If you’ve spent any time exploring the sun-baked plains of Jinzhou in Wuthering Waves, you’ve almost certainly stumbled across the frustrating side quest that has every player asking: who took the supplies Wuthering Waves hides behind that vague NPC dialogue? I spent 20 minutes running in circles the first time I tried this quest, talking to every named NPC within a mile radius and checking every hidden crate I could find before I finally cracked the answer. This guide breaks down every step of the quest, common pitfalls to avoid, and the hidden bonus reward you almost definitely missed the first time around.
Who Took the Supplies in Wuthering Waves? The Short Answer
The short answer to the burning question is that Auntie Meng, the elderly snack and tea merchant near the Jinzhou settlement entrance, took the supplies. She didn’t steal them for personal gain, though. She moved the crates of medical supplies and non-perishable food to a small cave just outside the settlement to care for a group of displaced travelers who were turned away by the settlement’s security team for lacking official residency papers. She hid her actions because she feared being banned from the settlement, which would leave her unable to care for her sick granddaughter who lives there full time.
The game intentionally throws a lot of red herrings your way to make the answer harder to find. The quartermaster who gives you the quest will mention recent rover activity in the area, and the young guard patrolling the supply storage area will swear he saw a rover wearing a blue cloak near the crates the night they went missing. It’s easy to take that clue and run off to clear rover camps, but that’s a waste of time that won’t get you any closer to finishing the quest. You don't have to fight any enemies to complete this quest, even if the dialogue makes it sound like you do.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough for the Missing Supplies Quest
To complete the quest properly and unlock all possible reward paths, follow these steps in order. First, speak to Quartermaster Li Wei near the supply storage building in the center of Jinzhou to pick up the quest. He’ll tell you three crates of supplies went missing overnight, and offer you a reward for finding who took them and returning the goods. After talking to him, inspect the ground right next to the locked supply crate to find two clues: a scrap of blue linen fabric, and a small puddle of dried osmanthus tea.
Next, speak to the three NPCs that were in the area the night the supplies went missing. The young guard on patrol by the storage building will tell you he saw a rover in a blue cloak running away from the area, and will point you toward a rover camp half a mile west of the settlement. The traveling camp chef who sells grilled meat near the entrance will tell you he smelled osmanthus tea near the storage building late at night, which he thought was odd because almost no one in the settlement drinks that variety of tea. When you speak to Auntie Meng, she’ll act evasive, say she was at home caring for her granddaughter all night, and will try to change the subject by offering you a free sample of her osmanthus cake.
The osmanthus tea clue is the key to cracking the case, because Auntie Meng is the only person in the entire settlement that sells or drinks osmanthus tea. Confront her with the tea clue, and she’ll immediately admit she took the supplies, and explain her reasoning for hiding them. At this point, you’ll have three choices for how to proceed, each with very different rewards and long-term consequences for the settlement:
Common Mistakes Players Make on This Quest
I’ve played through this quest three times on different accounts, and I’ve made almost every possible mistake myself, so I know exactly what to warn you about. The most common mistake by far is running off to clear the rover camp the guard mentions before you talk to all three NPCs. I did this on my first playthrough, spent 15 minutes fighting level 25 rovers, and came back with a stack of stolen supply crates that Li Wei said weren’t even his. It was a total waste of time and healing items. You never need to leave the settlement boundaries to complete this quest, all clues and relevant NPCs are within the main village limits.
Another common mistake is picking the first choice (turning Auntie Meng in) without reading the full consequences. A lot of players do this because it gives the biggest immediate reward, but they regret it later when they find out osmanthus tea is the only ingredient that lets you make stamina food that lasts for 15 minutes of continuous climbing or gliding. If you’re someone who likes to explore every corner of the map, that stamina food is way more valuable than the extra 2000 coins and extra enhancement ore you get for turning her in.
Most players also don’t know about the third choice, because the game doesn’t tell you it exists. If you don’t have 2000 coins in your inventory when you go back to talk to Li Wei, the option won’t show up at all. If you want to get the shop discount, make sure you have enough coins saved before you start the quest. The discount applies to enhancement ores, ascension materials, and even recipe books, so it pays for itself very quickly if you’re planning to spend time upgrading your characters and weapons.
What This Quest Reveals About Wuthering Waves’ Lore
This small side quest isn’t just a throwaway puzzle to keep players busy. It’s one of the clearest examples of the nuanced storytelling that makes Wuthering Waves stand out from other open-world gacha games. The Jinzhou region is still recovering from the aftereffects of the Calamity, and the settlement leadership is stuck between trying to care for the people who already live there and helping the hundreds of displaced travelers wandering the plains looking for safety. There’s no obvious “good” or “bad” choice in this quest, every option has both benefits and downsides, and the consequences are permanent.
I’ve talked to dozens of other players about this quest, and there’s no real consensus on which choice is the right one. Some players always turn Auntie Meng in, because they think stealing supplies from a settlement that’s already low on resources is unfair to the people who live there. Others always cover for her, because they think helping the vulnerable travelers is more important than following unfair settlement rules. A small group always picks the third option, because it feels like the best middle ground even if it costs you coins upfront. This small side quest is one of the best examples of Wuthering Waves' nuanced storytelling, and it makes the world feel a lot more real and lived-in than generic fetch quests you find in most other games.
At the end of the day, figuring out who took the supplies Wuthering Waves hides in this small side quest is more than just a box to tick off your to-do list. It's a chance to engage with the game's world, make a choice that fits your playstyle, and even unlock some useful rewards you won't find anywhere else. Next time you're wandering through Jinzhou, take a few minutes to do this quest properly, and don't forget to check for the hidden thank you gift from the travelers if you choose to cover for Auntie Meng. You won't regret it.