Quick Links
You might think the area outside the Carpenter’s Shop inMudborneis pretty big, and you’re right, but when you venture with Dendro into the Central Junction for the first time, you’ll see justhowbig the map of the pond actually is. And that’s before you factor in the dream world!
By inspecting the map boards in every area of Mudborne, you’ll have consistent access to an aerial view of the current area. This can help you plot out where you need to go next, especially if you’re using fast travel options like the Reflection Pools or Gateway Nexus.
Each Area Has Two Maps
When you begin playing Mudborne, you’ll find yourself on theSpawning Pool map to start. This massive area contains everything you’ll need to get started diving into the meat and potatoes of restoring the ecosystem andbreeding back all kinds of colorful frogs. As you explore and chat with Hopert as you get your feet wet (get it?) with the mechanics of the game, you’ll undoubtedly walk pastgiant stone poolsalong the way.
These areReflection Pools, and you’ll use them tomove between the waking and dream worldsin Mudborne. Every area of the map has a corresponding dream world variant, a space whose map is largely the same but with critical variants. Sometimes you’ll see paths blocked off that are open in the waking world, while other times, you’ll find key items in the dream world that you need to use to access new areas in the waking world. Each area has its own natural obstacles and decoration style to watch for as well.
Whilethe maps are largely similarbetween the waking and dream worlds, with the same buildings main story frogs, you’ll still need a map to get around! As you wander into new areas, keep an eye out forbulletin boards with a magnifying glass icon above them, which will typically be in central locations for the area they’re in or near a major landmark you’ll need to explore. By using your magnifying glass on the board, you’ll be able tosave a copy of the area’s mapto your Atlas, which keeps track of each area for you.
The maps for the waking and dream worlds log separately from one another. For example, going to the Kindergarten doesn’t automatically unlock the Future Farms map - you’ll need to activate a Reflection Pool and head into the dream world on each map individually. Only then will you be able to see the changes made to the environment of each map.
You’ll see that there are plenty of markings already made on each map when you first check it out, sopay attention to places marked on the mapwhen you first see it. These will often be things likeimportant buildings, key item locations, hints toward what to do next, and so much more. You’ll also see that both stepping stones and any natural environmental blockades (like algae, for instance) are denoted as well, to help you see where you can and can’t go.
Not only does each area have a distinct waking and dream world, but you’re able to also findunique resources depending on which variation of the worldyou’re exploring. The Common Green frogs you see around the different waking world maps are replaced by Dozy Dreamers in the dream world, a frog whose base A.N.O.U.R.E.S. stats have all been increased by one, and you’ll need tobalance resources from both worldsin order to proceed in the story of Mudborne.
Additionally, you’ll want to keep an eye out forstone archwaysthat are dotted around each map. These are the entry portals into the Gateway Nexus, allowing you to fast travel between regions in a fraction of the time and the steps it takes if you’re walking in the overworld!
In the table below, we’ve made a note of the important buildings and features of each map in Mudborne to help you navigate a bit easier.
Characters and Story
Spawning Pools
This is where you’ll learn the basics of playing Mudborne.Hopertand the Compendium both help guide you through the beginning chapters as youfamiliarize yourselfwith frog breeding, mushroom growth and cultivation, using Reflection Pools, and more. Hopert is a carpenter who will trade you a variety of tools andsome adorable frog furniture, as well as ample storage options to stash all your extras. Your first home is at the Carpenter’s Workshop with a Gateway Nexus portal on the Loft roof.
Kindergarten
The Kindergarten is one of the three offshoot areas you’ll reach once you make it to the Central Junction, off to the west. Here, you’ll findRibbert, a frog with a mushroom on his head who’s more than happy to help youclear the algae blooms blocking parts of the map, offering to trade not only forFiltersbut fora variety of bugsand mushroom-based furniture. At the Kindergarten, you’ll need to fix a series of broken lifts by replacing the missing buckets, since these act as starirs between islands and different levels of the map. You’ll want to bring a selection offrogs with a high Umbrage statto use in the filters to clear out sections of the algae. Your Gateway Nexus portals here are just beside Ribbert’s dock, as well as on an island north of the stagnant water pools and Bug Farms.
Residential District
The Residential District is to the east of the Central Junction, and you may be initially overwhelmed by how massive the area appears on the map. To navigate through the Residential District, you’ll need to be able todrain flooded rooms, which you can do with the help ofKroakaand his series of helpful tools and contraptions. A big concept you’ll experiment with in the Residential District isSaturation, both raising and lowering the dampness of certain areas to permit access to key items. You’ll need aHumidifier and Dehumidifierfrom Kroaka, which you can use both in the Residential District’s story progression and back at your own home to continue tinkering with mushrooms and new frog breeds. The Gateway Nexus portals here are just beside Site Management where Kroaka spends his time when you first enter, as well as on the island in the center of the map with Central Engineering and the Staff Canteen. We advise getting the hang of clearing algae at the Kindergarten, since you’ll see a few algae blooms blocking key paths in the Residential District as well.
Climate Control
Climate Control is a bit overwhelming when you first arrive - the area ismostly frozen oversince the massive storm that kickstarted the events of Mudborne, and the control equipment has gone haywire, meaning it’s up to you to fix it. You’ll findAnnura, one of the project management frogs, in the Caretaker’s Rest, as you explorethis snowy region. Not only will you need to useHeaters and Coolersfrom Annura to navigate the area by carefully freezing and thawing a path to the buildings you need, which requires tinkering with a frog’sUmbragestat. but the large green pipes shooting off from the central Climate Control building physically block your paths. Unlike bridges, you can’t go over or beneath them and will need tofind a way around the pipesby making your way across the waters of the map. Your goal is tothaw control itemsaround the map before returning to Climate Control to try and fix the machinery inside, which allows you to more consistently explore the area. Your Gateway Nexus portals here are to the right of the Caretaker’s Rest where you’ll find Annura, as well as on the northernmost island above the Deep Storage area.
Central Junction
As the name implies, the Central Junction is your jumping off point for first accessing most of the other areas in Mudborne. After you’ve opened the Northern Pool and followedDendrothe Historian up into his new home at the dock just south of the Pondmother’s Pool, you’ll need to explore the Kindergarten, Residential District, and Climate Control maps fully to progress their story andforge three seals, one in each area, that allows the opening of the path that takes you to the Pondmother’s Pool directly. The only Gateway Nexus portal here is just to the east of Dendro’s dock, and it lets out just north of your house in the Gateway Nexus. This will be a central portal, since it permits quick acess between maps.
See somethingyou’d like to explore lateronce you’re able to access an area? you may alsomark your map with the symbols at the bottomof any given map page to make helpful notes you yourself throughout the game.
