If you’ve spent any time wandering the mist-shrouded bamboo groves of Chapter 3’s western wilderness, you’ve almost certainly felt the sudden sharp gusts of wind that push you off course when you stray too far from the main path. Those gusts lead straight to the hidden cliffside arena where winds meet elder gongsun, one of the game’s toughest optional boss fights. I still remember my first attempt at where winds meet elder gongsun: I walked through the fog wall with half a healing gourd, and he one-shot me with a gong slam before I even got a single hit in. After 12+ clear runs across three different difficulty levels, I’ve put together everything you need to know to beat him without spending hours grinding extra levels.
How to Unlock the Arena Where Winds Meet Elder Gongsun
A lot of players accidentally walk past the arena entirely, because the fog wall blocking the entrance won’t lift until you collect three bamboo flute fragments from roaming spirit enemies scattered across the nearby grove. You can spot these spirits easily—they’re the small, glowing blue figures that play short flute tunes when you get within 10 meters of them. You don’t have to fight them; just walk up to each one and interact to collect the fragment, and they’ll vanish without a fight.
Once you have all three fragments, head back to the area with the strongest wind gusts, and the fog wall will dissipate when you get within 5 meters of it. Make sure you have at least two full healing gourd charges and a full stamina bar before you step through, because you can’t leave the arena once the fight starts until you either win or die. I learned that the hard way when I walked in with 10% health on my first try, and couldn’t escape to heal.
Elder Gongsun's Core Attack Patterns You Need to Memorize
One of the most common mistakes players make when fighting where winds meet elder gongsun is trying to run away from his attacks instead of learning their clear tells. All his moves follow very predictable cues, and once you learn to spot them, you can avoid 90% of his damage without wasting extra stamina on unnecessary dodges. He only has four main attacks, and he repeats them in a consistent pattern for most of the fight:
- Wind Slash Volley: He swipes his gong staff three times in a row, sending sharp wind projectiles that track your position for the first two seconds after firing. Dodge sideways right as they’re about to hit, not backward—backward dodges don’t get you far enough away to avoid the final slash. You can also block the first two slashes with a high-poise shield if you’re low on stamina, but never try to block the third, as it breaks 90% of common shields instantly.
- Gong Slam Shockwave: He lifts his gong over his head for one full second before slamming it into the ground, creating a circular shockwave that covers 70% of the arena. Jump right as the gong touches the ground to avoid taking damage and getting stunned for three seconds. If you get stunned here, he’ll almost always follow up with a charge attack that takes off 70% of your health bar.
- Whirlwind Charge: He spins his staff in a circle for two full seconds before charging straight at you at high speed. Dodge to the side at the last possible second, don’t dodge early—he adjusts his path slightly if you move too soon. Once he misses and stumbles forward for half a second, you can get 2-3 quick hits in on his back before he recovers.
- Phase 2 Gale Burst: Once his health drops below 50%, he slams his gong once to unleash a constant wind field that slows your movement speed by 20% for the rest of the fight. Equipping a common wind resistance amulet beforehand cuts this slow effect in half, which makes dodging his attacks far easier.
You don’t need to learn any fancy combos or use rare consumables to beat him. 90% of winning this fight is just recognizing these four attacks and reacting correctly every time.
Winning Strategies for Every Phase of the Fight
If you’re used to fighting slower, heavier bosses, the speed of where winds meet elder gongsun’s attacks can catch you off guard at first. Phase 1 covers the first half of his health bar, from 100% down to 50%. During this phase, he sticks to the first three attacks in the list above, and doesn’t have any surprise moves. The best strategy here is to stay 10-15 meters away from him at all times until he finishes an attack, then move in for quick hits. Don’t get greedy with attacks—two to three light hits are all you can fit in before he recovers and counters. Fast weapons like daggers or straight swords work far better here than heavy greatswords, since you need to get in and out of range quickly.
Once his health hits 50%, he triggers the Phase 2 Gale Burst we mentioned earlier, and adds one new attack: the gong scream. He lifts his gong up to his face for one full second before ringing it, and the sound wave stuns you for two seconds if you’re within 20 meters of him. You can either run out of range when you see him lift the gong, or dodge through the sound wave right as it’s emitted to avoid the stun. If you do get stunned, use your emergency dodge roll immediately to break out before he follows up with a charge attack.
If you have the cloud summoning spell unlocked, this is the perfect fight to use it. You can float 5 meters above the ground for 10 seconds, which lets you completely avoid all gong slam shockwaves while getting safe ranged hits in on him. I save my spell uses for Phase 2, since the movement slow makes dodging shockwaves a lot harder.
All Hidden Loot You Get for Beating Elder Gongsun
Most players only know about the guaranteed reward for beating this boss, but there are two hidden rewards you can miss if you don’t know what to look for. The guaranteed drop is the Elder Gongsun Wind Gong, a unique off-hand weapon that lets you create a small wind shield that blocks all projectile attacks for 10 seconds, with a 60 second cooldown. This item is a game-changer for the next chapter, which is full of ranged archer enemies that can chip away at your health from far away.
The first hidden reward is the Gale Step ability, which you only unlock if you beat him without taking any damage from his gong slam shockwave attacks. Gale Step lets you dash twice in a row without using any stamina, once every 30 seconds, which is one of the most useful mobility abilities in the entire game. I didn’t even know this reward existed until my fifth clear run, when I accidentally avoided all his slam attacks and got the pop-up for the ability after the fight.
The second hidden reward is a chest tucked behind the large stone pedestal in the back of the arena, that spawns only after you beat the boss. Open it, and you’ll get three rare wind resistance gems and the crafting recipe for the full Gale Armor set, which gives you 30% extra movement speed when your health drops below 30%. I missed this chest on my first three runs, because I left the arena immediately after the fight without looking around. Don’t forget to check the back of the arena before you leave, or you’ll lose out on these rare items permanently if you progress to the next chapter.
The fight where winds meet elder gongsun feels incredibly intimidating the first few times you attempt it, but it’s far easier than it looks once you memorize his attack patterns. You don’t need to be overleveled or have rare endgame gear to beat him—all you need is a little patience and the right counters for his moves. Once you beat him, the rewards are more than worth the effort, and will make the rest of your playthrough far smoother. If you’re still struggling after a few attempts, try leveling up your stamina two or three times first, since most of the fight relies on having enough stamina to dodge at the right time.
