fights that rely more on spontaneous teamwork than on memorized rotations. And that makes the first raid so refreshing.
The raids in Where Winds Meet were a lot of fun for my group and me. Anyone hoping for a raid at the highest difficulty level with hours of attempts will not find a home here, but for those looking for a fresh, fun, and team-oriented evening with friends, Where Winds Meet achieves that exactly with its raids.
What I would wish for are proper riding areas instead of isolated boss arenas. A little path, a few trash packs or a second mid-boss would give it more depth. But in the end, teamwork is what counts for me anyway – and that is fortunately clearly the focus here.
Back to the origin
In recent years, raids have increasingly developed into a “dodge and execute the perfect rotation” mode, which Where Winds Meet resolves quite differently with its focus on teamwork. The fact that you also receive substantial rewards, fun mechanics, and an extra skill tree for raid skills makes the mode extra enjoyable.
Where Winds Meet demonstrates with its raids that an MMORPG can still surprise in 2025 – not through pure difficulty, but through creative ideas, humor, and real collaboration. For players tired of endless rotations, who instead want to experience chaos, laughter, and excitement together again, these raids are a real treasure.
Where Winds Meet wants to make as many player groups happy as possible simultaneously, which was one of the good features of theme park MMORPGs. In the meantime, however, the genre has changed, and one player group has been forgotten: Cozy games are the better MMORPGs, and I almost believe it too
