The Wildfire Spark Inner Way is one of the trickiest ones to unlock in Where Winds Meet, especially at the second step near the grotto teleport where the required NPC never seems to appear.
Many players report circling the area repeatedly, only to find a signpost placed by another player instead of the real Wildfire Spark NPC. This makes the Wildfire Spark Inner Way feel bugged, but it’s actually tied to the game’s random encounter rotation, which can delay or completely block the spawn.
Because the Wildfire Spark Inner Way depends on random encounter logic, players often get stuck without any clear way to force or farm the spawn. If the grotto teleport stays empty for too long, it becomes frustrating to progress, and it feels like you’re doing something wrong even though you’re following the quest steps correctly.
This guide breaks down exactly how the Wildfire Spark Inner Way works, what stops the NPC from showing up, how to reset the grotto area properly, and the most consistent methods to trigger or farm this random encounter so you can finally unlock Wildfire Spark and continue progressing.
Quick Fix
Leave the grotto, meditate twice to force a time change, return to the teleport, and repeat until the Wildfire Spark Inner Way NPC finally spawns.
Step 1 – Reset the Grotto Area to Refresh the Wildfire Spark Spawn
The most important step is properly resetting the entire grotto area before checking again for the Wildfire Spark encounter. Simply walking away doesn’t refresh the event cycle fully.
Fast-travel to a far location — ideally a city or another distant teleport. Wait a few seconds, then travel back to the grotto. This triggers a complete zone reload, and the reload increases the odds of the Wildfire Spark Inner Way event appearing.
This works because the game constantly rotates encounters in different regions, and the Wildfire Spark random encounter may be temporarily skipped or blocked. Resetting the grotto area with a full teleport gives you a fresh chance at spawning it each time.
How this helps:
- Clears stuck encounter states.
- Forces respawn logic to re-evaluate which NPC should appear.
- Gives you a new roll for the Wildfire Spark event each time.
Step 2 – Meditate to Change Time and Force Wildfire Spark Random Events
Meditation is more powerful than most players realize when it comes to Inner Way random encounters.
Meditate once to switch day to night, then meditate again from night to day (or vice versa). Each meditation forces the world to re-check active events, making the Wildfire Spark Inner Way encounter more likely to appear during the next cycle.
Players often report that the NPC shows up immediately after a meditation shift because the game resets event timers and re-evaluates encounter availability.
How this helps:
- Resets time-sensitive encounter triggers.
- Makes the Wildfire Spark NPC more likely to spawn after time shifts.
- Clears lingering world events that might conflict.
Step 3 – Clear All Other Random Encounters Blocking the Grotto Spawn
The grotto area cannot host more than one active encounter at a time.
If any other random event is active — a wandering NPC, a rescue mission, a fight, or even an unrelated investigation point — the Wildfire Spark Inner Way cannot spawn. This is why you may see a signpost or random NPCs instead of the correct Inner Way encounter.
Walk around the entire grotto region and clear every available event. Only when the area is completely free of distractions does the Wildfire Spark NPC have space to load.
How this helps:
- Removes event conflicts.
- Frees the event slot required for Wildfire Spark.
- Ensures the grotto can spawn Inner Way encounters correctly.
Step 4 – Relog to Force the Wildfire Spark Encounter to Refresh
Logging out and back in near the grotto is a fast way to force the event system to refresh.
A relog triggers a complete reload of NPCs, encounters, and region logic. Many players get the Wildfire Spark Inner Way encounter immediately after logging back in, especially if they combine relogging with meditation and zone resets.
How this helps:
- Reloads the world state fully.
- Fixes encounters stuck in non-spawn states.
- Gives an instant new roll for the Wildfire Spark NPC.
Step 5 – Switch Server Lines to Find a Line with the NPC Active
Where Winds Meet uses channel-like server lines.
Switching to another line can instantly place you in a version of the world where the Wildfire Spark Inner Way encounter is already active near the grotto teleport. This is one of the most effective methods because the spawn may already exist on another line without needing resets, meditation, or any farming.
How this helps:
- Lets you jump into a world where the encounter is already spawned.
- Bypasses bad RNG or blocked events entirely.
- Saves time when the grotto refuses to spawn the NPC on your current line.
Step 6 – Keep Rotating Reset → Meditate → Check Until Wildfire Spark Appears
Because the Wildfire Spark Inner Way is a random encounter, consistency wins.
Use this loop until it appears:
- Teleport away to reset the grotto.
- Return and check the teleport entrance.
- Meditate twice.
- Check again.
- Relog if needed.
- Switch lines if still stuck.
Each cycle increases the probability of the Wildfire Spark NPC finally appearing near the grotto teleport. Sometimes it spawns within minutes, sometimes it takes several cycles — but the method works reliably.
How this helps:
- Guarantees steady attempts at triggering the event.
- Maximizes chances by combining resets, meditation, and relogging.
- Eventually forces the Wildfire Spark Inner Way encounter to appear.
Why isn’t the Wildfire Spark Inner Way triggering at the grotto teleport?
The Wildfire Spark Inner Way Step 2 often doesn’t trigger at the grotto teleport because the encounter isn’t activated by simply arriving at the location — it only appears when your Inner Power progression, story flags, and regional exploration level line up correctly.
If you go to the grotto too early, the event won’t load. The NPC for this step is tied to a conditional spawn, meaning the game must register that you completed Step 1, interacted with the correct Inner Way node, and met the exploration requirement for that region.
If any of those flags are missing, you’ll only see other players’ signposts but not the real encounter.
Revisiting after relaunching, switching Solo ↔ Online, or completing more main/side quests often causes the event to finally appear.
Where is the NPC for Wildfire Spark Step 2?
The NPC for Wildfire Spark Step 2 spawns near the grotto entrance, but not directly on the teleport marker. They appear a bit down the path, close to a rock formation or meditation spot.
Because the NPC is a conditional spawn, you won’t see them until the correct narrative and cultivation triggers are active. If you’re missing:
- A prior Inner Power node
- A required Oddity step
- A region exploration threshold
…the NPC will not appear.
Players who run straight to the teleport often miss the required trigger zone nearby, so walk slowly around the grotto entrance, especially near the small clearing beside the rock wall.
Why do I only see other players’ signposts but not the encounter?
Seeing other players’ signposts means the encounter should spawn there — but your own event flags haven’t activated yet. Signposts display regardless of your personal progression, but encounters don’t.
This normally happens when:
- You skipped a prerequisite interaction
- You didn’t finish Step 1 properly
- You rushed to the location before talking to an Inner Way NPC
- Your regional cultivation isn’t high enough
- You’re in the wrong world mode (Online vs Solo)
The game hides personal story/inner way events until all required conditions are met. The signposts just show where their version of the encounter spawned, not yours.
Is the Wildfire Spark Inner Way a random encounter in Where Winds Meet?
Partially.
Wildfire Spark is not fully random, but it uses the same spawning system as random encounters, which means it only appears when you:
- Have the correct stage of the Inner Way unlocked
- Enter the area from the right direction
- Have the right world mode loaded
- Hit the internal spawn timer
If you teleport in repeatedly, the encounter might not spawn because the game prefers walk-in triggers over teleport triggers.
Many players get Step 2 to appear only after walking from the nearest road or village instead of teleporting directly into the grotto.
Does Wildfire Spark only spawn at certain times or phases?
Yes — the event seems tied to time-of-day and world-state phases, especially dusk or early night. Although not officially stated, many players only triggered Wildfire Spark Step 2 when visiting during evening or night cycles.
Additionally, the encounter can fail to appear if:
- Too many events are active in the zone
- You recently completed another Inner Way
- You switched regions before the spawn cycle refreshed
Changing the in-game time (via rest), relogging, or returning during a different phase often triggers the NPC instantly.
How do I trigger the Wildfire Spark Inner Way encounter?
To trigger the Wildfire Spark Inner Way encounter, you must meet all progression flags, not just travel to the grotto teleport. This Inner Way uses a conditional event system, meaning the spawn won’t appear unless your Inner Power, story progress, and regional exploration level are aligned.
What you must do first:
- Complete Step 1 and interact with its Inner Way node.
- Raise the region’s exploration level until the Wildfire Spark branch unlocks.
- Enter the grotto from the path, not via teleport (walk-in triggers are required).
- Make sure no other Inner Way or Oddity event is currently active nearby.
If you meet all prerequisites, the NPC usually spawns a few steps before the teleport mark, near a rock formation or a small clearing.
Is Wildfire Spark bugged on PS5 or Steam?
Partially — yes.
Players on both PS5 and Steam report that Wildfire Spark Step 2 can appear inconsistent, especially after patches or long play sessions. The encounter may fail to load because:
- The spawn flag doesn’t activate after Step 1
- The area loads before the Inner Way trigger initializes
- Teleporting skips the trigger zone
- The event conflicts with another “active encounter” slot
On PS5, the bug often happens because the console client delays loading Inner Way scripts after fast travel.
On Steam, it’s usually an instance loading issue, especially when switching regions too quickly.
Relogging or switching Solo ↔ Online mode usually fixes the glitch.
Do I need to relog, swap servers, or change modes to make the NPC spawn?
Often, yes.
Wildfire Spark Step 2 frequently appears only after resetting your world state, because the spawn system is tied to instanced loading. The quickest fixes are:
- Swap Solo → Online → Solo
- Log out to title screen and reload
- Teleport to a distant region, wait 10 seconds, return
- Change time-of-day by resting at a camp
These actions refresh the encounter slots and allow the NPC to spawn.
Many players say the NPC only appeared after changing modes, suggesting the event is sensitive to how the zone initializes.
If you see other players’ signposts but not the NPC, resetting your instance is almost always required.
Does Wildfire Spark require exploration level unlocks?
Yes — Wildfire Spark is tied to the region’s Inner Power unlocks, which are gated behind exploration level progress. Even if Step 1 is completed, Step 2 will not spawn unless certain regional progression milestones are met.
Specifically, you need:
- The region’s Inner Way path partially unlocked
- Enough Sound Jade collected to activate previous nodes
- Story advancement in that region
If your exploration level is too low, the Wildfire Spark NPC simply won’t appear — the game treats the encounter as “not eligible yet.”
Raising exploration level usually causes the event to spawn on your next visit.
Why does Wildfire Spark Step 2 not progress even at the correct location?
Because Step 2 is controlled by multiple invisible triggers, not the map marker.
It fails to progress when any of these are missing:
- The Step 1 interaction flag didn’t register
- The Inner Way node wasn’t activated properly
- The region hasn’t fully loaded its event slots
- You teleported too close to the trigger
- The encounter spawned “off-screen” and despawned instantly
To fix it:
- Walk into the grotto from the nearby road, not via teleport.
- Relog or switch modes.
- Visit during a different time-of-day (dusk/night is more reliable).
- Complete any nearby active Oddity or event so it doesn’t steal the encounter slot.
Once all conditions align, the NPC appears reliably and Step 2 progresses normally.
Final Thought
The Wildfire Spark Inner Way encounter can feel unfair because of the random encounter logic at the grotto teleport, but combining resets, meditation, and server switching is the most effective way to force the NPC to appear. Keep cycling the methods until the Wildfire Spark event spawns, and you’ll unlock the Inner Way without getting stuck again.