Which landmarks mark the early route?

After the tutorial and speaking with Vannaka, Doric, and Zanak, you arrive in Bramble Mead, where the wise old man asks you to build your first base. Before following the main quest into the Whispering Swamp, the Temple Woods vault to the south is recommended, and its enemies are only power level two.

What distinguishes the Fracture Plains and Storm Touch Highlands?

In the Fracture Plains, visiting Valgar's Rise and speaking to Cathan's ghost progresses the Dragon Slayer quest and introduces the challenge horn. The Storm Touch Highlands is a power level four region where enemies hit noticeably harder and constant lightning strikes make exploring more dangerous, so heading there first is recommended because it makes everything else easier.

What should I know about the swamp route and its vault?

The vault needed to progress the quest is on the east side, where all enemies are power level two except the abyssal demon to the west. In the south of the map you can kill a couple of garoo and gather about three to five bloodwood saps, and magic players can find silver ore throughout the region to craft the dark mage armor set.

Which landmarks belong to Fellhollow and Dowdun Reach?

To reach Iorwerth in Fellhollow you must break three curse seals: one inside the vault beneath the waterfall, one in Silvethorn Keep after defeating the green dragon, and one in the western settlement after a few small challenges. In the Black Knight's Fortress in Dowdun Reach, the objective is to explore down and locate all 13 shards needed to unlock the Titan.

How do the documented environments affect player choices?

The Storm Touch Highlands has constant lightning strikes that make exploring more dangerous, and the Bloodblight Swamp is the most dangerous area so far because most of the environment wants to poison you, so bring roughly six to eight anti-poison potions. In the Scorned Wilderness, the Hub is a new area players can build in, while the Raid area does not permit building because of the big dragon. Active Lodestones are now visible on the map, not just in the lodestone menu, which helps with orientation.

Runescape: Dragonwilds Map

The named map set

At the major-region level, the documented map set names Brynmoor, Ghornfell, Fellhollow, Dowdun Reach, Umbral Sands, and Scorned Wilderness. Ghornfell is further described as containing three separate regions: the Fracture Plains, Storm Touch Highlands, and Blood Blight Swamp.

Landmarks and environment effects

Which landmarks mark the early route?: After the tutorial and speaking with Vannaka, Doric, and Zanak, you arrive in Bramble Mead, where the wise old man asks you to build your first base. Before following the main quest into the Whispering Swamp, the Temple Woods vault to the south is recommended, and its enemies are only power level two.
What distinguishes the Fracture Plains and Storm Touch Highlands?: In the Fracture Plains, visiting Valgar's Rise and speaking to Cathan's ghost progresses the Dragon Slayer quest and introduces the challenge horn. The Storm Touch Highlands is a power level four region where enemies hit noticeably harder and constant lightning strikes make exploring more dangerous, so heading there first is recommended because it makes everything else easier.
What should I know about the swamp route and its vault?: The vault needed to progress the quest is on the east side, where all enemies are power level two except the abyssal demon to the west. In the south of the map you can kill a couple of garoo and gather about three to five bloodwood saps, and magic players can find silver ore throughout the region to craft the dark mage armor set.
Which landmarks belong to Fellhollow and Dowdun Reach?: To reach Iorwerth in Fellhollow you must break three curse seals: one inside the vault beneath the waterfall, one in Silvethorn Keep after defeating the green dragon, and one in the western settlement after a few small challenges. In the Black Knight's Fortress in Dowdun Reach, the objective is to explore down and locate all 13 shards needed to unlock the Titan.
How do the documented environments affect player choices?: The Storm Touch Highlands has constant lightning strikes that make exploring more dangerous, and the Bloodblight Swamp is the most dangerous area so far because most of the environment wants to poison you, so bring roughly six to eight anti-poison potions. In the Scorned Wilderness, the Hub is a new area players can build in, while the Raid area does not permit building because of the big dragon. Active Lodestones are now visible on the map, not just in the lodestone menu, which helps with orientation.