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The Game of Thrones finale will soon be upon us, but there’s still a few out there wondering what the fuss is all about eight seasons after the fact. You can basically segment GoT viewers nowadays by Novices, Casuals, and Experts. In Westeros terms, maybe you could call these Apprentices, Lords, and Kings.

If any of you fit these categories, you may want to find some ways to watch GoT so it makes sense technologically or financially. Then again, novices may want to hunt down a legal way to watch without having to subscribe to HBO.

Take a look at our guide on what the best watching options are based on fan nobility.

Novices (Apprentices)

A novice of Game of Thrones has a considerable amount to learn, though you can generally educate yourself on the gist going through fan sites alone. If you’re truly a beginner with absolutely no idea how to start, it’s a good idea to go to those sites to read up first. The Game of Thrones Wiki is one we highly recommend.

Yes, some of the analysis can get a little long-winded on these sites, but the Wiki page does a good job whittling things down into digestible reading tidbits.

Once you gain knowledge of the basic situations and the main characters, you may feel like you don’t really want to subscribe to HBO merely to test drive a few GoT episodes.

Whatever you do, don’t go for the illegal downloads still out there. These pirated downloads violate copyright laws and also potentially pass on dangerous malware to your computer.

The best way for the novices to watch

HBO has made deals with various streaming services like Amazon and Hulu, which means you can get a free trial for a week before being charged $14.99 per month.

During this 7-day trial, you can probably watch a few GoT episodes from the beginning to get a feel for the story, the hierarchy, and the situations the show deals with now.

A handier option would be to use HBO Go, which is the all-streaming version of HBO. They give you a week’s free trial as well, yet the monthly charge is still the same. Even so, if you’re busy, you can watch GoT to your heart’s content on your mobile device while on the go.

If you find yourself moving up to the Lord position, $14.99 per month isn’t bad for watching the entire show from the beginning, plus other excellent HBO programming.

Casuals (Lords)

Any casual watcher of Games of Thrones may also prefer HBO Go since you can watch the episodes whenever you want. Not everyone has the time to watch the episodes live, though HBO Go does stream live if you find yourself becoming a fanatic.

Despite GoT being one of the most watched shows on TV now, many likely watch when they want rather than discussing each episode in real-time on social media.

Should you already have HBO as part of your cable system, using a DVR obviously helps. Regardless, the streaming option is much cheaper. The fact that you can also stream through a smart TV, you’ll be able to watch it on TV at a time you find convenient. Just be sure to have a high-speed internet line to avoid the buffering wheel.

Experts (Kings)

All you true blue experts on Game of Thrones likely already have HBO and watch each episode live each Sunday night. Most well-educated fans enjoy sharing their theories with others, so it pays to watch with a significant other who’s maybe just now starting to get into the series.

Adding social media (particularly Twitter) to the mix also allows you to interact with fellow fans and either be funny or serious about your finale theories.

Past seasons are additionally available for purchase on Amazon Prime and Hulu so you can go back to refresh your memory on certain plot points without spending hundreds of dollars on the Blu-Ray box sets.

Not that you Kings don’t already have those DVDs available on a standalone GoT shelf, right?

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