In Where Winds Meet, the umbrella stands out as more than just a poetic prop—it’s a fully realized weapon and a core part of the game’s combat identity. Players now widely use two umbrella variants in live gameplay: the Vernal Umbrella, focused on ranged DPS, and the Soulshade Umbrella, built for healing and support. With the game now available globally, fans are exploring how best to use this graceful yet lethal martial tool.
Table of Contents
The Umbrella’s Role in Wuxia-Inspired Combat
Everstone Studio’s combat designers originally conceived the umbrella as a manifestation of wuxia philosophy: soft, elegant, and deceptively powerful. When opened, it provides defensive utility; when closed, it functions as a blade. The transitions between these states give the umbrella a poetic duality, combining aesthetics and lethality in a way few other weapons do.
To capture this, the developers used full-body motion capture with stunt performers. The result: real martial-arts authenticity in each animation, whether players are twirling, leaping, or unleashing aerial attacks.
Vernal Umbrella: Ranged DPS Mastery
The Vernal Umbrella is designed for players who prefer to stay mobile and deal damage from a distance.
- Combat Role: Ranged DPS
- Martial Arts Pairing: Works best with Inkwell Fan
- Core Mechanic: Blossom — a resource built from light attacks
Key Abilities:
- Spring Sorrow: Fires a petal-like projectile that immobilizes non-boss enemies briefly.
- Unfading Flower: Tosses the umbrella into the air; it floats and auto-attacks nearby targets. While it hovers, you can switch to another weapon or draw a hidden sword from inside the umbrella.
- Apricot Heaven (Charged Heavy): The umbrella opens, launching you into the air; on release, you deliver a powerful downward AoE attack.
- Airborne Movement: By charging light attacks or using special skills, you can stay airborne, fire projectiles, and build Blossom efficiently.
Because of its mobility and control, the Vernal Umbrella is ideal for skirmishes with many weaker enemies or for players who want to kite and poke safely.
How to Acquire It:
You obtain the Vernal Umbrella by using the “Skill Theft” mechanic in the Time Tower.
Soulshade Umbrella: The Healing Parasol
The Soulshade Umbrella plays a fundamentally different role. Rather than dealing pure damage, it supports team survival.
- Combat Role: Healer / Support
- Martial Arts Pairing: Best used with the Panacea Fan
- Resource: Dewdrops — generated by attacking or using internal skills
Key Abilities:
- Echoes of a Thousand Plants: Tosses the umbrella into the air to hover. While it floats, it automatically heals the ally with the lowest health nearby and slowly generates Dewdrops.
- Floating Grace: Sends out the umbrella to grant a 15% damage buff to nearby allies while also delivering a heal.
- Pale Petal (Charged Skill): Spin attack that extends “Exhausted” status on targets if charged.
- Umbrella Conversion: Switches to the umbrella during combat, dealing damage and producing Dewdrops simultaneously.
Players focusing on group content often equip this umbrella style to keep teammates alive while contributing to combat via buffs — rather than relying solely on raw damage output.
How to Unlock It:
You can either steal the technique from the master at the Soulshade Umbrella Post Station or join the Hollow Vale Sect, which grants access to the ability.
Strategic Combos: Matching Umbrella with Other Weapons
The umbrella shines most when paired with complementary weapon types. Two combinations stand out:
- Vernal Umbrella + Inkwell Fan: This pairing is highly popular. The fan’s launch abilities synergize with the umbrella’s floating and ranged mechanics, letting you juggle enemies in the air and deal sustained damage.
- Soulshade Umbrella + Panacea Fan: This duo maximizes healing potency. While the umbrella hovers to heal, the fan regenerates Dewdrops, supporting strong healing output and continuous recovery.
On community forums, many players report using the umbrella as a secondary weapon, switching to a stronger melee option when they need to close the gap.
Feedback from the Player Community
Players in the Where Winds Meet community have shared a variety of thoughts on the umbrella’s performance:
- Some love the versatility and elegance: even in its supportive role, the umbrella feels active and meaningful. > “I love just chaining aerial combos … the umbrella … will hover … and automatically attack,” writes one Reddit user.
- Others note that the healer umbrella takes time to master, especially balancing Dewdrop generation and healing uptime.
- A few comment that mastering its animation timing is challenging but ultimately rewarding, especially in close combat or during aerial maneuvers.
Developer Perspective: Why the Umbrella Was Designed This Way
According to the game’s lead designer, the umbrella was meant to express the dual nature of wuxia morality: beauty and strength, vulnerability and resilience. The team wanted a weapon that embodied both elegance and utility.
Their solution: partnering with a veteran action choreographer to lead motion capture, capturing genuine martial-arts motion to make the umbrella’s transitions feel fluid and realistic. As a result, it doesn’t feel tacked-on — it feels like a natural expression of the game’s martial tradition.
Tips for Mastering the Umbrella
If you’re diving into Where Winds Meet and want to get the most out of the umbrella, here are some advanced tips:
- Manage Your Resource Wisely:
- Blossom (Vernal): build it up with light attacks to fuel powerful charged and special moves.
- Dewdrops (Soulshade): use your heavy attacks or other skills to generate Dew steadily for healing.
- Use the Floating State Strategically:
Toss your umbrella to hover when you’re in danger or need to heal. During that state, you can switch weapons while maintaining offensive or support output. - Practice Aerial Combos:
The charged heavy attack of the Vernal Umbrella lets you launch into the air — use that height to unleash more damage or reposition quickly. - Synergize with Your Secondary Weapon:
Don’t rely solely on the umbrella. Pair it with a weapon that complements your style — whether it’s a high-damage ranged weapon or a support fan. - Adapt to Team Play:
As a healer-umbrella user, stay aware of teammate health and timing. Use Echoes of a Thousand Plants proactively, especially in co-op or tougher encounters.
Why Players Are Drawn to the Umbrella
The umbrella isn’t just a novelty—it’s a statement piece in Where Winds Meet. It appeals to players for several reasons:
- Artistic Expression: Its animations are beautiful and cinematic, giving combat a graceful, dance-like feel.
- Mechanical Depth: Whether dealing damage or providing healing, it rewards skill and timing.
- Role Variety: It doesn’t force a one-size-fits-all playstyle. You can play it aggressively, defensively, or supportively.
- Lore Resonance: The umbrella aligns beautifully with the game’s wuxia themes of duality, transformation, and hidden power.
Looking Ahead: Umbrella in Future Updates
Given how well the umbrella has been received, many in the community expect it to play a bigger role in future updates. Potential areas for growth:
- New internal arts or mystic skills tied to umbrella variants
- Seasonal or event weapons that add visual flair or new mechanics to the umbrella
- Expanded builds: more fan-umbrella combos or hybrid setups
- PvP optimizations that highlight aerial or support strategies
Where Winds Meet transforms the humble umbrella into a full-fledged martial arts weapon—one that embodies grace, utility, and elegance. Whether you’re raining down projectiles from above or patiently healing allies mid-battle, the umbrella delivers a unique, deeply wuxia experience in combat.
Which umbrella style are you using — the sharp precision of Vernal or the nurturing support of Soulshade? Drop your build ideas or favorite combos in the comments!