Guardian Palm is one of the earliest Mystic Skills that changes how combat feels in Where Winds Meet. It blends short‑range crowd control with a cinematic aerial slam, and it comes tied to a short but memorable side quest in the ruins of a Buddhist village.
What Guardian Palm is in Where Winds Meet
Guardian Palm is an offensive Mystic Skill focused on area damage and knockdowns rather than raw single‑target burst. The basic version creates a three‑hit palm combo in front of your character, ending in a wider, heavier strike that can flatten groups and buy breathing room.
At higher upgrade tiers, Guardian Palm consumes Vitality and has a relatively short cooldown, so it can be woven into almost every engagement rather than saved as a rare panic button. Its damage profile is good but not top‑tier; its real value is the combination of crowd control, coverage, and how often you can press it.
In the game’s lore, the technique originates from Thousand‑Buddha Village, destroyed after an imperial decree to suppress Buddhism. A villager’s vow to protect innocents like the guardian Skanda is rewarded with this Mystic Skill, which you now inherit.
| Attribute | Guardian Palm (grounded) | Guardian Palm (Lamp Light / aerial) |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Offensive Mystic Skill, short‑range combo | Offensive Mystic Skill, plunging AOE |
| Hits | 3 palm strikes in a line | 1 large shockwave on impact |
| Primary role | Local crowd control, space‑making | Wide AOE damage, hard knockdown |
| Works on | Groups of regular enemies, many elites | Large enemy packs, mid‑tier bosses, mounted targets |
| Activation condition | Used from the ground | Used from ≥ ~3–5m above ground |
Where to get Guardian Palm (Where a Thousand Buddhas Wept)
Guardian Palm is unlocked through the side quest “Where a Thousand Buddhas Wept” (also referred to as “Ruins of a Thousand Buddhas”). The quest takes place in the new northern section of Qinghe, around the shore near the remnants of Thousand‑Buddha Village.
This northern map segment initially appears covered in fog. To reveal it and make navigation easier, talk to the local Wayfarer, who is marked by a campfire icon. After speaking with him, head north into Sundara Land’s ruined Buddhist area until you encounter the Nightdream Monk and other mourners.
The quest itself is linear and story‑driven. You mostly walk with a funeral‑style procession, stay in formation, and watch events unfold. There are no puzzles or combat checks here; the main requirement is not to break away from the group and to wait while a praying man finishes his kowtows when the crowd pauses halfway.
Finishing the procession automatically rewards a tome that unlocks Guardian Palm (alongside a few other rewards). Once read, the skill appears in your Mystic Skill list and can be slotted into any empty Mystic slot.
How to equip and fire the basic Guardian Palm combo
After unlocking it, Guardian Palm needs to be equipped like any other Mystic Skill:
- Open your Martial Arts or Mystic Skills menu.
- Select an empty Mystic Skill slot.
- Assign Guardian Palm to that slot and confirm.
In combat, pressing the bound button from the ground triggers the three‑stage combo:
- The first two strikes are forward palms that nudge you and your hitbox ahead.
- The third strike is a heavier blow with a noticeably wider arc and stronger knockdown potential.
Used on cooldown, the grounded version is ideal for carving space when surrounded, interrupting trash mobs, and chaining into weapon strings with wide swings. It is especially comfortable with blades and spears that naturally sweep arcs around your character.
How Lamp Light (the aerial Guardian Palm) actually triggers
Guardian Palm hides a second, more dramatic form often called Lamp Light: a plunging “Buddha palm” that slams you from mid‑air into the ground and creates a large shockwave. This version deals higher damage over a wide radius and causes strong knockdowns, even on many mid‑tier bosses that shrug off other control tools.
The game does not treat any jump or fall as good enough to trigger Lamp Light. The skill changes form only when activated at roughly 3–5 meters above the ground and while you are in a valid airborne combat state. The most consistent ways to reach that state are:
- Using Cloud Steps (also called Guiding/Cloud Step): dash or leap upward into an enemy, then press the Guardian Palm button the moment Cloud Steps connects.
- Exiting certain weapon moves: for example, ending an umbrella charged light attack or a DPS fan follow‑up that has already lifted you into the air, then chaining straight into Guardian Palm.
- Cancelling from Mighty Drop: start Mighty Drop (
Qon keyboard by default) to lift, then quickly input Guardian Palm before fully descending. - Mounted or horse‑riding bosses: when you blink or teleport up to a boss during their scripted phase, you briefly count as being high enough above the ground; using Guardian Palm immediately at that moment will fire Lamp Light.
When done correctly, your character stops hovering and dives straight down in a vertical palm strike, erupting into a large circular shockwave on impact. Everything inside is damaged, and many enemies are knocked off their feet.
Guardian Palm in practice: crowd control and boss utility
Guardian Palm’s grounded combo is useful but unspectacular; it is mainly there to keep groups in check and cover gaps when your weapon techniques are on cooldown. Lamp Light is where the skill starts to define entire encounters.
The aerial variation has several concrete advantages:
- Reliable knockdowns on sturdier enemies: Lamp Light can knock down mid‑tier bosses that resist a lot of other stuns and staggers, creating a short window where they stay put.
- Space‑clearing in camps and add waves: Dropping into a camp with Lamp Light erases archers, interrupting channels, and resetting melee enemies around you.
- Defensive invulnerability window: The brief time spent in the air can let certain boss attacks whiff underneath you, then you punish as you land.
One standout use is setting up slow, high‑commitment moves. For example, a spinning Heavenquaker Spear technique that gains damage if it stays active on a stationary target becomes much easier to land after Lamp Light has planted a boss on the floor.
Recommended weapons and builds to pair with Guardian Palm
Guardian Palm fits almost any build that likes mid‑range brawling, but it shines with Martial Arts styles that already emphasize wide coverage:
- Thundercry Blade: This common starting weapon naturally sweeps broad arcs in front of you. Guardian Palm’s line and arc of impact slot neatly into those patterns, giving you AOE coverage even when weapon skills are recharging.
- Heavenquaker Spear: Spear styles with circular swings and forward rushes turn Lamp Light’s knockdown into a guaranteed follow‑up window. The spear’s reach lets you start Cloud Steps or Mighty Drop outside of danger, then plunge in with Guardian Palm.
- Umbrella and fans: While more situational, their built‑in launchers make hitting Lamp Light’s height requirement smoother. You can exit a drawn‑out umbrella charge with Guardian Palm to both dodge and counter.
Cloud Steps is a near‑mandatory partner if you want Lamp Light on command rather than by lucky launches. It solves distance, height, and target selection in a single Mystic Art, then hands off cleanly to Guardian Palm for the finisher.
How to use Guardian Palm to solve the “3–5 meter” problem
Many players run into the same snag: jumping or falling from ledges does not consistently trigger Lamp Light, even though the description mentions using Guardian Palm from a height. The trick is that the game only allows Mystic Skills from certain airborne states.
The most repeatable method is a simple two‑button chain:
- Lock onto your target and use Cloud Steps to leap or dash into them.
- As soon as Cloud Steps connects and you are clearly above ground level, press your Guardian Palm key once.
Done with the right timing, this always produces Lamp Light, proccing any traits or conditions that care about using Guardian Palm from a height. It also answers quests and conditions that explicitly ask for the technique to be triggered 3–5 meters above the ground.
Other setups, such as starting Mighty Drop and then quickly swapping into Guardian Palm, work similarly but require more familiarity with animation timing. Cloud Steps remains the cleanest tool when combat locks out manual double jumps.
When Guardian Palm is worth a Mystic slot
Guardian Palm does not compete with the absolute highest damage Mystic Skills in the game, but it does several important jobs reliably:
- Crowd control and knockdowns in everyday encounters.
- Safe entry into enemy packs when combined with Cloud Steps.
- Short but meaningful openings against bosses that normally ignore lighter control.
For players leaning into Thundercry Blade, Heavenquaker Spear, or other wide‑swinging Martial Arts, Guardian Palm rounds out AOE coverage. For more single‑target, precision‑focused builds, it still earns its place as a panic button and setup tool, provided you take the time to master Lamp Light’s height requirement.
Unlocked early through a brief, story‑heavy detour in northern Qinghe, it is one of the first Mystic Skills that makes Where Winds Meet’s combat feel as theatrical as the Wuxia fiction that inspired it.
