Let's Analyze the Map of Skyrim!

[Norroen Dyrd]

As for my personal analysis, I noticed that Skyrim is mostly separated from the other provinces by mountainous areas, with narrow passes serving as connections, so the enclosed in-game world is going to make much more sense than in Oblivion, where you were just running through a field and a message just popped up about your not being able to go further.

Well on the oblivion map there are no roads going to any other provinces.

I wouldn't call them roads; as I see them, they are more like mountain passes. In there, anything can happen - a landslide, for example, that will block the way. Besides, maybe the connection will be severed due to the civil war.

[legoless]

And the cartographer surely should not be the same, considering it is around 200 years after the others were made, otherwise that cartographer has a very long life span.

One word: M'aiq. Even if the cartographer isn't elven, the devs don't seem too concerned about the passage of time.

[wouter215]

i wonder if the cartographer is an in-game npc...

there is one X on an island near Morfal, perhaps locked off like the one island in oblivion during the mages guild quest?
only one X falls outside any hold, the one between Dawnstar and Winterhold.

also i count 20 X's, is that right?

I also would be amased if we could see White Gold Tower or even Frostcrag Spire from somewere near the herall mountains or pale pass.

[Sznax]

Riverwood can be seen on this map, and apparently it's located right next to the Throat of the World. I find this weird, because as far as I know, Riverwood is the "starter town", like Seyda Neen was. This might be just a rumour, though.

In one of the demos (I think it's the pirated one from QuakeCon) Todd, when riding from Riverwood to Bleak Falls Barrow, stops and looks and he says that those mountains are the Throat of the World. The mountains west of Riverwood are those that he's climbing in all demos (TofW is across the river).

[EchotheThief]

Look at the bottom of the map. Looks like pale pass will be making it into skyrim

[Incurable Pessimist]

Look at the island east of Markath, it looks like it's completely surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs. In my head I'm forming a mental picture of it that looks sort of like Tol Brandir from Middle Earth.
Definetly on my priority Skyrim sightseeing list.

Look up Tol Brandir on Google Images if you want to see what I'm talking about.

[stst]

It looks like there are nine towns/cities that are big enough, or at least important enough to warrant a coat-of-arms. I don't think those are just the names of each hold, since they're in a smaller, red font next to each symbol. That's pretty exciting, considering all the info about '5 major cities.' I could be wrong though.

[Imperfect Three]

I saw Pale Pass down there at the bottom, I was really hoping that they would include it in the game.

[Dark Spark]

...Riverwood can be seen on this map, and apparently it's located right next to the Throat of the World. I find this weird, because as far as I know, Riverwood is the "starter town", like Seyda Neen was. This might be just a rumour, though. ...

Bear in mind that you begin the Oblivion main quest in the Imperial City— and you finish it there as well.

[Norroen Dyrd]

It looks like there are nine towns/cities that are big enough, or at least important enough to warrant a coat-of-arms. I don't think those are just the names of each hold, since they're in a smaller, red font next to each symbol. That's pretty exciting, considering all the info about '5 major cities.' I could be wrong though.

That's right, the writing next to a city coat-of-arms in reddish-brown letters is the name of a central city in the hold. Sometimes the name of the central city is the same as the name of the hold.
There are also a number of smaller towns/settlements, which have their own symbol and are marked in black.

i wonder if the cartographer is an in-game npc...

I also suppose that it may be a kind of Easter Egg - maybe the slightly altered name or the pseudonym of a staff member who oversees the map-making.

[OblivionDuruza]

It looks like there are nine towns/cities that are big enough, or at least important enough to warrant a coat-of-arms. I don't think those are just the names of each hold, since they're in a smaller, red font next to each symbol. That's pretty exciting, considering all the info about '5 major cities.' I could be wrong though.

As I've always suspected, Skyrim will have all of its major cities/towns from previous Lore, but 5 should be massive (bigger than the IC, iirc), while the others are hopefully going to be Oblivion sized. Then we have smaller settlements dotted around the place, hopefully a little bigger than Oblivion's minor settlements.

[La-Paloma]

The reach, Those large steep canyon like ridges stretching up to dragon bridge intrigues me.

[OblivionDuruza]

Three translations of the map:

• Our very own Norroen Dyrd's version
• lexmirnov's version
• http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/im ... rimmap.jpg

[Norroen Dyrd]

Three translations of the map:

Our very own Norroen Dyrd's version

Took care of the cartographer's name.
http://img-fotki.yandex.ru/get/5817/225 ... b860b_orig

[Knight]

Hmmm..

What about Labyrinthian and the Fortress of Ice? The two important Skyrim locations that appeared in Arena?

According to UESP, Labyrinthian is in "the north central part of Skyrim", and the Fortress of Ice is "just a bit southwest of Winterhold"

I think it's quite possible that we can go into these places.. if they still exist, that is.

[LtAscott]

Hmmm..

What about Labyrinthian and the Fortress of Ice? The two important Skyrim locations that appeared in Arena?

According to UESP, Labyrinthian is in "the north central part of Skyrim", and the Fortress of Ice is "just a bit southwest of Winterhold"

I think it's quite possible that we can go into these places.. if they still exist, that is.

they are probably in the game but most likely ruins, after all how much time has passed between arena and skyrim?

[Bonfy]

It looks like there are nine towns/cities that are big enough, or at least important enough to warrant a coat-of-arms. I don't think those are just the names of each hold, since they're in a smaller, red font next to each symbol. That's pretty exciting, considering all the info about '5 major cities.' I could be wrong though.

As I've always suspected, Skyrim will have all of its major cities/towns from previous Lore, but 5 should be massive (bigger than the IC, iirc), while the others are hopefully going to be Oblivion sized. Then we have smaller settlements dotted around the place, hopefully a little bigger than Oblivion's minor settlements.

There will be 5 "Major Cities" as in cities that require loading while entering them. Such cities will be Solitude, Markarth, Whiterun, Windhelm and Riften.
The other 4 cities will be in the openworld, as in you don't have loading screens while entering them. They are as open as Riverwood if you get what I mean.
How do I know that? Well developers said there are 5 major cities, xboxmag or some similar gaming magazine said that Falkreath does not require loading screens. In the map the 5 cities i mentioned above have a slighlty bigger excutcheon (is that the right word?) than the others.

So 2+2=4.

[MathiasFlynnias]

Falkreath and Dawnstar don't need loading screens, that's as far as I am certain.

[Norroen Dyrd]

Three translations of the map:

• Our very own Norroen Dyrd's version
• lexmirnov's version
• http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/im ... rimmap.jpg

I have noticed that the second and the third links point to the same map version.
Incidentally, this is the screencap from a video with Todd Howard giving a tour around Bethesda. I believe that some extra names may be discerned there, but the map is obviously a WIP draft.
http://dorkshelf.com/wordpress/wp-conte ... m20map.jpg

[Sonixboom]

This map is now my background wallpaper on my computer. Aww Yea

as for the map itself I think that Todd Howard said at quake con something about riverwood being near the giant throat of the world mountain

-Sonix

[MathiasFlynnias]

You start below it pretty much [well the demo did, but I know you start at Helgen before it], but there's no clear way up straight away. You need to circle around the mountain to find the bottom of the 7000 steps, which takes quite a while.

[Rhcpftw]

It's...so beautiful...

[Enigma1027]

there appears to be a rather large island in the lake just east of markarth side. also, judging by what little good knowledge i have of maps, it looks like the island is a mountain. im probably wrong but that makes me think volcano for some reason, probably not though.

on a side note i would love to see more lava outside of oblivion realms. like a volcano. i am not big into lore so there might be some volcano type regions in the world of nirn. anyone know?

[Lynx2069]

Anyone else notice the road/trail that leads south from Pale Pass. Could there be a connection to Cloud Ruler Temple? Why else place it there?

[MathiasFlynnias]

To show the links between the regions of Tamriel? The likelihood you'll see cloud ruler temple is nill as that would most likely mean making bruma also.