If you’ve spent dozens of hours wandering the frigid peaks of the Mountaintops of the Giants, you’ve probably caught faint, disembodied sound bites that don’t seem tied to any visible enemy or NPC. I wrote off the mix of howling gusts and soft, mournful cries as generic ambient noise for my first two full playthroughs, until a random comment from a friend made me stop and track down where winds meet cries in the distance. What I found ended up being one of my favorite hidden areas in the entire game, packed with rare loot most players never find on their first run.
What Makes Where Winds Meet Cries in the Distance Such a Hard Spot to Find?
The biggest issue with this hidden area is that its only tell is an audio cue that’s super easy to miss if you’re rushing through the area. Most players blaze through the Mountaintops of the Giants on Torrent, trying to get to the endgame bosses as fast as possible, and the sound of your horse’s hooves plus the constant howl of mountain wind drowns out the faint crying entirely. The audio cue only plays if you’re walking, not riding Torrent, so you’ll never trigger it if you don’t dismount every now and then to explore on foot.
Even if you do hear the cry, it’s hard to pinpoint where it’s coming from. The sound bounces off the ice cliffs, so it sounds like it’s coming from all directions at once. I spent 20 minutes wandering in circles the first time I heard it, checking every cave and overhang I could find before I noticed the tiny, half-frozen ledge tucked just below the main cliff path. If you’re having trouble picking up the audio cue for where winds meet cries in the distance, try turning off the game’s background music in the settings — that makes the crying sound much easier to hear. The ledge is covered in thin ice that looks like part of the cliff face at first glance, so it’s no surprise most players walk right past it.
Step-by-Step Path to Reach the Hidden Location
To get to the spot, start at the Freezing Lake Site of Grace, which is just past the Fire Giant boss fight if you’re following the main story path. Head northwest along the cliff edge, and dismount Torrent as soon as you pass the third group of frost wolves patrolling the path. Walk slowly along the cliff, and you’ll know you’re getting close to where winds meet cries in the distance when your frost buildup meter starts ticking up faster than normal, even if you’re not standing in snow. Do not jump off the main cliff face, or you’ll take fatal fall damage before you reach the ledge — look for a small, sloped patch of snow that leads down to the hidden ledge instead.
Before you head into the cave at the end of the ledge, make sure you have these items with you to avoid unnecessary deaths:
- At least 40 vigor to survive the constant cold damage ticks and surprise enemy attacks
- A torch or lantern to light the narrow, pitch-black cave section past the ledge
- At least 1 ranged weapon or spell to take out the invisible sniper guarding the cave entrance
- 3 or more warming stones to counteract the rapid frost buildup inside the cave
Once you take out the sniper, you can head into the cave. The path is linear, but there are a few small ice pockets you can fall through if you’re not paying attention, so walk slowly. Bring a holy damage weapon if you plan to fight the optional boss at the end of the cave, as the wraith boss is weak to holy and takes 50% more damage from holy sources.
Hidden Rewards You Can Unlock At This Spot
The first reward you’ll find is right by the cave entrance: a corpse holding a +2 Frost Tear, which you can add to your Sacred Flask to give yourself 90 seconds of frost resistance and +10% frost damage to all your attacks. That tear alone makes the trip worth it, especially if you’re running a frost build. Once you get further into the cave, you’ll find a small chest tucked behind an ice pillar holding an Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone, which lets you upgrade any normal weapon to +25. The Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone here is one of only 12 available in a single playthrough, so it’s an incredibly rare and valuable loot drop.
If you choose to fight the Crying Wraith boss at the end of the cave, you’ll get the Remembrance of the Crying Wraith, which you can trade to Enia at the Roundtable Hold for one of two powerful items: the Wail of the Wind Greatsword, a colossal sword that builds frost on hit and has a weapon art that sends out a cone of freezing wind, or the Lamenting Wind spell, which summons three homing wind blades that deal frost damage and knock down light enemies. You’ll also find a hidden grave marker in the back of the boss arena that you can interact with to get the Wind’s Lament gesture, which is required for 100% completion of the game.
Even if you don’t care about the boss loot, the cave has three clusters of thawfrost moss and two crystal deposits of ghost crystal, which are hard to find in bulk in the late game and sell for a high price if you don’t need them for crafting. I usually stop by every playthrough just to stock up on these materials, even if I don’t plan to fight the boss.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Exploring This Area
Most players make the same few mistakes when they first try to find this area, and they end up wasting time or missing out on rare loot entirely. The most common mistake is riding Torrent through the area, as we mentioned earlier — if you don’t dismount, you’ll never hear the audio cue that leads you to the hidden ledge. Another common mistake is not bringing enough warming stones, as the frost buildup in the cave is fast enough that you’ll die in under two minutes if you don’t use them regularly.
A lot of players also rush the boss fight and attack the Crying Wraith as soon as they enter the arena, but you can actually talk to the wraith first to get a free Ghost Glovewort [10] before you start the fight. It only takes 10 seconds to interact with it, and the Ghost Glovewort [10] lets you upgrade your spirit ashes to +10, which is a huge boost for late game builds. You can skip the boss fight entirely if you bring 3 Ghost Glovewort [9] to offer to the wraith, and you still get all the loot except the remembrance, which is a great option if you’re underleveled or don’t care about the boss’s exclusive weapons.
Finally, don’t forget to activate the hidden Site of Grace just outside the boss arena before you leave. A lot of players grab the loot and leave immediately, and then they have to walk all the way back through the cave if they want to come back later to get the gesture or fight the boss. The Site of Grace is tucked behind a small ice wall to the left of the arena entrance, so you’ll have to break the ice with a weapon to get to it. It’s also a great fast travel point if you want to farm the frost wolves and crystal deposits in the area later.
This hidden spot is one of the best examples of the little, thoughtful details that make exploring the Lands Between so rewarding. You don’t get any quest markers or hints pointing you to it, so finding it feels like a real accomplishment, and the loot you get is actually useful for almost any build. If you’re looking for a fun, low-stakes exploration detour during your next playthrough, take 30 minutes to track down where winds meet cries in the distance — you won’t regret the trip.
