If you’ve ever wandered high-altitude open world zones staring up at floating loot crates you can’t reach, you’ve probably already wondered about where winds meet platforms. These tucked-away spots, where winds meet platforms high above the regular map, are some of the most rewarding hidden areas in most modern open world titles, but they’re also notoriously tricky to find and access if you don’t know what cues to look for. I’ve stumbled on more than a dozen of these spots across 6 different open world games in the last year, and I’ve put together all the tricks I’ve learned to help you stop missing out on their exclusive, hard-to-find rewards.
What Makes Where Winds Meet Platforms Unique From Other Hidden Spots?
Unlike hidden caves, locked chests behind password puzzles, or secret areas only accessible with late-game items, these spots rely entirely on in-game wind mechanics and traversal skills to reach. They’re almost always set above jagged mountain peaks or deep valley gaps, so they’re easy to miss entirely if you only ever stick to marked roads and ground-level exploration paths. If you’re the type of player who loves chasing every hidden secret, where winds meet platforms spots should be at the top of your priority list. The rewards they hold are almost always far better than standard hidden loot you’ll find across the map too, ranging from rare endgame crafting materials to exclusive character skins and unmarked side quests. You’ll never find a where winds meet platforms spot marked on your default in-game map, which is why so many players complete entire playthroughs without ever finding even one of them. The wind current that lifts you to the platform is almost always hidden within 100 meters of the platform’s general location, so you don’t have to wander for hours once you know you’re in the right area.
Key Visual Cues to Spot These Platforms Before You Waste Time Searching
You don’t have to follow a step-by-step map guide to find where winds meet platforms spots if you know what small details to look for as you explore. First, look for groups of floating dandelions or glowing wind particles near cliff edges – these are universal visual cues across almost every open world game that uses wind mechanics, and they always mark the location of a wind current trigger. If you spot any of these cues, you’re almost guaranteed to be near a where winds meet platforms spot, so take a minute to search for the wind trigger instead of walking past. If you can’t see those particles, listen for a soft, chime-like ambient sound that gets louder as you walk in a certain direction. I once found one of these spots in a frozen mountain zone in the middle of a blizzard, when I couldn’t see 10 feet in front of me, just by following that quiet chime sound. Another easy cue is floating debris like leaves, ice shards, or flower petals moving in a consistent upward path even when there’s no visible wind blowing on the ground. Follow that path, and it will almost always lead you straight to the wind trigger you need to reach the spot above you. Some games hide the trigger behind a tiny, simple puzzle, like lighting three nearby torches or defeating a small group of low-level enemies, so don’t give up if you don’t see the wind current pop up right away when you reach the cue.
Step-by-Step Tips to Access the Platforms Even With Low-Tier Traversal Abilities
A lot of players assume you need maxed-out gliding, triple jump, or other late-game traversal upgrades to reach these platforms, but that’s almost never the case. I’ve accessed almost every where winds meet platforms spot I’ve found with basic, early-game abilities, as long as you follow these simple rules:
- Always activate the wind current right before you jump, not 10 seconds earlier. Most wind currents only last 8 to 12 seconds, so timing your jump to hit the current at its strongest will give you the maximum possible height to reach even the highest platforms.
- Use your glider only when you start to fall after the wind current fades – pulling it out too early will slow your ascent and make you miss the platform edge even if you almost reach it, which is a mistake I made at least 10 times when I first started looking for these spots.
- If you overshoot the platform, don’t panic. Most wind currents refresh after 20 seconds, so you can glide back to the trigger spot and try again without climbing all the way back up the mountain you just scaled.
I tested these tips last month on a new playthrough of a popular open world RPG, and I was able to access a where winds meet platforms spot that I previously thought required a late-game glider upgrade, just by adjusting my jump timing by a single second. If you’re playing a game with summonable mounts or abilities that give you a temporary vertical boost, you can use those right before you hit the wind current to get an extra 10 to 15 feet of height, which is perfect for reaching the highest, most well-hidden platforms. There’s no set reward pool for every where winds meet platforms spot, so you never know what you’re going to get when you make the jump. Don't waste rare upgrade materials on traversal abilities just to reach these spots – the tips above work for 90% of all platform locations I’ve encountered across every game I play.
What Rewards You Can Expect to Find Once You Reach the Platforms
The effort of tracking down and jumping to where winds meet platforms spots is almost always worth it, even if you’re only a few hours into a playthrough. The most common reward is rare crafting materials that you can’t find anywhere else in the game, usually used to upgrade endgame gear or unlock exclusive character abilities that make combat far easier. I’ve also found multiple hidden side quests on these platforms that never pop up on your map even if you’re standing right below them. One of those quests gave me a unique animal companion that followed me for the rest of the playthrough and helped me collect loot automatically, which saved me dozens of hours of grinding. These spots also usually have hidden lore tidbits, like old notes or carvings, that reveal backstory about the game’s world that you won’t get from main story quests. Some platforms even have hidden fast travel points that let you skip hours of climbing across high-altitude zones later in the game, which is easily one of the most useful rewards you can get. The only small downside is that some platforms have a low-level elite enemy guarding the loot, so come prepared with a few healing items just in case. If you’re underleveled, most of these enemies are slow and easy to outrun, so you can grab the loot and glide away before they even get a hit in if you don’t feel like fighting.
You don’t have to be a max-level player or a completionist with 100% map exploration to take advantage of these hidden spots. All you need is a little patience, an eye for the visual cues we covered, and the simple traversal tips to nail the jump without wasting hours of time. Next time you’re wandering a high-altitude game zone and see those floating wind particles or hear that soft chime, follow them – you might just find a where winds meet platforms spot with rewards that make the whole trip worth it. If you’ve found any of these spots in your favorite game, drop a comment below with the best loot you’ve gotten from them, I’d love to hear about it.
