The world
World of Vorgrym is one continuous land you cross on foot. The old road runs south to north through the starting valley, the marsh, and the peaks, and it keeps climbing past them into the hollow beyond and the snow country at the top of the map. A column of higher realms opens off that road to the west and another to the east, and an island sits off the Vale's east coast. There is no fast travel, no flight paths, and no taxis: every journey is walked or ridden, so getting there is part of the adventure. The land also keeps time. A day and night cycle runs on a real clock shared by everyone on your world, so the sky grades from dawn through noon to dusk and dark for all of you at once, the moon comes and goes through its phases, and the light on the ground changes with it. The dial around your minimap is where you read the hour.
The road and the realms beyond
The quest trail runs south to north up the middle of the map: valley, marsh, peaks, and on past them into the hollow and the snow beyond. The other realms open off that road rather than after it, through gates east and west of the marsh road, with the island of the Farshore reached from the Vale's east coast. What keeps you out of the far realms is their level bands, not the walk: five of them share the top band, so once you are ready you can take them in any order. The Farshore is the exception, low-level country you can visit early.
Eastbrook Vale
The green starting valley, where new heroes cut their teeth on wolves and bandits around the town of Eastbrook.
Home base: Eastbrook
Keep your blade close. The Vale is not what it was.
Notable places
- Eastbrook
- Wolf Run
- Boar Meadow
- Mirror Lake
- Sableweb
- Copper Dig
- Bandit Camp
- Fallen Chapel
- Reliquary Hill
- Brightwood Glade
- The Sowfield
- The Farshore Causeway
- Eastbrook Docks
Eastbrook is your first home base. Wolf Run and Boar Meadow are gentle hunting ground; Mirror Lake is fine fishing water, though mudfins swarm its shallows; the Sableweb and the Copper Dig hide spiders and ore-greedy diggers; a Bandit Camp and the Fallen Chapel hold rougher work; Reliquary Hill drops into the Collapsed Reliquary, the realm's first delve; Brightwood Glade is a quiet, sunlit grove to the north; and the old Sowfield ground south of town, its boarball days done, lies cleared and graded, staked out for the harbor town to come.
Mirefen Marsh
A drowned country of fog and ruins. Mudfins swarm the shallows and something older stirs beneath the water, watched from the bridge-town of Fenbridge.
Home base: Fenbridge
Hold at the gate. Past those reeds, the fen does the killing for us.
Notable places
- Fenbridge
- Prowler Reeds
- Deepfen Shallows
- Widow Thicket
- Drowned Chapel
- Troll Mounds
- Gravecaller Encampment
- The Sunken Bastion
Fenbridge guards the only dry road. The Prowler Reeds and Deepfen Shallows teem with marsh beasts and mudfins; the Widow Thicket is spun thick with web; the Drowned Chapel and the Troll Mounds keep older dangers, with The Drowned Litany, the marsh's own delve, opening just north of the mounds; the Gravecaller Encampment is the cult dug in, and the Sunken Bastion is the marsh's instanced heart.
Thornpeak Heights
Wind-scoured ridges and old mine-works climbing to the hardest dangers on the starting road, held by the outpost of Highwatch.
Home base: Highwatch
Two hundred years this wall has held. It will not break on my watch, but it groans.
Notable places
- Highwatch
- Stalker Ridge
- Deeprock Burrows
- Ogre Foothills
- Drogmar's War-Camp
- Stormcrag
- The Glimmermere
- Broodsworn Tents
- Revenant Fields
- Gravewyrm Sanctum
Highwatch holds the wall. Stalker Ridge and the Deeprock Burrows belong to ridge cats and burrowers; the Ogre Foothills and Drogmar's War-Camp to brutes for hire; Stormcrag crackles with elementals, and below it glows the Glimmermere, the tarn whose shore keeps the gate of pale light down to the Drowned Temple; the Broodsworn Tents and Revenant Fields ring the cult's high ground, with Gravewyrm Sanctum at its peak.
The Veiled Hollow
A valley of permanent dusk beneath the great tree of Eldershine, where crystal ruins glow and the air hums with old magic.
Home base: Eldershine
Few of your kind have stood beneath these boughs. Walk gently, and be welcome.
Notable places
- Eldershine
- Duskfall Cave
- Duskfall Overlook
- Elder Grove
- Starfall Basin
- The Sunken Court
- Crystalline Shallows
- The Gleaming Deep
Eldershine gathers beneath the great tree. The Duskfall Cave and its overlook are the way in and the first sight of the valley; Elder Grove and Starfall Basin keep the quiet south; the Sunken Court holds overgrown ruins in the east; and the Gleaming Deep and Crystalline Shallows glow across the north.
Who you will meet
The Drakelands
Storm-lit wastes of ash and bloodglass where drakes wheel over the caldera and troll fires burn among the dunes, watched from the gate-town of Wyrmwatch.
Home base: Wyrmwatch
Hot wind off the wastes, dragons over the Drakemaw, and troll fires in the dunes. Drink before you walk out there.
Notable places
- Wyrmwatch
- The Gatewood
- Cinder Dunes
- Trollmoot
- The Last Keep
- Bloodglass Fields
- Drakemaw Caldera
Wyrmwatch holds the gate. The Gatewood is the last green before the waste; the Cinder Dunes drift with ash and worse; the Trollmoot is where the dune trolls gather their fires; the Bloodglass Fields glitter with razor shards; and the Drakemaw Caldera is the smoking crown the drakes circle.
The Frostveil Reach
A hush of snow and dark pines under the aurora, where the cold itself feels awake and Icemantle keeps its fires burning.
Home base: Icemantle
Snow swallows every sound out past the wall. If the lights start dancing, keep your voice down and your fire lit.
Notable places
- Icemantle
- The Snowline
- Glacier Tarn
- The Aurora Steps
- The Shiverfen
- The Howling Terraces
Icemantle keeps the last warm hearth. The Snowline marks where the drifts take over; Glacier Tarn is black, still water under the ice; the Aurora Steps climb beneath the dancing lights; the Shiverfen is a frozen mire that never quite sleeps; and the Howling Terraces earn their name every night.
Who you will meet
The Amberfall
An eternal autumn of gold and red leaves that never fall, gathered around the lantern-lit town of Lanternmere.
Home base: Lanternmere
Every leaf here burns gold and red, yet none ever fall. The lanterns are lit for you; mind the Goldmelt on your way up.
Notable places
- Lanternmere
- The Goldmelt
- The Gilded Orchard
- Harvest Hollow
- The Great Mere
- Cindermaple Rise
- The Leaning Monolith
Lanternmere glows at the heart of the harvest. The Goldmelt is the amber-slick pass in; the Gilded Orchard and Harvest Hollow keep the sweetest pickings and the boldest thieves; the Great Mere mirrors the burning leaves; Cindermaple Rise stands tallest and reddest; and the Leaning Monolith remembers something older than autumn.
The Willowfen
A bright, humming wetland of lilies and slow water, crossed on old boardwalks from the bridge-town of Bridgemere.
Home base: Bridgemere
The fen hums with dragonflies and bees. Cross the bridge, rest your feet awhile, and stay on the boards past the pools.
Notable places
- Bridgemere
- The Amberfen Steps
- The Lilymoors
- Bogshine Pools
- Willowweep
- The Drowsy Flats
Bridgemere sits astride the slow water. The Amberfen Steps come down from the harvest country; the Lilymoors and Bogshine Pools glitter with wisps and dragonflies; Willowweep trails its branches into the mere; and the Drowsy Flats are as gentle as this land gets.
Who you will meet
The Nightbloom
A realm of starry midnight where flowers light the paths and Moonrest keeps a quiet vigil under a dreaming sky.
Home base: Moonrest
Past the Nightgate the air itself dreams. Follow the flower-light, and mind the sleeping world that hangs in the sky.
Notable places
- Moonrest
- The Nightgate
- The Moonspring
- Gloamfield
- The Standing Vigil
- The Sleepless Barrow
Moonrest keeps the vigil. The Nightgate is the way into the midnight country; the Moonspring holds starlight you can stand beside; Gloamfield blooms in the dark; the Standing Vigil watches without ever moving; and the Sleepless Barrow is the one place here that never dreams.
Who you will meet
The Wraithwood
A haunted forest under giant canopies, where the lanterns of Gibbetmere are the only honest light on the road.
Home base: Gibbetmere
Keep to the lanterns, traveler. And if the wood calls your name from off the road, do not answer it.
Notable places
- Gibbetmere
- The Crowgate
- Widow's Thicket
- The Hanging Glade
- The Mournstone Chapel
- The Huntsman's Clearing
Gibbetmere huddles inside its lanterns. The Crowgate is the wood's grim front door; Widow's Thicket is spun thick with web; the Hanging Glade and the Mournstone Chapel keep the forest's oldest griefs; and the Huntsman's Clearing belongs to whatever still hunts there.
Who you will meet
The Palmreach
A tropical tangle of palms, white sand, and loud birds, with the beach-town of Drifthaven keeping a fire lit on the strand.
Home base: Drifthaven
Warm sand, loud birds, and a jungle that eats the horizon. We keep a fire lit on the beach; try to come back to it.
Notable places
- Drifthaven
- The Tanglemouth
- The Palmstrand
- The Emerald Tangle
- The Vinefall
- The Sapphire Lagoon
- The Sunken Idol
Drifthaven keeps its fire on the beach. The Tanglemouth is where the river meets the green wall; the Palmstrand runs white and warm along the surf; the Emerald Tangle and the Vinefall swallow the interior; the Sapphire Lagoon glows clear and deep; and the Sunken Idol watches from beneath the water.
The Evergarden
A hedge-maze garden realm still trimmed by no gardener anyone has seen, entered past Hedgewick and its fountain courts.
Home base: Hedgewick
Someone is still trimming the hedges, though no gardener has been seen for a hundred years. Mind the maze: it minds you back.
Notable places
- Hedgewick
- The Garden Gate
- The Parterre Walk
- Dawnhold Castle
- The Petal Pond
- The Great Maze
- The Fountain Court
- The Old Mill
- The North Watch
- The Lily Basin
Hedgewick waits at the Garden Gate. The Parterre Walk blooms in clipped color; Dawnhold Castle drills its knights behind new walls; the Petal Pond drifts pink the year round; the Old Mill turns over its own ring beds; the Great Maze rearranges its manners for every guest, its arches watched by leafy foxes; the North Watch keeps the exit road; the Lily Basin rests beyond it all; and the Fountain Court still runs clear at the garden heart.
The Galecrest
Sea-cliffs and howling downs where the wind never rests, the Old Beacon never goes out, and Wickharbor shuts its doors tight.
Home base: Wickharbor
The wind has never once stopped here, and the Old Beacon has never once gone out. Close the inn door behind you.
Notable places
- Wickharbor
- The Windway
- The Howling Downs
- The Old Beacon
- The Shear
- The Wreckfields
- The Mirror Tarn
- The Galecrest Stables
Wickharbor leans into the wind. The Windway is the cliff road in; the Howling Downs roll treeless under the gale; the Old Beacon has burned for as long as anyone can say; the Shear drops sheer to the water; the Wreckfields keep the coast honest; and the Mirror Tarn is the one still thing in the whole realm.
Who you will meet
The Farshore
An island of gull-cry and salt wind off the Vale's east coast, where rifts tear open without warning and the fishing town of Gullhaven holds its shore.
Home base: Gullhaven
You came over the Ferrywalk? Then you are the first in a week, and the Warden will want to look you over.
Notable places
- Gullhaven
- The Landing
- The Watch Meadow
- The Sundered Cliffs
- The Riftfields
Gullhaven is the island's only town and its redoubt. The Landing is where the Ferrywalk comes ashore, with a watchbell standing over the point; the Watch Meadow keeps the high ground southeast of town, where a riftwatcher listens for the next break; the Sundered Cliffs crack open at the island's southern end; and the Riftfields are the wracked grain rows east of Gullhaven, still crawling with what came through the break there.
The Proving Shore
A quiet island across the strait from the vale, kept as a training ground: a camp, a practice yard, a wreck-strewn strand, and a ferry that runs both ways.
Home base: Dawnrest Camp
Every hero the vale has ever thanked stood where you stand now, and not one of them knew which end of a blade to hold.
Notable places
- Dawnrest Camp
- The Old Pier
- The Practice Yard
- The Wreck Line
- The Gauntlet
Dawnrest Camp is the island's whole settlement: a few tents, a stall, and a muster fire. The Old Pier faces the vale, where the crossing circle carries graduates over the strait; the Practice Yard south of camp keeps its straw effigies standing for whoever needs them; and the Wreck Line is the salvage-strewn strand where the tide pays the island in castaway crates.
Who you will meet
Getting around
Every road in the realm is walked or ridden. There are no flight paths, no taxis, and no teleport network: the map is one connected landmass, and every connection is something you can stand on. Ridges divide one realm from the next, and where two realms share a ridge the road climbs through a pass. Not every border works that way, though. In the north a long causeway carries the road out over the water from the Veiled Hollow into the snow country beyond, and back south a thin natural sandbar called the Ferrywalk runs east from the Vale's coast to the Landing on the island of the Farshore, which has no land border at all. And there is exactly one true doorway in the whole overworld: a veil of dusk high on Thornpeak that opens into the Veiled Hollow. The Hollow's southern ridge is sealed with no pass through it, so that veil is how you first get in, and it closes behind you on the way back.
Wherever you fall, the walk back is a short one. Every zone keeps at least one graveyard with a Pale Keeper hovering over the stones, and a released spirit rises at the nearest of them.
The map does not end in an invisible wall. The land runs out into beaches and headlands, and then into open water. The crossings the world means you to swim, the straits and meres between one realm and the next, are calm and safe to cross. Strike out for the open sea instead and the distance itself turns you back: you are warned, and warned again, and if you keep swimming the sea wears you down until it kills you. Diving has its own limit, since your breath runs out under the surface, so come up for air and turn around when the water tells you to.
Mounts
Riding is the one thing that makes the world smaller, and it is a lesson before it is a horse. At level 20 the stablemaster, Marla, will take you on: you buy the riding skill from her, and the riding lesson itself is free, a jumping course you ride around her paddock on a lent steed. Pass it, turn the lesson in, and your first Valorsteed is yours, and from then on you cross the realm noticeably faster on horseback. Speed is the only thing a mount gives you: the rarer ones, which come from the hardest content, are faster still, but none of them change your power in a fight. Mount and dismount with the key bound in your controls. You cannot climb on while you are in combat, and swinging a weapon, casting a spell, wading into water, or falling in battle all put you back on your feet.
Rift portals
Something keeps tearing holes in the realm. Rift portals open by themselves out in the world, never on the three zones of the starting road but across every realm beyond them and out on the Farshore, and the whole realm hears the news when one tears open. Each portal carries a rank, and a higher rank means a harder, richer descent. A portal is a shared event: any group can step through and gets its own run inside, but only one group ever takes the first clear, so a fresh rift is worth hurrying to. You need to be level 20 to enter one, and if nobody answers in time the rift collapses on its own.
Faces you will come to know
A handful of people walk the whole road with you. Watch for these names from the valley to the peaks.
A humble village priest who first names the cult over a defiled grave in Eastbrook, then follows its trail in person through the marsh and up to the wall at Highwatch. He is the steady heart of the whole campaign.
A low-talking tracker you meet in the reeds of Mirefen, all quiet feet and a short blade. She follows the trail north too, and it is her ear that catches the words that send you to the peaks.
When the peak wakes: the world boss
High on Thornpeak, the storm over Stormcrag sometimes gathers a shape. Thunzharr, the Waking Peak rises there on a steady rhythm, a raid-strength elemental fought in the open world by whoever answers the call, and he grows mightier the more challengers stand against him. Everyone who joins the fight earns their own roll of his spoils, honored on raid-lockout terms, and his fall lingers long enough for the fallen to run back and claim their due. Gather more swords than you think you need.
A quiet corner: Brightwood Glade
Not every story in the Vale is about the dead. In the north, a sunlit grove called Brightwood Glade keeps its own gentler rhythm, all quiet paths and dappled light beneath the boughs. It is a soft counterpoint to the trail you are following, and worth seeing when the road gives you room to wander.