Appearance is a core system in Where Winds Meet, sitting alongside weapons and martial arts as a way to define your character. The game splits visual customization across the initial character creator, a wardrobe of cosmetics, and a plan system that lets you save and swap full looks.
Appearance slots and cosmetic categories
Cosmetics in Where Winds Meet are organized into specific equipment slots. Each slot takes a single cosmetic item at a time, and some items form part of larger themed sets.
| Slot | Example cosmetic | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Hairstyles | Celestial Mortal Hairstyle | Hair model only (not hair color) |
| Body Outfits | Celestial Mortal Armor | Full body clothing silhouette |
| Hats | Withered Orchid | Headwear on top of hair |
| Capes | Blazing Passes | Cloaks and draped back pieces |
| Face Accessories | Realm Seer | Masks, veils, and face ornaments |
| Hair Accessories | Echoes of Speech | Pins, ribbons, and ornaments in the hair |
| Earrings | Jade Earrings | Ear jewelry |
| Accessories | Southern Guest | Extra trinkets and adornments |
These appearance slots are cosmetic only. They sit on top of your functional gear and do not alter stats or combat properties.
Body Outfits and how they override armor
Body Outfits are the most impactful cosmetic slot. When you equip a Body Outfit such as Celestial Mortal Armor, it overrides the visible model of your entire armor set. Individual chest, leg, hand, or boot pieces you wear for stats are still equipped under the hood, but they are hidden by the outfit’s single unified model.
There is no option to cosmetically change each armor piece independently beneath a Body Outfit. Once an outfit is active, it defines the full clothing silhouette until you switch to another outfit or turn the appearance off.
Other slots—hats, capes, face accessories, hair accessories, earrings, and general accessories—layer on top of the outfit. Those can be mixed and matched, so a single Body Outfit can be combined with multiple accessory combinations.
Character creator options at the start
After the opening cutscenes, the game drops you into a detailed character creator. This is where you set the base that your cosmetics will sit on.
| Category | Elements you can tune |
|---|---|
| Body | Body type and overall style |
| Face | Face shape, eyes, nose, lips, ears |
| Makeup | Foundation, eyebrows, pupils, eye makeup, lip makeup, blush, facial accessories, facial hair |
| Hairstyle | Base hair model used before you apply cosmetic hairstyles |
Hair color is locked during initial creation: every character starts with dark hair. To recolor it later, you need specific dye items, which sit in the broader appearance system rather than the creator.
Smart Customization: voice and image input
Smart Customization automates some of the face work if you do not want to tweak every slider. Once you have chosen a body type, you can hand part of the design over to the system.
| Smart input | What you provide | What the game does |
|---|---|---|
| Voice | A recording of you reading the reference text | Derives traits from your voice and builds a face preset from them |
| Image | An uploaded image file, typically a clear front-facing portrait | Analyzes the picture to generate facial features resembling the image |
For image-based customization, a clean, unobstructed shot with only one face gives the system the best chance of producing usable results.
What you can change after creation
Once your character is in the world, you can revisit appearance repeatedly through the Appearance menu on the main menu bar. Many changes require specific items rather than being completely free.
| Customization | Item needed | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Rename Certificate | Lets you change your character’s in-game name |
| Body Type | Transformation Pill | Adjusts base physique set in the creator |
| Face | Water Lady Script | Reopens detailed facial sliders |
| Makeup | None (free) | Foundation, eyebrows, eye and lip makeup, blush, facial accessories, facial hair |
| Hair Color | Inkshade Hairdye / Timeless Hairdye | Dyes override the default dark hair |
| Clothing Color | Softweave Dye Powder / Rosycloud Dye Powder | Changes color variants of outfits that support dyeing |
| Weapons (appearance) | Cosmetic unlocks | Skin-style overrides for weapon models |
| Clothing (appearance) | Cosmetic unlocks | Body Outfits and individual cosmetics for non-Body slots |
| Mount (appearance) | Cosmetic unlocks | Mount skins and visual variants |
Appearance changes are grouped into a dedicated section so you do not need to visit separate NPCs for each one. As long as you hold the required item, you can trigger the relevant change directly from the menu.
Appearances vs. gear: how the wardrobe works
The wardrobe is the layer that ties together armor, cosmetics, and your current look. Each functional gear slot has an associated appearance slot. When you open the wardrobe, you see the list of cosmetic options unlocked for each slot and can choose which one overlays the gear.
Because of the way Body Outfits work, armor mixing is handled differently from accessory mixing:
| Layer | Behavior | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Armor pieces | Provide stats and combat effects; always equipped underneath | A high-level chest piece for defense |
| Body Outfit | Overrides visuals of all armor clothing at once | Celestial Mortal Armor hiding individual chest and leg models |
| Accessories | Stack on top, can be mixed across sets | Withered Orchid hat plus Blazing Passes cape plus Jade Earrings |
You can swap appearances in the wardrobe without changing the underlying stats. That separation makes it safe to experiment visually without hurting your build.
Importing appearance and outfit codes
The customization system supports sharing appearances through codes and QR images. Both full character looks and individual outfits can be imported.
After your character is created, open the Appearance menu and choose the import option for either character appearance or outfit. The import window lets you:
- Upload an image file containing a QR code.
- Enter a text customization code directly.
Codes you find in the in-game Gallery can be applied straight from there. When you select a design, the game shows how it will apply and lets you confirm before overriding your current appearance.
You can also generate shareable QR codes for your own appearances using the Share feature in the Character Customization menu. The game produces an image that includes a QR code in the corner, ready to post or send to other players.
Outfit Plans: saving and swapping full looks
On top of individual slot choices, Where Winds Meet lets you save entire looks as “Plans.” A Plan stores your active clothing, weapon cosmetics, accessories, and other appearance elements so you can swap everything at once.
To work with Plans:
- Open the Appearance menu.
- Use the Outfit Plan button (F on keyboard, Y on Xbox, △ on PlayStation).
In the Plan screen, you see empty or filled slots. Selecting an empty slot and choosing “Save to this plan” captures your current appearance into that slot. Plans are not preview or wishlist slots; you must already own every item you want in a Plan before you can save it.
| Plan action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Retake Cover Image | Temporarily equips the Plan and lets you snap a new thumbnail image. |
| Rename | Sets a custom name for the Plan (up to nine characters). |
| Save to this plan | Overwrites the Plan with your current equipped appearance. |
| Apply Build | Equips all cosmetics stored in the Plan in one action. |
| Automatic outfit change settings | Configures rules so the game can switch to this Plan in certain regions or activities, or at random. |
Automatic change rules are particularly useful if you want a different look for exploration, combat, or social areas without manually swapping each time.
Free outfits, gacha sets, and cash cosmetics
Outfits in Where Winds Meet come from several different channels. Some sets are simply unlocked by playing, others are tied to gacha-style pulls, and some are direct purchases.
Free outfits often align closely with the grounded wuxia tone of the setting—beggar-style clothes, simple straw cloaks, traveling robes, and armor that looks like it belongs on a wandering martial artist. A number of these are rewarded through story progress and early-game activities, so new players do not have to spend money to avoid looking generic.
Gacha and paid outfits skew more elaborate: dragon-themed armor, peacock-like winged robes, ornate dresses, and darker or flashier thematic sets. These cosmetics do not change power. They sit firmly in the style category, giving players who want extravagant looks a way to get them without impacting combat balance.
Because outfits are purely cosmetic and the game’s systems are built around skill and gear progression, the monetization sits in the “fashion” layer rather than pay-to-win mechanics.
The appearance system in Where Winds Meet asks you to think in layers: a deeply configurable base character, a wardrobe of slot-based cosmetics, and a Plan framework that lets you treat entire looks as loadouts. Mastering those layers makes it easier to swap from traveling beggar to celestial general in a couple of clicks, no matter what armor you are actually wearing underneath.
