The hot new game of the week is most definitely Elden Ring. And whether you’ve picked up the game already or not, you might have some questions about the Elden Ring map.
Just how big is the Elden Ring map, and is the whole game open world? How does fast travel work in Elden Ring, and how do you summon a horse to speed up your traversal in the game? Those are all very valid questions, and we’re going to answer them for you now.
- Get 16% off Elden Ring at Fanatical – now just £41.99
Check out our handy guide to the Elden Ring map and you should be enjoying your exploration (whilst trying to dodge those bosses) in no time.
Is Elden Ring open world?
Yes, Elden Ring is an open-world game. The developers at FromSoftware have crafted a vast open area for you to explore freely — that world is called The Lands Between, and it play host to lots of boss battles and hidden secrets.
It is worth stressing that you do start the game in a non-open area, on a set path that will teach you the basics, but the Elden Ring open-world is yours to explore after you’ve completed that tutorial content.
How big is the Elden Ring map?
At this point, as players begin to explore the world and even reviewers are yet to have fully completed Elden Ring, the exact size of the Elden Ring map is yet to be confirmed.
We do know that the Elden Ring map features six main areas, and all of them look to be pretty massive. You start out in an area called Limgrave, but there is so much else to explore further afield.
Although we can’t say this with total certainty just yet, we wouldn’t be surprised to learn at a later date that the Elden Ring map is one of the biggest open-world areas that gaming has ever seen. But when some official info about the map size comes to light, we’ll update this page.
Elden Ring map images
!["The]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/02/Elden-Ring-map-e461624.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Elden-Ring-map\"")
While there are plenty of pictures of the Elden Ring map doing the rounds online, many of them are incomplete because not many people have finished the game yet at this stage.
Over on the Elden Ring wiki created by Fextralife, however, you can find an Elden Ring interactive map that looks to be the most detailed resource doing the rounds at the moment.
Click that link in the previous paragraph and you’ll be taken to the interactive map, which you can filter to help you find certain items or points of interest.
Elden Ring map fragments
If you’re wondering why your Elden Ring map looks greyed out and devoid of details in the game, that probably means you haven’t yet found the map fragment that you need.
Each region in Elden Ring has at least one map fragment that you’ll need to find, each of which will flesh out your in-game map with all sorts of useful information.
In the Limgrave area that serves as your first open-world hub in the game, the video below should help you find the east and west map fragments that will help you get around. You basically need to interact with a big obelisk to pick up each fragment.
Elden Ring fast travel explained
Fast travel in Elden Ring is very simple, which is certainly very welcome news among players.
Once you are into the open-world portion of the game, you will be able to fast-travel between any Site of Grace locations that you’ve discovered.
All you need to do to unlock each Site of Grace is get close to it — there’s no puzzle to solve, battle to overcome, mini game to complete or anything like that.
Once you’ve unlocked a Site of Grace, you can travel to it at any time simply by selecting it from your map in the menu. Simples.
How to summon a horse in Elden Ring
If you want to get around the Elden Ring map a bit quicker, you’ll want to unlock the Spectral Steed horse as soon as possible.
To unlock the horse in Elden Ring, you need to visit a few Sites of Grace including the one at Gatefront Ruins. Once you’ve added some Sites of Grace to your map and made your way to Gatefront Ruins, you should be able to meet a character named Melina.
Once you’ve met Melina, she’ll give you the Spectral Steed Whistle, an item that will let you summon your horse at any time. To summon your horse in Elden Ring, find the Spectral Steed Whistle in your inventory (it’s classed as a Key Item), use it, and your trusty steed should appear.
You can also equip your Spectral Steed Whistle as a Quick Item from the Equipment menu, which will allow you to whip it out with less faff in future. And with that, have fun exploring the vast Elden Ring map!
Read more on Elden Ring:
- Elden Ring multiplayer – how does it work?
- Elden Ring PC requirements – minimum & recommended specs
- Elden Ring release date – all the key details
- Elden Ring classes – what’s the best starter?
- Elden Ring demo – network test recap
- Elden Ring bosses – top tips on facing them
- Elden Ring difficulty – how hard is it?
- Elden Ring length – how many hours do you need?
- Elden Ring trophies & achievements – the full list to unlock
- Elden Ring weapons – best early weapons
- Elden Ring keepsake – which starter gift to pick
- Elden Ring server status – error message explained
Follow Radio Times Gaming on Twitter for all the latest insights. Or if you’re looking for something to watch, see our TV Guide.
Visit our video game release schedule for all upcoming games on consoles. Swing by our hubs for more Gaming and Technology news.
The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.