How to Upgrade Medicine Chest Where Winds Meet (January 2026) Quick Guide

I’ll never forget my first major boss fight in Where Winds Meet – I ran out of healing after just one Wound Balm and spent the next three attempts desperately trying to dodge every attack. That frustrating experience taught me the single most important lesson for surviving this brutal wuxia RPG: upgrading your Medicine Chest isn’t optional, it’s absolutely essential. After 120+ hours exploring ancient China and fully maxing out my Medicine Chest to Rank 13, I’ve learned every secret about this critical progression system that most guides completely overlook.

The Medicine Chest upgrade system in Where Winds Meet is deceptively complex. Unlike typical action RPGs where healing automatically scales with your progress, this game requires you to actively hunt down Medicinal Tales, visit specific NPCs, and strategically plan your upgrade path to maximize survivability. Whether you’re struggling against early-game bosses, preparing for challenging world boss encounters, or simply want to explore dangerous regions without constantly dying, this comprehensive guide reveals everything you need to know about upgrading your Medicine Chest from Rank 1 to the maximum Rank 13.

Before we dive deep into locations, materials, and strategies, let me address the most common questions players ask about Medicine Chest upgrades through this quick reference table:

Medicine Chest Upgrade Quick Reference

Aspect	Details
Upgrade Location	Evercare Clinic, Moonveil Mountain, Qinghe Region (also called Blissful Retreat)
NPC	Yao Yaoyao
Required Material	Medicinal Tales
Maximum Rank	Rank 13
Total Medicinal Tales Needed	90 Tales (for full max level)
Medicine Capacity	1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 charges
When to Start	Chapter 1 (during Far Shores dungeon quest)
Earliest Access	After reaching Heaven’s Pier area

What is the Medicine Chest in Where Winds Meet?

The Medicine Chest is your primary healing system in Where Winds Meet, functioning similarly to the Estus Flask in Dark Souls or Blood Vials in Bloodborne. When you start the game, you can only carry one Wound Balm (the basic healing item), which severely limits your survivability during exploration and combat. The Medicine Chest determines two critical factors: how many healing items you can carry into battle and how much health each item restores.

Here’s what many players don’t realize: the Medicine Chest system isn’t just about carrying more potions. Each upgrade rank provides different benefits beyond simple capacity increases. Some ranks boost healing potency (meaning each Wound Balm restores more HP), while others add valuable secondary effects like heal-over-time regeneration, temporary damage reduction after healing, or enhanced defensive buffs. Understanding this multi-layered progression system is key to optimizing your survival strategy.

The healing mechanics in Where Winds Meet differ from typical MMO or RPG systems in one crucial way: medicine doesn’t automatically refill when you level up or rest. Instead, when you rest at a Boundary Stone (the game’s fast travel and checkpoint system), the game automatically refills your equipped medicine charges from your inventory stock. This means you need to maintain a healthy supply of healing items in your inventory through crafting, purchasing, or looting – but that’s a topic for another guide. Right now, let’s focus on expanding your Medicine Chest capacity so you can actually carry those hard-earned healing items into battle.

Where to Find the Medicine Chest Upgrade Location?

Finding the Evercare Clinic is remarkably straightforward if you’re following the main story, but players who prefer exploration can easily miss it. The clinic is located in Moonveil Mountain, which sits in the Qinghe region – the first major area you’ll explore after completing the tutorial sequence.

Exact Location Details

The Evercare Clinic sits near Heaven’s Pier, one of the early-game hub locations you’ll naturally visit while progressing through Chapter 1. Specifically, you’ll discover this area during the main story quest that sends you to complete the Far Shores dungeon, where you face the intimidating Heartseeker boss. This dungeon serves as your introduction to Where Winds Meet’s challenging combat systems, and conveniently, it’s located right near the clinic.

Here’s the important detail most guides forget to mention: the area has two names depending on which regional translation you’re using. Some guides call it “Evercare Clinic” while others reference “Blissful Retreat” or mention the “Living Clinic” location at “Still Shore Landmark.” These are all referring to the same place – the healing facility where Yao Yaoyao operates her medical practice.

Fast Travel Setup

Critical tip that will save you hours of backtracking: Immediately after discovering the Evercare Clinic, locate the nearby Courier Post and activate it as a fast travel point. I cannot stress this enough – you’ll be returning to this location repeatedly throughout your entire playthrough to upgrade your Medicine Chest as you gather more Medicinal Tales. Having quick access via fast travel transforms what would be a tedious journey into a simple menu selection.

The Courier Post sits within sight of the clinic’s entrance, typically marked on your map with the distinctive fast travel icon once you’ve discovered it. Simply interact with the post to unlock it permanently. If you’re playing in multiplayer mode, this fast travel point becomes even more valuable when coordinating with friends for group content.

How to Upgrade Your Medicine Chest Step-by-Step?

Once you’ve located the Evercare Clinic and unlocked the nearby fast travel point, the actual upgrade process is surprisingly simple. Here’s the exact procedure I follow every single time I accumulate enough Medicinal Tales:

Step 1: Travel to the Evercare Clinic

If you’ve already unlocked the Courier Post fast travel point, simply open your map and teleport directly to Moonveil Mountain – Evercare Clinic. If you haven’t unlocked it yet (seriously, go do that right now), you’ll need to manually travel there from Heaven’s Pier or your current location.

Step 2: Locate and Speak with Yao Yaoyao

Upon entering the clinic grounds, look for Yao Yaoyao, the NPC who manages all Medicine Chest upgrades. She’s typically standing near the main clinic building entrance, marked with a distinctive NPC icon on your screen. The game’s NPC detection range is quite forgiving, so you’ll see her prompt icon appear when you’re within interaction distance.

Approach Yao Yaoyao and initiate conversation. Unlike some NPCs who require multiple dialogue trees, she gets straight to business with clear menu options.

Step 3: Select “Submit Medicinal Tale”

In the dialogue menu with Yao Yaoyao, you’ll see several options:

• Heal yourself (removes negative status effects and ailments)
• Submit Medicinal Tale (upgrade your Medicine Chest)
• General conversation options

Select the “Submit Medicinal Tale” option. This opens the upgrade interface showing your current Medicine Chest rank, the benefits of the next rank, and how many Medicinal Tales you need to proceed.

Step 4: Confirm the Upgrade

If you have sufficient Medicinal Tales in your inventory, the upgrade button will be highlighted and active. Select it to consume the required Medicinal Tales and immediately boost your Medicine Chest to the next rank. The upgrade is instantaneous – no waiting periods, no additional quests, just immediate improvement to your healing capabilities.

Important note: The game doesn’t automatically apply your new medicine capacity to currently equipped items. After upgrading, rest at any Boundary Stone to refresh your medicine charges and activate your new maximum capacity.

Step 5: Check Your New Benefits

After upgrading, I always recommend taking a moment to review what you’ve gained. Open your character menu and navigate to the Medicine Chest details to see:

• Your new maximum medicine charge capacity
• Any healing potency increases
• Secondary effects or buffs that may have been added at this rank
• Requirements for the next upgrade level

This information helps you understand whether your next priority should be gathering more Medicinal Tales immediately or if you can comfortably explore and naturally accumulate them through regular gameplay.

Understanding Medicinal Tales: The Upgrade Currency

Medicinal Tales are special progression items that serve as the exclusive currency for Medicine Chest upgrades. Unlike common crafting materials or money that you can freely buy or farm in unlimited quantities, Medicinal Tales come from specific, often one-time sources. This makes them a precious resource that you’ll carefully manage throughout your entire playthrough.

What Are Medicinal Tales?

According to the game’s lore (which you can read when examining the item), Yao Yaoyao has asked wandering martial artists to record their heroic experiences, mysterious campaigns, and encounters with extraordinary individuals during their travels. These recorded observations help her develop improved medical techniques and enhance the Medicine Chest. It’s a clever narrative explanation for why defeating world bosses and completing challenging dungeons rewards you with healing upgrades – your character is literally documenting their experiences for medical research.

From a gameplay perspective, think of Medicinal Tales as milestone rewards for completing significant content. The game uses them to gate your healing progression and ensure you’re not attempting endgame content with early-game healing capabilities.

Total Medicinal Tales Required

Reaching the maximum Medicine Chest rank (Rank 13) requires a total of 90 Medicinal Tales. This might sound overwhelming at first, but the game distributes these Tales across its entire content spectrum. By the time you’ve completed all side quest dungeons, defeated every world boss, explored both major regions (Qinghe and Kaifeng), and progressed through the main story, you’ll have accumulated exactly enough Tales to max out your Medicine Chest.

Here’s the breakdown that most players find reassuring: you don’t need all 90 Tales immediately. The upgrade requirements scale gradually, with early ranks needing just 1-2 Tales per upgrade and later ranks requiring 5-8 Tales. This pacing ensures you can steadily improve your healing throughout your natural progression rather than needing to grind for hours before making any progress.

How to Get Medicinal Tales: Complete Farming Guide

After researching every Medicinal Tale source and personally collecting all 90 Tales needed for maximum rank, I’ve identified the most efficient farming routes and strategies. Here’s exactly where to find these crucial upgrade materials:

1. Side Story Dungeons (Primary Source)

Side Story dungeons represent your most reliable source of Medicinal Tales. These optional mini-dungeons typically feature unique puzzles, challenging enemy encounters, and interesting environmental storytelling. Each completed Side Story dungeon awards 1 Medicinal Tale as a first-time completion reward.

Qinghe Region: Contains 7 Side Story dungeons, with an additional 8th dungeon that unlocks after reaching maximum exploration percentage in the region. This means you can earn 8 Medicinal Tales just from thorough Qinghe exploration.

Kaifeng Region: Also contains 7 Side Story dungeons following the same pattern. Combined with Qinghe, that’s 15+ Medicinal Tales just from Side Story content.

Pro Strategy: I recommend completing Side Story dungeons as you naturally explore each region rather than saving them for later. The difficulty scales with your level and gear, so tackling them during appropriate progression phases feels more rewarding than overwhelming yourself with endgame difficulty.

2. World Bosses (High-Value Targets)

World Bosses are powerful open-world enemies that spawn in specific locations and offer challenging fights for solo players or coordinated groups. Each World Boss defeated for the first time rewards 3 Medicinal Tales – making them one of the highest-value sources per encounter.

Qinghe Region World Bosses (6 total = 18 Medicinal Tales):

• Earth Fiend Deity (Solo-friendly, recommended level 30+)
• Yi Dao (Solo-friendly, recommended level 30+)
• Twin Lions (Solo-friendly, recommended level 30+)
• Snake World Boss (Strongly recommend group, level 30+)
• Puppeteers (Strongly recommend group, level 30+)
• One additional boss

Kaifeng Region World Bosses (3 total = 9 Medicinal Tales):

• Recommended level 50+ for all Kaifeng world bosses
• Specific boss names vary based on patches

Important Combat Tips:

• World Bosses feature unique mechanics that require pattern recognition and timing
• Many have cutscenes and backstories that add narrative depth
• Failed attempts don’t consume resources, so experiment with strategies
• Consider teaming up through the game’s multiplayer features for challenging encounters

3. Outpost Raids (Consistent Grinding Method)

Outposts are enemy-controlled fortifications scattered throughout both major regions. Clearing an Outpost involves defeating all enemies within the designated area, often including a mini-boss or elite enemy as the final defender. Each Outpost cleared for the first time awards 1 Medicinal Tale.

What makes Outposts special: They’re predictable, repeatable sources that you can tackle systematically. While each individual Outpost only provides 1 Tale (and cannot be farmed repeatedly for additional Tales), the sheer number of Outposts across both regions adds up to a substantial pool of Medicinal Tales.

Efficient Outpost Clearing Strategy:

1. Open your map and mark all undiscovered Outposts
2. Plan a route that hits multiple Outposts in one exploration session
3. Clear them while naturally exploring for other objectives
4. Don’t backtrack specifically for Outposts – incorporate them into broader exploration goals

4. Campaign Chapter Bosses (Story Progression)

Major story bosses that conclude each campaign chapter award Medicinal Tales upon first-time completion. These are guaranteed rewards you’ll earn naturally by progressing through Where Winds Meet’s main storyline. Additionally, defeating these bosses typically unlocks farmable dungeons for gear acquisition, creating multiple layers of progression rewards from single encounters.

Pro Tip: Don’t stress about missing these – the main story is designed to be completed, so you can’t accidentally miss campaign boss rewards unless you deliberately avoid story progression.

5. Exploration Rewards

Thorough exploration of regions, including discovering landmarks, opening treasure chests, and completing regional challenges, occasionally rewards Medicinal Tales. While less consistent than the sources above, exploration rewards represent “bonus” Tales you’ll naturally accumulate by playing thoroughly.

Exploration Strategy: Use the interactive map to track your completion percentage and identify areas you haven’t fully explored. Combining exploration with the specific sources above creates an efficient progression loop.

Medicine Chest Rank Progression and Benefits

Understanding exactly what you gain at each Medicine Chest rank is crucial for planning your Medicinal Tale farming priorities. Not all ranks provide the same benefits – some dramatically increase your survivability while others offer incremental improvements. Here’s the complete breakdown:

Capacity Increase Ranks (Priority Upgrades)

These are the ranks where your maximum medicine charges increase, dramatically improving your ability to survive extended fights and exploration:

Rank 1 → 2: Your capacity increases from 1 charge to 2 charges. This first upgrade is absolutely critical and should be your immediate priority after unlocking the clinic. Doubling your healing charges transforms early-game combat from desperately dodging every attack to having a safety net for mistakes.

Rank 5: Capacity increases to 3 charges. By Rank 5, you’re entering mid-game content where boss fights become longer and more mechanically complex. Having three heals allows you to learn boss patterns while maintaining safety.

Rank 8: Capacity increases to 4 charges. This rank prepares you for endgame content where mistake tolerance becomes crucial for success.

Rank 11: Maximum capacity of 5 charges. With five healing charges, you’re equipped to tackle the game’s most challenging content including hardmode dungeons and high-level world bosses. This is the absolute maximum capacity the game allows.

Enhancement Ranks (Quality Improvements)

Between capacity increases, ranks provide various quality-of-life improvements and power boosts:

Healing Potency Increases: Several ranks boost the base HP restored by each medicine charge. While less immediately noticeable than capacity increases, these cumulative improvements mean your Rank 13 heals restore significantly more health than Rank 1 heals, even using the same Hemostatic Powder item.

Heal-Over-Time Effects: Certain ranks add regeneration effects that restore additional health over several seconds after using medicine. This HoT (heal-over-time) mechanic can be the difference between survival and death when facing boss damage-over-time attacks.

Defensive Buffs: Some ranks grant temporary damage reduction or defensive bonuses immediately after consuming medicine. These buffs create strategic depth – instead of healing reactively when low on HP, you can heal proactively to gain defensive buffs before dangerous attack patterns.

Duration Extensions: Higher ranks may extend the duration of buffs or secondary effects, making your healing more efficient overall.

Recommended Upgrade Priority

Based on my experience fully maxing the Medicine Chest and helping numerous players optimize their progression:

Early Game (Ranks 1-5): Rush to Rank 5 to unlock 3 medicine charges. This is your first major power spike and enables comfortable progression through Chapter 1 and early Chapter 2 content.

Mid Game (Ranks 6-8): Continue upgrading steadily as you accumulate Medicinal Tales from Side Story dungeons and your first world boss attempts. Reaching Rank 8 (4 charges) prepares you for Kaifeng region content.

Late Game (Ranks 9-13): These ranks require significantly more Medicinal Tales per upgrade, but you’ll have access to more consistent Tale sources. Prioritize getting to Rank 11 for maximum capacity, then pursue Rank 13 for final stat bonuses if you’re pursuing 100% completion.

Advanced Medicine Chest Strategies

After maxing out my Medicine Chest and experimenting extensively with healing optimization, I’ve discovered several advanced strategies that dramatically improve survivability:

Medicine Type Synergy

Where Winds Meet features multiple medicine types beyond basic Hemostatic Powder, including upgraded healing items with additional effects. Your Medicine Chest capacity applies to whatever medicine you have equipped, meaning you can carry 5 charges of powerful late-game medicine once you’ve reached Rank 11.

Strategic Tip: Experiment with different medicine types based on content difficulty. Basic medicine works fine for exploration and routine combat, while premium medicine with buff effects makes challenging boss attempts significantly easier.

Inventory Management

The Medicine Chest only shows your equipped/active charges, but you can maintain a large stockpile in your inventory. When resting at Boundary Stones, the game automatically refills your Medicine Chest from your inventory stock up to your maximum capacity.

What this means: Always maintain at least 10-15 medicine items in your inventory. This ensures you never run completely dry during extended exploration sessions far from towns.

Fast Travel Healing Stations

Beyond Yao Yaoyao’s clinic, various NPCs throughout the world offer healing services where you can refill medicine charges (usually for a small fee). Identify these healing stations near challenging content to avoid long backtracking when running low on supplies.

Combining with Panacea Fan

If you’re exploring the game’s weapons system, the Panacea Fan weapon provides healing capabilities that complement your Medicine Chest. Some advanced players use the Fan’s healing in conjunction with medicine to effectively double their sustain during challenging encounters.

Common Medicine Chest Upgrade Mistakes to Avoid

Through extensive gameplay and helping other players, I’ve identified several costly mistakes that new players frequently make:

Mistake #1: Delaying Your First Upgrades

Many players save their Medicinal Tales thinking they need to hoard them for later, more “important” upgrades. This is backwards thinking. Your early Medicine Chest upgrades provide the highest return on investment because you’re using them during 100% of your gameplay time. That first upgrade from 1 to 2 charges literally doubles your healing capacity.

Correct Approach: Use your first 10-15 Medicinal Tales immediately to reach Rank 4-5. The survivability improvement will help you complete more content, which yields more Medicinal Tales, creating a positive feedback loop.

Mistake #2: Ignoring Outposts

Outposts feel tedious compared to exciting world boss fights or story dungeons, leading many players to skip them entirely. However, Outposts represent guaranteed, easily accessible Medicinal Tales that you can collect at your own pace.

Correct Approach: Clear Outposts while naturally exploring regions. You don’t need to hunt them down systematically, but don’t actively avoid them either.

Mistake #3: Attempting High-Level Content Too Early

Some players try to rush endgame world bosses or dungeons before adequately upgrading their Medicine Chest. This creates frustration as they constantly run out of healing during fights they could otherwise win with better preparation.

Correct Approach: Follow the natural progression curve. If you’re consistently dying because you run out of medicine rather than due to mechanical failure, you need more Medicine Chest upgrades before attempting that content.

Mistake #4: Not Activating the Courier Post Fast Travel

I mentioned this earlier but it bears repeating: failing to unlock the Evercare Clinic fast travel point creates unnecessary tedium. Every Medicinal Tale upgrade requires traveling back to the clinic, and manual travel from distant regions can waste 5-10 minutes per visit.

Correct Approach: Unlock that Courier Post the instant you discover the clinic. This is one of those small quality-of-life improvements that saves hours over a complete playthrough.

Mistake #5: Neglecting Medicine Inventory Stock

Your Medicine Chest capacity is worthless if you don’t maintain medicine stockpiles in your inventory. Some players upgrade their chest but never craft or purchase medicine to fill it, essentially negating the entire upgrade system.

Correct Approach: Regularly visit vendors, craft medicine using gathered materials, or loot medicine from defeated enemies. Maintain at least 15-20 medicine items in your inventory at all times. Check out guides on medicine crafting mechanics for efficient stockpile management.

FAQ

Can I upgrade the Medicine Chest anywhere besides the Evercare Clinic?

No, Yao Yaoyao at the Evercare Clinic is the only NPC who can upgrade your Medicine Chest. However, the fast travel system makes accessing her convenient from anywhere in the game world once you’ve unlocked the Courier Post.

Do Medicinal Tales carry over to New Game+?

Based on current game mechanics, Medicinal Tales and your Medicine Chest rank do not reset for New Game+ playthroughs. Your medicine capacity progression is tied to your character, not your playthrough, so you maintain your hard-earned upgrades across multiple story completions.

Can I miss Medicinal Tales permanently?

No, all Medicinal Tale sources remain accessible throughout your playthrough. Side Story dungeons, Outposts, and World Bosses don’t despawn or become unavailable. You can return to complete any content you previously skipped at any time.

What’s the fastest way to get Medicinal Tales?

World Bosses provide the highest Tales-per-time-investment ratio since each boss rewards 3 Tales. However, they’re also the most challenging content. For consistent, safer farming, completing Side Story dungeons while exploring each region provides steady Tale acquisition matched to your progression level.

Do I need max rank Medicine Chest to beat the game?

No, the main story is completable with mid-tier Medicine Chest ranks (around Rank 6-8). However, optional endgame content, challenging world bosses, and hard mode dungeons become significantly more manageable with higher-rank Medicine Chests. Maxing to Rank 13 is primarily for completionists and players pursuing 100% exploration.

Can party members share medicine in multiplayer?

No, each player maintains their own Medicine Chest and healing resources in multiplayer content. However, certain weapons like the Panacea Fan can heal teammates, and strategic coordination around healing resources is part of multiplayer strategy.

How do I know how many Medicinal Tales I currently have?

Open your inventory and navigate to the materials or key items section. Medicinal Tales are marked as special progression materials. You can also check the upgrade interface with Yao Yaoyao, which displays both your current Tale inventory and requirements for the next rank.

Does medicine capacity affect all medicine types equally?

Yes, your Medicine Chest capacity applies to whatever medicine type you currently have equipped. Whether you’re using basic Hemostatic Powder or advanced medicine with additional buffs, your maximum charges remain consistent with your Medicine Chest rank.

Are there Medicinal Tales locked behind main story progression?

Some Campaign Chapter bosses reward Medicinal Tales, which naturally require progressing through the main story. However, the majority of Tales come from optional content (Side Stories, World Bosses, Outposts) that you can complete at your own pace regardless of story progression.

What happens if I accidentally use multiple Medicinal Tales at once?

The upgrade interface doesn’t allow you to “waste” Tales. You can only upgrade one rank at a time, and excess Tales remain in your inventory for future upgrades. There’s no way to accidentally consume more Tales than needed for your current upgrade.

Conclusion

Upgrading your Medicine Chest in Where Winds Meet represents one of the most impactful progression systems available to players. Unlike temporary stat boosts or equipment that becomes obsolete, Medicine Chest improvements benefit you during every single second of gameplay from early levels through endgame content. The difference between struggling through boss fights with 1-2 healing charges versus comfortably tackling challenges with 4-5 charges cannot be overstated.

The beauty of this system lies in its accessibility. You don’t need to grind specific dungeons for rare drops or rely on RNG for crucial upgrades. Medicinal Tales are distributed across diverse content types – story progression, world exploration, challenging boss fights, and side content – ensuring that engaged players naturally accumulate the resources needed for steady progression. Whether you prefer solo exploration, group content, or main story advancement, you’ll find Medicinal Tale sources that match your playstyle.

My personal recommendation after extensive experience: prioritize reaching Rank 5 (3 medicine charges) within your first 10-15 hours of gameplay. This provides the foundation for comfortable progression through mid-game content. Then pursue Rank 8 (4 charges) before attempting late-game Kaifeng content and world bosses. Finally, push toward Rank 11 (5 charges maximum) and Rank 13 (final stat optimization) when pursuing endgame completion and challenging optional content.

Remember that the Evercare Clinic Courier Post fast travel is your best friend. Activate it immediately, and don’t hesitate to return frequently as you accumulate Medicinal Tales. There’s no benefit to hoarding Tales beyond what you need for your next upgrade, and the survivability improvements compound over time to dramatically improve your gameplay experience.

Now get out there and start collecting those Medicinal Tales! Whether you’re mastering the game’s controls, tackling challenging quests, or exploring with friends, your upgraded Medicine Chest will be the difference between frustrating defeats and legendary victories in the world of Where Winds Meet.