Dark Surge sits quietly under the Tales and Echoes tab in Where Winds Meet, but it is doing a lot of narrative heavy lifting. While the main quest is labeled Bright Tide, Dark Surge acts as an alternate storyline, pieced together through collectibles and encounters scattered across Qinghe and beyond.
Instead of being a single linear quest, Dark Surge is broken into “nodes.” Each node is a small storyline, and each storyline is unlocked by gathering several “fragments” tied to side quests, encounters, or specific boss arenas. Completing all seven Qinghe Dark Surge nodes is required for the Unknown Ending, so anyone chasing 100 percent completion or trophies cannot ignore them.
What Dark Surge nodes are in Where Winds Meet
In the Exploration menu for Qinghe, Tales and Echoes includes a Dark Surge section. This is where the nodes live. Each node corresponds to a different mini-arc tied to a location or event:
- Legend of Hallow Peak (4 fragments)
- Moonveil Mountain (5 fragments)
- Breeze Post Incident (3 fragments)
- Invasion of the Aureate Pavilion (3 fragments)
- Hanging Blade (3 fragments)
- Gleaming Abyss (3 fragments)
- Tian Ying (4 fragments)
Fragments are not items in your bag. They are log entries unlocked by doing certain things: finishing a specified side quest, triggering a particular encounter at the right in-game hour, talking to one NPC instead of another, or clearing a boss fight. Only when every fragment for a node has been obtained does that node count as complete.
Dark Surge is separate from Fragment Chapter Quests like “Mysterious Colossus” and “Gleaming Abyss,” but those quests are deeply interwoven with at least one node, and in some cases, they are the direct trigger for Dark Surge fragments.
How to unlock Legend of Hallow Peak Dark Surge node fragments
The Legend of Hallow Peak node focuses on miracles, rumors, and Buddhist themes in Qinghe. It has four fragments, and all of them are tied to very specific encounter and quest chains.
Legend of Hallow Peak – Fragment 1: The Second Miracle
This fragment is bound to Finesteed Hamlet and Harvestfall Village:
- You need the Harvestfall Village Binding Stone unlocked.
- Complete “The Path of Heroes” and “Where The Soul Returns.”
- Finish all five Finesteed Hamlet Wandering Tales:
- Qi Family’s Percepts
- Drinking Poison to Quench Thirst
- Beast Whisperer
- The Horse Purchase
- Why Hasn’t He Returned
During those Wandering Tales, you receive a letter from Li Aili. That letter is the prerequisite for the encounter that yields the fragment.
Step 1: After reading Li Aili’s letter, teleport to Finesteed Hamlet’s Binding Stone and change the in-game time to the next day, around Wu hour (mid‑afternoon). Go to the nearby barn and talk to Li Aili there.
Step 2: Travel to the entrance of Harvestfall Village and wait past You hour in the evening for the “Night Flash’s Shadow” encounter to trigger. When you see a crowd forming near the gate, interact with the NPC at the center and finish the encounter to earn The Second Miracle fragment.
Legend of Hallow Peak – Fragment 2: Buddha’s Light Jade
The second fragment is a straightforward reward for completing a Buddhist-themed quest and then using Wind Sense to track down a chest.
Step 1: Complete the “Bodhi Sea” side quest, which is accessed near the Sundara Land waypoint. Players often pick this up while pursuing the Flaming Meteor mystic skill.
Step 2: After the quest, travel to the broken islands just west of the Sundara Land waypoint. Use Wind Sense to highlight a treasure chest hidden inside a ruined stone structure.
Step 3: Open that chest to get the Buddha’s Light Jade fragment. Within the same cluster of ruins, enter the adjacent building and interact with the Buddha statue inside; this yields a ledger clue needed for the third fragment.
Legend of Hallow Peak – Fragment 3: Rumors of a Third Miracle
The third fragment relies on you bringing that ledger to the right person at the right time.
Step 1: Go to Mercyheart Town and change the time to Hai hour in the evening.
Step 2: Look for Yang Yixian standing in a field of blue flowers around town. Talk to him and hand over the ledger picked up by the Buddha statue earlier. Finishing this conversation grants the Rumors of a Third Miracle fragment.
Legend of Hallow Peak – Fragment 4: The Wandering Monk
The final fragment is tied to one specific side quest.
Step 1: Complete the “Where A Thousand Buddhas Wept” side quest. When the quest wraps, the game awards the Wandering Monk fragment, closing out the Legend of Hallow Peak node.
How to unlock Moonveil Mountain Dark Surge node fragments
The Moonveil Mountain node covers events around Heaven’s Pier, Harvestfall Village, and Peace Bell Tower. It consists of five fragments, with several dependencies on when you progress through the main story.
Moonveil Mountain – Fragment 1: Theft at Heaven’s Pier
The first fragment comes from an NPC named Zhang Dazhuang in Heaven’s Pier.
Step 1: Travel to Heaven’s Pier and locate Zhang Dazhuang near the settlement. Talking through his dialogue awards the Theft at Heaven’s Pier fragment.
Story events can change Heaven’s Pier, especially the fate of Blissful Retreat. If Blissful Retreat has already burned in your world and Zhang is missing, one workaround is to join a co‑op or online session hosted by a player who has not yet reached that point and then speak to Zhang there. Co‑op access requires logging into the game’s online mode and joining another player through the in‑game multiplayer interface.
Moonveil Mountain – Fragment 2: Palace of Annal’s Stance
The second fragment is tied to the bell tower in Harvestfall Village.
Step 1: Head to Harvestfall Village and climb the bell tower at the center of the settlement.
Step 2: Talk to the Bell Ringer stationed up top. Exhausting his dialogue unlocks the Palace of Annal’s Stance fragment.
Moonveil Mountain – Fragment 3: Great Hero
This fragment returns you to Heaven’s Pier to talk to a different villager, Yimo.
Step 1: Fast travel back to Heaven’s Pier.
Step 2: Find Yimo near the harvest and collection area, usually close to where crops or goods are piled. Speak with him to receive the Great Hero fragment.
Moonveil Mountain – Fragment 4: The Shattered Bell
The Shattered Bell fragment is unlocked near Peace Bell Tower with help from an NPC named Liu the Woodcutter.
Step 1: Reach Peace Bell Tower and locate Liu the Woodcutter near a tree beside him.
Step 2: Chop down the nearby tree using your weapon or tool, then speak to Liu. This interaction grants The Shattered Bell fragment.
Moonveil Mountain – Fragment 5: Clash Between the Water Lady
The last fragment asks you to engage with Qinghe’s cooking system and random encounters.
Step 1: Purchase and eat 10 distinct Qinghe dishes. These can be bought from food vendors in Heaven’s Pier, Finesteed Hamlet, Mercyheart Town, and Harvestfall Village.
Step 2: Raise your affection with these vendors to Revered Affection to unlock their Home Cooked and Signature dishes. You need different dishes — repeating the same recipe will not move the counter.
Step 3: After consuming enough unique Qinghe-specific meals, the Recipe’s Heir random encounter can trigger. When it appears, complete the encounter to earn the Clash Between the Water Lady fragment.
How to unlock Breeze Post Incident node fragments
The Breeze Post Incident node is smaller, with three fragments, but it leans heavily on specific named quests and encounters.
Breeze Post Incident – Fragment 1: Location of Breeze Post
Step 1: Travel to Crimson Cliff and complete the “Blind to the World” side quest. When you finish the quest, the game records the Location of the Breeze Post fragment.
Breeze Post Incident – Fragment 2: The Legendary Assassin
The second fragment is linked to the “Man in the Well” random encounter.
Step 1: Trigger and complete the “Man in the Well” encounter. The game tracks this as part of encounters in Qinghe and, on completion, adds The Legendary Assassin fragment to the Breeze Post node.
Breeze Post Incident – Fragment 3: Khitan and Tag Sever Ties
The final Breeze Post fragment is placed in the Palace of Annals.
Step 1: Enter the Palace of Annals and explore its underground sections. Interacting with the correct element down there records Khitan and Tag Sever Ties for Dark Surge. Wind Sense can help highlight interactive objects if you are unsure where the fragment is.
How to unlock Invasion of the Aureate Pavilion node fragments
The Invasion of the Aureate Pavilion node ties together an outpost liberation, a shoreline NPC, and a cave shrine.
Invasion of the Aureate Pavilion – Fragment 1: Miaoshan’s Identity
Step 1: Liberate the Mercyheart Monastery Outpost in Sundara Land. Players visiting this location for the Thunderous Bloom Inner Way can also complete the liberation event.
Step 2: When the outpost is freed, the game awards the Miaoshan’s Identity fragment.
Invasion of the Aureate Pavilion – Fragment 2: In Search of Tian Yin
Step 1: Go to Still Shore and find an NPC named Meng Da near the shoreline.
Step 2: Speak to Meng Da several times, exhausting his dialogue options. Once you have heard everything he has to say, the In Search of Tian Yin fragment is added.
Invasion of the Aureate Pavilion – Fragment 3: The Sleeping Puppet Calamity
Step 1: From the Moonveil Stream waypoint in Kilnfire Ridge, enter the Cocoon cave.
Step 2: Climb to the main shrine area inside the cave and interact with the shrine. Doing so grants The Sleeping Puppet Calamity fragment.
How to unlock Hanging Blade node fragments
The Hanging Blade node is more compact, built around bandit fortifications and the Palace of Annals boss arena.
Hanging Blade – Fragment 1: The Name of Chunqui
Step 1: Return to the boss arena in the Palace of Annals after your story fight there.
Step 2: Inspect the large tombstone-like structure at the edge of the arena. If it is hard to see interaction prompts, use Wind Sense. Interacting with the stone adds The Name of Chunqui fragment.
Hanging Blade – Fragment 2: No Place for Bandits
Step 1: In Twinbeast Ridge, clear out Tiger Fort by liberating it from bandits.
Step 2: Once the fort is liberated, use Wind Sense in the storage areas to reveal a hidden chest. Open it to receive the No Place for Bandits fragment.
Hanging Blade – Fragment 3: The Hanging Blade
Step 1: Go back to Peace Bell Tower, distinct from the earlier Moonveil Mountain fragments.
Step 2: Speak with the Elder Bell Ringer there. Finishing his dialogue adds The Hanging Blade fragment and completes the node.
How Gleaming Abyss ties Dark Surge to Fragment Chapter Quests
The Gleaming Abyss node is tightly linked to the Lost Chapter quests “Mysterious Colossus” and “Gleaming Abyss.” These quests live under Fragment Chapter Quests for Qinghe and already push you into a hidden cave network, toxic waters, and an encounter with The Void King.
The FextraLife breakdown of these quests shows a clear route: travel from Haunted Village’s Boundary Stone into the Desolate Woods for “Mysterious Colossus,” imitate a worshipper on the empty mat, follow deer tracks, then use the Meridian Touch mystic skill to freeze two panicked worshippers so you can open a stone door. Inside, “Gleaming Abyss” picks up, asking you to pacify three Deer Shadow objectives (Water’s Edge, Vine’s Depths, Drum’s Top), solve vine mazes, drop through a stone gate using Sun Buqi’s Notes II key, and eventually confront The Void King.
Gleaming Abyss – Fragment 1: This Body Shall Forever Guard the Deep Abyss
Step 1: Progress “Mysterious Colossus” far enough to reach the Void King’s boss arena in the cave system beneath Qinghe’s Moonveil Mountain region.
Step 2: Defeat The Void King. The act of clearing this boss grants the first Gleaming Abyss Dark Surge fragment.
Gleaming Abyss – Fragment 2: Feelings Laid to Rest in a Firefly Grave
After the boss, the cave opens into a more dreamlike section filled with spirits and glowing flora.
Step 1: Enter the blue mist gate that appears after you defeat The Void King to move deeper into the cave.
Step 2: Follow the path until you reach a tree with glowing blue leaves. Near this tree stands the spirit of Li Zuo. Speak to Li Zuo to obtain the Feelings Laid to Rest in a Firefly Grave fragment.
Gleaming Abyss – Fragment 3: This Heat Shall Eternally Regret Immortality
The third fragment is tied to the coffin and upper levels of the Gleaming Abyss area, and to a named spirit, Liu Qingyi, who already appears in the quest’s NPC list.
Step 1: Back at the coffin within Gleaming Abyss, interact with it to reach the lower floor and continue exploring the cave network. This is the same section where Sun Buqi’s Notes II and the stone gate key appear.
Step 2: Navigate upwards again through roots and platforms until you locate a deer spirit and the spirit of Liu Qingyi standing nearby on one of the upper floors.
Step 3: Talk to Liu Qingyi. That conversation unlocks the final Gleaming Abyss fragment, This Heat Shall Eternally Regret Immortality, and wraps this Dark Surge node.
How to unlock Tian Ying node fragments
The Tian Ying node serves as a capstone, tying back into assassination plots, the Palace of Annals, and the Inkbound Order.
Tian Ying – Fragment 1: Master Wei
Step 1: Visit the Palace of Annals again, this time heading up to the second floor and into the study area.
Step 2: In the study, drop through the hole in the floor, but land on the first level below rather than falling to the very bottom.
Step 3: Investigate the books on your right on that intermediate floor. Inspecting these books awards the Master Wei fragment.
Tian Ying – Fragments 2 and 3: A Man Who Never Existed / The First Aspiration
Both of these fragments are embedded in the Silent Assassin side quest in Sundara Land, which centers around Long Wu.
Step 1: Start and progress the Silent Assassin side quest. During the questline, you receive The First Aspiration fragment as a reward at a specific stage.
Step 2: Continue the quest until its conclusion. Speaking with the dying Long Wu at the end yields the A Man Who Never Existed fragment.
Tian Ying – Fragment 4: The Turmoil in Inkbound Order
The final fragment for Tian Ying is tied to another named side quest.
Step 1: Complete the “Cries in the Distance” side quest, which includes a yin‑yang dial puzzle and is associated with the Inkbound Order storyline.
Step 2: Finishing the quest adds The Turmoil in Inkbound Order fragment, completing the Tian Ying node and, if all others are done, the entire Dark Surge track in Qinghe.
Dark Surge nodes reward a specific kind of play: methodical, time‑aware, and willing to backtrack into old spaces long after the main quest has moved on. The payoff is not just another checklist ticked but a second layer of narrative that reframes Qinghe’s regions — a hidden network of miracles, assassinations, bandit vendettas, and haunted caverns that runs in parallel to Bright Tide.
