The Vernal Umbrella turns the humble umbrella into one of the strongest ranged martial arts options in Where Winds Meet. Instead of healing like Soulshade Umbrella, it leans fully into damage, crowd control, and aerial mobility, letting you hover above the fight while peppering enemies with projectiles.
What the Vernal Umbrella is and how it plays
| Property | Vernal Umbrella |
|---|---|
| Type | Martial Arts Weapon |
| Combat type | Ranged combat |
| Primary role | DPS (damage dealer) |
| Arsenal | Silk |
| Typical pairing | Inkwell Fan + Vernal Umbrella |
| Playstyle | Long‑range single‑target damage, heavy use of airborne control and repositioning |
| Main strengths | High ranged DPS, strong control, excellent mobility |
| Main weaknesses | Low survivability, little support, higher execution difficulty than melee |
Vernal Umbrella functions as the offensive counterpart to Soulshade Umbrella. Where Soulshade is built to keep allies alive, Vernal specializes in locking down individual targets from a distance while you stay safely out of reach. It adds:
- Reliable immobilizes and airborne control to set up burst windows.
- Hovering and aerial attacks so you can dodge ground pressure while still dealing damage.
- Resource‑driven projectiles that reward active, aggressive play.
In organized content, it is treated as a ranged DPS weapon, not a support tool. Pairing it with Panacea‑style healer kits is workable for solo play and easy encounters, but less useful when a group expects dedicated roles.
All ways to obtain the Vernal Umbrella
There are two main paths to unlocking the martial art:
| Method | Location | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Encounter reward | Qinghe – “Oddities – Mystery of Five Tones” Encounter Quest | Vernal Umbrella is one of several possible rewards when you complete this encounter. |
| Skill Theft route | Time Tower, Kaifeng Region (Temporal Pavilion) | Unlocks the martial art by investigating clues, retrieving a keepsake, and using Skill Theft on a pavilion master. |
The Qinghe encounter path is largely down to completion and reward luck. The Kaifeng route gives you direct control over unlocking the martial art and is the more reliable option if you specifically want Vernal as early as possible.
How to start the Vernal Umbrella quest in Kaifeng
The Kaifeng unlock path plays out around the Time Tower and its attached Temporal Pavilion. You cannot simply walk into the pavilion; you need a keepsake and the right story context first.
| Step | Action | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Go to Time Tower in Kaifeng | Travel to the area around the Time Tower. The Temporal Pavilion sits above the base. |
| 2 | Speak to Wang Ping’an | Find Wang Ping’an in a small hut at the base of the tower. Talking to him starts the umbrella questline and points you at the pavilion. |
| 3 | Meet Jiang Ting’er | Climb up to the pavilion entrance. Jiang Ting’er blocks the door and demands a keepsake from the Temporal Pavilion before she lets you in. |
From here, the game shifts into a clue‑hunting puzzle. Your goal is to track down the keepsake that proves you belong at the banquet inside.
How to solve the keepsake puzzle around the Temporal Pavilion
The keepsake investigation uses a series of environmental hints and overheard conversations. You do not need to solve a text riddle manually; instead, you trigger all the required observations and then let the game assemble the final answer.
Clue locations around the pavilion
| Clue | Where to go | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Warehouse hint | Stairway near the pavilion, past the warehouse | Walk down the stairs and pass by the warehouse entrance. This quietly flags the warehouse as important. |
| Tabby cat | Behind the pavilion | Head behind the building and interact with the tabby cat. This logs another piece of the puzzle. |
| Chess players | Criss‑crossed window by the river | From the cat, follow the railing toward the river until you see a crossed window. Peek through to watch two people playing chess. |
| Back‑room gossip | Small back room inside the pavilion | Enter the back room and eavesdrop on two women talking. |
| Upper‑floor gossip | Second floor of the pavilion, reached from Wang Ping’an’s roof | Leave the pavilion, climb onto Wang Ping’an’s house, then jump across to the pavilion’s second floor. Listen to another pair of women chatting there. |
Once every clue has been triggered, the game connects them into one conclusion: the keepsake is stored in the second‑floor treasury. You are then teleported directly to that area.
How to get the Bramble Rose Hairpin (the keepsake item)
Inside the treasury, you need a key to access the object that will convince Jiang Ting’er to open the pavilion doors.
| Step | Action | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Use Wild Sense | Activate Wild Sense near the NPC in the treasury to reveal and pick up the Warehouse Key. |
| 2 | Open the warehouse | Use the Warehouse Key on the nearby warehouse door to gain entry. |
| 3 | Collect the Bramble Rose Hairpin | Inside the warehouse, pick up the Bramble Rose Hairpin. This is the “keepsake” Jiang Ting’er requested. |
| 4 | Return to Jiang Ting’er | Take the hairpin back to the pavilion entrance. She recognizes it and finally allows you inside. |
At this point, you can access the banquet space and the master who actually knows the Vernal Umbrella martial art.
How to unlock the Vernal Umbrella martial art with Skill Theft
Once you are inside the Temporal Pavilion, unlocking Vernal Umbrella is straightforward but requires a specific system: Skill Theft.
| Step | NPC / System | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hua Ziching (Flower Messenger) | Locate Hua Ziching inside the newly accessible area. This NPC is the holder of the Vernal Umbrella martial art. |
| 2 | Skill Theft | Use your Skill Theft ability (Steal Skill) directly on Hua Ziching. This immediately grants you the Vernal Umbrella martial art. |
| 3 | Wang Ping’an | Return to Wang Ping’an at the base of Time Tower to complete the questline and fully register the unlock. |
After these steps, Vernal Umbrella appears in your martial arts list, and you can start using it in your arsenal and weapon builds.
Core mechanics and resource system for Vernal Umbrella
Vernal Umbrella revolves around three key mechanics: airborne control, immobilization, and a unique resource called Blossom.
| Term | Meaning | Impact in combat |
|---|---|---|
| Blossom | Vernal Umbrella’s dedicated resource, up to 100 points, built by hitting enemies with its skills. | Spent continuously by certain skills (especially the special skill) to keep projectiles firing and extend airborne states. |
| Airborne | State where enemies are knocked into the air by specific skills. | Makes enemies more vulnerable and easier to control; several Vernal effects trigger bonus damage on airborne targets. |
| Immobilize | Status that prevents movement and skill use. | Lets Vernal Umbrella’s ballistic skills bypass some physical resistance through talents and sets up safe damage windows. |
Blossom management is central. Your light and heavy strings, as well as skills like Spring Away, build Blossom. Unfading Flower then consumes Blossom every second to keep your umbrella floating and shooting. Empty the resource bar, and the umbrella returns automatically, cutting off that extra damage.
All Vernal Umbrella skills and what they do
Martial art and special skills
| Skill | Type / Key | Effect | Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Sorrow | Martial Art Skill – Q |
Briefly charges, then sends a flying petal projectile forward. On hit, immobilizes non‑boss enemies for 3 seconds. | 15.0s |
| Unfading Flower | Special Skill – ~ |
Requires at least 50 Blossom. Tosses the umbrella into the air and draws a hidden sword. The airborne umbrella follows you and automatically fires at single targets within 5m. Against airborne targets it spends more Blossom to fire stronger shots and extend the airborne duration. Consumes 10 Blossom per second until Blossom runs out or you recall it. | 0.2s |
While Unfading Flower is active, you can switch to other weapons or use the hidden sword’s basic attacks. Reactivating the special skill manually recalls the umbrella.
Light, heavy, and charged attacks
| Skill | Input | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Umbrella – Light Attack | Tap Left Click | Performs up to three swings for close‑to‑mid‑range damage. Basic filler for building Blossom and sustaining pressure. |
| Spring Away | Hold Left Click | Charges briefly, then opens the umbrella and spins upward into the air, making you airborne while firing projectiles that deal moderate damage and rapidly generate Blossom. |
| Umbrella – Heavy Attack | Tap R |
Executes up to four heavy strikes for close‑to‑mid‑range damage. Main source of heavier hits in grounded combos. |
| Apricot Heaven | Hold R (charged) |
Single‑stage charged attack: you fly into the air, dealing area damage once on takeoff. While charging in mid‑air, you can release for a normal downward area strike or hold longer for an enhanced version with greater impact. |
| Colorful Phoenix | Press Left Click during recovery of first or second heavy | Combo follow‑up: open the umbrella and dash forward, hitting multiple times. Used to extend heavy strings and reposition. |
| Umbrella – Conversion | Press TAB |
Dual‑weapon switch skill that swaps to the umbrella while dealing a swing of damage. |
In practice, most ranged DPS rotations lean heavily on Spring Away to build Blossom and provide hovering damage, followed by Spring Sorrow and Unfading Flower to pin enemies down and keep projectiles flowing.
Internal Arts that support Vernal Umbrella
Vernal Umbrella belongs to a Silk arsenal that is often played through the “Silkbind – Jade” development path for sustained ranged DPS. Several Internal Arts directly improve its output:
| Internal Art | Category | Effect on Vernal Umbrella |
|---|---|---|
| Blossom Barrage | Attack / Martial Arts / Damage Boost | Gives Spring Sorrow up to 2 stacks and adds a Combo effect: each hit increases damage the target takes from your ballistic skills (Spring Sorrow and Unfading Flower shots) by 10% for 8 seconds. |
| Flying Gourds | Martial Arts / Support | Grants 2 charges to Inkwell Fan’s Peak’s Springless Silence, but increases its cooldown by 3 seconds. Indirectly supports Silk ranged setups that pair fan and umbrella. |
| Thunderous Bloom | Damage Boost / Buff | Moving more than 15m within 3 seconds gives Spring Thunder. The next 3 heavy or airborne heavy attacks within 12 seconds gain a 15% damage bonus. Can trigger once every 15 seconds. |
| Star Reacher | Attack / Pursuit / Buff | Knocking an enemy airborne grants 10% Physical Attack bonus for 8 seconds, rewarding active juggle play. |
Blossom Barrage is the centerpiece: it stacks extra damage onto the exact tools Vernal Umbrella already wants to use, turning Spring Sorrow into both a control and damage amplifier.
Recommended gear sets and stat priorities
Several gear sets are frequently paired with the Vernal Umbrella and Inkwell Fan Silk path to squeeze the most out of ranged strings.
| Gear set | Pieces | Set bonuses | Where it drops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veil of the Willow Set | 2‑piece / 4‑piece |
2‑piece: +0.1% Precision Rate. 4‑piece: After a Light Attack or Airborne Heavy Attack, damage is increased by 12% for 10 seconds. The reverse also applies: after Heavy, Airborne Heavy, Light, or Charged attacks, damage gets the same 12% boost. |
Campaign – Heavenfall; Sword Trial; Group Dungeons |
| Beyond the Chill Set | 2‑piece / 4‑piece |
2‑piece: Max HP +40. 4‑piece: After entering combat and avoiding damage for 10 seconds, gain Beyond the Chill, reducing the next hit and all damage taken in the following 2 seconds by 40%. Removed on leaving combat. |
Campaign – Heavenfall; Campaign – Furnace of Righteousness; Sword Trial; Group Dungeons |
For raw offensive tuning on Vernal Umbrella‑centric builds, the main stat priorities are:
- Minimum Physical Attack
- Maximum Physical Attack
- Critical Rate
These line up with Vernal’s ballistic skill focus and its talent tree, which allows Agility to increase Critical Rate and stacks more damage onto ballistic skills and Silkbind attribute attacks.
Vernal Umbrella talents and how they change your scaling
Every 10 weapon levels, Vernal Umbrella gains a Breakthrough tier that unlocks new talents. They gradually shift your scaling toward crits and Silkbind attribute damage.
| Talent | Unlock condition | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Trajectory Skill Enhancement | Learn the martial art | All Vernal Umbrella ballistic skills ignore part of the target’s Physical Resistance when hitting immobilized or airborne enemies. |
| Critical Rate Increase | Breakthrough to Tier 1 | Agility starts contributing directly to Critical Rate. |
| Trajectory Calculation Enhancement | Breakthrough to Tier 2 | Increases Critical Damage for Vernal Umbrella’s ballistic skills. |
| Silkbind Attribute Increase | Breakthrough to Tier 3 | Raises Silkbind Attack and grants extra Silkbind damage bonus based on your minimum Silkbind Attack. |
| Attribute Attack Damage Enhancement | Breakthrough to Tier 3 | All skills start scaling their damage from Attribute Attack, with Silkbind damage gaining an additional boost. |
The result is a weapon that becomes more lethal the better you are at keeping enemies locked in Spring Sorrow’s immobilize or airborne via Apricot Heaven and Unfading Flower, because those states directly feed both resistance‑ignoring and crit‑focused damage bonuses.
Vernal Umbrella in ranged DPS builds with Inkwell Fan
Many PvE builds treat Vernal Umbrella as one half of a pure ranged toolkit, paired with Inkwell Fan. That combination offers strong damage, long reach, and surprisingly simple execution once you understand the rhythm.
A typical ranged‑focused loop looks like this:
- Apply a defensive and damage buff such as Jadewind Shield to keep enemies at bay and improve ranged hits.
- Swap to Vernal Umbrella using your dual‑weapon skill.
- Use Spring Away to hover and spray projectiles, building Blossom, and dealing moderate damage.
- Follow with Spring Sorrow to immobilize the main target and apply damage‑amplifying effects from Blossom Barrage.
- Use Unfading Flower when Blossom is high to let the floating umbrella auto‑target enemies while you reposition or swap weapons.
Because Vernal has limited defensive tools of its own, these builds lean heavily on positioning, shields, and crowd control from Mystic Skills such as Ghost Bind, Talon Strike, and Soaring Spin. When you are forced into close range, those Mystic Skills and airborne combos fill the gap until you can safely back out and resume ranged pressure.
Handled well, Vernal Umbrella turns ranged DPS into a highly mobile, almost acrobatic role in Where Winds Meet. Once the Time Tower puzzle is behind you and the Skill Theft is done, the real work is learning how to keep Blossom high, enemies airborne, and yourself one step ahead of every melee swing.
