I have marked the terrain zones, landmark types, and significant locations on the map: http://img51.imageshack.us/i/skyrimmapterraintypes.png/

Upon looking closely at this map for over an hour (obsessively) I noticed that the terrain types are actually clearly written on the map and the terrain type zones are shaded by color (the territory boundaries are different from the color zones). The only ones I couldn't make out are the types for The Reach over on the Western side, and the most Northwestern corner. The upper left corner of the map was so distorted that I am not even sure that zone is a different color, rather than just more Snow mixed with the terrain type for The Reach (which may be Glacier anyway).

I labeled the major locations that take up multiple cells (I also included High Hrothgar assuming something more unique is there) up to the total of 17 major town locations. I am still not sure if those larger ones like Kynesgrove are towns, because they might be groves, dragon breeding grounds, or ruins of some sort. I have some reservations about the towns Luke marked out since that's based on information dated far before Oblivion was made, let alone noting that 200 years have passed. For all we know that's a refugee camp from Morrowind that turned into a shantytown.

I also pointed out the icons listed on the lower left corner, demonstrating that at this point in development there were 8 landmark types to be scattered over the map. Since 2 types are penciled in (along with the incomplete borders of many of the towns) I think we can look forward to many more landmarks than are shown here.

The Reach has had a physical description already. It's a bunch of canyons and mesas.

maybe gray areas only mean that either this part has been done or or contains something rather than ''this is city''

I had read that, but I was not sure because I couldn't find an actual terrain description. I guess we can just assume that the terrain is just labeled "The Reach" then. It definitely looks like it has a ton of variety that would not be described by one terrain type considering there are clearly bare hills, rock formations, mesas, a giant canyon with many side canyons off of it, and a river depicted.

Anyone else really excited about the variety they have added? There are 8 types of unique landmarks (let's assume these include caves, daedric ruins, dwemer ruins, forts, settlements/camps and possibly dragon lairs) to Oblivion's 3. We don't even have a clue what the last 3 might be but already that'd have Oblivion beat. It's also interesting to consider how there were really only 3 types of terrain in Oblivion (pine forest, marshy field/wet forest, mountainous/tundra) and in Skyrim not only are the terrain types far more numerous and differentiated, but even the variety of terrain within each type is absurd. There are icebergs, even. Icebergs!

When it comes to exploration all I can ask to hope for now is a survival mode without fast travel or at the very least no fast traveling until you have discovered a location, including the towns and cities. I want exploration to be intimidating and surprising, with a sense of progress as you begin to discover the locations yourself, based on incomplete directions. What's the point of a horse making you faster if you can teleport?

By the way, teleporting to known locations as a high level spell might be the best solution for everyone, or possibly a teleport spell that starts allowing you to teleport to mage guild locations, then to any human settlement, and then to any landmark, as it levels up. I think this would take advantage of the fantastic variety of Skyrim by making you explore and experience it before the number of quests in your journal makes it too inconvenient to go on that way.

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/6749/47712454.jpg

Sorry if it was already posted. Anyway, that unique way can't be in km2, i mean...bigger than daggerfall?...at least i bet its bigger than oblivion, even if not by much.

I want the map to be bigger than oblivion, without a doubt, I won't buy it if it is smaller and I really mean that. However, that doesn't mean I want a bunch more dungeons I would just like more space between them. I was super annoyed that every thing was so crowded in together. How about some open/wooded places that arernt completely stuffed.

what I mean by all that is: the game would be greatly improved with a map larger than oblivion, with same or just a couple less dungeons, some good old empty terrain wouldn't hurt any one and it would actually give horses a purpose. if they're appearing in skyrim.

There is a lot of mountains and rocks on the map, Besides Dungeons and Caves. Do you guys think they will have any hidden Easter Eggs in the game?

I wouldn't expect more than maybe 1 sewer system in the largest city.

Sewers aren't very realistic for medieval cities.

Neither are lizard people, or mages...

Could the Hold in the northwest (containing Solitude) be Haafingar?

There'ssome kind of settlement, and that is roughly the location of Riverwood on older maps, so I'd say it, like the other places, was estimates based on old maps by the person who made it.

Also, it is next to a river.

I'm certain that I can see Solitude in the upper left of the less-distorted map.

Unless they rebuilt it on a different part of the map during the 200 years then yeah Solitude should be in the northwestern part of the map. Not the Extreme Northwestern part though more closer to the northern part of the map.

1. I used Arena's map as a guide.
2. It's called "Riverwood" so likely it's by a river.

I predicated my interpretation not upon my geographic knowledge of Skyrim but upon the appearance of the unfocused word by the city, which looks much like 'Solitude.'

What's with some of the regions shaded in blue? And what is that little block of land next to whiterun right on the right?

Those little blocks are everywhere, likely important landmarks and plotspecific locations.

The environment has grey - Volcanic tundra, white - tundra, brown - Full forest and white - Snow, going by the labels.

You can see blue and green square-ish borderlines around the blue-shaded areas; and that, combined with the general lack of detail in those places compared to the unshaded middle-region, leads me to believe that those are places that weren't yet finished at that time.

As for the thing next to Whiterun; you mean the small gray square to the north-east of it?



I assume you mean blue is tundra and white is snow?

I didn't even notice those colors; you might be correct, but then why would there be a blue region in the south? That area should be forested, especially when you consider names like "Riverwood" and "Oakwood".

Here's an updated labeled version of the map: http://img573.imageshack.us/i/skyrimterrainmap.png/

The terrain types were already written on the map and the colors are pretty arbitrary. I wrote them out and added borders based on the color segments. That segment is called Pine Forest, so that makes sense. There are 7-8 types without considering bare rock on mountaintops and ranges like High Hrothgar.

The existence of sewers is a question of technology, while lizard people are one of genetics and mages of physics or at least chemistry. While technology is tied to a specific culture's needs and knowledge (thus "medieval"; The Mango 55 wasn't disputing the existence of sewers on Nirn in general), neither genetics nor physics are. As such, your comment makes no sense in the context.

That's great! That should be added to the topic's lead post. I completely overlooked it.

I've created a map here that combines what has been posted in other maps, so thankyou everyone for all that work! This map is just to put it all together, settlements, holds and environment types.

http://i767.photobucket.com/albums/xx316/randomguyface/Map.png?t=1294825440

EDIT: Also made it a bit neater. If anyone can figure out the name of that hold in the Northwest corner, I'll add it.

http://i767.photobucket.com/albums/xx316/randomguyface/SkyrimmapincludingSolitudeasacounty.png?t=1294829236

I've updated it, adding Solitude as the name of the Northwestern hold. I don't know for sure, but it's my best guess, as it is listed as a county in the Imperial library. Still, it is 200 years later, so I could be wrong, but I have both maps just in case.

Awesome work Dragonbone.

I've posted a summary of the excellent map anolysis going on in this thread (with some of my own) http://www.thedragonborn.com/game-details/tes-v-skyrim-map-anolysis-and-images/.

Fantastic! It has everything!