Where Winds Meet has introduced one of the most involved social systems in any wuxia action RPG, and marriage sits right at its center. You log in expecting fast combat and martial arts, then the game asks you to build trust, attend ceremonies, and commit to another player for tangible gameplay benefits. This isn’t cosmetic roleplay padding either. Marriage is linked to intimacy progress, shared bonuses, teleport options, and long-term benefits in co-op play. Here’s how to get married in Where Winds Meet and what type of relationships you can build with NPCs.
How Romance Works in Where Winds Meet
Marriage (or romance) in Where Winds Meet is only possible between actual players. You can’t romance NPCs, no matter how much you like them or how high their affinity increases. It will disappoint you at some point in your playthrough, but the system is designed for real players to form a partnership, which the game treats as a formal bond with progression, rewards, and unique features.
Gender doesn’t matter at all. You can marry anyone, no matter if it’s male or female. Normally, you can only have one partner at a time, but if you join the Velvet Shade sect, you can marry multiple players. Once married, you get access to partnership titles, shared progression, special interactions, and ongoing bonuses connected to intimacy levels. So it’s not only a label in the social menu. You might think of it as an optional side activity, and yes, it is, but the developers have put serious thoughts to bring us the marriage system, which takes place with proper ceremonies as in real Chinese culture.
How to Marry in Where Winds Meet
Before the game even lets you wed someone, you and your partner need to build some relationship. You must reach Intimacy Level 2, called Companions, with the player you want to partner with. It happens naturally as you play together, do co-op content, or exchange gifts, and it won’t take long if you continuously team up. You further need to be in Online Mode and in the same party.
Marriage can’t be achieved alone but rather through a shared event. Once the conditions are met, you will be ready to make it official. After you reach the required Intimacy level with another player, open the menu (Esc on PC, Start on PS5), go to Social, and choose Partnership. Under this section, click “Go to Partnership” and select the same partner.
All marriages are handled by Shi Yimo, a little girl in a dark red outfit who oversees partnerships. You’ll find her at Crimson Cliff, near the Wishing Tree of Fate in Red Maple Forest, southwest of the General’s Shrine in Qinghe. Form a party with your partner, travel there together, and talk to Shi Yimo. When the option appears, select ‘Form a Partnership‘. That triggers the marriage interaction and officially ties the knot for your characters. After this, your partnership will be active, and relationship progress shifts into marriage-specific territory.
What You Actually Get From Being Married
Marriage has an impact on the Intimacy system, which has 10 levels shared across all player relationships. As a married couple, you’ll naturally progress faster because you will likely play together often.
As intimacy increases, you unlock:
- Bonus Adventure Slips when playing together, which scale up to 55% at max level
- Quality-of-life features like instant teleport to your partner in the same scene
- Automatic team joining without confirmation
- Borrow a friend’s outfit, which is great if one of you owns premium cosmetics
- Exclusive titles, badges, and synced emotes
The Adventure Slip bonus alone makes marriage worthwhile if you play multiplayer a lot. Over time, you earn noticeably more currency than in solo or with random groups. As you play with a partner, you’ll earn partnership points and Harmony Tokens, which can be exchanged in the shop for exclusive rewards. The setup encourages you to remain in contact as much as possible, not just tie the knot and then ghost each other. It’s like the game genuinely expects you to, I dunno, keep the romance alive. Who would’ve thought?
Intimacy Levels After Marriage
Marriage is built on intimacy. You’ll go through the same intimacy tiers, but after the wedding, there’s more to it, and the rewards get better. At early levels, you get simple perks and can sync actions with your partner. Mid levels unlock the features to teleport, open-door join, and outfit sharing. When you hit the higher levels, you basically become a permanent co-op team with the best resource bonuses you can get. Some intimacy milestones ask for a short ceremony or interaction to advance, so progression isn’t just passive grinding. Stick together and play often, and you’ll see your intimacy score keep climbing up.
What If You Don’t Have a Partner
If none of your friends play Where Winds Meet and you don’t have a stranger to contact, the game doesn’t leave you stuck. Talk to Shi Yimo, choose the ‘Seeking Fate Chat Info‘ option in dialogue, and in the next opened window, click Initiate Seeking Fate. In the text area, leave a short message to describe what you’re looking for in a partner. Other players will see the board and can reach out to you. You can send up to three messages every day.
It’s surprisingly active, and you’ll see everything from practical “daily co-op partner wanted” posts to full roleplay pitches. Once you connect with someone, team up, build intimacy, and return to Shi Yimo when you’re ready. It’s far less awkward than spamming world chat only to ask strangers if they would like to be your partner.
NPC Relationships and Why They’re Different
You can’t marry NPCs in Where Winds Meet, but NPC relationships still matter. Once you raise affinity with the NPC, it unlocks better shop inventories, personal story quests, and occasional rewards. Treat them well, do their quests, and give gifts when appropriate. Just don’t confuse affinity with romance. No matter how close you get, NPCs stay platonic. Marriage is reserved entirely for player connections.
Other Relationship Types You Can Build
Marriage is just one part of the social system in Where Winds Meet. There’s a Master and Disciple relationship, where expert players guide newcomers and both sides collect rewards along the way. Then there’s Sworn Brotherhood, a kind of pact that lets up to 10 players team up for the long haul. Of course, there is regular friendship too, and even that grows stronger as you level up intimacy. All these systems overlap, but what’s the most personal and long-term bond in the game is marriage.
