Albion's vast open world is made up of hundreds of zones spanning five different biomes across two massive continents. It can all be a bit overwhelming, so we'll break it down with the following sections:

• The Five Biomes
• The Two Continents
• Albion's Cities
• Getting Around

Albion's Five Biomes

Albion's open-world zones fall under one of fivebiomes Steppe, Forest, Swamp, Mountain, or Highlands which determine which resources and creatures it contains. In addition to their own distinct visuals and terrain, each biome contains three of the five major natural resources:

• Steppe:hide, fiber, ore
• Forest:wood, hide, stone
• Swamp:fiber, wood, hide
• Mountain:ore, stone, fiber
• Highlands:wood, stone, ore
• Fish can be found inall five biomes

While the entire Royal Continent is divided evenly into five massive biome regions, the Outlands, in contrast, has biome "sub-regions" that change often from zone to zone. Each of the major biome zones on the Royal Continent has its own corresponding Starter Town and Royal City, with Caerleon at the centerand not associated with any one biome.

The Royal Continent: The Heart of Albion

After you finish the tutorial (which takes place on its own separate mini-island), you'll be transported to theRoyal Continentto start your adventure. The Royal Continent is Albion's massive southern landmass, and is home to the game's five Starter Towns (where you'll first land after the tutorial) and the six Royal Cities. The Royal Continent containsblue, yellow,andredzones, but noblack zones(seeZones and Flaggingfor more info). Thus, while full-loot PvP is possible, the 100% unflagged, always-hostileblack-zone PvPis limited to the Outlands.

The Outlands: Albion's Wild Frontier

TheOutlandsis Albion's major northern landmass, accessed from the Royal Continent via fiveRealmgatesin each of the five Royal Cities. All zones in the Outlands areblack zones, meaning "winner takes all" rules apply, and any player can attack any other player with no reputation loss. The Outlands are where much of Albion'sguild warfaretakes place, with guilds battling over territories and placingHideouts.

Alternate Realms

The open world of Albion includes realms that exist on alternate planes outside of mapped regions. These realms are unstable, and feature unpredictable zone connections, group size limitations, and varying entry/exit conditions. Roads of Avalon:The Roads of Avalon are a network of hundreds of regions, accessed via portals that open at random throughout the open world. Once inside, Black Zone PvP rules apply and any portal found could lead to any part of Albion's open world or further into the Roads with no connection being permanent. The Mists:A magical region that can be entered through short-lived portals. These areas do not correspond to any particular biome and can contain all resources. You can also find one-way connections to different parts of the world or a portal to the City in the Mists:Brecilien. The Mists also feature unique creatures found nowhere else, which have a chance to drop rare and valuable artifacts when defeated.

Albion's Cities and Towns

Starter Towns:Each major biome region on the Royal Continent is home to one of five "Starter Towns": Steppe Cross, Mountain Cross, Swamp Cross, Forest Cross, and Highlands Cross. These towns offer basic marketplaces and crafting/refining stations for players who are just starting out.
Royal Cities:Each of the five Royal Continent biome regions also corresponds to aRoyal City:

• Lymhurst (Forest)
• Bridgewatch (Steppe)
• Fort Sterling (Mountain)
• Martlock (Highlands)
• Thetford (Swamp)

A sixth city,Caerleon, sits at the center of the Royal Continent. In addition to their own unique crafting and refining bonuses, the Royal Cities offer plots of land for sale, access to private and guild islands, local player-run marketplaces, the chance to join the city's Faction and fight in Albion's Faction Warfare system, and (with the exception of Caerleon) Realmgate access to the Outlands. Rests (Outlands Towns):While the Outlands are generally wild and hostile, three small towns called Rests Merlyn's Rest, Morgana's Rest, andArthur's Rest offer a chance to buy and sell goods, craft items, refine resources, and log off safely in the midst of Albion's most dangerous zones.

Getting Around Albion

On foot or mounted:The best way to see what Albion has to offer is to simply head out into the world, either on foot or on a trustymount. Whether you have a destination in mind, or are just exploring, you're sure to encounter something new each time you set out. You'll generally want to bring a mount along for the added speed and carry weight they offer. Fast travel:In Albion,fast travelis limited to specific destinations, and can only be initiated via the Travel Planner or Island Merchant NPCs. As trade and transport are essential parts of Albion's economy, fast travel to most destinations is only free when your inventory is completely empty, and becomes dramatically more expensive with each additional item. Realmgates & Portal Towns:Each of the five Royal Cities has a Realmgate leading to aPortal Townthat shares a Marketplace and a Bank with its corresponding city. These each then lead into a different part of the Outlands.