Dalang in Where Winds Meet is a white warhorse that turns an early-story encounter into one of Chapter 1’s first real difficulty spikes. The fight is chaotic, it plays out in two distinct phases, and it mixes a heavy-hitting mount with a poisonous handler that never quite leaves you alone.
Handled correctly, though, Dalang is a controlled duel rather than a random damage race. The key is understanding where the fight happens, how the owner and the horse interact, and which defensive tools the game expects you to use this early.
Dalang Where Winds Meet: quick facts
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Boss name | Dalang (white horse with a Horse Dancer / Owner) |
| Game | Where Winds Meet |
| Quest context | Main story, Chapter 1: “A Horse Neighs in the Forest” |
| Region | Qinghe |
| Specific area | Moonveil Mountain, ruined temple / broken shrine |
| Fight format | Two phases, initially with Horse Dancer present, then a more aggressive 1v1 |
| Suggested difficulty level | Mid-range (★★★☆☆), can still one-shot if you mistime dodges |
| Recommended Martial Arts | Nameless Sword, Nameless Spear |
| Recommended Mystic Art | Cloud Steps (mobility) |
| Notable beginner weapon | Panacea Fan (safe ranged damage plus self-healing) |
| Main mechanics | Charge rushes, ground stomps with shockwaves, body slam, golden-glow super attack |
| Core defensive tools | Dodging, jumping over shockwaves, parrying repeated stomps |
| Key rewards | Echo Jade, Qinghe Exploration points, Zhou Coin, Character XP, Enlightenment Points, healing items |
Where to find Dalang in Where Winds Meet
Dalang is tied to the Chapter 1 main story route in Qinghe, under the chapter banner “Heaven Has No Pier.” The encounter happens during the quest “A Horse Neighs in the Forest,” after your character wins the General’s Shrine tournament in “Another New Wing” and then tracks events up into Moonveil Mountain.
As the quest progresses, you search for Han along with Killerblade, eventually reaching a broken shrine and then a ruined temple in the Moonveil area. Inside, Ruby and Bearded Guang are being held captive. Once you clear their guard and send them to safety, the path pushes you deeper into the temple’s main hall.
The door into the hall is locked; you enter by dropping through a hole in the roof. The small golden-masked drummer inside is Dalang’s owner — a Horse Dancer whose escape cue triggers the actual boss fight when he summons his white companion. From this point on, beating Dalang is mandatory to complete “A Horse Neighs in the Forest” and advance to “For Whom Does He Return.”
Dalang’s move set: what the horse actually does
Dalang’s attacks are simple on paper but punishing until you know the tells. The fight is built around a few repeated patterns rather than a long list of tricks.
| Attack | Visual tell | Effect | Best response |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charge rush | Dalang rears or pulls back, lining up straight in front of you | Fast dash across the arena, heavy damage on hit | Sidestep or dodge roll sideways, then punish from the flank |
| Ground stomp + shockwaves | Hooves slam the ground in place, dust or energy pulses radiate out | Multiple hit zones spreading outward from Dalang | Jump over shockwaves, or parry in phase two to drain Qi |
| Body slam | Dalang angles its body toward you at close range | Short-range shove dealing strong physical damage | Stay off Dalang’s shoulder line; backstep or roll through the hitbox |
| Poison Darts (Owner) | Horse Dancer raises the weapon while you are focused on Dalang | Ranged projectile, can apply poison | Keep Dalang between you and the Owner so the darts hit the horse |
| Golden-glow super | Dalang emits a golden light before lunging | High-damage special that covers distance quickly | Sprint or dash to the opposite side of the arena; do not try to trade |
Recommended build and tools for Dalang
Dalang’s attacks are straightforward enough that most weapon types work, but some setups give you more room to make mistakes.
| Category | Recommendation | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner weapon | Panacea Fan | Allows ranged pokes while staying out of charge range, and brings built-in healing skills. |
| Main martial arts | Nameless Sword | Balanced reach and speed for close-range punishes after Dalang’s whiffs. |
| Alternative martial arts | Nameless Spear | Extra reach makes it easier to tag Dalang’s flanks without standing directly in front of charges. |
| Mystic mobility | Cloud Steps | Vertical or evasive movement to reposition after charges and during stomp sequences. |
| Consumables | Hemostatic Powder or other healing items | Patch up after unavoidable hits, especially in the second phase where damage ramps up. |
Ranged-focused builds like Panacea Fan naturally reduce how often Dalang connects with its rushes and slams. Melee-focused setups benefit more from mastering parries and recognizing the stomp sequence, since every successful deflect translates into heavy pressure on the horse’s Qi bar.
Phase 1: survive the 2v1 and weaponize the Owner
The opening phase is the most visually noisy: Dalang dominates the arena while the Horse Dancer circles, firing Poison Darts whenever your attention slips. Treat it as crowd management rather than two isolated enemies.
| Objective | Practical approach |
|---|---|
| Focus the horse, not the handler | Dalang is the only target that progresses the fight. The Horse Dancer’s health is not your priority. |
| Keep Dalang between you and the Owner | Position yourself so the Darts travel through Dalang’s hitbox. The poison then works in your favor, ticking damage on the boss. |
| Read and dodge charges | When Dalang lines up a straight path, move sideways early instead of trying to roll at the last second. |
| Deal with ground stomps | When hooves slam down repeatedly, jump to clear the shockwaves. The vertical movement is more forgiving than trying to sidestep each ring. |
| Stay camera-aware | Keep both Dalang and the Owner in frame as much as possible, reducing surprise Darts from the blind side. |
Once Dalang’s health is depleted, the horse collapses and triggers a short story beat. The Horse Dancer merges with his companion using a purple parasite, reviving Dalang in a more aggressive, possessed state. From here, the arena is effectively a 1v1.
Phase 2: learn the stomp parry and respect the glow
The second phase keeps the same core move set but raises the stakes. Dalang becomes more aggressive, its attacks hit harder, and there is no longer a handler to unintentionally help you. This is where defensive discipline matters.
| Phase 2 priority | What to do |
|---|---|
| Watch your health bar | Heal as soon as you drop into unsafe territory; the increased damage means two mistakes can be lethal. |
| Keep jumping the stomps | Ground shockwaves are still best avoided by jumping. Trying to roll through every ring carries higher risk at this damage level. |
| Parry the multi-stomp sequence | Dalang’s chained stomps have a consistent rhythm. Deflecting them lets you counter at the end and carve through its Qi bar. |
| React to the golden glow | When Dalang glows golden, stop attacking and sprint to the far side of the arena. Getting caught by the follow-up can wipe a large chunk of HP in one go. |
| Punish only after clear whiffs | Wait for missed rushes or the end of stomp strings before committing to longer combos. Trading hits favors the boss at this stage. |
The parry window on the stomp chain is the main skill check. Once you’re comfortable deflecting those repeated hits, Dalang’s Qi drains quickly, and the second phase feels far less oppressive than the dramatic cutscene suggests.
Dalang Where Winds Meet: rewards and why the fight matters
Dalang is not just a cinematic set piece; it is also an early test of how well you handle melee spacing, parry timing, and vertical movement. The game pays out a meaningful mix of currency, progression, and utility for clearing the encounter.
| Reward | Role |
|---|---|
| Echo Jade ×20 | Standard high-value currency used for broader progression systems. |
| Qinghe Exploration ×10 | Increases your exploration progress in the Qinghe region. |
| Zhou Coin ×5000 | General-purpose money for vendors and services. |
| Character XP ×5000 | Accelerates leveling right at the start of the main story. |
| Enlightenment Points ×500 | Used to unlock or improve core character traits. |
| Hemostatic Powder ×2 | Extra healing consumables for upcoming encounters. |
Defeating Dalang also resolves the “A Horse Neighs in the Forest” quest arc and leads directly into the next story sequence back in Qinghe. The cutscene that follows ties the Horse Dancer’s fate to Aunt Han, closes out the temple incident, and clears the way for the Chapter 1 storyline to shift gears.
Dalang looks intimidating — and on higher settings like Legend Mode, the punishment for sloppy timing is real — but the fight is less about raw stats and more about reading a small set of patterns. Keep the horse lined up with its owner in phase one, jump and parry stomps instead of trying to muscle through them, and treat the golden-glow attack as a non-negotiable sprint cue. Once those habits are in place, Dalang becomes a reliable win rather than a brick wall.
