Dragon Keys — also labeled as Loong Keys in-game — are one of the most restrictive progression items in Where Winds Meet. Each key is consumed on use, and there are only a handful of guaranteed sources early on, so wasting one on the wrong door can delay some of the best Martial Arts and weapons in Qinghe.
Here’s how Dragon Keys work, where to get them, and which sanctums and Skill Theft missions they unlock.
All guaranteed Dragon Key sources
Dragon Keys in Qinghe come from three systems: Solo Mode Breakthrough, one exploration quest, and specific Outposts that reward a key on first clear only.
| Source type | Name / requirement | Region / landmark | Key details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo Mode Breakthrough | Breakthrough Level 2 – Emerging | Solo Mode, world level 2 (character level 15 cap) | Grants 1 Dragon Key when you complete the first Breakthrough and raise the cap from 15 to 20. |
| Exploration Quest | Skill Theft: Unearned Lesson / Rightful Acquisition | Moonveil Mountain, south of Moonveil Peak Boundary Stone | Requires character level 8 to start; rewards 1 Dragon Key on completion. |
| Outpost first-clear | Bloomveil Monastery | Qinghe, near Bodhi Sea | First clear only; stronghold chest contains 1 Dragon Key. |
| Outpost first-clear | Gourmand’s Grove | Qinghe, near Jadebrook Mountain | First clear only; stronghold chest contains 1 Dragon Key. |
| Outpost first-clear | Tiger Fort | Qinghe, southwest of the region | First clear only; stronghold chest contains 1 Dragon Key. |
That gives you at least five Dragon Keys in early Qinghe: three from Outposts, one from the Skill Theft exploration, and one from Solo Mode Breakthrough Level 2.
Outposts only pay out once. If you repeat them, you still earn loot and experience, but you will not receive another key.
How to check which Outposts reward a Dragon Key
Not every Outpost grants a key, and clearing one can easily take 10–15 minutes, so it’s worth checking the reward list before you commit.
- Open your map and look for Outposts marked with red indicators.
- Highlight an Outpost and open its detail panel.
- Scroll through the reward list and look for “Dragon Key” or “Loong Key”.
- If it is marked as “First Clear” or similar, you will only get that key once.
Bloomveil Monastery, Gourmand’s Grove, and Tiger Fort all list a Dragon Key as part of their first-clear rewards. If the Outpost UI does not show a key at all, you can safely assume clearing it will not increase your key count.
After you defeat the enemies and see the Outpost marked as cleared, make sure you actually open the stronghold chest in the camp. The Dragon Key is part of the chest reward; if you leave without looting it, you can miss the key.
How Breakthrough and the Skill Theft quest award keys
Two progression milestones give Dragon Keys without any Outpost combat.
| System | Trigger | What to do | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo Mode Breakthrough | Character level 15 cap in Solo Mode | Complete Breakthrough Level 2 to raise your world to level 2 and unlock level 20. | 1 Dragon Key, alongside the usual Breakthrough rewards. |
| Skill Theft exploration | Character level 8+ in Qinghe | Travel to Moonveil Mountain, south of Moonveil Peak Boundary Stone, and complete “Skill Theft: Unearned Lesson”. | 1 Dragon Key, one time only. |
Both of these rewards are also one-time. Once you’ve claimed them, there is no repeatable Breakthrough or quest that hands out extra keys.
Where to use Dragon Keys in Qinghe
Dragon Keys interact with Dragon Pillars — stone pedestals or seals outside hidden sanctums and secret sect passages. Interacting consumes a key and opens the passage permanently for that character or world.
They serve two main purposes:
- Opening Skill Theft routes into sect hideouts to steal Martial Arts.
- Unlocking underground sanctums that hold weapon setpieces and their associated Martial Arts.
Dragon Key sanctums for weapons and Martial Arts
Several high-impact weapons and styles in Qinghe are locked behind Dragon Pillars. A Dragon Key is required to enter their sanctums the first time.
| Weapon / Martial Art | Sanctum or area | Approximate location | Dragon Key usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panacea Fan | Panacea Fan sanctum | Near the Northern Bamboo Grave Boundary Stone in Qinghe | Use a Dragon Key on the Dragon Pillar near the Boundary Stone to open the passage. |
| Heavenquake / Heavenquaker Spear | Heavenquake Spear sanctum | Wildsmane Ranch, across the river from General’s Shrine in Qinghe | Spend a key at the Dragon Pillar by the locked dojo to enter the sanctum. |
| Inkwell Fan | Loong Herm Dragon Pillar | Buddha Village, far northwest edge of Sundara Land in Qinghe | Use a Dragon Key at the Loong Herm Dragon Pillar to unlock the hideout. |
| Infernal Twinblades | Midnight Mercy Sanctum / cave hideout | Southern Moonveil Mountain, around Crimson Cliff / Starfall Spring area | Interact with the Dragon Pillar at the cave entrance; a key is consumed to open it. |
| Strategic Sword | Strategic Sword Sanctum | South of the Qinghe region, near Encircling Lake | Spend a Dragon Key at the sanctum’s Dragon Pillar to gain access. |
These sanctums usually combine a short dungeon-like path with a Skill Theft scenario: you infiltrate a sect’s training ground, observe their master, and walk away with a full Martial Art and weapon unlocked.
Dragon Keys and Skill Theft missions
Dragon Keys also act as tickets into certain Skill Theft infiltration paths tied to specific sects. Instead of joining the sect to earn its Martial Arts, you can:
- Find the sect’s hidden passage guarded by a Dragon Pillar.
- Spend a Dragon Key to open the route.
- Complete a stealth-focused Skill Theft mission inside their dojo or cave.
Completing these runs lets you learn the style without pledging to that sect. This is useful if you want to collect many Martial Arts without locking your character into several sect storylines.
Only a subset of sects use Dragon Pillars this way. Other Martial Arts in later regions, including some in Kaifeng, are accessed by simply entering locations or progressing quests and do not require keys at all.
How many Dragon Keys you can expect and what they can’t do
Players in Qinghe can count on at least five fixed keys:
- 1 from Solo Mode Breakthrough Level 2 (Level 2 – Emerging).
- 1 from “Skill Theft: Unearned Lesson” / “Rightful Acquisition”.
- 1 from Bloomveil Monastery first clear.
- 1 from Gourmand’s Grove first clear.
- 1 from Tiger Fort first clear.
Community experience suggests there is a small surplus compared to the number of Dragon Pillar sanctums in Qinghe, on the order of one or two keys, so opening every Qinghe crypt is possible even if you misallocate one early.
However, Dragon Keys have strict limits:
- They are consumable. Each interaction with a Dragon Pillar permanently removes a key from your inventory.
- They cannot be farmed indefinitely. Once you have claimed the fixed rewards listed above, routine activities do not provide a repeatable stream of keys.
- They are specific to Dragon Pillars and associated passages; you cannot repurpose them for other locks or skip unrelated progression gates.
Practical advice for when to spend a Dragon Key
Because Dragon Keys are limited, it helps to decide what kind of build you are aiming for before you start opening doors.
| Priority | Use case | Recommended unlock | Why it’s a strong early choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | Need better survivability and sustain | Panacea Fan sanctum | Panacea Fan supports healing and defensive play, smoothing out early solo content. |
| High | Want a strong melee DPS core | Infernal Twinblades or Strategic Sword sanctum | Both styles provide high offensive pressure and are popular damage-focused options. |
| Medium | Struggling with groups or large arenas | Heavenquake Spear sanctum | The spear’s reach and crowd control make it effective against clustered enemies. |
| Medium | Prefer ranged or hybrid combat | Inkwell Fan sanctum | Offers ranged attacks with flexible positioning for players who like distance and mobility. |
| Situational | Already planning to join the sect | Any sect’s Skill Theft route for that Martial Art | Joining the sect grants its style anyway, so a Dragon Key may be better saved for another sanctum. |
Making Skill Theft sanctums easier
Several Mystic Arts dramatically reduce the risk of wasting a Dragon Key on a failed infiltration run.
- Touch of Death lets you eliminate unaware guards quickly and quietly, which is ideal for the packed corridors and patrol routes inside Skill Theft sanctums.
- Veil of Stillness supports stealth by reducing detection and helping you reposition when enemies are close.
Unlocking one or both of these before attempting key-gated infiltrations makes it much easier to complete the runs cleanly and walk away with the Martial Art on your first attempt.
Once you have collected all five early Dragon Keys and opened the Dragon Pillars you care about most, the item stops being a hard bottleneck and turns into a planning problem: choosing which sanctums to unlock first to match your preferred weapons and playstyle. As long as you clear the three key Outposts, complete the Skill Theft exploration near Moonveil Peak, and finish Breakthrough Level 2 in Solo Mode, Qinghe offers enough keys to explore every Dragon Pillar–locked path the region has to offer.
