Game of Thrones: Kingsroad is hurtling toward the conclusion of its inaugural season on August 19. Players have been grinding through dedicated content, dungeons, and open-world skirmishes to climb the leaderboard, all for the promise of exclusive costumes and titles. With only one week left on the clock, expect a frantic final push as the community scrambles to pad their stats.

A leaderboard too volatile to call before the final whistle

The 'Season Score Hot Time' bonus, arriving in week five, is strictly reserved for season ranking dungeons. We are talking about areas like the 'Season Earthworm Path' and the likes of 'Beyond the Wall Expedition,' 'Elite Hideout,' 'Altar of Memories,' and 'Altar of the Abyss.' Since each dungeon typically nets over 2,000 points, this hot time event offers a tidy boost of at least 1,000 extra points for those who know how to play the system.

However, don't expect this event to trigger a massive seismic shift in the rankings. It is not about grinding for cumulative points; rather, it simply inflates the overall threshold required to reach specific tiers.

The real key to a late-game reversal lies in the turning in of season tokens. While there is some variance across servers, the top 'Chief' tier remains an elusive goal, separated by thousands of points. The 'Great Sword' tier, meanwhile, is much more competitive; a few hundred points could be the difference between glory and disappointment. Given that this tier unlocks family banners for mounts and helmet attachments for character costumes, there is plenty of incentive for players to dump their resources now.

Of course, token hand-ins are exempt from hot time bonuses. Even so, we have spotted players strategically hoarding tokens for a last-minute sprint, meaning the leaderboard could remain anyone's game right until the final seconds.

A static momentum ranking, but a cataclysm approaches

Right now, the job meta and momentum trends are as calm as a summer breeze. The average growth within the top 100 has plateaued, with top-tier momentum gains tapering off to around the 2,000-point mark. It is business as usual with the Knight class dominating the distribution. Yet, winds of change are forecast for August 19, thanks to the massive update teased in the latest developer notes.

First on the agenda: new regions and story content, which will surely quench the thirst of long-time players. With the world difficulty and gear tiers set to increase, the growth ceiling for characters is being blown wide open. This will inevitably result in a meteoric rise in momentum for the top-ranked players. We have seen this before—when Tier 4 gear dropped, the top end of the leaderboard saw momentum jump by over 50,000 points in just one week. Expect similar carnage this time around.

In the meantime, Game of Thrones: Kingsroad is running various events to prepare for the update. Notably, a seven-day login streak rewards players with the 'Hear My Roar' title. It is only of rare quality, so do not expect it to be a meta-defining piece, but the permanent +2 attack boost makes it well worth the effort.