What exactly is Living world?

[BooQueefius]

i see it in new store downloading the game now to try for free i understand there are 3 xpacs but then i see living world is that another expac or waht is it will i need to get it in the future is it mandatory? or can i just get the xpacs? thanks a lot

[[RvB] RedArmyGrif]

it's story that bridges the gaps between the base story and the expansions.

Personally I recommend getting the Living World seasons because they are mandatory for the full story (and s4 in particular is a good money maker) but for right now you can just get the expansions.

[Hefutoxin]

Living World Season 1 is free for everyone
2 is just story, iirc
Season 3, 4, and Icebrood have new zones.

I would suggest at least Season 4 some time in the future. It has 2 mounts (Roller Beetle and Skyscale)

[✨Saint✨]

Just the base game has hundreds of hours worth of content, by the time you get there, the expansion will be (probably) on sale again.
Owning the expansions will make it easier to get gold to convert to gems needed to buy the seasons.
It is recommended to do everything in order, that is, if you follow the story.

[Turin]

In-between expansion DLC. They include everything you would expect from expansions but without any class changes. They are basically equally important as expansions and include major parts of the story.

[Nibbie]

If you happen to be familiar with FF14, the Living World seasons are the equivalent of the 2.1, 2.2, etc. releases. If you are familiar with Destiny 2, it is the equivalent of the Seasons. In short, they are all the major content releases between the expansion releases; the world continuing to progress between the major events of the expansions, thus the "living" world.

The main difference between them and expansions, is that expansions have to be bought from the platform holder, in this case Steam. However, the Living Worlds can be bought in-game for premium currency. You can exchange normal gold for premium currency in game, so while expansions have to be bought with money, you can choose to farm gold to buy seasons without spending money. Doing so obviously takes a decent chunk of time, especially as a new player, but the option is there.

[RUNEZ]

I will add. If you enjoy the game f2p then buy the COMPLETE edition. It only gets better.

[Emily Howard]

btw it is called living world because the initial idea was to change tyria. Those story snippets come at one time and all players can play that story for some time. After that, the story "happened" and becomes unavalable. While the general idea is quite interesting, it can become very frustrating, especially when the game's design approach is that one shouldn't be forced to play something now because later will be too late - play at your own speed.
So they changed how Living World Seasons work. Gladly, they re-implemented season 1 which was said to be impossible to do, especially because you get introduced to a lot of chars which play key roles in every other story expansion.

[xxdovaxx1]

Originally posted by BooQueefius:

i see it in new store downloading the game now to try for free i understand there are 3 xpacs but then i see living world is that another expac or waht is it will i need to get it in the future is it mandatory? or can i just get the xpacs? thanks a lot

short answer - the bridge between the expansions, u get story, new items and new maps

[NicenJehr]

i wish i had spent my money on gem store items like shared account inventory slots and character slots instead of living world. admittedly i have not completed the LW content yet and am not completely certain what you miss out on. it definitely is less worth it than expansions

[Septimus Prime]

As always Gw2wiki explains all!

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Living_World

[Emily Howard]

Originally posted by NicenJehr:

i wish i had spent my money on gem store items like shared account inventory slots and character slots instead of living world. admittedly i have not completed the LW content yet and am not completely certain what you miss out on. it definitely is less worth it than expansions

Except that you can begin crafting the legendary accessoires Aurora (LW 3) and Vision (LW 4), some other legendaries and for example you can buy stat selectable ascended trinkets (most LW 3 and 4 episode maps). In addition, you can buy material boxes with the map currencies. With LW 3 you can unlock the Roller Beetle and with LW 4 you can unlock the Skyscale as mounts.
Plus: When you play through LW 2, 3, 4 and 5 (Icebood Saga) and complete some other achievements on each map you get the legendary amulet.

[Angoril]

Originally posted by Emily Howard:

With LW 3 you can unlock the Roller Beetle and with LW 4 you can unlock the Skyscale as mounts.

Both mounts are on season 4. The beetle is from Kourna. Season 3 is after HoT, before mounts were in the game.