Gambit Beneath the Shimmer is a Jianghu Legacy quest introduced in the version 1.2 update for Where Winds Meet. This finale quest for the Kaifeng region takes players through a mysterious alternate dimension filled with chess puzzles, shadow silhouettes, and culminates in a brutal multi-boss gauntlet. Completing it unlocks the Supreme Freedom Campaign and reveals the tragic backstory of the Water Lady through an elaborate narrative told via chess pieces and painted screens.
Prerequisites for Gambit Beneath the Shimmer
Before you can begin this quest, you must meet several requirements tied to your progression through the Kaifeng region:
- Complete Kaifeng Jianghu Legacy: Volume II: Shadows in Bloom
- Complete Kaifeng Main Chapter: Furnace of Heaven and Earth (also known as Furnace of Righteousness)
- Reach 6,000 Kaifeng exploration progress (Level 5 exploration)
Once all prerequisites are met, you will receive a letter from "The Masterminds" instructing you to head to Revelry Hall. The letter appears in the Letter tab of your menu. Travel to the Velvet Shade boundary stone in Kaifeng, then head north to enter the mysteriously empty hall.
Gear Preparation
The quest ends with an exceptionally difficult boss fight sequence. Enhance your gear thoroughly before attempting this content. Consider joining or hosting a co-op game at the Hero's Tomb that appears before the final encounter, as having even one additional player significantly reduces the difficulty by splitting boss attention.
Walkthrough Overview
Upon entering Revelry Hall, a cutscene introduces a mysterious stranger who transports you to an alternate dimension called "Free Haven" or "Supreme Freedom." The stranger knows you seek the Water Lady's story and guides you through a series of challenges across four floors of the hall.
Each floor follows the same pattern: follow golden butterflies to locate a chess game, examine nearby clues and figurines, complete the chess match, then proceed to a painting screen puzzle. The chess games introduce different pieces as you progress, while the silhouette puzzles eventually require adjusting both rotation and distance to match the figurine's shadow to the painted shape.
Throughout your ascent, collect ten Shimmer's Notes scattered along the path. These documents detail the Tang Coin conspiracy, the Ember of the East's machinations, and various political intrigues in Kaifeng. Use Wind Sense to locate them. Shimmer's Note VI is notably placed on the top-left corner of the third silhouette puzzle and requires Celestial Seize to grab.
After completing all four puzzle sequences, you enter the Endless Street segment. This deflect-focused chase sequence requires you to parry attacks while pursuing the Shimmer of South through three phases. Deflecting red-light attacks specifically triggers perception skills that advance you toward your target.
Following the chase, you face the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon. This mechanical dragon is immune to normal attacks. Deflect its Sea of Coins attack to build Blade Momentum, then parry its Fire Rain attack at full momentum to deal damage. When the dragon begins self-destructing, dodge the sweeping fire beams from its two heads until the timer expires.
Boss Fight Strategies
The final confrontation pits you against four phantom versions of previously encountered bosses in succession: Murong Yuan, Zheng E, the Dao Lord, and the River Master. Each phantom hits significantly harder than their original campaign versions, and defeat forces you to restart the entire sequence.
- Bring a healing weapon such as the Panacea Fan for its passive area-of-effect healing, as you will likely exhaust all Medicine items during this extended fight
- If struggling with the deflect timing, consider using auto-deflect to survive the encounter
- Stay close to the bosses to avoid triggering their devastating unblockable takedown attacks that activate when you maintain distance
- Use any Divinecraft items you have accumulated for damage boosts that shorten each phase
- Focus on direct HP damage rather than attempting executions, since each phase has only one Qi bar that refills when the next phantom spawns
- Equip Ghostly Steps Mystic Skill to reduce the Endurance cost of dodging by 40% and extend your Untargetable duration
- Early aggressive tactics during boss spawns have been patched out; phantoms are now invulnerable until fully formed
Story Explanation: The Twins' Tale
The black-and-white chess narrative presented throughout the quest tells the tragic history of Aunt Han and her twin brother. As children, both were enslaved by a wealthy family whose daughter suffered from a wasting disease requiring a special "medicinal catalyst."
The daughter referred to the twins as her "heart and liver" in a term of dark affection. Eventually, Aunt Han's brother helped her escape captivity, but he was captured in the process. Players have speculated that the sickly daughter merged with the brother to cure her illness, ultimately becoming Qianye.
This theory explains why Qianye's white form displays subtle androgynous features. The brother's personality may still linger within her body, manifesting as the white form encountered during earlier campaign content. Aunt Han visits her brother's tombstone annually to pay respects, a detail revealed through collected items and notes elsewhere in the game.
The mysterious stranger orchestrating these events is Li Yu, Emperor of the Southern Tang. He was the mastermind behind much of the unrest in Kaifeng, though his goal was preventing the Song Dynasty from attacking his country rather than causing unnecessary casualties. His dramatic presentation of Aunt Han's story serves as both revelation and warning.
Quest Rewards
| Reward | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Lingering Melody | 1 |
| Medicinal Tales | 1 |
| Lv. 3 Ebon Iron | 4 |
| Echo Jade | 30 |
| Kaifeng Exploration Progress | 50 |
| Enlightenment Points | 100 |
| Character EXP | 20,000 |
| Coins | 20,000 |
Completing Gambit Beneath the Shimmer unlocks the Supreme Freedom Campaign. This repeatable mode allows you to challenge the four-boss gauntlet again for additional rewards, including Tier 61 Rainwhisper or Moonflare gear pieces, the Sovereign's Solitude appearance, and various crafting materials. To replay the entire quest, including puzzles, visit your quest log and select "Reverse" under Gambit Beneath the Shimmer in the Lost Chapter tab.
