- DEVELOPER: The Swordman Studio
- PUBLISHER: Spiral Up Games
- PLATFORMS: PC
- GENRE: RPG
- RELEASE DATE: June 19, 2025
- STARTING PRICE: 6,89€
- REVIEWED VERSION: PC
I’ve never been into Wuxia martial arts stories or content from China. While I’ve read a few martial arts manhuas, I never truly dove into a Wuxia RPG before Wandering Sword. And let me tell you, its world is incredibly absorbing; you can explore the map freely, and the combat is quite enjoyable. Having already put in around 15 hours and finished the new DLC, that’s exactly what we’ll focus on today.
Wandering Sword: Secrets of the Eastern Sea is a paid story expansion. It adds a new story on a mysterious island, featuring new characters, martial arts, and island management. It focuses on a legendary treasure and a mysterious maiden, Bu Weiyue, who uses the Qingyun Fan Technique. The DLC can also be started early in the game (after the Beggar’s Sect storyline) or later, offering about 2-4 hours of content, but it is not recommended.
The best time to start the DLC is mid-game
The DLC is best experienced mid-game, after recruiting key characters like Sima Ling and completing Shangguan Hong’s quest, to maximize story interactions and avoid under-leveled companions in plot-critical fights. Since I’m not very familiar with the game, I can’t definitively recommend the best option, but a detailed community guide recommends pausing the DLC after recruiting Bu Weiyue and returning later, which can feel restrictive for those who prefer a linear progression.
As soon as you arrive, you’ll see the island map offers a lot. It’s packed with puzzles, secrets, and lore-rich side quests, giving you plenty to do right from the start. However, its depth is limited. The DLC’s plot is engaging but short, generally involving going to a location, defeating enemies, and returning for rewards. While it is well-written with Bu Weiyue dialogues that are tied to the main game’s lore, specifically the Shunhuo Sect and Tianji Palace, it doesn’t deeply connect with the main game’s overall story, and key events are rarely mentioned later.
To get the good ending in Eastern Sea, make sure to visit the Police Commissioner’s office at Immortal’s Crossing docks with Leng Wuqing. This triggers a crucial side quest. It’s best to complete Eastern Sea after reaching the Pili School quest in Southern Chronicle, but before you actually start Southern Chronicle. Also, while exploring the island, you’ll discover new skins and buffs for Shangguan Hong and Sima Ling.
It offers some new features
For me, this DLC blended right into the game, as I haven’t completed the main story yet. It felt like any other quest rather than an actual add-on, which is for me, a good thing. What’s different is that you have less freedom to explore on your own as mentioned before. It does reward exploring with chests to find and enemies to defeat, but it misses the main point of the game – making your own adventure.
Secrets of the Eastern Sea keeps Wandering Sword’s signature combat, letting you swap between turn-based and real-time modes on a grid. The new Qingyun Fan Technique is a welcome addition, a simple but powerful martial art with high-damage attacks. It’s easy to fit into any character build, whether as a main skill or a backup. Positioning and area-of-effect abilities are still important, but there isn’t much new beyond these added moves.
A new and noteworthy feature is the island management. You can manage your land, assign stewards to gather resources, and trade with merchants. This makes collecting resources much easier than in the main game. This system, however, doesn’t offer much long-term depth. The island also features a private arena for tactical battles, which is great for those who like to test out different team setups.
It looks incredible, and is worth your time
The visuals in Secrets of the Eastern Sea DLC are stunning, from the tropical atmosphere to the small environmental details; a lot of thought clearly went into its design. Ship travel is a fantastic addition, though water combat looks a bit silly. While the game may not add a ton of new content, there’s enough to make the journey worthwhile.
Chinese players, who understand the game better, have mixed feelings about the DLC, leading to less positive reviews. While I can’t pinpoint the exact issues, it’s worth taking it in consideration. There’s also no clear guidance on when to start the DLC. Despite this, I really enjoyed it. It’s affordable, adds plenty to the game, and you can get it right away with the base game for the best experience.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| A detailed story. | DLC is not rich in new content. |
| The fight remains the same with a few new moves. | It’s not exactly clear when it’s best to start the DLC story. |
| Beautiful graphics and visuals. | Short duration. |
| Low price. | There is not much freedom in exploration. |
Review copy provided by the publisher
3.8
