Where Winds Meet lets you skip long waits for nightfall, sunrise, or specific “Zi/Wu/Mao” hours by rewinding the sky yourself. The trick is hidden behind a clock icon in the main menu and only works in Solo Mode, but once you know where it is, you can line up time‑locked quests and puzzles in seconds.
How to change time in Where Winds Meet (PC, PlayStation, mobile)
The basic flow is the same on every platform: open the main menu, pick the clock, then confirm the new time.
| Platform | Open menu | Select time | Confirm |
|---|---|---|---|
| PC | Press ESC |
Click the clock icon on the right side of the menu | Press Space or use the on‑screen confirm button |
| PlayStation | Press Options or the touchpad, depending on layout |
Move to and select the clock icon on the right side | Press X |
| Mobile | Tap the main menu icon | Tap the clock icon on the right side | Tap the confirm button |
Once you choose the clock icon, a large clock appears in the center of the screen. Rotate the hands or select an hour segment, then confirm the change. Time advances to that point instantly, and you can even jump ahead to the next day.
Chinese hour names and what they mean in Where Winds Meet
The game doesn’t label time as 01:00, 02:00, and so on. It uses traditional two‑hour blocks with Pinyin names. Many quests and encounters reference these instead of numeric times.
| Hour name | In‑game time window (24‑hour) | Typical description |
|---|---|---|
| Chou | 01:00 – 03:00 | Deep night |
| Yin | 03:00 – 05:00 | Before dawn |
| Mao | 05:00 – 07:00 | Early morning |
| Chen | 07:00 – 09:00 | Morning |
| Si | 09:00 – 11:00 | Late morning |
| Wu | 11:00 – 13:00 | Midday, sun at its peak |
| Wei | 13:00 – 15:00 | Early afternoon |
| Shen | 15:00 – 17:00 | Late afternoon |
| You | 17:00 – 19:00 | Evening |
| Xu | 19:00 – 21:00 | Early night |
| Hai | 21:00 – 23:00 | Late night |
| Zi | 23:00 – 01:00 | Midnight block, last on the clock |
Every segment on the in‑game clock corresponds to one of these labels. If a quest tells you to “return at Zi hour,” you need to rotate the clock until that segment is selected. The two‑hour structure means you can’t pick 12:30 specifically; you always snap to the nearest named interval.
Using the clock for time‑locked quests and puzzles
Many activities in Where Winds Meet only trigger in certain windows. The in‑game clock turns those waits into quick hops instead of real‑time downtime.
| Example activity | Required hour | How the clock helps |
|---|---|---|
| Man in the Well Encounter | Zi (23:00 – 01:00) | Set the clock to Zi instead of idling until midnight. |
| Halo Peak Tower solar puzzle | Wu (11:00 – 13:00) | Jump straight to midday so the sun lines up correctly. |
| March of the Dead quest step | Mao (05:00 – 07:00) | Advance to Mao hour to progress the story without waiting for dawn. |
Encounters, world events, and even wildlife behavior (for example, horses being more active around midday) frequently reference these names. When an NPC or prompt calls out a specific hour, set your clock to that name, confirm, and then re‑approach the objective marker.
Solo Mode only: how time change interacts with multiplayer
The manual time change feature is restricted to Solo Mode. In online or co‑op sessions, the world time is fixed and shared.
- You can freely adjust the clock while playing Solo Mode.
- In multiplayer or other online modes, you must accept the current time; the clock control is disabled.
- If you want to run a time‑sensitive quest with friends, you can adjust the hour in Solo Mode first, then swap to co‑op so they join your already‑set world.
This split prevents one player from constantly dragging everyone else’s time around in shared sessions, but still gives you full control when exploring alone.
Quick access through the in‑game clock shortcut
Besides the main menu route, a quick menu option labeled “Time” can open the same clock interface directly during play. The exact button combination for that radial or quick menu varies by platform and controller settings, but the behavior is the same:
- Open the quick in‑game menu.
- Select the entry named Time.
- Rotate the clock hands forward to the desired hour block.
- Confirm to apply the change.
This is functionally identical to using the clock icon in the main menu, just with fewer steps once you’re familiar with your control layout.
Once you’re comfortable with the clock and the Chinese hour names, time‑locked content in Where Winds Meet stops being a pacing roadblock and turns into a simple part of planning. Whether you’re chasing a specific Encounter, lining up a solar puzzle at Wu hour, or just wanting screenshots at sunset, the in‑game clock gives you precise control without waiting around.
