The River Warden Wandering Tale Walkthrough - Where Winds Meet

The River Warden is a Wandering Tale in Where Winds Meet that starts in Roaring Sands, Kaifeng near the Roaring Sands Teleport landmark. Make offerings to the second statue on the left to pick up the Golden Hairpin, head to the Eternal Solitude Hall boundary stone to find Elder Zhang by the central statue in the dried-up river, make offerings there, and give him the hairpin to complete the tale.

Where to start the River Warden tale

You’ll generally unlock it once you've progressed in the main storyline that affects the river levels (like completing The River’s Fury). To start The River Warden Wandering Tale, go to the marked spot in Roaring Sands, Kaifeng near the Roaring Sands Teleport landmark and make offerings to the statue.

How to complete the River Warden tale in Where Winds Meet

Follow the steps below to complete the Wandering Tale in Where Winds Meet:

Step 1

After reaching the marked spot, make offerings to the second statue on the left and pick up the Golden Hairpin in front of it to get the first clue.

Step 2

Go to the Eternal Solitude Hall boundary stone and head straight towards the statue in the middle of the dried-up river, where Elder Zhang is standing in front of it.

Step 3

Make offerings to the statue then speak with Elder Zhang.

Step 4

Give the Golden Hairpin to Elder Zhang to finish the tale and get your rewards.

Rewards

• Echo Jade: x20
• Kaifeng Exploration: x10
• Character EXP: x1500
• Coins: x1500

What Wandering Tales mean in Where Winds Meet

Wandering tales are usually hidden or unmarked on your main map — you often need to discover them by exploring the world, listening to NPCs, or triggering events.

They reward exploration currency (like Exploration points), Echo Jade, Coins, and EXP, making them worthwhile for leveling and progress.

Some are simple fetch-quests, others involve puzzles, stealth, or mini-games — this variety makes them fun side activities or breaks from the main storyline.

How do Wandering Tales work

Wandering Tales are collectible lore encounters scattered across the WWM open world. They act like micro-story quests that reward exploration rather than combat or progression gates. When you approach a Wandering Tale trigger, the UI shows a prompt (often after interacting with an object, spirit trace, inscription, abandoned gear, or scenic memory point). Activating it plays out a short narrative sequence—through text, voiced lines, or visual flashbacks—revealing hidden history about regions, sects, or forgotten figures.

Typical wandering tales progression

• Find a trigger in the world.
• Interact to activate the tale.
• Watch/read the short story sequence.
• Collect rewards instantly.
• Entry saves to your Tales Codex/Archive.
• Some unlock exploration or NPC branches.
• Completion boosts exploration progress.

Thanks for staying till the end! If this The River Warden walkthrough guide made things easier or gave you useful insights, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Drop your feedback or questions in the comments—we’re always active and ready to assist with anything that still feels unclear.