The AI chat feature in Where Winds Meet brings unpredictability to NPC interactions, and Zhao Dali is one of the first hurdles you face. He is a lonely, self-conscious guard, and your task is to “offer him comfort.” Sounds simple, but the AI chatbot system makes it trickier than the usual RPG friendship quest. Since there isn’t a single dialogue tree, you have to talk your way into his heart with correct AI conversation prompts. Here’s how to befriend Zhao Dali through the AI Chat in Where Winds Meet.
Where to Find Zhao Dali in Where Winds Meet
You can find Zhao Dali near the main shrine towards the west of General’s Shrine. He usually paces at the main shrine area or trains in the courtyard. If you haven’t engaged him yet, he is the guy lamenting his lack of a wife and empty pockets. Interact with him and start the conversation by discussing recent events.
How to Befriend Zhao Dali in AI Chat in Where Winds Meet
The game subtly hints at everything you need to know: Zhao Dali is old, unmarried, and feels bad about it. He is worried that he may die alone. The win condition to befriend Zhao Dali is getting him to believe he has a shot at love. You need to play the role of an aggressive hype man or a matchmaker.
Zhao has low self-esteem due to his rugged looks and lack of money. The game wants you to cheer him up and help him lift his spirits. Zhao Dali thinks he’s ugly, broke, and believes no woman would want a rough caravan guard with calloused hands. Two approaches can work here:
- Give him hope to find love – Tell him someone’s out there for him, he’ll meet his life companion soon, or you’ll help him find a wife.
- Build his confidence – Remind him that being strong and rugged is attractive, women appreciate a protective man, and his martial arts skills are impressive.
To flip the script on him and based on what gets successful results in Zhao Dali’s AI chat, here’s what you should do:
- When Dali mentions training but having no wife, reply with something like “You’re strong, and any woman would be lucky to marry you.” Mention that if he trains hard, he can protect a wealthy lady.
- If he worries about being rough or having calloused hands, tell him many women like rugged guys and appreciate someone who protects them. Frame his “roughness” as a masculine asset rather than a defect.
- Mention upcoming banquets, events, or social gatherings where he might meet someone. Tell him he should show off his skills at the banquet to attract a partner.
- Use phrases like “believe in yourself,” “don’t give up on the first try,” and “I believe in you.” When he starts to show hope, reinforce it.
If generic compliments fail, get specific. The AI usually reacts well when you introduce specific (even made-up) scenarios that involve other NPCs.
- Tell him Fairy Huang or Du Qiaoxian is secretly interested in him.
- Mention that you heard a rumor that a lady in the market is looking for a husband exactly like him.
- Say you’ll introduce him to single women, arrange a party, or help him find a wife. The AI conversation responds well to direct help offers.
Help him lift his spirits until he shows gratitude. You’ll know it worked when text appears saying he reflects on your words and bows, which will result in +100 Affection, status change to Revered.
Alternative Methods to Befriend Zhao Dali
The following are some other ways players have used to increase affection with Zhao Dali:
- Tell him you’ll set up a party with single women.
- Demand that he stop wallowing and actively search for a wife.
- Mention that traveling with caravans will let him meet diverse people.
- Tell him to get a pet as a companion.
- Even suggest to him to consider finding a husband instead (it surprisingly can be effective).
In whatever way, give him hope. It doesn’t matter if you make stuff up about women waiting to meet him at festivals or claim someone is already into him.
How to Solve AI Chat Issues
The AI is an LLM (Large Language Model), so it can hallucinate or get stuck in a negative loop. You might say the right thing, and Zhao Dali might just “Sigh…” and ignore you. You can say the same things in two different attempts and get completely different results.
The conversation goes nowhere: If you have spent five minutes convincing him he’s handsome, and he is still whining about being poor, the conversation is dead. Click the Refresh/Recycle icon at the top of the chat box to reset the chat. It wipes his memory and lets you try a different angle (like the Matchmaker strategy) from a fresh start. It’s better to talk again from scratch than to try to salvage a broken dialogue thread.
Zhao Dali turns hostile: Sometimes the AI interprets your tough love as a threat. If Zhao Dali becomes angry and attacks you, do not kill him. Just log out of the main menu and log back in, then he will reset to his normal state. If you kill him, he can respawn, but it’s a hassle you don’t need.
Stuck in repetitive loops: Say something completely unrelated to shake the AI out of the pattern, then lead the chat back on track by encouraging Dali about romance.
The hint says he’s satisfied but dialogue continues: Always keep an eye on the hint text in the UI. Sometimes the AI seems happy, but hasn’t triggered the friendship increase yet. You can’t get success until the system acknowledges that the hint criteria are met.
Zhao Dali Gifts
Once turned Old Friend, Zhao Dali sends weekly gifts to your mailbox. The most valuable drop is Madam Wang’s Card, a stat-boosting item that increases your +1 Musicality.
