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If you thought the map was big when you first began playingAloft, then you were no doubt in for a surprise when you realized justhowbig the map table in the game actually is! There’s a vast sky out there with hundreds of islands to explore and help heal.
Peel back more sections of the table map in Aloft as you cross the borders between them and unexplore yet-uncharted islands, keep tabs on which islands are healthy, and use those lost atlases you’ve been grabbing in your explorations to point the way toward important sailing knowledge out there.
How To Use The Map In Aloft
Consult Your Map Table Often When Flying
One of the firstcritical pieces of lost sailing knowledgeyou’ll recover during the Forgotten Legacy quest at the beginning of Aloft is amap table, a large circular map that you can place in the bridge of your home island near your helm and use tokeep track of islandsall across this vast world. Each chunk ofislands grouped togetheris called anarchipelago, while thegroups of archipelagoson any given section of your map is called asector.
Once it’s been placed, you’ll be able to view the map table whenever needed, and there, youcan see all archipelagos within any sectoryou’ve visitedalready. When looking at the map,your shipis denoted as anisland with a circle that has a small pointon one side of it, and the point is to help you keep track ofwhere your helm is placedso you can steer properly when it’s time to set sail. When your ship icon crosses into a sector you haven’t been to yet, the sector will be uncovered in its entirety.
While the islands in Aloft were designed by hand,where islands spawn is random. We’ll all be exploring the same hundreds of islands, but everyone’s world seed will have these islands appear in different archipelagos and in different sectors.
Not only are there a variety ofimportant map symbolsto keep track of - like which islands were unlocked with lost atlases or which ones had frescoes on them - but you’ll also see thatthe map is color-codedbased on thecurrent healthof the island’s ecosystem. At the moment, it seems that someislands that were previously healthymay revert to being marked as unhealthy islands until you visit, and setting foot on them turns them back to green.
Use Symbols To Refine What You’rw Looking For On The Map
Additionally, there are severalsymbolson the right side of the screen that you can use tohighlight islands with specific features, like ones you found with lost atlases or islands with frescoes on them. When selected, other islands appear much more transparent, and the islands you’re looking for are brighter with a thicker black outline.
Finally, you can alsouse the beacons to mark islands of interest. Once you’ve unlocked the recipe for the beacons in the Sailing tab of the building menu, you can place beacons withdifferent symbols on them, which are congruent with the additional symbols on the right menu of your map table. After a beacon has been placed, keep the symbol in mind and select it on the map table when you need to find that island again - it’ll be highlighted by the beacon marker.
Island Colors
Gray Dot
This is an island you haven’t visited yet. Setting foot onto the island for the first time will change the color to one of the three below.
Green Dot
This is an island that you’ve visited already that currently has a healthy ecosystem according to the field guide.
Yellow Dot
This is an island that you’ve visited already that currently has an unhealthy ecosystem. Check the field guide next time you’re there to see what else needs doing to heal the ecosystem.
Pink Dot
This is an island that you’ve visited already that is corrupted. You’ll need to head back and handle each corruption node (as well as fend off enemies) to work on healing the corruption.
Symbols
Checked Gate
This island has a fresco, which offers some of the most important sailing knowledge you’ll find in the game.
Circular Swirl
This island can be found with a lost atlas.
Consult your map table anytime you’re not quite sure where to go next - there’s a whole sky of adventure out there waiting for you!
