Found next to the General Shrine fast travel point in Qinghe, right at the start of the game, Elder Gongsun is one of the hardest early game duels in Where Winds Meet, leading many players to find themselves unable to defeat the old Qi master on their first few tries.
While the fight is certainly difficult, it is by no means impossible, even for players who haven’t unlocked any upgrades for their weapons. This guide covers a detailed strategy on how to easily win against Elder Gongsun in the duel. Here’s the breakdown.
Where Winds Meet: Tips & Tricks
Master the art of Wuxia action RPGs with these beginner tips for Where Winds Meet.
How to Defeat Elder Gongsun in Where Winds Meet
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Loadout |
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Weapon |
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Skills |
Shadow Step Daunting Strike |
Elder Gongsun always waits for the player to make the first move. When attacked, he can react in one of two ways:
- Throws a kick.
- Shoves back using both palms.
Elder Gongsun’s attack pattern is fixed, and seeing his first move gives a clear indication of what the rest of his attack combo will be like.
When Elder Gongsun starts his combo with a kick, it turns into a long, relentless melee combo attack that is very hard to dodge or parry. The only way to deal damage to Elder Gongsun’s Qi during this attack sequence is by parrying. There is no opportunity to launch attacks of your own.
While you can parry and dodge if you’re good enough, it’s much easier to avoid the attack by jumping up and waiting for a better opportunity. This attack sequence is entirely ground-based, meaning Elder Gongsun does not target you if you’re airborne. If you triple jump, you can avoid most of this attack and will only have to dodge/parry once or twice to come out unscathed.
When Elder Gongsun starts his combo with a shove, he immediately jumps back and assumes a lotus position, following it up with four palm strikes, a delayed airborne axe kick (brings his heel down from above), and a strong palm strike with a red glint as the finisher.
The final red glint palm strike is very easy to parry and follow up on, as the timing window for a successful deflection is very generous. It is by far the best opportunity to deal damage to Elder Gongsun in this entire duel. This attack always comes after the delayed axe kick, meaning you can always anticipate it. Be patient and wait for this opportunity to deal easy damage.
After Elder Gongsun performs his starting sequence of attack moves, he can follow it up with four possible moves:
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Move |
Description |
Screenshot |
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Qi Recovery |
Gongsun has the ability to restore Qi (Stamina) in the middle of the duel by standing still and moving his hands in a set pattern. This move can be interrupted by dealing any damage. You can use the Nameless Sword’s Shadow Step to deal a quick strike in melee range or the Daunting Strike to close the distance if you’re far away. |
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Pole Vault |
Gongsun starts hopping between the wooden poles on the sides of the arena, before jumping down towards the player in a sudden downward kick. Gongsun always jumps to four poles before attacking, announcing each move with a Left! Right! Front! Back! When he doesn’t declare his intent, it means he is about to jump down for an attack. This can be parried and dodged. |
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Frog Jump |
Gongsun becomes a glowing yellow frog and performs three hops, slamming down each time to deal AoE damage. This can be parried and dodged. |
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Frog Cloud |
Gongsun assumes the position of a frog (with a golden glow around him) and suddenly creates a dark cloud around his position, blinding the player if they don’t dodge or parry. He follows this up with a quick forward frog jump. Dodge the first move and jump to avoid the follow-up. |
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Upon successfully defeating him, you'll receive the Top Fighter Achievement and Elder Gongsun will be unlocked as a Combat Assist companion. Claim the reward in the Achievements menu under the Qinghe Area to receive 5 Echo Jade.
Healing is disabled during duels, meaning you cannot rely on healing items to restore Qi to cheese the duel.
Where Winds Meet
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 73 /100 Critics Rec: 50%
- Released
- November 14, 2025
- ESRB
- Teen / Use of Alcohol, Violence, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Everstone Studios
- Publisher(s)
- NetEase, Inc.
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Wuxia, Open-World
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC, Android, iOS
