Elden Ring map: Images, fast travel & how to summon a horse explained

Now, more than two years on, its new expansion has arrived in the form of Shadow of the Erdtree – a sizeable DLC that comes with its very own map. Named The Land of Shadow, fans are already soaking up every inch of the new area trying to uncover every secret that FromSoftware has planted.

Interestingly, though, a lot of the Elden Ring map and its new DLC area is shrouded in secrecy in-game. So with that, we've broken down what features in this handy guide so you never get lost again.

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 plays 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 brief bit of tutorial content.

How big is the Elden Ring map?

The Elden Ring map is huge, to say the least. At 79 kilometres, it's one of the biggest maps to ever grace a video game, made up of five main areas: Limgrave, Caelid, Liurnia, Altus Plateau and the Mountaintops of the Giants.

You start out in Limgrave, which in itself is massive, and will be around the same size as the new map as part of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

On top of this, there is an underground world to explore. This is split into three main portions, including Deeproot Depths, Ainsel River and Siofra River. These are all major exploration areas that are not just extras but fundamental to the Elden Ring experience.

In terms of which direction to head, once you've come across the first Site of Grace, it will point you north with its golden beam of light. That said, we'd also recommend travelling south in Limgrave towards the bottom of the map — there's plenty to find down there before you progress through the main story.

Regardless, Elden Ring is all about the adventure, so don't feel put off by just picking a path and going that way.

How big is the Elden Ring DLC map?

FromSoftware has confirmed that the Shadow of the Erdtree map – known as The Land of Shadow – will be roughly the same size as two regions from the original Elden Ring base game.

So if you think of how big the likes of Limgrave, Liurnia of the Lakes, Altus Plateau and such are, it gives a good indication that this map is pretty big – especially considering its DLC.

A handy video from ConCon shows the full map fragments for the new DLC area, in case you're curious of what it looks like.

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, you need to find the east and west map fragments by interacting with a big obelisk in each respective area 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 in 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 quicker, you'll want to unlock the Spectral Steed horse – called Torrent – as soon as possible.

To unlock the horse in Elden Ring, visit a few Sites of Grace locations – 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. This is an item that will let you summon your horse at any time (except when inside a building). 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 will 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 the future.

In addition, FromSoftware's latest patch has made it so Torrent can be summoned in the final battle of the base game – making it even more epic. And with that, have fun exploring the vast Elden Ring map!

Elden Ring is available across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC.

Read more on Elden Ring:

• Elden Ring review - our final verdict
• 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
• Elden Ring runes - how to get rich quick
• Elden Ring smithing stones - where to find them
• Elden Ring staff - the best staffs in the game
• Elden Ring armour - where to find the best armour
• Elden Ring Ashes of War - how to get the best upgrades
• Elden Ring Ranni quest - how to find it and finish it

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