Where Winds Meet Heaven’s Threshold expansion launches August 20 with giant

by Paul McNally Last Updated August 13, 2026

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Where Winds Meet is heading even further into the mountains next week, as Everstone Studio and NetEase Games have confirmed that the second chapter of the Hidden Mountain expansion, Heaven’s Threshold, will launch on August 20.

The major update continues the story from Hidden Mountain’s first chapter, taking players away from the relative safety of the mountain city and into the fog-covered peaks above it. Expect plenty of precarious cliff edges, ancient ruins and, because apparently simply climbing a mountain was not dangerous enough, enormous mechanical monsters waiting at the top.

A new announcement trailer gives us our first proper look at Heaven’s Threshold, including its new environments, enemies and some particularly impressive ancient machinery.

Heaven’s Threshold takes Where Winds Meet into the clouds

At the heart of the expansion is a new mountainous region unlocked through the community-wide Cloudtop Ascent event.

Players will work together to gradually open more of the area, eventually gaining access to its cliffside paths, abandoned observatories and other locations hidden among the peaks.

There is also a new story running through the region concerning its ancient craftspeople. The community has become divided over whether its advanced engineering knowledge should remain hidden from the outside world or be used to help those beyond the mountains.

Things naturally get considerably less philosophical once the giant iron animals start trying to kill you.

Two new world bosses, the Inkpincer Scorpion and Cloud-Seizing Serpent, are colossal mechanical creatures built by ancient inventors. Rather than simply battering away at them, players will need to watch for openings in their armour and target exposed joints at the right moment.

The update also introduces the Evershift Labyrinth, an underground dungeon built around huge rotating wooden gears and traditional interlocking mechanisms. Alongside fighting its security constructs, players will have to manipulate moving floors and machinery to navigate the maze.

Elsewhere, the Campaign of Mirkvale sends players into an abandoned industrial valley now occupied by rogue blacksmiths. Working alongside a young boy, you will repair old waterwheels and machinery while uncovering what caused the once-busy settlement to fall silent.

New skills, haunted temples and high-speed kite racing

Heaven’s Threshold adds two new Mystic Skills to Where Winds Meet’s combat system.

Bursting Nine is an archery ability capable of firing a nine-arrow volley designed to slow and trap groups of enemies, while World to Sword can convert excess healing power into flying energy blades.

Things get considerably spookier with Reflection Temple, a solo survival mode being introduced alongside China’s traditional Ghost Festival. Set within a haunted mountain shrine, players must follow a series of mysterious rules, search for clues and find a way to escape without being punished for breaking them.

If surviving supernatural horrors sounds like too much effort, Heaven’s Threshold also adds Chasing with Kite, a high-speed racing activity playable in solo time trials or online multiplayer.

There is even a spot of commerce available through Pangolin Peddler, which allows players to establish trading routes between remote villages in return for rare rewards.

Hidden Mountain Chapter 2: Heaven’s Threshold launches in Where Winds Meet on August 20, 2026.

About the Author

Paul McNally has been a prominent games journalist since the 1990s, spending over a decade editing top-selling magazines and websites.

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