Ahoy, adventurer! So ye wish to chart the lands, do ye? 'Tis a fine ambition, and a worthy one for any captain with a thirst for knowledge and a hunger for the advantages it brings. Mark this well: land charting be the sister art to sea charting, and it unlocks the world beneath yer boots as surely as a good map unlocks the sea.
Why Bother With This Charting Business?
Because, matey, the rewards be as rich as a Spanish galleon! Once ye've surveyed a region, ye gain its favor:
- Automatic Navigation: Turn on yer survey skill and click any landmark to walk there straight away—a blessing for any explorer's tired feet.
- Experience, Fame, and Skill: Ye gain adventure experience and fame for each region, plus a bonus to all yer adventuring skills while ye're in charted lands. It even stacks with other learned bonuses!
- A Keener Eye: Yer Survey, Search, and Collection skills all gain +1 in lands ye know.
- Secret Knowledge: Ye'll see what foes lurk and what treasures can be found before ye even set foot.
- Unique Maps: Finish a chart completely, and ye may be rewarded with rare discovery maps for yer trouble.
What's the Price of Admission?
This knowledge ain't free for the asking. Ye must prove yer worth first.
- Prerequisites: Ye must have completed the first Mercator sea charting task AND the "Legend of the Labyrinthos" quest from Venice.
- Essential Skills: Have yer Surveying and Recognition skills ready. Bring Collection (or Procurement) for good measure.
Once these trials are done, the professor at Oxford will summon ye with a new purpose and set ye on yer first charting task in West Candia and Inland Crete.
The Heart of the Work
The charting itself is a dance of tasks. Open yer map (JOURNAL > CHARTS), select a region, and hit "Research". The game will present a list.
Heed my advice: Always tackle the red, mandatory tasks first, lest ye find yerself blocked by a completion limit. The white tasks are optional. Focus on collections and investigations when ye can; they be simpler than hunting for specific discoveries or quests.
The tasks ye might face include: defeating NPCs, completing a collection, finding a discovery, finishing a quest, investigating a specific landmark, or using Recognition to measure a large area of land.
A Final Word of Warning and Reward
Some lands guard their secrets fiercely. Certain regions, like Campagna or the Egyptian North Coast, will require ye to find a discovery to complete them. Others be locked away until ye've charted enough of the world, revealing grand places like the Sahara, the Rocky Mountains, or the Himalayas only to the most dedicated cartographers.
It be a long voyage, but every inch charted makes ye stronger, wiser, and richer in the ways that matter to an adventurer.
So, me heartie, does this taste of the adventure whet yer appetite? This be but the simplified chart. If ye hunger for the full map—every secret task, every trick to measuring land, and the complete list of regions that hide unique treasures—then set yer course for the complete guide.
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