The Goose Slayer achievement in Where Winds Meet unlocks when you defeat the Demon Goose once. The fight is technically optional and easy to miss because the boss only appears if you deliberately fail a specific healing encounter in Qinghe.
Goose Slayer achievement overview
| Achievement | Requirement | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Goose Slayer | Defeat the Demon Goose once | Hidden / Combat |
| Location | Sick goose encounter in Qinghe (Moonveil Mountains) | Exploration / Side activity |
| Trigger | Fail the sick goose healing event on purpose | Healing minigame |
Once the Demon Goose has spawned, it will continue to appear around its riverbank until you defeat it. You only need a single successful kill to unlock Goose Slayer.
Where to find the sick goose in Qinghe
The Demon Goose comes from a sick goose you can examine and treat in Qinghe:
| Region | Local area | Landmarks | What to look for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qinghe | Moonveil Mountains | North of Heaven's Pier, east of Blissful Retreat | Geese and goslings on a riverbank by a bridge, with one sick goose lying on rocks |
When you approach the goose lying on the rocks near the bridge, an interaction prompt appears to heal it. This uses the same medical minigame seen elsewhere in the game.
To start the encounter:
- Stand close to the sick goose on the rocks by the river.
- Hold the Wind Sense button (R3 on a PS5 controller) to inspect it.
- While focused on the goose, press the heal interaction button (triangle on PS5) to begin treatment.
The game recommends a high healing mastery level for this patient. For Goose Slayer, that “too high” requirement is exactly what you want: it makes failing the treatment trivial.
How to trigger the Demon Goose boss
The Demon Goose only appears if the healing attempt fails. The healing minigame is split into multiple cycles or “turns” with a turn limit (for example, ten cycles and a generous real-time limit). To force a failure:
| Step | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start the healing on the sick goose | You enter the healing interface with a turn counter at the top of the screen |
| 2 | On each healing cycle, choose to skip your turn | No prescriptions, no defenses; you simply advance to the next cycle |
| 3 | Repeat skipping until all cycles are used up | The game declares the healing a failure |
| 4 | Exit the healing screen and immediately move away from the goose | The goose mutates into the Demon Goose and aggroes almost instantly |
On a controller, the skip prompt is bound to a face button (for example, square on PlayStation), shown on the right side of the healing UI as “Next healing cycle.” Press it every time without taking any other action. After the final cycle, the attempt fails automatically.
As soon as the failure message appears and you are returned to the world, the sick goose will transform into its berserk form nearby. You only have a second or two to start running toward the riverbank before it charges.
How to defeat the Demon Goose safely (Tai Chi throw method)
The Demon Goose hits extremely hard for the point in the game where you discover it. Fighting it head‑on requires strong gear and practiced deflection timing, and nearby geese can join the fight. A safer option uses the Tai Chi mystic skill to kill it in one throw by drowning it in deep water.
Preparation: learn and equip Tai Chi
To use the easy method you need:
- The Tai Chi mystic art unlocked on your character.
- Tai Chi equipped in a slot you can trigger during combat.
Tai Chi lets you grab enemies and reposition or throw them. It works on the Demon Goose and other aggressive geese as long as they are not in the middle of certain attack animations.
Positioning the Demon Goose near deep water
The sick goose sits on a rock right beside a river. To drown the Demon Goose, you need to drag it to a deep section of that water, where characters cannot stand or fight.
A simple setup:
- As soon as the healing fails, sprint toward the bridge by the goose.
- Cross to the far side of the bridge so there is a stretch of deep water between you and the original rocks.
- Wait until the Demon Goose locks on and runs across the bridge or along the bank toward you.
If things feel chaotic right after the transformation, you can briefly leave the area and return. The Demon Goose will still be present near the river and often wanders a short distance away from the main gaggle, giving you more time to set up your position on the bridge or downstream bank.
Executing the Tai Chi throw
Once the Demon Goose is close and you have a clear path to the river, you can remove it with a single grab:
| Step | What to do | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Face the Demon Goose with your back to deep water | Make sure there is enough room behind you for a throw arc into the river |
| 2 | Trigger Tai Chi as the goose comes within grab range | A successful activation shows a grab animation where your character seizes the boss |
| 3 | Aim your throw directly toward the deepest part of the river or lake | Adjust your camera and stick so the throw target line points over water, not back to shore |
| 4 | Release the throw input to hurl the Demon Goose into the water | If it lands in deep water, it dies immediately and the fight ends |
If the goose only lands in shallow water or on submerged rocks, it might become stuck or simply resume attacking. In that case, re‑position closer to the clearly swimmable part of the river (where your own character would start swimming instead of standing) and repeat the Tai Chi grab when the ability’s cooldown ends.
Once the Demon Goose sinks in deep water, it is counted as defeated, and Goose Slayer unlocks as soon as combat ends.
Fighting the Demon Goose “honestly”
For players who want to test their build rather than use the throw, the Demon Goose can be killed through normal combat. Expect a fight that is much more demanding than most early encounters in Qinghe.
Key points:
- Speed and aggression: The Demon Goose closes distance quickly and chains attacks with little downtime.
- Deflection dependency: Simply dodging away gives it time to chase you down; repeated deflections help to build stagger and create attack windows.
- Swarm risk: Normal geese nearby can join in. A flock of smaller enemies will punish greedy combos, so keep an eye on your surroundings.
Practical tactics that help:
- Arrive with upgraded gear and at least one Martial Style you are comfortable deflecting with.
- Use ranged options such as flaming arrows to apply damage over time before it reaches you.
- Kite around rocks and across the bridge to thin out any extra geese that get pulled in.
- Retreat up the rocks or across the bridge if your health dips too low, then re‑engage after healing.
This approach is much slower and leaves more room for mistakes, but it avoids relying on mystic grabs and uses the fight as a pure mechanical challenge.
What happens to the sick goose after the fight
Defeating the Demon Goose completes the condition for Goose Slayer. The sick goose encounter itself is not permanently lost:
- The Demon Goose will no longer harass you once it has been killed.
- After some time, the sick goose event at the river can reappear, letting you return later to succeed at the healing and receive its normal reward, such as the Sturdy Goose Egg.
This means you can safely prioritize the achievement first by forcing the berserk transformation, then come back later to treat the goose properly and see the non‑hostile outcome.
Between the drowning trick and normal combat, the Tai Chi throw into deep water is the most efficient option for unlocking Goose Slayer early, especially on characters that have not yet invested heavily in gear or martial arts.
