Fractals of the Mists
Fractals of the Mists
Map of Fractals of the Mists
- Levels
- 80
- Type
- Dungeon
- Within
- The Mists
- Connects to
- Lion's Arch
Mistlock Sanctuary
Loading screen
“This portal leads to a mysterious destination. Many adventurers have entered, few have left.
— In-game description
Fractals of the Mists is a special type of dungeon that consists of an array of mini-dungeons called fractals, where each fractal has its own story and environment. Characters are adjusted to level 80 within the dungeon. The dungeon is one of the primary sources of ascended equipment and provides materials for crafting infused equipment and attuned equipment.
The dungeon has some unique mechanics and design. The party can choose the difficulty scale prior to entering the dungeon or from within the observatory. This difficulty scale starts at 1 and can be increased, up to 100. The personal reward level is an account-wide stat that tracks the current position of the account on the difficulty scale. To increase the personal reward level, and therefore the highest fractal scale accessible to the account, the player must complete a single fractal on a fractal scale equal or greater to their personal reward level. This provides progression in the dungeon, allowing players to continuously complete higher and higher levels on the difficulty scale and earn greater rewards as a result.
When entering the dungeon, the players arrive in Mistlock Observatory, a "hub" area within the Mists. Entering Mistlock, you'll meet Dessa, a scientist who has made explorable chunks of reality from the Mists. There are hostile elements that were acquired during Mistlock which you are asked to dispose of. You may begin by entering the portal within the Mistlock to enter a fractal. You will hear Dessa's voice while stabilizing the fractal. Once it is stabilized, she and her krewe will transport you back to the Mistlock.
Contents
Introduction letter[edit]
|
The Consortium PR and Legal Defense Team A Dazzling New Attraction in Lion's Arch The Consortium invites you to visit our asura gate near Fort Marriner to experience the spectacular scenery and awe-inspiring adventure of its newest attraction: Fractals of the Mists! Re-live the greatest and most exciting moments from Tyria's past as you test your strength, speed, and skill against some of the most formidable opponents from the annals of history. All this and more is waiting for you in the Fractals of the Mists! (WARNING: some fractals may cause injury, psychic trauma, blindness, or death. By entering this asura gate, you officially waive any and all rights to pursue legal damages against the Consortium. Participate at your own risk.) —The Consortium PR and Legal Defense Team |
Getting there[edit]
- Lion's Arch - The entrance is an asura gate directly in the center of Fort Marriner in Lion's Arch. Located just south of the "Mist Portals" point of interest, look for this icon
on the map. - Mistlock Sanctuary - Requires Mistlock Sanctuary Passkey. The entrance is on the eastern side.
Once any member of your party has entered, you will be prompted to join them from anywhere within Lion's Arch or Mistlock Sanctuary.
Mechanics[edit]
Difficulty scale[edit]
Fractals of the Mists uses a difficulty scale in contrast to the story and explorable modes of dungeons.
- Your personal fractal level increases by one each time you complete a fractal scale equal to or greater than your personal level.
- Whoever enters the hub may choose the initial difficulty level, which can be set up to the highest personal reward level of any member of the current party.
- The scale may be changed while in the lobby through the Scale Setting Sequencer.
- Increased personal levels offer increased rewards, even if the run is at a lower difficulty level. Higher difficulty levels offer greater challenges and higher chances of better rewards, from foes, chests, and bonus chests.
- Each fractal scale corresponds with a specific fractal 'island' and set of unique conditions.
- There are four fractal difficulty scale ranges that are listed in the Looking For Group tool. For new characters, all of these skill ranges are locked (they cannot be used to find groups). The first scale range called "Initiate Scales 1-25", will unlock when a character reaches level 80. Higher group scale ranges will unlock when an account's fractal reward level nears the upper boundary for that group. For example, the ability to search in the 51-75 range unlocks when an account's fractal reward level is 46. More details can be found on the page Looking For Group.
- Standard changes at higher difficulty levels
- Standard foes spawn in greater numbers and have higher levels.
- Foes gain increased health and damage values.
- Some foes will gain new abilities, e.g. in the Uncategorized Fractal, the harpies start to knock players back.
- Major changes at different tiers
Fractals include more substantial changes starting at level 25, 50, 75, so these are called the difficulty "tiers".
- New items begin dropping at higher tiers; other items begin dropping more frequently.
- New challenges are added at new tiers:
- Agony is added to enemy and boss attacks at level 20, and it continues to increase with each level.
- A Mistlock Instability is added at level 26, with additional instabilities added at levels 51 and 76 (for a total of 3).
- Starting at level 71, whenever a player gets downed a Fractal Avenger will spawn to finish the player.
- Interrupting or killing it will cause it to disappear. If a downed player stealths or teleports away, it will continue its finisher, but it will fail if a player is still stealthed or has moved far enough away by the time its animation finishes.
- Fractals with the Fractal Vindicator instability will spawn a Fractal Vindicator instead, which deals heavy damage to its target and persists until slain. Unlike with the avengers, only one vindicator will spawn per player whenever they go downed until their current vindicator has been slain.
- Daily Fractals rewards are available for difficulties 1-25, 26-50, 51-75 and 76-100.
Mistlock Observatory[edit]
The Mistlock Observatory serves as the hub (or lobby) area for the dungeon. It offers armor repairs and a variety of merchants that sell fractal related gear, potions, and infusions. A portal in the center of the area can be used to access the fractals; this requires confirmation from all players in the party.
Differences from dungeons[edit]
- There are no waypoints. If any party member dies, they must wait to be revived by their party or for the rest of the party to get out-of-combat, at which point any defeated member is given the option to teleport back to the most recently completed checkpoint (or to leave the fractal entirely).
- There are no repair stations, although players can interact with Mistlock Singularities to repair their armor if they have the appropriate mastery. Alternatively, players may use Instant Repair Canisters, switch to spare armor sets, or return to character selection and reload their character (players will return to Lion's Arch, where they may repair or use other services before returning).
- Any character that re-enters an existing fractal instance (excluding the lobby) will spawn dead.
- Any characters under level 80 will be scaled up, allowing lower-level characters to participate, though stats gained from gear will still be lower, and mobs will generally target lower leveled players specifically.
Agony[edit]
- Primary article: Agony
Agony is an effect introduced starting at scale 20, reducing healing and dealing a large percentage of your maximum health as damage per second. The amount of damage inflicted gradually increases as the difficulty scale increases, starting at 10% and capping out at 180%. Certain mechanics, mistlock instabilities, and enemy attacks will apply Agony.
The damage taken from Agony can be reduced with Agony Resistance, down to a minimum of 1%. The main source of Agony Resistance are from infusions that can be placed in Ascended and Legendary equipment. Temporary Agony Resistance can be obtained from using an Anguished Tear of Alba.
Mistlock Instability[edit]
Mistlock Instabilities are special modifiers that have various effects on players and their party's journey through the Fractals of the Mists. These can be anything from simple conditions to insidious extra creature attacks. These effects start at difficulty scale 26. Starting at difficulty scale 51 there are two Mistlock Instabilities active, and at scale 77 there are three Mistlock Instabilities active. Active instabilities can be previewed from the difficulty scale selected or viewed on your effects bar. Mistlock Instabilities will be assigned randomly every day.
The Instability iteration can be found here.
| Icon | Mistlock Instability | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
No Pain, No Gain | Enemies receive  Protection,  Might and  Fury when you hit them.
|
|
Last Laugh | Enemies explode when killed. |
|
Afflicted | Enemies apply random damaging conditions. |
|
Social Awkwardness | 1  Receive agony and damage from nearby allies when you attack enemies. |
|
Toxic Trail | Enemies leave a trail of toxic sludge behind them as they move around. |
|
Flux Bomb | You are periodically afflicted by the Anomaly's flux bombs. |
|
Adrenaline Rush | Enemies become enraged for a time when low on health. |
|
Hamstrung | The lower your health, the slower you move. |
|
Fractal Vindicators | Fractal Avengers are replaced by more-powerful Fractal Vindicators. |
|
Mists Convergence | The Fractals of the Mists are blurring together... |
- Historical Mistlock Instabilities
These mistlocks were either renamed, reworked, or removed.
| Mistlock Instability | Description |
|---|---|
| Agonizing Expedition | You are frequently afflicted with agony. |
| Antielitism | Elite skills cause death. |
| Bloodlust | Combat is agonizing. Get a kill for relief. |
| Frosty | Periodically leave a patch of freezing frost. |
| Ill and Chill | Poison, chill, and confusion have unintended effects. |
| Keep Them in Line | Damaged enemies gain boons when unattended. |
| Overextended | Take damage when you deal critical damage. |
| Playing Favorites | Untargeted enemies take half damage. |
| Stamina | Outgoing damage is reduced when endurance is low. |
| Tainted Renewal | Regeneration, protection, and vigor have unintended effects. |
Fractal Masteries[edit]
Fractal Attunements is a special mastery track introduced with Heart of Thorns. In addition to providing access to additional rewards and daily achievements, these masteries certain NPCs in the Mistlock Observatory. Through these NPCs players can gain access to Infusion Extraction Devices, special crafting materials and other rewards. These are extremely helpful in completing the higher difficulty scales. In addition, players pursuing the Legendary Backpiece collection will need high fractal mastery to obtain the rare collection items required.
Fractal Potions[edit]
- Primary article: Fractal Potion
There are three types of fractal potions available: offensive (increased outgoing damage), defensive (decreased incoming damage) and mobility (increased movement speed) potions. These consumables stack up to five times (Large potions apply all five stacks in one use), and can be used in addition to nourishment and utility consumables. Depending on the Fractal Attunement mastery rank achieved, each potion may provide additional bonuses to precision, toughness and concentration, respectively.
Account Augmentations[edit]
Account Augmentations are upgrades that can be purchased from Deroir and grant additional rewards for completing a fractal and account wide agony resistance. Each upgrade has four tiers and get progressively more expensive.
List of fractals[edit]
| No. | Area | Description | Sigils & potions | Day or Night | Fractal Scale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Mistlock Observatory | Main hub for Fractals of the Mists; entry point from the asura gate in Lion's Arch. | No foes | Day | All |
| 1 | Aetherblade Fractal | Infiltrate the hidden Aetherblade base with the help of Inspector Ellen Kiel. | Scarlet's Armies | Day | 14, 46, 65, 71, 96 |
| 2 | Aquatic Ruins Fractal | Explore an ancient underwater ruin. | Krait, Fish | Day | 7, 26, 61, 76 |
| 3 | Captain Mai Trin Boss Fractal | Defeat Mai Trin, leader of the Aetherblades. | Scarlet's Armies | Day | 18, 42, 73, 95 |
| 4 | Chaos Isles Fractal | Investigate the destabilization of the Mists. | Elemental3 | Day | 13, 30, 38, 54, 63, 88, 98 |
| 5 | Cliffside Fractal | Investigate a strange cult in an unknown location. | Bandit4 | Day | 6, 22, 47, 69, 82, 94 |
| 6 | Deepstone Fractal | Aid a pair of master thieves as they journey into the lost dwarven city of Deepstone. | ? | Day | 11, 33, 67, 84 |
| 7 | Molten Boss Fractal | Defeat the twin champions at the heart of the Molten Alliance weapons facility. | Scarlet's Armies | Day | 10, 40, 70, 90 |
| 8 | Molten Furnace Fractal | Attack the Molten Alliance weapons facility with the help of Rox and Braham. | Scarlet's Armies, Elemental3 | Day | 9, 23, 39, 58, 83 |
| 9 | Nightmare Fractal | Overcome the monstrosity gestating inside this illusory landscape. | Scarlet's Armies, Krait | Day | 24, 49, 74, 99 |
| 10 | Shattered Observatory Fractal | Visit a familiar locale, twisted by the tides of time. | Scarlet's Armies (Arkk) | Day | 25, 50, 75, 100 |
| 11 | Snowblind Fractal | Defeat the Sons of Svanir in a frigid forest. | Elemental, Sons of Svanir | Night | 3, 27, 37, 51, 68, 86, 93 |
| 12 | Solid Ocean Fractal | Explore the solid ocean, and slay the beast within. | Elemental3 | Night | 20, 35, 45, 60, 80 |
| 13 | Swampland Fractal | Banish evil spirits from a dangerous swamp. | Norn, Plant | Night | 5, 21, 32, 56, 77, 89 |
| 14 | Thaumanova Reactor Fractal | Investigate the destruction of the Thaumanova Reactor. | Icebrood3, Inquest3, Flame Legion3, Nightmare Court3 | Day | 15, 34, 48, 55, 64, 97 |
| 15 | Twilight Oasis Fractal | Spearhead the assault on the oasis. | Night | 16, 41, 59, 87 | |
| 16 | Uncategorized Fractal | Ascend an unknown asuran structure. | Inquest, Harpy, Bandit3, Flame Legion3 | Day | 2, 12, 36, 44, 62, 79, 91 |
| 17 | Underground Facility Fractal | Delve deep into an underground dredge facility. | Dredge, Elemental | Night | 8, 17, 29, 43, 53, 81 |
| 18 | Urban Battleground Fractal | Join the Flame Legion in an assault on an Ascalonian city. | Human | Day | 4, 31, 57, 66, 78, 85 |
| 19 | Volcanic Fractal | Eliminate a grawl cult that resides inside a volcano. | Grawl, Demon3, Elemental | Night | 1, 19, 28, 52, 72, 92 |
- 1 Foe types are listed for those interested in using appropriate nourishment and/or sigils.
- 2 Sigil of the Night is effective in the fractals that are in permanent nighttime, including the Solid Ocean fractal with the Jade Maw.
- 3 There is only a single foe or a group of this type in the fractal.
- 4 Powerful Potion of Outlaw Slaying is effective as bandits are outlaws.
Fractal levels[edit]
Each difficulty scale corresponds with a specific fractal 'island'. Agony is introduced at level 20, and its damage increases with the scale. The table below shows the island for each scale plus the minimum amount of agony resistance required to reduce damage from agony to its minimum of 1% of your total health per tick.
(You can reach this table from in-game at any time by typing /wiki fl into the chat box.)
| Initiate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Level | Fractal | AR |
| 1 | Volcanic | 0 |
| 2 | Uncategorized | 0 |
| 3 | Snowblind | 0 |
| 4 | Urban Battleground | 0 |
| 5 | Swampland | 0 |
| 6 | Cliffside | 0 |
| 7 | Aquatic Ruins | 0 |
| 8 | Underground Facility | 0 |
| 9 | Molten Furnace | 0 |
| 10 | Molten Boss | 0 |
| 11 | Deepstone | 0 |
| 12 | Uncategorized | 0 |
| 13 | Chaos Isles | 0 |
| 14 | Aetherblade | 0 |
| 15 | Thaumanova Reactor | 0 |
| 16 | Twilight Oasis | 0 |
| 17 | Underground Facility | 0 |
| 18 | Captain Mai Trin Boss | 0 |
| 19 | Volcanic | 0 |
| 20 | Solid Ocean | 8 |
| 21 | Swampland | 10 |
| 22 | Cliffside | 11 |
| 23 | Molten Furnace | 13 |
| 24 | Nightmare | 15 |
| 25 | Shattered Observatory | 17 |
| Adept | ||
|---|---|---|
| Level | Fractal | AR |
| 26 | Aquatic Ruins | 18 |
| 27 | Snowblind | 20 |
| 28 | Volcanic | 22 |
| 29 | Underground Facility | 24 |
| 30 | Chaos Isles | 26 |
| 31 | Urban Battleground | 27 |
| 32 | Swampland | 29 |
| 33 | Deepstone | 31 |
| 34 | Thaumanova Reactor | 33 |
| 35 | Solid Ocean | 34 |
| 36 | Uncategorized | 36 |
| 37 | Snowblind | 38 |
| 38 | Chaos Isles | 40 |
| 39 | Molten Furnace | 42 |
| 40 | Molten Boss | 43 |
| 41 | Twilight Oasis | 45 |
| 42 | Captain Mai Trin Boss | 47 |
| 43 | Underground Facility | 49 |
| 44 | Uncategorized | 50 |
| 45 | Solid Ocean | 52 |
| 46 | Aetherblade | 54 |
| 47 | Cliffside | 56 |
| 48 | Thaumanova Reactor | 58 |
| 49 | Nightmare | 59 |
| 50 | Shattered Observatory | 61 |
| Expert | ||
|---|---|---|
| Level | Fractal | AR |
| 51 | Snowblind | 63 |
| 52 | Volcanic | 65 |
| 53 | Underground Facility | 67 |
| 54 | Chaos Isles | 68 |
| 55 | Thaumanova Reactor | 70 |
| 56 | Swampland | 72 |
| 57 | Urban Battleground | 74 |
| 58 | Molten Furnace | 75 |
| 59 | Twilight Oasis | 77 |
| 60 | Solid Ocean | 79 |
| 61 | Aquatic Ruins | 81 |
| 62 | Uncategorized | 83 |
| 63 | Chaos Isles | 84 |
| 64 | Thaumanova Reactor | 86 |
| 65 | Aetherblade | 88 |
| 66 | Urban Battleground | 90 |
| 67 | Deepstone | 91 |
| 68 | Snowblind | 93 |
| 69 | Cliffside | 95 |
| 70 | Molten Boss | 97 |
| 71 | Aetherblade | 99 |
| 72 | Volcanic | 100 |
| 73 | Captain Mai Trin Boss | 102 |
| 74 | Nightmare | 104 |
| 75 | Shattered Observatory | 106 |
| Master | ||
|---|---|---|
| Level | Fractal | AR |
| 76 | Aquatic Ruins | 107 |
| 77 | Swampland | 109 |
| 78 | Urban Battleground | 111 |
| 79 | Uncategorized | 113 |
| 80 | Solid Ocean | 115 |
| 81 | Underground Facility | 116 |
| 82 | Cliffside | 118 |
| 83 | Molten Furnace | 120 |
| 84 | Deepstone | 122 |
| 85 | Urban Battleground | 123 |
| 86 | Snowblind | 125 |
| 87 | Twilight Oasis | 127 |
| 88 | Chaos Isles | 129 |
| 89 | Swampland | 131 |
| 90 | Molten Boss | 132 |
| 91 | Uncategorized | 134 |
| 92 | Volcanic | 136 |
| 93 | Snowblind | 138 |
| 94 | Cliffside | 139 |
| 95 | Captain Mai Trin Boss | 141 |
| 96 | Aetherblade | 143 |
| 97 | Thaumanova Reactor | 145 |
| 98 | Chaos Isles | 147 |
| 99 | Nightmare | 148 |
| 100 | Shattered Observatory | 150 |
Daily Fractals[edit]
There are two types of daily fractals: Tier N and Recommended. In every tier there is at least one fractal for each of the three Tier N Dailies. In each of the three lower tiers (1-25, 26-50, 51-75) there will be one Recommended fractal.
All Daily Fractal reward chests contain a Pristine Fractal Relic and some +1 Agony Infusions.
Tier N Fractals[edit]
The Tier N Fractal daily achievements are on a 15-day rotation as indicated on the following table.
Completing a daily fractal will reward players with a chest depending on which tier was completed:
- Tier 1 - Fractal Initiate's Chest
- Tier 2 - Fractal Adept's Chest and all lower tiers
- Tier 3 - Fractal Expert's Chest and all lower tiers
- Tier 4 - Fractal Master's Chest and all lower tiers
Recommended Fractals[edit]
Recommended fractals are on a 15-day rotation; one at each tier excluding Master.
Adept and Expert tier Recommended fractals require the Follows Advice mastery. Unlike the Tier N fractals, Recommended fractals are always a single scale.
Completing a Recommended fractal will reward players with a Research Chest depending on the tier. All Research Chests will give a Fractal Research Page and a large Fractal Potion depending on the chest.
- Fractal Initiate's Research Chest - Large Mist Defensive Potion
- Fractal Adept's Research Chest - Large Mist Mobility Potion
- Fractal Expert's Research Chest - Large Mist Offensive Potion
Fractal Research Pages, in conjunction with Grandmaster Marks, can be used to exchange for Ascended chests through BLING-9009. They can also be used to combine into Fractal Journals, which are used for certain steps of the Ad Infinitum collection.
Rewards[edit]
Personal Fractal Level Rewards[edit]
- Your personal fractal level will increase by 1 each time a fractal difficulty scale is completed at or above your current fractal level.
- Completing a fractal awards you up to 3400 karma. Less karma is received if completing a fractal scale closer to your own personal level (the amount can be increased by bonuses from achievements, banners, etc.).
Purchasable Reward bonuses[edit]
Deroir offers permanent reward increases for your account. They include bonus experience, bonus karma, bonus fractal relics and bonus encryptions.
Completion Rewards[edit]
- +1 Agony Infusions
- Character equipment (blue quality or higher)
- Recipe: Superior Rune of Resistance (above level 30)
- Recipe: Superior Sigil of Momentum (above level 30)
- Fractal Relics:
| Scale | per fractal |
|---|---|
| 1-5 | 5 
|
| 6-10 | 6
|
| 11-15 | 7
|
| 16-20 | 8
|
| 21-25 | 9
|
| 26-30 | 10
|
| 31-35 | 11
|
| 36-40 | 12
|
| 41-45 | 13
|
| 46-50 | 14
|
| 51-60 | 15
|
| 61-70 | 16
|
| 71-80 | 17
|
| 81-90 | 18
|
| 91-100 | 19
|
- Fractal Encryptions:
| Scale | per fractal |
|---|---|
| 1-20 | 2 Fractal Encryption |
| 21-40 | 3 Fractal Encryption |
| 41-60 | 4 Fractal Encryption |
| 61-80 | 5 Fractal Encryption |
| 81-100 | 6 Fractal Encryption |
The Chaos Isles Fractal, Nightmare Fractal and the Deepstone Fractal give 1 Fractal Encryption extra on scales below 40 and 2 Fractal Encryption extra on scales higher than 40.
There is also a small chance you get a Fractal Encryption Key instead of one Fractal Encryption.
Ascended Crafting Materials[edit]
Certain crafting materials can be obtained as random loot from foes in the Fractals of the Mists; unlike the above rewards, these drop from killing ordinary enemies, not for completing fractals. Each has a minimum difficulty scale at which it can appear. As of July 26th 2016, these can also be bought from INFUZ-5959.
| Scales | Ascended Crafting Materials |
|---|---|
| 1+ | Vial of Condensed Mists Essence |
| 26+ | Glob of Coagulated Mists Essence |
| 51+ | Shard of Crystallized Mists Essence |
Achievements[edit]
-
Daily — complete a single fractal for Daily Fractal (not available every day) -
Daily Fractals — complete specific fractals and fractals in level ranges, additional achievements unlock with Follows Advice mastery -
Fractals of the Mists — complete each fractal island and specific tasks in each - Nightmare Fractal - tasks and challenges specific to the Nightmare Fractal
- Shattered Observatory Fractal - tasks and challenges specific to the Shattered Observatory Fractal
- Fractured! (historical) — a category from the Fractured release
Tips[edit]
- Skills that block, absorb or reflect projectiles are very important in the Fractals of the Mists, as almost all fractals have multiple enemies that use ranged attacks and skills and many of them let you deal massive spike damage if you time your reflections properly.
- Skills that provide Stability, Blind or Weakness and skills that remove Conditions and Boons are very useful during many encounters in the Fractals of the Mists. Be prepared to switch skills often before different encounters.
- Skills that remove or corrupt enemy Boons are especially useful in higher-tier fractals with the 'No Pain, No Gain' instability, all the dredge fractals as well as some parts of Aetherblade-themed fractals.
- Crowd control skills such as dazes, stuns and knockbacks help break defiance bars, which give your party a reprieve from boss attacks while boosting your own damage. This technique is critical in some fractals such as Nightmare and Shattered Observatory, where bosses have devastating attacks that can only be stopped by breaking it.
- A number of Fractals include enemies best fought with ranged attacks, e.g. the Thaumanova Anomaly; make sure to bring at least one ranged weapon set. On the flipside there are some enemies, like Jade Colossi in Solid Ocean, who reflect most projectiles and are best fought with melee or non-projectile based attacks.
Notes[edit]
- Most fractals are designed for more than one person. For instance, you need at least three to complete the Underground Facility.
- The Fractal Instability Trainer gives access to a training area where players can test their build against agony, mistlock instabilities, and enemies of various ranks.
Trivia[edit]
- Fractals of the Mists was introduced as part of the Lost Shores release (November 16th, 2012), which also added the first ascended items into the game.
- 3 new fractals and 2 new boss fractals were introduced as part of Fractured release (November 26th 2013). These are Thaumanova Reactor Fractal, Aetherblade Fractal, Molten Furnace Fractal, Captain Mai Trin Boss Fractal and the Molten Boss Fractal. In addition, fractal reward levels were made account-bound rather than character-bound.
- The entrance to Fractals of the Mists originally was outside the Consortium Gift Shop in Fort Marriner in Lion's Arch. With the destruction of Lion's Arch (Escape from Lion's Arch release) it was moved to Vigil Keep in Gendarran Fields. During the rebuilding of Lion's Arch (May 19th, 2015 patch) the entrance was relocated to Postern Ward, and after the building work was completed (June 23rd, 2015 patch) it moved back to Fort Marriner.
- Numerous changes took effect with the Heart of Thorns release (October 23rd, 2015). These include an increase of the max scale to 100, introduction of new challenges and instabilities, the legendary fractal backpiece, the elimination of the old 4 fractals islands per run system, and a complete reworking of fractal rewards.
- Since Heart of Thorns' release and during the timeframe of Living World Season 3, the Fractals have seen the addition of three new fractals (Chaos Isles, Nightmare and Shattered Observatory) and numerous quality-of-life changes in order to make them more engaging. Major highlights include the streamlining of Agony infusions, revamp of the Mistlock Observatory lobby and reworks to the Cliffside, Swampland, Snowblind and Thaumanova Reactor fractals.
- With the release of the first Living World Season 4 Episode: Daybreak (November 28th, 2017) the new fractal Twilight Oasis was introduced. The Molten Boss and Mai Trin fractals were also reworked.
- With the release of Living World Season 4, Episode 3: Long Live the Lich (June 26, 2018) the new Deepstone fractal was introduced.
