Where Winds Meet turns one with Version 2.4, which the game's App Store event listing calls "Across Autumn Waters". The headline update, the third Hidden Mountain region Hutuo, opens on November 13, 2026. NetEase and Everstone have confirmed three free headline rewards for it: one outfit you pick on login (from 12, each valued at 2,580 Echo Beads), a set of Melody draw items across mail, events and an anniversary shop, and the anniversary redeem code 1113HUTUOGO. A team-up event called Goose Gifts Galore is already running, and two more pieces arrive on November 26. This guide puts every free reward and every official date in one place. Each claim links to the official Dev Letter, the official X account, the official roadmap graphic or Xbox Wire, all re-checked on November 10, 2026.
Where Winds Meet 2.4 at a glance
If you only have a minute, this table is the short version. Every row comes from an official channel, and the source is named in the right-hand column. Where the publisher gave a date with no clock time, we show the date only and don't guess the hour.
| What | When (official) | Free? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goose Gifts Galore (anniversary kickoff team-up event) | Nov 7 – Dec 4, 2026 | Free to join | Official X, Nov 7, 2026 |
| Hutuo region + Campaign [Hutuo River] + three Jianghu Legacies + two World Bosses | Nov 13, 2026 | Free content | Version 2.4 Dev Letter, Nov 9, 2026 |
| Pick 1 of 12 outfits (each valued at 2,580 Echo Beads) | From the Hutuo version (Nov 13, UTC date) | Free, "No Requirements, Claim on Login" | Official X, Nov 2 (UTC) / Nov 3 (UTC+8), 2026 |
| Lingering Melody ×42 + Resonating Melody ×27 | From the Hutuo version | Free, via mail, events/sign-in and the Anniversary Benefits Shop | Official X rewards graphic, Nov 2 (UTC) / Nov 3 (UTC+8), 2026 |
| Anniversary redeem code 1113HUTUOGO | Shown on the roadmap for the Hutuo version | Free | Official roadmap, Nov 4, 2026 |
| Mode: Horse Racing Chess | Listed with the Nov 13 roadmap (no separate date shown) | Free mode | Official roadmap; Xbox Wire, Nov 6, 2026 |
| Martial Art: Dual Spears | Nov 26, 2026 | New martial art | Official roadmap; Xbox Wire |
| Mode: Jianghu Tactics (auto chess) | Nov 26, 2026 | Free mode | Official roadmap |
| Xbox Series X|S launch | Nov 13, 2026 (PT) | Free-to-play | Xbox Wire, Nov 6, 2026 |
What "2.4 Across Autumn Waters" actually is
The version name is from the publisher's own in-app event listing on the US App Store, which on November 10, 2026 shows a "MAJOR UPDATE" card titled Ver 2.4 "Across Autumn Waters": "Explore Hutuo: Hutuo River Campaign, Dual Spears & Auto Chess are here! Plus massive anniversary rewards!" The same page has a separate "SPECIAL EVENT" card, "1st Anniversary: Hutuo", that reads: "Zhongdu Bridge battle begins! Log in to claim a 2,580 Echo Bead outfit, Lingering Melody & more for our 1st Anniversary!"
In other words, the version number (2.4), the version name (Across Autumn Waters), the region (Hutuo) and the anniversary celebration all refer to the same package. Official posts on X mostly call it the "anniversary version [Hutuo]" or the "1st Anniversary major update 'Hutuo'". If you search the in-game announcements or social channels, any of those names gets you to the same content.
The official Version 2.4 Dev Letter (published November 9, 2026) frames the update around the game's first global anniversary. It sends players "back sixteen years" to the Battle of Zhongdu Bridge on the Hutuo River, where, in the letter's words, "the 200,000-strong army of the Later Jin stood locked in a tense standoff against the Khitan forces." The developers describe that battle as "the very beginning of our journey" for the game's story, so this is a story-heavy anniversary as well as a reward drop.
The free login outfit: pick 1 of 12
The biggest single free reward is an outfit selector. The official rewards post on X, published at 22:40 UTC on November 2 (06:40 UTC+8 on November 3), 2026, puts it plainly: "No Requirements, Claim on Login: Pick 1 of 12 Outfits (Valued at 2,580 Echo Beads)." A follow-up post on November 6, 2026, with a 44-second preview video, repeats it: "Get a first look at 12 featured outfits, each worth 2,580 Echo Beads. Log in to claim your choice of outfit for free and pick your favorite new look!"
Three points are worth spelling out, because they cause most of the confusion we see in community threads:
- It's one pick, not twelve outfits. The wording is "Pick 1 of 12" and "your choice of outfit". You choose a single set.
- "2,580 Echo Beads" is a valuation label, not currency you receive. It tells you what one of these sets is worth at shop price. You get the outfit, not 2,580 Echo Beads.
- There's no spending or level gate in the official text. The phrase used is "No Requirements, Claim on Login." Xbox Wire's anniversary article (November 6, 2026) agrees: "Just for logging in, choose a free Outfit Set worth 2,580 Echo Beads, from 12 distinct style[s]".
The 12 outfits in the selector
The official rewards graphic attached to the November 2 (UTC) X post names all 12 sets. Each is shown on both a male and a female character:
| Row 1 | Row 2 |
|---|---|
| Crimson Sand | Celestial Knot |
| Celestial Vanguard | Magpie's Nocturne |
| Flicker of Faces | Moonlit Inquiry |
| Flower of Youth | Scorpion's Heart |
| Golden Aura | Dragon Protector |
| Ninth Pawnshop | Veil Between |
The same graphic includes a footnote for long-time collectors: "Wanderers who already own all 12 can convert the reward into Resonance Voucher ×10 or Lingering Melody ×16." If you own some but not all of the sets, check your wardrobe before you open the selector. Picking a set you already own is the easiest mistake to make here.
How to choose
The publisher hasn't published per-outfit rarity or a claim deadline for the selector, so we won't rank the sets by "value" (they share the same 2,580 Echo Bead label). In practice, three questions help:
- Which sets do you not already own? Owning one or more of these from earlier events or purchases is the most common reason to rule a set out.
- Which character body do you play most? Each set is shown on both a male and a female model, so look at the version you'll actually wear. The November 6 preview video on the official X account shows them in motion.
- Do you want a look that suits the Hutuo setting? Hutuo is a war-torn frontier in late autumn and winter, judging by the Dev Letter's descriptions of "bitter winter" at Silvereed Shoal and "scorched towns". Darker or armored sets will look more at home in screenshots there, if that matters to you.
The free Melody draws: 42 Lingering + 27 Resonating (69 in total)
The second headline reward is a stack of Melody draw items. The official X rewards post lists them as "Easy In-Game Rewards: Lingering Melody ×42 + Resonating Melody ×27," so 69 Melody pulls in total, per the official @WhereWindsMeet_ account. The rewards graphic attached to that post breaks the total down by where each item comes from:
| Source (as labelled officially) | Lingering Melody | Resonating Melody |
|---|---|---|
| In-Game Mail | 15 | 12 |
| Events & Sign-in | 22 | 10 |
| Anniversary Benefits Shop (Event Token Exchange) | 5 | — |
| Anniversary Benefits Shop | — | 5 |
| Total | 42 | 27 |
The same shop panel also lists "Lingering Melody ×25 (Echo Jade)". These are exchanged with Echo Jade rather than event tokens, and the arithmetic shows they sit outside the 42 headline figure: 15 + 22 + 5 = 42. Treat them as an optional extra if you have Echo Jade saved up, not as part of the free 69.
A note on Xbox Wire's version of these numbers
Xbox Wire's anniversary article names the two Melody types the other way round ("42 Resonating Melody draws and 27 Lingering Melody draws"). The publisher's own X post, its rewards graphic and the roadmap graphic (which shows the Lingering Melody icon at ×42 and the Resonating Melody icon at ×27) all agree on Lingering ×42 and Resonating ×27, so that's the split used in this guide. Either way, the total is the same 69 draws.
How to make sure you collect all 69
Because the Melodies come from three different places, the usual way to miss some is to collect the mail and forget the rest. A simple routine:
- Open your in-game mail after the Hutuo update and claim the attachments (Lingering ×15, Resonating ×12 per the official breakdown).
- Check the anniversary event and sign-in panels every day you play. That's where the larger share comes from (Lingering ×22, Resonating ×10).
- Visit the Anniversary Benefits Shop before the event ends and exchange your event tokens for the Lingering ×5 and the Resonating ×5.
The official materials don't give a single end date for every anniversary event, so check the in-game event panel for each one's timer. Don't assume they all close together.
The anniversary redeem code: 1113HUTUOGO
Both the official roadmap (posted on X on November 4, 2026) and the rewards graphic carry the line "REDEEM CODE: 1113HUTUOGO". The "1113" matches the November 13 launch date. The roadmap shows three reward icons next to the code (coins, a Melody item and a jade token), but the posts don't list exact quantities, so check the in-game confirmation when you redeem. If the code doesn't work before the Hutuo version is live on your platform, try again after the update.
Redeem codes are entered in the game client through its redeem-code option. Type the code exactly as printed: 1113HUTUOGO, all capitals, no spaces. Copying it from this page avoids mixing up the letter O and the number 0.
Goose Gifts Galore: the anniversary kickoff event (Nov 7 – Dec 4)
The anniversary started before the update itself. On November 7, 2026, the official X account announced "Anniversary Kickoff: Goose Gifts Galore!" with an event period of Nov 7 – Dec 4, 2026. Per the post, you "complete tasks such as inviting new or returning players to team up" to "earn multiple draw chances for a chance to win exciting prizes, including an iPhone Duo, GeForce RTX 5080 and more!"
Two things to keep in mind:
- This is a prize draw. Completing tasks earns draw chances, not guaranteed prizes, so don't plan around winning one.
- The tasks are about inviting new or returning players and teaming up. If you have friends who left the game, this is the event to bring them back for, and the Hutuo campaign launches during the window.
Free content arriving November 13: Hutuo
Beyond the rewards, the anniversary's main gift is the content itself. The Dev Letter states: "On November 13, Hutuo, the third region of Hidden Mountain, will officially open." The official roadmap describes Hutuo as "A war-torn frontier of colliding destinies."
Campaign [Hutuo River]
The centerpiece is a new Campaign, Hutuo River, told "through a multi-perspective narrative". In the Dev Letter's summary, the Jin vanguard has taken Zhongdu Bridge but reinforcements fail to arrive, leaving soldiers on the north bank surrounded. Heroes from different sects march north to help, across several fronts at once: "Some ran between command tents seeking urgent aid, some infiltrated behind enemy lines to raid supplies, while others braved deadly fire to charge the front line." The storylines meet at Zhongdu Bridge.
The Dev Letter also mentions a quieter follow-up: "After the dust settles, Wanderers can return to the riverbank to gather left-behind relics and retrace the stories of fallen comrades." Xbox Wire adds that the campaign's climax features a boss, Xiao Han, whom it describes as having "Blood-forged Super Armor".
Three new Jianghu Legacies
The Dev Letter introduces three side stories about ordinary people caught up in the war:
| Jianghu Legacy | Where | What you do (per the Dev Letter) |
|---|---|---|
| The Deepest Cut | A Father's Search for His Son | Occupied Luancheng | Help the embroiderer Zhao Tie find his son. You "sneak into the city alongside him on a cart", using martial skills, stealth and mechanisms to get past guarded streets and dye workshops. |
| Melody Amid Reeds | A Vigil in the Bitter Cold | Silvereed Shoal, south bank of the Hutuo | Row into the reed marshes to meet Luhua, a girl "cloaked in woven reeds and surrounded by wildlife", and uncover her past through her words and the relics in her home. |
| Kindle the Void | The Final Lesson of Dragonbend Academy | Dragonbend Academy | The "concluding chapter of the Jianghu Legacies in Hidden Mountain". Explore "mechanism-laden halls" and fight to uncover the fate of Elder Crane of Mohist Hill. |
Because "Kindle the Void" is officially the concluding Hidden Mountain legacy, players who have followed the Hidden Mountain story since earlier regions will want to save time for it.
Two new World Bosses
- Wayfarer Bingshen: a former Dragonbend Academy student now "standing vigil alone at Moonveil Knoll". The Dev Letter says his "frequent attacks with red and yellow visual cues will constantly test your parry, deflect, and dodge timing", and finding openings becomes harder "especially in the later stages of the battle."
- Yelu Abuli: a Khitan princess and shaman priestess whose fighting style "blends shamanic rituals with shapeshifting abilities, allowing her to soar as an eagle, strike as a wolf, and summon ethereal foxfire." You need to read her changing forms and adapt.
Horse Racing Chess
The roadmap lists "Mode: Horse Racing Chess — Roll dice and race to victory" with no separate date, alongside the November 13 content. Xbox Wire describes it as a mode that combines dice rolls, Mystic Skills and a race to the finish. It's a casual mode, so it's a good change of pace between campaign chapters.
Arriving November 26: Dual Spears and Jianghu Tactics
Two roadmap items carry a separate 11.26 tag, so they arrive about two weeks after Hutuo:
- Martial Art: Dual Spears, described as "Master offense and defense with paired spears." The official November 4 X post also lists it as "arriving soon". Xbox Wire adds that the motion capture and choreography were led by Yuen Woo-ping, and that the weapon has a Dual-Weapon Skill you can trigger mid-combo.
- Mode: Jianghu Tactics, described as "Master strategic formations in auto chess." Xbox Wire explains it as building a roster of Heroic Spirits and winning through positioning, gear and bonds. The App Store event card calls it "Auto Chess".
One of the new appearance sets shown on the roadmap also carries the 11.26 tag. The roadmap doesn't say how that set is obtained, so we don't count it as a free reward here.
New on Xbox Series X|S from November 13
The anniversary is also the game's Xbox launch. Xbox Wire's November 6, 2026 article by Eric Head of Where Winds Meet Publishing says the Hutuo anniversary update "arrives on XBOX Series X|S on November 13 (PT)". The article lists Smart Delivery, HDR support and FSR 2. Series X upscales to 4K from a 1080p base and Series S to 2K from a 900p base. Xbox players start with the same anniversary login rewards described above.
Where Winds Meet supports cross-play and cross-progression across platforms, according to its App Store listing. If you already play on PC, PS5 or mobile, check whether your account can carry over before you start a new character on Xbox.
Watch: the official 1st Anniversary Special Broadcast recap
The official channel's recap of the November 2 (PT) anniversary broadcast covers Hutuo, the new modes and the reward summary in a few minutes:
The official account posted the broadcast schedule on X on October 27, 2026: Special Broadcast on November 2 at 14:00 PT, which is 06:00 UTC+8 on November 3.
What is not part of the free anniversary list
A lot of other things launch alongside Hutuo. To keep expectations realistic, here are the paid items that share the same dates:
- Battle Pass outfit [Frostbound Edge] is new and available "from Nov 13, 23:00 to December 10, 4:59:59 (UTC+8)" according to the official X post of November 5, 2026. It's a Battle Pass appearance, not a free anniversary gift.
- Battle Pass appearance [Willow Breeze] "returns for a limited time from Nov 13, 23:00 to Jan 29, 2027, 4:59:59 (UTC+8)," per the same post. Also Battle Pass.
- Top-up events. The anniversary also includes spending-based milestone events. They aren't free rewards, so they're outside the scope of this guide.
The Battle Pass start time, November 13 at 23:00 UTC+8, is the only official clock time we found for the launch day. The publisher hasn't posted a universal "update goes live" hour for every platform, so watch the official X account and the in-game notice for maintenance timing.
Your anniversary checklist, in date order
- Now – Dec 4: Join Goose Gifts Galore, invite or team up with new and returning players, and use your draw chances.
- Nov 13 (after the update): Log in and claim the outfit selector. Pick a set you don't already own; if you own all 12, you'll get the conversion (Resonance Voucher ×10 or Lingering Melody ×16).
- Nov 13: Claim the in-game mail (Lingering ×15, Resonating ×12) and redeem
1113HUTUOGO. - Nov 13 onward, daily: Clear the anniversary event and sign-in tasks (Lingering ×22, Resonating ×10) and collect event tokens.
- Nov 13 onward: Play Campaign [Hutuo River], the three Jianghu Legacies and the two World Bosses, and try Horse Racing Chess.
- Before the shop closes: Exchange event tokens in the Anniversary Benefits Shop for Lingering ×5 and Resonating ×5. Check the in-game timer.
- Nov 26: Dual Spears and Jianghu Tactics arrive.
Topping up for anniversary cosmetics
Everything above is free. If you want extra cosmetics or the Battle Pass during the anniversary, Echo Beads are the premium currency. You can top up Where Winds Meet Echo Beads on Buffget using your in-game ID. Check the current package list on the product page before you buy, and claim every free anniversary reward first. The outfit selector and the 69 Melody draws may already cover what you were going to buy.
FAQ
When does the Where Winds Meet 1st Anniversary update launch?
The Hutuo anniversary version (Version 2.4, "Across Autumn Waters") launches on November 13, 2026. The official rewards post gives the date as November 13 (UTC), and Xbox Wire gives November 13 (PT) for Xbox Series X|S. The only official clock time for that day is the Battle Pass start, 23:00 UTC+8.
Is the anniversary outfit really free?
Yes. The official wording is "No Requirements, Claim on Login: Pick 1 of 12 Outfits (Valued at 2,580 Echo Beads)." You choose one outfit. The 2,580 Echo Beads figure is a valuation, not currency you receive.
How many free Melody draws are there?
The official X account lists Lingering Melody ×42 and Resonating Melody ×27, 69 Melody pulls in total, spread across in-game mail, events and sign-in, and the Anniversary Benefits Shop. A further Lingering Melody ×25 for Echo Jade is listed separately and isn't part of the 69.
What if I already own all 12 outfits?
Per the official rewards graphic, you can convert the reward into Resonance Voucher ×10 or Lingering Melody ×16.
What is the anniversary redeem code?
1113HUTUOGO, as printed on the official roadmap and rewards graphics.
When do Dual Spears and Jianghu Tactics arrive?
Both are tagged 11.26 (November 26, 2026) on the official roadmap.
How long does Goose Gifts Galore run?
November 7 – December 4, 2026, per the official X post. It's a prize draw: completing tasks earns draw chances.
Sources
- Where Winds Meet official site: Version 2.4 Dev Letter | In Times of Turmoil, What Makes a True Hero? (published 2026-11-09; checked 2026-11-10)
- @WhereWindsMeet_ on X: anniversary rewards post and rewards graphics (2026-11-02 22:40 UTC / 2026-11-03 06:40 UTC+8)
- @WhereWindsMeet_ on X: 1st Anniversary major update "Hutuo" and roadmap (2026-11-04)
- @WhereWindsMeet_ on X: 12 featured outfits preview (2026-11-06 19:00 UTC / 2026-11-07 03:00 UTC+8)
- @WhereWindsMeet_ on X: Anniversary Kickoff: Goose Gifts Galore (2026-11-07)
- @WhereWindsMeet_ on X: Battle Pass outfits Frostbound Edge and Willow Breeze (2026-11-05)
- Xbox Wire: A Blade for the Innocent: Into the War-Torn Hutuo Region of Where Winds Meet on XBOX (2026-11-06)
- Where Winds Meet on the US App Store: in-app events "Ver 2.4 'Across Autumn Waters'" and "1st Anniversary: Hutuo" (checked 2026-11-10)
- Where Winds Meet official YouTube: 1st Anniversary Special Broadcast Recap