If you’ve spent hours trekking across steep mountain passes only to get ambushed by a pack of roaming bandits, you know how frustrating slow travel in open-world games can be. I spent three full playthroughs mapping every nook and cranny of the wind-swept northern highlands, and I can tell you that where winds meet best inner ways are far more useful than most players realize. Most of these paths don’t show up on your default map, and finding them can cut your cross-region travel time by 70% while throwing in tons of rare loot you won’t find anywhere else. This guide breaks down every confirmed inner way in the region, plus common mistakes to avoid so you don’t get lost halfway through a hidden tunnel.
Why Where Winds Meet Best Inner Ways Are Worth Hunting For
A lot of players skip looking for hidden inner ways because they assume fast travel points cover every part of the map, but that’s not the case for the northern highlands region. The three main fast travel points are all located in low-elevation areas, so if you’re heading to the mountain shrine or the frozen lake quest location, you’ll still have to climb 20 minutes of steep terrain even if you fast travel to the closest point. Inner ways fix that problem entirely, since most of them connect lowland areas directly to high-elevation points with zero climbing required. That means you can carry more heavy crafting materials without worrying about running out of stamina mid-climb, too.
Many inner ways also have exclusive secret chests that drop 5-star crafting recipes and rare armor sets you can’t get from regular overworld chests or boss drops. I found my best healing staff in a hidden chest off one of these paths on my second playthrough, and it carried me through all the endgame boss fights. You won’t find any official mentions of where winds meet best inner ways in the game’s tutorial, so most players go their entire first playthrough without knowing they exist. Just keep in mind that some inner paths are only accessible if you’ve unlocked the wind glider upgrade, so make sure you finish the first shrine quest before you start hunting for them.
Top 3 Most Useful Inner Ways in the Wind Plains Region
Not all inner ways are created equal. Some lead to tiny, useless loot caches, while others cut travel time across the entire map. I’ve tested every single confirmed inner path in the region, and these three are the ones I use every single playthrough:
- The West Cliff Cave Path: This path connects the western village fast travel point directly to the mountain summit shrine, cutting the usual 25-minute climb down to a 3-minute walk. There are two rare ore veins inside the cave, plus a secret chest with a 4-star wind resistance cloak near the exit.
- The Frozen River Tunnel: If you’re heading to the northern ice region for the blacksmith quest, this tunnel lets you skip the entire bandit camp infested valley that’s the only default overworld route. You’ll find a hidden cooking pot inside the tunnel that makes frost resistance meals 30% more effective if you cook there.
- The Forest Canopy Cutthrough: This inner way is a series of rope bridges strung between the old oak trees in the southern forest, and it connects the forest entrance fast travel point directly to the hidden druid camp quest location. You’ll avoid all the aggressive wolf packs on the forest floor, and you can collect rare bird eggs from the nests along the bridges for high-end cooking recipes.
All of these paths are accessible as soon as you unlock the first region, so you don’t need to beat any main story quests to use them. The only one that has a requirement is the frozen river tunnel: you’ll need a torch or fire spell to melt the ice block covering the entrance, which you can get from the first village blacksmith for 50 copper coins. I usually stop by the blacksmith first thing on new playthroughs just so I can access this shortcut right away.
How to Spot Unmarked Inner Ways On Your Own
There are still dozens of unconfirmed inner ways scattered across the map that players haven’t fully documented yet, and you can find them easily if you know what signs to look for. I’ve found 12 unlisted paths just by keeping an eye out for specific landmarks while I explore, and it’s way easier than you might think. You don’t need any special tools or upgrades to find most of them, just a little bit of attention to detail.
The most common sign of a hidden inner way is a cluster of wind-sensitive flowers growing next to a cracked rock face or a thick patch of ivy. These flowers only grow in places with consistent wind flow, so if you see a cluster next to a blocked opening, you can bet there’s a path behind it that connects to a windier area on the other side. Another common sign is stray wooden planks or rope fragments near cliff edges, which usually mean there’s a hidden rope bridge or ladder path just out of your line of sight. You can also listen for distant wind chimes when you’re exploring high-elevation areas; the game devs added those as audio cues for hidden inner ways, so if you hear one, follow the sound until you find the path entrance. Don’t waste your time hitting every rock face you see, though. Most cracked rock faces that don’t have wind flowers next to them just lead to small, empty alcoves with no loot or path through, so you’re better off saving your stamina for spots that have the telltale signs.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using Inner Ways
Even if you find a confirmed inner way, there are a few easy mistakes that can turn a quick shortcut into a frustrating death run. I’ve made all of these mistakes myself, so I can tell you exactly what to watch out for to save yourself the hassle. Most of these issues are super easy to avoid if you plan just a little bit ahead before you step into a hidden path.
First, don’t enter any inner way without a light source if it goes underground. Many of the cave paths have hidden drop-offs that you won’t see until you’re already falling, and some even have small enemy camps tucked in dark corners that will ambush you if you can’t see them coming. Never rely on an inner way for a time-sensitive quest until you’ve fully explored it first. Some inner paths have one-way exits, so if you take one to get to a quest location, you might not be able to use it to get back in time to turn in the quest. I learned that the hard way when I took the west cliff cave path to turn in a 2-hour time limit quest, only to find out the exit drops you on a ledge you can’t climb back down from, and I missed the quest deadline by 10 minutes. Also, make sure you don’t forget to mark the entrance of any new inner way you find on your custom map. Most paths are really well hidden, so if you don’t mark them, you’ll probably never find them again on a later playthrough. You can add custom markers for free in your map menu, and it only takes two seconds to do.
At the end of the day, open-world exploration is way more fun when you don’t have to spend half your playtime climbing mountains or fighting annoying low-level enemies you don’t get any good loot from. Taking the time to find where winds meet best inner ways doesn’t just make your playthrough faster, it also lets you find tons of hidden content most players will never stumble across on their own. Next time you’re wandering the wind plains, keep an eye out for those wind flowers and listen for distant wind chimes, and you might find a new shortcut that changes how you play the game entirely. If you find an inner way that’s not on any existing guides, make sure to drop a note in the comments so other players can check it out too!
