Gated content questions

[Zen.5496]

Recently returning to the game I purchased both expansions thinking that this would make all of the world available to me. As I had been away for a long time there was a lot of catching up to do. Learning more about the living world and all of the seasons I'd missed I had no expectations of having access to any of the past events. What did surprise me though is that when I was going through Frostgorge Sound I found there's a portion of the zone that I can't even access and an entire zone beyond it that I also don't have access to simply because I wasn't here when it happened. From this I feel fairly jadded that I'm effectively being punished because I stopped playing for so long.

 

I'd like to better understand how the gated content for this example works. Do people who were here for the events that unlocked it continue to have access to it or would they need to pay in order to return now that the season is over? How does content like this effect achievements (such as exploring the world map)? Is there anything significant I'm missing from not unlocking this area? How many more zones, dungeons, or otherwise are out there like this?

 

I've tried to have conversations like this in game chat but it always ends with someone telling me to just pay for it, please don't bring this conversation to that level. I'm trying to assess what exactly it is that I've missed out on and how it would effect me had I been here when unlocking it was an option.

[Pifil.5193]

The information you want is here:

 

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Living_World_Season_3

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Living_World_Season_4

 

But in short if you logged in during an episode you unlock the episode forever.

 

There are currently 8 episodes between LS3 and LS4.

Each episode added one new map and some story instances.

Each episode added a bunch of new achievements, new rewards, new currencies, new recipes, new weapon and armour skins and so on.

No new dungeons. They did add new fractals but those aren't part of the LS episodes. They're available for everyone to play regardless of whether they unlocked the episode or own the expansions.

 

You don't need to explore the new maps for world completion.

 

Edit: personally I never liked the way you had to unlock the episodes by logging in. I think that the LW Season should be included in the price of the expansion. ArenaNet have pretty much turned it into a log-in reward though.

[Healix.5819]

With season 3, they started adding a new zone per episode, so there's currently 8 new zones locked outside of the expansions. Episodes are sold for 200 gems each, with the most recent one discounted to 0 gems for a period and automatically purchased when you login. Once an episode is purchased, it's unlocked for the account and can be permanently accessed and replayed - they don't do temporary content anymore.

 

World completion never changed, so it's still just the original zones. Episodes are DLC, like mini expansions, so everything happens within the boundaries of the episode and old content isn't affected.

 

What a living world episode contains is an open world zone and story instances. Dungeons, as in the original core dungeons, are no longer made. Fractals are the new dungeons and fractals are released on their own schedule as core content available to everyone.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

Maps and content associated with Living World Seasons 3 and 4 are unlocked either by logging in when live, or purchasing with Gems acquired with either cash or in-game Gold. They are permanent.

World Map completion does not include any maps added after launch. (https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Map_completion#World_completion)

 

The Living World Seasons continue the 'story' in Tyria, bridging the story between Core and expansions. (Unfortunately, Living World Season 1 is not replayable; you can read about it on the Wiki, or watch on YouTube.)

 

When returning, some forego the story, some do not.

 

Welcome return, and good luck.

[mercury ranique.2170]

I am not sure about what you mean not having access to a part of frostgorge sound, the map is mostly unchanged since launch, the expansions give access to movement tools, which makes navigating easier, but it doesn’t lock out any part.

 

As explained. You have 3 kinds of updates. The first are feature updates. They add new mechanics to the game or even new events. An example in frostgorge sound is the event in the south. It is open for everyone, but added later. The second kind is expansions, besides new maps and story instances, they add new fightskills and new movement mechanics, the last is a convenience, but doesn’t hinder you in core maps.

The third is living world, they are free when you own the latest expansion and active played when it was released. They add new maps and some minor new features (like an extra downed skill). But nothing is blocking in the core maps,

[Danikat.8537]

That's one of the changes that occurred when they switched from temporary updates that were removed to permanent ones - they started adding new maps to go along with the new releases. The ones from Season 2 (Dry Top and Silverwastes) are accessible to everyone, even people who don't have Season 2 unlocked, but the Season 3 and 4 ones are only accessible by people who have the relevant story episode unlocked.

 

And yes, people who have it unlocked continue to have access to it. All Living Story releases from the start of Season 2 onwards are permanent, once it's unlocked on your account you can play it whenever you want, even on characters created after the release (once they're level 80).

 

As for what you're missing it's hard to say, there's a lot of stuff but much of it might not be relevant or interesting to you. It won't prevent you from getting 100% map completion because the new maps don't count towards it, but they do have their own map completion rewards and some unique items and skins. Being GW2 there's nothing game-breaking in there - you won't be able to get better equipment with higher stats than you can find elsewhere. Although sometimes it's easier to get equipment with the new stat combinations introduced with PoF and HoT on the Living Story maps. Other than that it's really just achievements and some meta-events, and of course the story.

 

There are 6 new maps in Season 3 (Bloodstone Fen - north of Verdant Brink, Ember Bay and Draconis Mons in the Ring of Fire islands, Lake Doric east of Divinity's Reach, Bitterfrost Frontier north of Frostgorge Sound and Siren's Landing in Orr) and 2 so far in Season 4 - both on the islands south east of Elona. So far they're all open-world maps, there are no dungeons or anything included.

 

(Also I know you said not to mention it but just in case it's not clear if you ever do want to unlock them it's a 1-time payment of 200 gems per episode or 1,280 gems for Season 2 and 960 for Season 3. That unlocks everything in the episode - story, map, achievements, items, everything permanently for all characters on your account, exactly as if you'd been here when it was released. And you can always convert gold to gems to get them without paying real money. It's not cheap, but it's an option.)

 

If you've logged in since the last big update you'll have Season 4 Episode 2 unlocked automatically (and if you logged in before it you'll have Episode 1) so you could play that to get an idea of what's included in an Episode and then decide if you want to get the others.

[Kaltyn of Torbins Deep.294]

World map completion is ONLY tied to the core Tyria maps released with the game at launch. So that area north of Frostgorge? That's Bitterfrost Frontier and doesn't matter for map completion. What you are missing are the maps that were added with each episode of Living World Season 3. Season 3 introduced 6 new maps - one with each episode. Season 4, so far, has done the same. Anet's policy on the Living World Episodes is that you unlock them just by logging into the game while that episode is live. So, if you logged in before Season 4 Episode 2 dropped Tuesday, you've unlocked episode 1, and if you log in today, you've unlocked episode 2 for your account forever. If you miss an episode, you have to pay for it with gems. Purchasing the expansion is required to play that season of the living world, but NOT necessary for unlocking it on your account - even free to play accounts that login will unlock the episode, they just can't play it. HoT is required to play Season 3, PoF is required for Season 4. I can understand how that may feel lousy to someone that originally purchased the game, but, it is what it is. My advice is to watch for it to go on sale and purchase the season then. IMO, season 3 is worth the expense.

 

What you are missing by not purchasing the LW Season 3 is:

1. 6 completely new maps - Bloodstone Fen, Ember Bay, Bitterfrost Frontier, Lake Doric, Draconis Mons, Sirens Landing

2. Story. Some of it quite good. Season 3 continues the personal story from the end of HoT up to the start of PoF

3. Stat-selectable ascended accessories that are purchasable for Unbound Magic and a map specific currency. Generally each map had 2 or 3 different accesories - an amulet, a ring, and a back piece for Bloodstone Fen for example. These are all stat selectable with core and HoT stats. This MAY be less of an issue now that Season 4 is out - they did add some accessories with Episode 2, but the one I looked at only had core and PoF stats as options.

4. Some extra masteries that were basically map-bound, but were tons of fun.

5. 6 home instance nodes for the map-specific currencies.

6. Some fun events and game play.

7. Some extra mastery points to make unlocking all the HoT masteries easier.

8. Maybe something else that I'm forgetting.

 

What you are missing with not purchasing LW Season 4:

1. NOTHING - unless you missed logging in while episode 1 was live - because you've unlocked it just by logging in.

 

Sorry you missed the Season 3 episodes while they were live - I missed season 2, so I had to buy it too - but I'm glad you're here now and have unlocked the season 4 episodes.

[Kaltyn of Torbins Deep.294]

One more thought - there are ZERO parts of Frostgorge Sound that is unavailable to you. You can get 100% map complete on that map on a F2P account, so you should have no problem with an account that has purchased both expansions. If there is a spot you're have problems with, please feel free to ask here, message me in-game, or ask in map chat. Bitterfrost Frontier DOES connect to FS, but that is LWS3 E3. There is also a dungeon in FS - Sorrow's Embrace - but that doesn't count towards map completion either.

[Zen.5496]

Fantastic information, thank you everyone.

I'm definitely a bit miffed that there's effectively a 3rd expansion that I didn't know about when getting back into the game. I suspect there's a customer feedback area that I'll have to make sure to leave the comment of "not cool guys, here's my money, but srsly not cool." In the meantime you've all given me exactly the information I've been looking for so that I can carry on with clarity.

 

As for Frostgorge I was having issues accessing the north west corner and when I did a google search I started finding the information that lead me to start this post so I just assumed that area of the map was part of the gated content.

[usnedward.9023]

> @"mercury ranique.2170" said:

> I am not sure about what you mean not having access to a part of frostgorge sound, the map is mostly unchanged since launch, the expansions give access to movement tools, which makes navigating easier, but it doesn’t lock out any part.

>

> As explained. You have 3 kinds of updates. The first are feature updates. They add new mechanics to the game or even new events. An example in frostgorge sound is the event in the south. It is open for everyone, but added later. The second kind is expansions, besides new maps and story instances, they add new fightskills and new movement mechanics, the last is a convenience, but doesn’t hinder you in core maps.

> The third is living world, they are free when you own the latest expansion and active played when it was released. They add new maps and some minor new features (like an extra downed skill). But nothing is blocking in the core maps,

 

I think the OP is referring to https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Bitterfrost_Frontier

You have to have the Living Season 3 to get to it as well as HoT me thinks.

[Randulf.7614]

> @"Zen.5496" said:

> Fantastic information, thank you everyone.

> I'm definitely a bit miffed that there's effectively a 3rd expansion that I didn't know about when getting back into the game. I suspect there's a customer feedback area that I'll have to make sure to leave the comment of "not cool guys, here's my money, but srsly not cool." In the meantime you've all given me exactly the information I've been looking for so that I can carry on with clarity.

>

> As for Frostgorge I was having issues accessing the north west corner and when I did a google search I started finding the information that lead me to start this post so I just assumed that area of the map was part of the gated content.

 

You aren't missing an expac, they equate to DLC which you can get for free as a loyal customer logging in at the required time. There are 3 of these still in the game, with Season 4 currently ongoing - something you prob have banked for free to play whenever you are ready.

 

The missing areas in Frostgorge is actually an entirely separate map accessed through Frostgorge and requires LS3

 

Whilst I don't wish to discourage you from feeding back, the business model is pretty much set in stone after the LS1 debacle and after a lot of player feedback has pretty much become entrenched. However, I do think it is unclear to new players and needs to be clearer that this is extra content to purchased either by money or in game gold and doesn't come as part of the expansion unless you log in during the required time frames.