Hair color in Where Winds Meet is more restricted than its impressive face editor suggests. You start with near-black hair, and anything beyond that – from auburn to platinum blonde – is tied to dyes, shop items, and a few rare hairstyles. Here’s how the system really works and what you can expect if you want something other than dark brown.
Where Winds Meet hair color at character creation
When you first create a character, you can sculpt the face in extreme detail and freely set skin tone, but hair color is the clear exception. The initial options are effectively dark brown through black, with no blonde, red, or fantasy shades available on the slider or preset list.
That limitation is intentional. The game treats bright or unusual hair colors as consumable cosmetics you unlock later, not as part of the base editor. If you go in expecting a full color wheel during character creation, you will be disappointed: the wheel only appears once you use dye items after you’ve started playing.
How hair dye works in Where Winds Meet
Hair color changes are handled through dye items rather than permanent, free editing. Dyes are consumables: every time you apply one to a hairstyle, the item is used up.
| Hair color system element | What it does | How you get it | Typical color range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default hair color | Starting color on new characters | Character creation only | Dark brown to black | Cannot select other shades at start |
| Basic dye | Lets you recolor hair with a general color picker | Login rewards, quests, events, basic gacha rewards, shop currency exchanges | Most darker and mid-tone colors (reds, browns, greens, some brighter hues) | Uses a wheel-style picker but with a more limited “safe” range |
| Premium / advanced dye | Unlocks the full color wheel for more extreme shades | Cash shop purchases, premium gacha pools, pity systems | Very light blondes, true white, pastel and vivid fantasy colors | Costs premium currency; more flexible but more expensive |
| Pre-dyed hairstyles | Hairstyles that come with a fixed color out of the box | Cash shop outfits, special bundles, rare unlocks | White, blonde, pink, red, and similar striking shades | Color can sometimes still be changed later using dye |
| Free recolors of paid styles | Dyeing premium outfits and hair into multiple colors | Applies to already purchased real-money cosmetics | Depends on what dye you use | Purchased looks usually remain dyeable rather than locked forever |
Two things define how flexible your hair color options are:
- The type of dye you’re using (basic or premium/advanced).
- Whether the hairstyle itself is locked to a specific shade or flagged as dyeable.
Basic dye vs premium dye: what each can and can’t do
The game effectively splits hair recoloring into “everyday” changes and “luxury” shades.
| Aspect | Basic dye | Premium / advanced dye |
|---|---|---|
| Acquisition | Playtime rewards, common gacha currency, events, log-in bonuses | Cash shop, rare gacha pulls, pity systems, premium shop currency |
| Color control | Wheel-style picker with limited outer edges | Full wheel, including very light and extreme colors |
| Example results | Dark auburn, deep green, rich red, darker blues, natural browns | White, platinum blonde, light blue, pastel pink, very saturated neons |
| Use case | Routine recolors, slightly stylized looks | Signature looks, stand-out shades, fashion presets |
| Value perception | Generally seen as fine for most players, but still rare enough to think about | Viewed as optional and expensive; not everyone finds it worth the premium cost |
Basic dye already gives wide coverage for “normal” and darker fashion colors. If you want a rich red, dark teal, or mid-brown, you can typically stay in the basic tier. The real divide is at the very light end: pure white and pale blondes are treated as premium territory, either via advanced dye or pre-dyed styles.
Can you get blonde, ginger, or white hair?
The short answer is yes, but the path differs by shade.
| Target color | How realistic it is | What you likely need | Extra details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light brown / dark blonde | Very achievable | Basic dye and the in-game color wheel | Players have shared screenshots of “basic blonde” options via dyes and certain free hairstyles. |
| Golden or bright blonde | Achievable with some cost | Premium/advanced dye or a pre-dyed blonde hairstyle | Some outfits and hairstyles come pre-blonde; others can be pushed to blonde using premium dye. |
| Ginger / copper | Likely achievable | Careful use of basic dye in the red–orange range, possibly premium for very bright copper | Players specifically ask about ginger; community answers suggest it is feasible with regular dyes but not guaranteed. |
| White / silver | Very gated | Advanced dye or white pre-dyed hairstyles | White has been treated as a premium color and is often used to sell gacha or cash shop items. |
| Pastels (pink, baby blue, etc.) | Premium-only territory | Advanced dye or pre-dyed styles in those shades | Seen mainly on paid cosmetics and rare outfits. |
If your main goal is “be blonde on day one,” the system technically supports that. Between basic blonde tones shown in screenshots, pre-dyed blonde hairstyles, and premium dyes, there are multiple routes. The real question is whether you’re willing to spend currency or accept some RNG on cosmetics.
Where Winds Meet hair color vs skin tone and hairstyles
Hair color is the one part of the character’s appearance that is tightly monetized. Other major elements are handled more generously.
- Skin tone: character creation uses a wheel-style selector that reaches into fairly dark browns and isn’t locked behind any currency.
- Body shape: There are basic sliders for build, but they’re much less granular than the face editor.
- Hairstyles: the base editor offers several, with more unlocked through gameplay and gacha. Some premium styles are bundled with fixed standout colors such as white or pink.
The result is a creator that supports a wide range of faces and skin tones for free, but treats hair color – especially atypical or very light shades – as a cosmetic economy of its own.
How to actually change hair later in the game
Appearance changes after character creation are tied to an early main quest and then to an in-game menu. To reach full customization again, you need to meet Cheng Xin and unlock his “Disguise” service.
The flow works like this:
- Progress the main story quest that starts with taking Ruby to the General’s Shrine.
- Continue until you encounter the Faceless Ones in an underground area and obtain the Nameless Jade Flute.
- Use the flute to solve a pressure plate puzzle and push through a short dream-like sequence.
- When you return to the shrine entrance, speak to the now-huddled Cheng Xin and hand the Jade Flute back.
- This unlocks his “Disguise” option, which opens the full character editor again.
From that point forward, you can:
- Travel back to Cheng Xin (Still Shore fast travel point) and use his Disguise service, or
- Open the main menu, choose the Appearance section, and enter customization from there using the dedicated Appearance action.
Free tweaks vs paid overhauls
Not every adjustment costs the same. The game distinguishes between minor finishing touches and full reshaping.
| Change type | Category | Cost | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface changes | Makeup | Free adjustments from the Appearance screen | Eye color, facial hair, makeup patterns, tattoos, some overlay effects |
| Structural changes | Customization | Requires a Water Lady Script item | Face shape sliders, feature sizes, bone structure, detailed sculpting |
| Hair dye | Items (basic or premium dye) | Consumes dye on use | Hair color changes on any dyeable hairstyle |
Water Lady Scripts are obtained from the Jianghu Treasures Shop and act as tickets for full structural resculpts. That’s separate from the dye system: you can spend a Script to adjust your jawline, but still need a dye item to recolor your hair.
Early on, every account has one free full recustomization. That first free reset is the best time to finalize your base face and then plan a hair color route you’re comfortable investing in.
How gacha, “cash shop,” and free dyes interact
Cosmetics in Where Winds Meet sit on a spectrum from earnable to heavily monetized.
- Normal dyes: show up as rare drops from routine play, daily logins, and event rewards. They’re often described as “use with care” because the drop rate isn’t high.
- Gacha pools: the standard cosmetic gacha can reward dye items and currencies you then exchange for dyes. Some test phases let players earn basic dye that covered almost every color except pure white.
- Premium dye and pre-dyed styles: the most eye-catching shades – especially white and pastel colors – are tied to premium dye items and specific monetized hairstyles and outfits.
The game does not currently force you to roll a gacha for every hair color. Common reports describe a split model: basic colors are reachable by playing and making targeted purchases, while “prestige” colors lean on premium currency and higher-end shop offerings.
Practical expectations if you care about hair color
Putting it all together, here is what you can reasonably expect if hair color is a big deal for you:
- On day one, your character will leave the editor with dark hair, no exceptions.
- Within early-game play, you can unlock full appearance editing (minus gender) and start applying dyes.
- Basic dye will cover a wide swath of natural and darker stylized colors without requiring premium currency.
- Blonde, ginger, and similar tones are possible, but true white and very light blonde are functionally premium cosmetics.
- Dye items are consumable and not overly common, so you’ll get more value by settling on a signature look rather than constantly swapping.
- Paid hairstyles and outfits are generally designed to remain dyeable, so buying a style does not permanently lock you into a single color.
If you go in knowing that hair color is its own progression and monetization system, rather than just another slider, the design makes more sense. Build the face and skin you want first, treat your first free recustomization as a safety net, and then decide which shades are important enough to justify spending your hard-earned (or paid) dye on.
