Return to Fantasy Cartography
Medium: Video Game·Creator: FromSoftware (Hidetaka Miyazaki & George R.R. Martin)·Elden Ring (2022) (2022)
The Lands Between
"The vertical layered continent anchored by the radiant celestial axis of the Erdtree"
A layered archipelago featuring multi-tiered verticality: towering surface plateaus (Altus Plateau), submerged rotting lowlands (Caelid), and vast subterranean star-lit civilizations (Nokron, Siofra River) directly beneath the surface terrain.
Spatial Grammar & Coordinate Logic
Orientation & Origin Axis:
All sightlines converge on the radiant gold canopy of the colossal Erdtree
Mountain Physics & Barriers:
Sheer vertical sea-cliffs and sunken elevator shafts connecting surface to mantle
Biome & Climate Transitions:
Golden autumnal Altus Plateau -> Crimson fungal scarlet rot of Caelid -> Frigid Mountaintops of the Giants
Travel Logistics & Pacing:
Spectral Steed Torrent spirit springs, Site of Grace fast-travel, and massive stone lifts
Worldbuilding Cartographic Thesis
"Vertical sightline cartography: revealing distant monolithic objectives early in the playthrough to establish spatial longing and curiosity."
Signature Landmark Coordinates
The Erdtree
Leyndell, Royal Capital
Academy of Raya Lucaria
Nokron, Eternal City
Mountaintops of the Giants
Interdisciplinary Worldbuilding Connections
LudologiumEXEMPLIFIES
Non-Euclidean Vertical Spatial Sightlines
ChromologiumCOMPOSES
Bioluminescent Subterranean Color Harmonies
Canonical Edition: Miyazaki, H., et al. (2022)