How to Clear the New 5-Man Sword Trial and 10-Man Hero's Realm Bosses in Where Winds Meet

Where Winds Meet just rolled out its Level 96 group content, and it brings two tough new fights that are wiping unprepared parties in matchmaking. Let's follow LDShop as we break down the 5-man Sword Trial called Segmented Puppets, featuring Ironheart Centipede and Ci and Cuo, along with the 10-man Hero's Realm raid featuring Zheng E and Snowplum Requiem.

If you have not redeemed the latest Where Winds Meet codes yet, do that first for some free Energy and materials before you queue. Both encounters lean on Talent conditions rather than raw damage, so this piece covers every mechanic, every Talent requirement, and the exact role split your team needs before queuing.

Segmented Puppets 5-Man Sword Trial: Ironheart Centipede and Ci and Cuo Mechanics

Segmented Puppets is a five-player Sword Trial with a Level 96 requirement. Clearing it costs no Energy, but claiming the reward costs 60 Energy per run, and the trial holds its own exclusive cosmetic, the Never-Delay Feather. Note that this trial version of Ironheart Centipede only shares a model with the open-world version you fight solo, the mechanics below are what actually matter here.

Ironheart Centipede Mechanics and Talent Conditions

Deflecting the centipede's red attacks drains a parry gauge beside its health bar and forces Disarm Paralysis, where it drops four weapons onto the floor.

Talent conditions for this phase:

Talent 2-3 decides your pacing. It caps Toxic and Venom Leak casts, so commit to deflecting early instead of trading damage on cooldowns.

Ci and Cuo Mechanics and Talent Conditions

Ci and Cuo swaps damage checks for a color-matching puzzle. Six dancer puppets sit around the arena, and your group can permanently destroy only two before the rest turn immune.

• Kill odd-colored puppets first so survivors form clean pairs
• A gold circle marks you with a red or blue mask. Guide that puppet into its opposite-colored counterpart to merge them
• No opposite puppet left. Drag the charging puppet onto an empty side stage instead
• Never let two same-colored puppets touch, one mistake here is unrecoverable
• During Hand in Hand, aim a paired puppet's charge lane through another pair to knock both down
• Dodge every hit during Thousandfold Swords, there is no deflect option
• Deflect inside the red circle during Dance Between Flowers, or the boss fires an arena-wide follow-up with a chain blade debuff

Talent 1-3 quietly limits everything else. Since four pairs need to survive to the kill, do not burn pairs on Hand in Hand knockdowns late. Clear that Talent early, then protect what remains.

Assign roles before the pull. A clean split is two players on arms and Remains, two on the Repeated Crushing lane, and a fifth calling colors and watching for same-color collisions.

Both the trial reward and the raid loot are worth farming every week. If you want to prepare faster for gear currency or Martial Mastery, a Where Winds Meet top up can help you get the resources you need sooner. LDShop offers a convenient way to top up for less while keeping your weekly farming routine on track.

 

Zheng E and Snowplum Requiem 10-Man Hero's Realm Raid Guide

This raid recommends around 35,673 Martial Mastery, above the standard 30,000 baseline, though coordination matters more than the number. Bring at least two healers agreeing on a Cloudburst rotation in advance, since casting Cloudburst Healing together instead of alternating opens a Frost Poison Resistance gap that can wipe the raid.

Zheng E Mechanics and Talent Conditions

Zheng E jumps onto a tower, gains a shield, and surrounds it with a blue Frost Poison zone.

Bring fire arrows specifically for this fight. They are the only way to destroy the blue flowers that poison your tower healer during Cold Invasion, and letting those flowers survive is how most groups lose a healer at 20 stacks. A quick Bamboo Cut Draught before the pull also helps healers stretch their sustain through the longer Frost Poison uptime.

Snowplum Requiem Mechanics and Talent Conditions

Every player should carry the Lion's Roar mystic skill into this fight. A workable split is three players on the guqin instruments, three protecting them, and four staying on the boss.

• Responding Melody marks players with a gold ring. Face away and use Lion's Roar right before it charges fully to redirect the wave
• Soul Touching Melodies sends vertical sound strings across the arena. Stand in the gaps rather than trying to outrun them
• Five Tones spawns a bell with a target note. Cycle each orb through Yellow, Green, Red, Blue, Orange, then send it in
• Three Performances shields the boss. Guqin players must play cleanly to break it while protectors shield them from attacks

Gearing and Team Setup Before You Queue

• Reach level 96 and clear the Hidden Mountain campaign content first, including the Reflection Temple questline, before attempting either encounter
• Bring a spear or umbrella for forgiving deflect timing against Ironheart Centipede and Zheng E
• Keep three healers on Zheng E if your group is still learning the Cloudburst rotation
• Assign puppet and guqin roles out loud before the pull, since silent runs lose track of colors and note orders fast

Where Winds Meet built both fights around Talent conditions, not gear checks. A coordinated group with modest equipment clears faster than a strong group with no plan.

Conclusion

The new Level 96 content in Where Winds Meet rewards preparation over pure stats. Learn the puppet color rules in Segmented Puppets, lock your Cloudburst rotation for Zheng E, and keep your guqin players covered during Snowplum Requiem. Once your group memorizes the Talent conditions, both the Sword Trial and the Hero's Realm raid turn into a quick, predictable weekly clear instead of a repeated wipe.