Living World: why the game has a story you do not own

Sooner or later you hit a wall: the story stops and the game tells you the continuation has to be unlocked. That is Living World, the most confusing piece of how this game is put together.

What it is

Living World means story seasons between expansions. Each brings new maps, story chapters, masteries, sometimes mounts.

These are not small patches. Between expansions they take up as much space as the expansions themselves (what the expansions contain).

The seasons in order

The chronology runs base game → S1 → S2 → Heart of Thorns → S3 → Path of Fire → S4 → Icebrood Saga → End of Dragons.

Season 1 is entirely free. It vanished from the game for years, because it had been built as temporary world events, and only in 2022 was it rebuilt as proper instances.

🔴 The trap

Season episodes unlocked for free only while they were current. Log in during an episode’s window and it stayed on your account forever.

Arrive later and you buy it with gems.

This is why two players who own the same expansions can have different amounts of story. One logged in during 2018 and has everything; the other started last year and has holes.

What this means today

After End of Dragons in February 2022 the separate seasons ended. Content released between major launches now ships inside the expansion itself.

So Secrets of the Obscure, Janthir Wilds and Visions of Eternity are bought once, post-launch content included. The “I missed an episode” problem only affects the old seasons.

Which ones are worth unlocking

Season 1 is free. Take it for that reason alone.

Season 2 needs only the base game. It bridges into Heart of Thorns, and without it the jump to the jungle feels abrupt.

Season 3 is the most useful of the paid ones. Its maps are still among the best for materials and gold.

Season 4 holds the mount maps, and it is where the skyscale unlocks.

Icebrood Saga has the weakest reputation, and it opens access to strike missions (what those are).

What it costs

Each episode is 200 gems, and a full season is cheaper as a bundle.

Gems are bought with money or exchanged for gold (current rate). So the game can pay for it: a full season comes to a few dozen gold, which a week or two of ordinary play covers (where to start).

Advice for a newcomer

Buy nothing right away. Play the personal story, reach 80, pick up your first expansion. Living World makes sense once you know whether you are here for the story or for the maps and rewards.

Check your account before paying, too. Some episodes may already be unlocked if you happened to log in during the right week years ago.