Masteria Preview?

You can't count experience as a reward given by an NPC because that's just that... experience got through doing something.

I don't think any MMORPG pulls a plot to explain how every new area they release wasn't accesible before their update. In the end what really matters is the story that depevops inside that area. (Best example: Magatia)

dragon nest kind of has done a good job about it so far.

but as the map starts getting bigger, well, there's only so much, if they had planned the entire world from the start, at some point it would reach the end and that'd be it, otherwise you'd have to take the "islands" path where it's several worlds/islands/continents and such, for every new expansion, since you know every nook and cranny of a place.

say, von leon castle for example, that was a nice addition, hidden in the mountains and protected by some blizzard i think it was? and you couldn't go there until someone told you about it.

i see each new patch as "hey, i heard someone ventured even further in X direction, and found cool stuff, let's all go!"
...which is why it pisses me when people ask "how do i get X new stuff they asked for <derp>" dunno man, INVESTIGATE/EXPLORE.