So'lek's Sky-High Rescue: A Hilarious Guide to the Windward DLC in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Alright, fellow Sarentu and adopted Na'vi, gather 'round the campfire. It's your favorite (and only) grumpy, scarred veteran-turned-reluctant-hero here, So'lek. You thought saving Pandora from the RDA's initial onslaught was enough? Think again, my friends. The 'From The Ashes' DLC has decided my traumatic past isn't traumatic enough and has thrown me right back into the fray, this time with a bunch of panicked merchants and their flying shopping cart. Welcome to the Windward questline, where I play glorified aerial tow-truck driver and therapist for the Wind Traders. Buckle up on Iley, it's gonna be a bumpy, fire-filled ride.

After dealing with my own... personal issues in the 'Alone' quest, I was immediately voluntold to go find the Wind Traders. Apparently, their escape from the Hometree disaster was about as graceful as a drunk Viperwolf. I took to the skies, heading towards the ikran rookerie, and sure enough, found their massive gondola looking like a gift-wrapped present for the cliffs. It was wedged in there tighter than a Sturmbeest in a cave. I landed, had a chat with the head trader, Ya'fatar, who was trying very hard not to have a complete meltdown. Their solution? Have me and Iley play wrecking ball.

Let me tell you, there's nothing quite like the feeling of having your majestic ikran, a creature of grace and power, used as a glorified weed-whacker. Iley and I ripped those withered vines apart like they were yesterday's news. But of course, it's never that simple. Tools were scattered everywhere. So next, I got to play 'fetch' while still mounted. I soared along the cliffs, snatching pouches hanging from vines. It was less 'mighty warrior' and more 'very determined delivery driver.' I brought all four back to Ya'fatar, who then sent me off with Kukulope—another trader—to find their missing second gondola.

We flew north, and what did we find? Not a working gondola, oh no. We found a smoking crash site on some floating islands. The place was a mess. I landed and went on foot, only to find poor Leykuni surrounded by RDA goons. I dispatched the AMP suits and soldiers—standard procedure by now—but the drama was just beginning. To get into a cave to find another survivor, Ulinay, I had to play a bizarre game of 'whack-a-mole' with giant purple flower buds on the cliffside. Smack the bloom, cave opens. Eywa works in mysterious, and frankly, inconvenient, ways.

Reunited with Ulinay inside the cave? For about five seconds. Because the RDA, with their impeccable timing, decided to crash the party. We had to bail out of the cave and face the music. And the music, in this case, was a symphony of gunfire led by a real piece of work named Taram, the Mangkwan Raider. This guy was fast, angry, and packed more heat than a volcanic fissure.

My strategy? Don't be a hero. He's too quick for arrows unless you're a crack shot. I ditched the traditional bow and embraced the human way for a minute—I unloaded an assault rifle into him. Sometimes, you have to fight fire with... well, a lot of bullets. Once he was weakened, I finished him off, collected my morbid souvenir, and cleaned up the rest of his lackeys. Returning to the cave, the mood was somber. Ulinay's fate was sealed, and Kukulope was heartbroken. She told me about a hidden camp in the Boundless Range and asked me to meet her there at night. Because what's a quest without a midnight stroll through monster-infested mountains?

At the camp, Kukulope had a plan involving a creature called a kreytu'um. To lure it, we needed reyknap, which meant finding fruit hidden by Bladewing Moths. This involved finding hives as tall as me, poking them, and then chasing glowing moth dust like some kind of psychedelic treasure hunt.

After collecting three fruits (because one is never enough), I had to climb the highest peak in the Boundless Range. No Iley allowed—he'd scare the beast. So, I hiked. Like a common hiker. When I finally reached the top, Kukulope did her thing, and I got to perform a death-defying leap onto the back of a giant flying creature. For a few glorious moments, it was peaceful. Just me, the wind, and the serene beauty of Pandora...

...Which lasted until the RDA showed up with flying scorpions. Because why not?

The rest of the ride was pure chaos. I was playing aerial skeet shooter, trying to blast scorpions out of the sky before they wrecked our ride. We hit a vine blockade, which required a satisfying ikran smash to clear, all while dodging reinforcements. I even had to use floating platform explosives for some crowd control. Later, separated from Kukulope, I used cliff cover to ambush airships. Pro tip: the middle island had healing pods. I needed them.

After that circus, I finally headed back to meet the Wind Traders. Spoiler: it was a disaster zone. The island was on fire, everything was abandoned. I played detective, examining a fire, a fallen tree, a very dead soldier, and a broken harness. The clues pointed east. I flew and found their gondola at an overgrown RDA outpost. Ya'fatar was there, and she was in a hurry. A big hurry. Because the RDA was coming. Again.

Priya, one of the traders, had a plan: turn the old outpost into a fortress. My first job? Find a giant lever in a yellow box and pull it. Riveting engineering work. This restored power. Then, I had to shoot red battery boxes on supply rooms to open them. Inside one? A beautiful, beautiful rocket launcher. My mood improved instantly.

I loaded up on ammo and grenades just as the RDA arrived in waves. AMP suits, soldiers, the whole gang. I used explosives scattered around for crowd control, hid in supply rooms to catch my breath, and most importantly, I used that rocket launcher to blast airships out of the sky before they could drop more trouble. Ya'fatar fought bravely by my side—it was almost like having a competent partner!

The battle was intense, but we held the line. When the last RDA soldier fell, I checked on Ya'fatar. The Wind Traders were finally ready to make their escape. The quest concluded, and as a reward for my efforts as a vine-cutter, fruit-finder, climber, scorpion-swatter, and base-defender, I was given the Hawnutu'un gear set. Fancy new threads for all my troubles.

So, there you have it. The Windward quest in a nutshell: part rescue mission, part fetch quest, part tower defense game, all wrapped up in RDA-shaped frustration. Would I do it again? For Pandora, always. But next time, I'm charging the Wind Traders a consulting fee. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go polish my new gear and remind Iley that he's a noble hunter, not a landscaper.