The Homestead is the sandbox housing and management feature added to Where Winds Meet in the Version 1.8 update, Companions Make Home. It sends you back to Qinghe as the Young Master to rebuild the ruined village of Blissful Retreat into a working estate with farms, an inn, a porcelain kiln, and a brewery. Before any of that opens, you have to clear a short introductory questline that doubles as the tutorial.
Quick answer: Complete the two Qinghe Exploration Quests Where Bamboos Remember and Childhood Reverie. Finishing both unlocks Homestead management at Blissful Retreat, with farming as the first available activity.
Requirements before you can start
The Homestead is part of the free Version 1.8 patch, so no premium currency or purchase is needed to unlock it. You only need the game updated and access to Qinghe, where the storyline begins with your return to Blissful Retreat.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Game version | Version 1.8, Companions Make Home, or later |
| Region/location | Qinghe (return to Blissful Retreat as the Young Master) |
| Unlock quests | Where Bamboos Remember and Childhood Reverie |
| Building tools | Requires the side quest Building: One Last Job |
| Cost | Free with the update; no premium currency required |
Unlock the Homestead through the Qinghe quests
How to confirm the unlock worked
You know the system is active when the Homestead menu opens and you can plot land, plant crops, fish, and cook. The Retainers and building menus should also appear once management is available.
If you can reach the Homestead menu but cannot place or upgrade any buildings, you have most likely not finished Building: One Last Job. That side quest is what enables structure placement and renovation, so many prosperity and level objectives will stay blocked until it is done.
If the Homestead tutorial quest is missing
An issue that caused the Homestead tutorial quest to disappear for some players was addressed in the Version 1.8 launch patch. If the quest still does not show up, run through these checks.
- Confirm the game is fully updated to Version 1.8 or later.
- Restart the game and log back in.
- Open the Qinghe Quest and Exploration menus and look for the Homestead marker.
- Return to Blissful Retreat and check for a new quest marker in the area.
- Finish any unfinished introductory objectives connected to Blissful Retreat.
- Contact in-game customer support if the tutorial remains unavailable.
Note: The exact quest name shown in your menu can depend on your current story progress and localization, so follow the live Homestead tutorial marker rather than older pre-release quest descriptions.
What opens up once the Homestead is unlocked
After the two quests are done, Blissful Retreat becomes the management side of the Homestead. You reopen businesses, chain their outputs together, and recruit Retainers to keep everything running while you explore. Production happens in real time, so some items finish in minutes while cooked dishes and other goods can take hours.
| Activity | What it does |
|---|---|
| Farming | Plant crops on plots of land, then harvest them to cook dishes for the inn. First activity available after unlocking. |
| Inn | Caters dishes and wine to customers and earns Bounty Gourds. |
| Porcelain Kiln | Produces vases and dishware, used for brewing wine or traded for profit. |
| Aromas Brewery | Brews different wines that can be served in the inn or traded. |
| Local Specialties | Resources such as fish, meat, stones, and timber kept in the Warehouse and used to develop items and dishes. |
| Build Infrastructures | Construct and renovate structures across Blissful Retreat, including the inn. |
Retainers are the workforce that handles the heavy labor. Open the Retainers menu, pick an NPC, and hand over their preferred Present Invitation to bring them on board, then assign them to a role such as Innkeeping, Klinwork, or Brewcraft that matches their talents. Running the estate rewards Bounty Gourds, the Homestead’s dedicated currency, which you spend in the Homestead Shop on Retainer development, Consumables, Facilities, and Furniture. The Summer’s Blush outfit is a notable free reward tied to the Homestead, so clearing the introductory and restoration objectives first is the quickest way to open those rewards before repeating any single activity.
