The Inkwell Fan in Where Winds Meet is a ranged martial art that turns a delicate fan into a high‑pressure DPS tool. It keeps you at mid to long range, juggles enemies in the air, and layers crowd control while you stay mostly out of reach. It is also one of the weapons that completely changes how you move through combat, thanks to dashes, airborne combos, and a portable wind wall.
How to unlock Inkwell Fan in Qinghe
The Inkwell Fan is learned through Skill Theft in a dedicated dungeon, the Inkwell Fan Sanctum, in the northern part of the Qinghe region. It is not tied to the main story; you have to go there deliberately.
| Step | Action | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travel to the Inkwell Fan Sanctum in north Qinghe. If you have already visited the area, you can teleport to the nearest Courier Station boundary stone and ride from there. | Make sure you are prepared for stealth and light combat. |
| 2 | At the sanctum entrance, interact with the Loong Herm Dragon Pillar to open the hidden passage. | You must have at least one Dragon Key; it is consumed when you unlock the door. |
| 3 | Follow the descending path into a patrol area full of Militiamen. Hug the left wall to slip past the first two guards without being seen. | Checkpoints are marked by swords stuck in the ground with a hat; crossing them saves progress. |
| 4 | After the first pair of guards, eliminate the Militiaman hiding behind the tall rock on the right. Then climb the right wall to reach an elevated platform and deal with two more Militiamen near the first chest. | Use stealth tools like Touch of Death for clean assassinations. |
| 5 | Cross the bridge ahead until you see a climbable rock formation on the right. Climb up, then drop down on the right side to reach the second chest. Turn left and climb again to grab the third chest on a higher ledge. | Walls and ledges are deliberately placed so you can bypass most ground patrols. |
| 6 | Return to the first save point and drop down the nearby hole to reach the fourth chest. | There is a ladder nearby so you do not get trapped at the lower level. |
| 7 | Climb the ladder back up, cross the bridge on the right, and assassinate the lone Militiaman near the ledge. Loot the fifth chest beside the earthen mound past him. | Watch patrol patterns; you can clear this section without raising an alarm. |
| 8 | Move toward the way back up, which is guarded by two Militiamen. Take out the one on the left when the right‑side guard turns away, then kill the second guard and return to the bridge where you originally dropped down. | Patience here avoids resets back to the checkpoint. |
| 9 | Follow the left‑hand path into a room guarded by two more enemies. Slip past or eliminate them; the sixth and final chest is on the left side of this room. | One chest in this sanctum is easy to miss; thorough exploration helps with region completion. |
| 10 | Continue downward to the innermost chamber. Step onto the glowing circle near the Master and perform Skill Theft. | A successful theft unlocks the Inkwell Fan Martial Art. |
Prerequisites before entering Inkwell Fan Sanctum
| Requirement | Why it matters | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Dragon Key | Consumed to open the Loong Herm Dragon Pillar and reveal the sanctum entrance. | Earned through exploration and specific activities in Jianghu; keep at least one in reserve before heading north. |
| Touch of Death Mystic Art | Allows silent takedowns on guards blocking narrow paths, making the infiltration far more manageable. | Unlocked automatically by completing the The Realm Endures side story. |
| Qinghe upper‑region map (optional) | Makes navigation to and around the sanctum easier, especially if you are chasing 100% exploration. | Obtained from the Fire symbol event in northern Qinghe. |
What the Inkwell Fan actually is
The Inkwell Fan is a Martial Arts Weapon in the Silkbind – Jade arsenal. It is the offensive counterpart to the Panacea Fan, trading healing for ranged pressure, mobility, and crowd control. It sits firmly in the DPS role with:
- Ranged basic attacks that fling ink‑like projectiles.
- A short‑range dash that launches or roots enemies.
- Heavy airborne follow‑ups that reward good timing.
- Tools to keep melee enemies away or funnel them into kill zones.
| Attribute | Inkwell Fan (Silkbind – Jade) |
|---|---|
| Combat type | Ranged combat |
| Primary role | DPS |
| Key strengths | Damage, crowd control, mobility, sustained ranged pressure |
| Key weaknesses | Lower survivability if caught, higher execution difficulty, little support utility |
The weapon comes alive when paired with airborne setups and its unique buffs, especially Riding the Wind and Enhanced Ballistics (also called Enhanced Trajectory in some in‑game descriptions).
Inkwell Fan core skills and effects
Special and Martial Skills
| Skill | Type | Effect summary | Cooldown | Key effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak's Springless Silence | Special Skill | Short dash that strikes a target, rooting and launching humanoids or marking non‑player enemies with Lingering Bone. | ~12s | Applies Launch or Lingering Bone; if the target is already airborne or marked, grants Riding the Wind. Creates a Water Clone you can flash back to within 5 seconds. |
| Jadewind Shield | Martial Arts Skill | Point‑blank knockback that generates a wind barrier for 8 seconds and jumps you backward. | ~15s | Blocks non‑boss units and projectiles, provides a brief invincibility window on cast, and grants up to 2 stacks of Enhanced Ballistics to boost projectile damage. |
Jadewind Shield is the control center of the weapon: used well, it sets where fights happen and amplifies all your ballistic attacks. Peak’s Springless Silence is the trigger that kicks targets into the air and primes them for heavy follow‑ups.
Light attacks and Forsaken Fame
| Skill | Input | Function | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fan – Light Attack | Tap Left Click |
Fires up to four quick ranged strikes with the fan. | Main way to build pressure safely from range and keep buffs like Morale Chant stacked in certain builds. |
| Forsaken Fame | Hold Left Click |
Charges briefly, then unleashes a forward whirlwind. | Launches humanoids and applies Lingering Bone to non‑player targets, setting them up for Heavy follow‑ups and Moon Shatter Spring. |
Forsaken Fame is your safer way to prime the Lingering Bone mark without committing to a dash. Using it at mid‑range keeps you out of melee while setting up heavy combos.
Heavy attacks, Moon Shatter Spring, and Riding the Wind
| Skill | Input | Function | Damage hooks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fan – Heavy Attack | Tap R |
Chains up to three grounded heavy strikes. | If the target is airborne or has Lingering Bone, you can trigger a Sense/Follow‑up skill, usually Moon Shatter Spring. |
| Moon Shatter Spring | Perceive and press R on an airborne/marked target |
Leaps into the air and hits the target repeatedly with the fan. | Base version is a three‑hit combo; if you have Riding the Wind, it becomes a five‑hit, high‑damage combo and grants Tenacity outside of arena modes, with an additional 45% damage to non‑player enemies. |
These attacks unlock once you reach the third node on the Inkwell Fan’s talent tree. The kit is heavily built around the loop of launching, marking, and then spending Riding the Wind on Moon Shatter Spring for big spikes of damage.
Conversions and basic fan moves
| Move | Category | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Fan – Conversion | Dual‑Weapon Skill | Swap from your other weapon to the fan, slashing as you transition. Used often between Vernal Umbrella and Inkwell Fan in dual builds. |
| Deflection | Basic Martial Art | Parries enemy power skills to shave off Qi or deal heavy damage. |
| Fan – Dash / Dodge / Defense / Execute / Jump / Jump Strike / Recovery | Basic Martial Arts | Shared mobility, defense, finisher, and recovery tools used by all fan‑type martial arts. |
These moves fill in the gaps: deflect key enemy skills, jump or dash to reposition, and execute exhausted enemies when you have chipped them down from range.
Effect glossary: how the fan’s mechanics fit together
| Effect | What it does | How Inkwell Fan uses it |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | Sends the target airborne, exposing them to pursuit skills and extra damage. | Applied by Peak’s Springless Silence and Forsaken Fame, then consumed by Moon Shatter Spring and other follow‑ups. |
| Lingering Bone | A mark on non‑player enemies that makes them valid targets for follow‑up heavy skills. | Applied by Peak’s Springless Silence or Forsaken Fame; allows you to trigger Moon Shatter Spring even if the target is not airborne. |
| Riding the Wind | Short‑duration buff that empowers your next follow‑up skill. | Gained when Peak’s Springless Silence hits an already launched or marked enemy; turns Moon Shatter Spring into the stronger five‑hit, Tenacity‑granting version. |
| Enhanced Ballistics / Enhanced Trajectory | Stacks that increase projectile skill damage. | Granted by Jadewind Shield up to two stacks, significantly increasing damage from Fan and Vernal Umbrella ballistic skills. |
Internal Arts that power the Inkwell Fan
Recommended Internal Arts for Silkbind – Jade
| Internal Art | Effect | Why it matters for Inkwell Fan builds |
|---|---|---|
| Blossom Barrage | Gives Vernal Umbrella’s Spring Sorrow an extra charge and applies a Combo debuff that increases damage taken from your ballistic skills by 10% for 8 seconds. | Directly amplifies your projectile‑based damage from both the umbrella and the fan, feeding into Enhanced Ballistics. |
| Flying Gourds | Adds a second charge to Peak’s Springless Silence but lengthens its cooldown by 3 seconds. | More frequent launches and Riding the Wind procs, at the cost of being punished more if you waste both charges. |
| Thunderous Bloom | After moving more than 15m within 3 seconds, grants Spring Thunder: the next three Heavy or Airborne Heavy Attacks within 12 seconds gain 15% damage. Triggers once every 15 seconds. | Rewards constant repositioning and synergizes cleanly with Moon Shatter Spring chains. |
| Star Reacher | Grants 10% Physical Attack for 8 seconds after knocking an enemy airborne. | Fits perfectly with a playstyle that is built around launching enemies with Peak’s Springless Silence or Forsaken Fame. |
For pure ranged DPS, these Internal Arts lean into the Inkwell Fan’s natural loop: move, launch, mark, then cash in buffs on heavy follow‑ups.
Gear sets and stat priorities for Inkwell Fan
Recommended gear sets
| Set | Slot | 2‑piece effect | 4‑piece effect | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veil of the Willow Set | Weapon/Offense | +0.1% Precision Rate. | After a Light Attack or Airborne Heavy Attack, damage is increased by 12% for 10 seconds. The reverse also applies: after using Heavy or Charged skills, damage from other attack types is increased in the same way. | Matches Inkwell Fan’s constant swapping between Light, Heavy, Charged, and Aerial strings. |
| Beyond the Chill Set | Armor/Defense | +40 Max HP. | After 10 seconds in combat without taking damage, grants Beyond the Chill, reducing the next hit and all damage taken for 2 seconds afterward by 40%. Removed when you leave combat. | Pairs well with a ranged playstyle that rarely gets clipped, giving you a safety buffer when things go wrong. |
For gear tuning, focus on:
- Min Physical Attack and Max Physical Attack for raw DPS.
- Critical Rate to multiply the high hit counts from Moon Shatter Spring and projectile strings.
Talent priorities for Inkwell Fan
Every 10 weapon levels you unlock a new Inkwell Fan Talent. The line is heavily skewed toward making Moon Shatter Spring a late‑game monster:
| Talent | Unlock condition | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Low Qi Follow‑Up Enhancement | Learn the martial art | Raises the Critical Rate of Moon Shatter Spring against low‑Qi targets. |
| Physical Attack Increase | Breakthrough Tier 1 | Lets Agility scale your minimum Physical Attack, smoothing DPS floor. |
| Airborne Follow‑Up Enhancement | Breakthrough Tier 2 | Increases Moon Shatter Spring’s Critical Damage. |
| Silkbind Attribute Increase | Breakthrough Tier 3 | Boosts Silkbind Attack and converts minimum Silkbind Attack into Silkbind damage bonus. |
| Attribute Attack Damage Enhancement | Breakthrough Tier 3 | Makes all skills scale from Attribute Attack, with an extra bump to Silkbind damage. |
The message is blunt: keep leveling the weapon and invest in Silkbind and Agility if you want the aerial finisher to carry your damage profile.
How to play Inkwell Fan in combat
Jadewind Shield as a wall and damage steroid
Jadewind Shield is more than a panic button. It does three things at once:
- Knocks back enemies close to you.
- Spawns a wind wall that blocks non‑boss units and projectiles for eight seconds.
- Grants stacks of Enhanced Ballistics and a short invincibility window on cast.
Rather than spamming both charges on cooldown, treat it as a tempo tool:
- Place the barrier between you and a pack of melee mobs, or between mobs and a wall so they get stuck behind it.
- Cast it slightly late to “phase through” big telegraphed attacks using the i‑frame.
- Once the wall is up and you have Enhanced Ballistics, swap into your projectile rotation to capitalize on the buffed damage.
Peak’s Springless Silence as your combo starter
Peak’s Springless Silence is the main way you get enemies off the ground and into your kill zone. A typical pattern:
- Use Forsaken Fame to mark or launch a target from a safe distance.
- Close the gap with Peak’s Springless Silence into the same target. If they are already launched or marked, you gain Riding the Wind.
- Decide whether you need the Water Clone: if the area is dangerous, recast the skill within five seconds to flash back to your starting position.
Used aggressively, this is your “go” signal to enter melee range for a brief aerial flurry. Used defensively, it doubles as both a gap closer and a built‑in escape route.
Moon Shatter Spring and the airborne loop
Once an enemy is airborne or under Lingering Bone, Fan – Heavy Attack lets you perceive into Moon Shatter Spring. The high‑damage loop looks like this:
- Forsaken Fame or an earlier Peak’s Springless Silence to set Launch or Lingering Bone.
- Peak’s Springless Silence again to confirm Riding the Wind if needed.
- Tap Fan – Heavy Attack, then immediately follow the prompt to cast Moon Shatter Spring.
- While you have Riding the Wind, you get the empowered five‑hit version, plus Tenacity in non‑arena content and +45% damage to non‑player targets.
Best combination: Vernal Umbrella + Inkwell Fan
The strongest place for the Inkwell Fan right now is in a dual‑weapon setup with the Vernal Umbrella, which shares the same Silkbind – Jade path. Together they form a full ranged DPS core that barely needs to commit to melee except for Moon Shatter Spring windows.
| Element | Vernal Umbrella role | Inkwell Fan role |
|---|---|---|
| Projectile spam | Skills like Spring Away and Spring Sorrow fire multiple projectiles, especially while you float in the air. | Light attacks and Forsaken Fame add more projectiles that benefit from Enhanced Ballistics. |
| Control | Stuns and roots from umbrella skills keep enemies in place. | Launch and Lingering Bone keep key targets locked for aerial punishments. |
| Buff loop | Blossom Barrage amplifies ballistic damage and gives extra skill charges. | Jadewind Shield stacks Enhanced Ballistics, multiplying damage from both weapons. |
A common ranged rotation in this pair looks like:
- Cast Jadewind Shield to create the barrier and gain Enhanced Ballistics.
- Swap to Vernal Umbrella with Fan – Conversion or your Dual‑Weapon Skill.
- Hold Spring Away to pour damage into the buff window.
- Use Spring Sorrow to stun and apply Blossom Barrage’s Combo debuff.
- Swap back to the fan for another Jadewind Shield window and projectile flurry, or dive into an airborne combo with Peak’s Springless Silence and Moon Shatter Spring.
When you are floating with the umbrella, Mystic Arts like Guardian Palm let you vault even higher, dodge midair, and slam down into enemies with area damage before returning to safe range again.
Played well, the Inkwell Fan turns ranged combat in Where Winds Meet into a rhythm game of walls, dashes, and perfectly timed aerial finishers. The sanctum run to steal it is a small puzzle box of stealth and movement, but the payoff is a weapon that can handle open‑world roaming, dungeon bosses, and group content while keeping most threats at a comfortable distance.
