You start in Limgrave. You look at the grayed-out menu and see a tiny little sliver of land, and you think, "Okay, this is manageable." Then you find a Map Stele. Then you find another. Suddenly, the full map of Elden Ring starts to unfurl like an endless scroll of nightmares and golden trees. It’s a trick. FromSoftware purposefully messes with your sense of scale. Honestly, the first time I realized the weeping peninsula wasn't the "bottom" of the world, I had to sit back and just stare at the screen for a minute.
The sheer horizontal and vertical density of the Lands Between is what sets it apart from something like Skyrim or Assassin’s Creed. It isn't just about walking across a flat plane. You've got entire civilizations stacked on top of each other. There are literal stars falling from the sky to open up holes in the ground that lead to more maps. It’s overwhelming. But if you want to actually see everything—and I mean everything—you have to understand how the map "lies" to you.
Why the Full Map of Elden Ring Feels Like a Magic Trick
Most open-world games show you the borders early on. Elden Ring doesn't. When you first step out of the Fringefolk Hero's Grave, the horizon looks vast, but the map UI is deceptively small. It expands dynamically. Every time you think you’ve reached the edge of the world, you find a portal, a coffin you can climb into, or a lift that goes down for two minutes straight.
The verticality is the real kicker. You have the surface world, sure. But then you have the subterranean layers: Siofra River, Ainsel River, and Deeproot Depths. These aren't just small caves. They are massive, open-air ecosystems with their own "skies" made of glintstone and false stars. If you’re looking at a 2D image of the full map of Elden Ring, you’re only seeing about 60% of the actual playable space. You’re missing the layers. It’s like looking at a photo of a skyscraper from the top down and forgetting there are eighty floors underneath.
The Limgrave Illusion
Limgrave is the perfect tutorial. It’s green, it’s mostly "safe," and it establishes the loop of finding Map Fragments. Map Fragments are the literal pieces of the UI. Without them, you’re just a circle in a brown fog.
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But even in Limgrave, the game hides things. Look at Agheel Lake. Most players see a dragon and run. If you look closer, there are structures tucked into the cliffs that lead toward the Caelid border. Caelid is where the map starts to get mean. The red rot, the T-Rex dogs—it’s a visual shock. The transition from the lush Limgrave to the bio-horror of Caelid is one of the most famous "I'm in trouble" moments in gaming history.
Breaking Down the Major Regions
If we’re talking about the full map of Elden Ring, we have to talk about the progression. It isn't linear. You can skip Stormveil Castle if you’re brave enough to hug the cliffside to the east.
- Liurnia of the Lakes: This place is massive. It’s mostly water, which makes it feel even bigger because your horse, Torrent, has to splash through it all. It’s dominated by the Academy of Raya Lucaria. The map fragment for the north is way up by the Ravine-Veiled Village.
- Altus Plateau: To get here, you either need the two halves of the Dectus Medallion or you have to climb the "coward's path" through the mines. Altus is golden. It’s beautiful. It’s also where the game stops holding your hand entirely.
- Mt. Gelmir: This is a jagged, vertical mess of a region. Mapping it is a pain because the roads overlap. You’re looking for Volcano Manor, but you’ll probably end up being eaten by an Abductor Virgin first.
- Leyndell, Royal Capital: This is a "legacy dungeon" that acts like a region. The map shows it as a dense cluster of gold. In reality, it’s a multi-layered labyrinth of rooftops and sewers.
The Underground: The Map Within the Map
This is where people get lost. Siofra River is accessed via a small building in Mistwood. You go down the elevator and—boom—the map switches to a different layer. There is a specific button toggle (usually R3 on consoles) to switch between the "Above Ground" and "Underground" views of the full map of Elden Ring.
Deeproot Depths is arguably the hardest place to map out. You have to travel through a coffin after fighting two Valiant Gargoyles (one of the worst fights in the game, let's be real). It’s located directly beneath the Erdtree. It’s eerie. It’s quiet. It’s essential for Fia’s questline. If you haven't toggled your map to the underground view, you might not even realize these places exist.
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The Secret Areas Most Players Miss
The full map of Elden Ring contains two major "secret" zones that require specific items to unlock. If your map ends at the Mountaintops of the Giants, you’re missing the hardest content in the game.
Consecrated Snowfield and Miquella’s Haligtree.
To see these, you need the Haligtree Secret Medallion. One half is in the Village of the Albinaurics (hidden under a pot—classic FromSoft). The other is in Castle Sol, guarded by Commander Niall, a boss who will absolutely ruin your day with his frost knights. Once you have both, the Grand Lift of Rold takes you to a hidden path. The Snowfield is a whiteout. You can barely see the map, let alone the enemies. But past that is the Haligtree, a vertical masterpiece that houses Malenia. Her arena is at the very bottom, literally the northernmost point of the entire world map.
Then there’s Crumbling Farum Azula. It’s a city floating in the middle of a cyclone. You don't even walk there; you get teleported. It doesn't even "fit" on the standard grid of the map. It sits out in the ocean to the east, disconnected from everything else.
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Navigation Tips for Perfectionists
Stop looking for "roads." The full map of Elden Ring uses roads as suggestions, but the best loot is always in the places where the map looks empty.
- Look for the brown holes: These signify mine entrances. If you see a small, dark blemish on the map in a cliffside, it’s a tunnel. Go there for upgrade materials.
- The "Telescope" icons: These show you a bird's eye view of the nearby area. They are actually useful for spotting those invisible paths or hidden towers.
- Map Steles: These are the little obelisk icons on the grayed-out map. They tell you exactly where the Map Fragment is. Prioritize these before doing anything else in a new zone.
The scale of the Lands Between is a testament to level design. Usually, when a map is this big, it’s full of "filler" (looking at you, Ubisoft). In Elden Ring, if you see a weirdly shaped rock in the distance, there’s probably a boss, a spell, or a depressing piece of lore waiting for you there. It’s dense. It’s exhausting. It’s brilliant.
Taking Action: Your Next Steps in the Lands Between
If you’re currently staring at a half-finished map, don't just wander aimlessly. Focus on the Map Steles first to clear the fog of war. Start in Limgrave, head south to the Weeping Peninsula to get your bearings and some easy flask upgrades, then push North.
If you've hit a wall at the Mountaintops, go back and explore the underground wells in Limgrave and Liurnia. Those "hidden" maps often contain the items you need to survive the endgame. Don't forget to use the map markers. You have 100 of them. Use the little "chest" icon for locked doors you can't open yet and the "skull" icon for bosses that wiped the floor with you. Checking off those markers is the only way to truly conquer the full map of Elden Ring without losing your mind. Get out there and start filling in the blanks.