This article is about an older version of DF.
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Dwarf Fortress uses tilesets to draw the game, including maps. This map legend explains what the characters and colors represent in the pre-start embark (or adventure) map.
Tile colors
The colors of a map tile may give information about that region's predominant biome and surroundings; its temperature, alignment, and other handy things. Generally, cyan and blue means the area is "good" aligned. Purple, gray, brown, and red areas have "evil" alignment. Light grey, brown, and yellow areas usually are dry and have sparse vegetation. Green tiles have vegetation and are usually moist. White and cyan tiles indicate snow or ice. The color of trees that change season to season can tell about a tree's current growth.
Biome/Region key
Tiles are listed by alignment, with normal tiles first, then good-aligned tiles, and then evil tiles. Snow and ice-covered tiles are included next to their respective alignments.
Forests
In normal forests, the color changes with the seasons.
| Biome/Region
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Normal
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Snow/Ice
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Good
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Evil
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Evil snow/ice
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| Temperate broadleaf forest
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| Tropical broadleaf forest
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| Coniferous forest
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Hills and mountains/Plains
Yellow hills or plains indicate dry vegetation.
| Biome/Region
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Normal
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Snow/Ice
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Good
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Evil
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Evil snow/ice
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| Hills
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| Low mountains
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| Medium mountains
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| High mountains
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Deserts
In normal sand deserts, the color depends on the type of sand.
| Biome/Region
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Normal
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Snow/Ice
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Good
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Evil
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Evil snow/ice
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| Sand desert
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| Rocky wasteland
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| Badlands
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Wetlands
| Biome/Region
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Normal
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Snow/Ice
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Good
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Evil
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Evil snow/ice
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| Swamp
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| Marsh
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Ice regions
Bodies of water
| Biome/Region
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Normal
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Good
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Evil
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| River
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•┬┴ ┬┴ ┬┴ ╦╩◄
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•┬┴ ┬┴ ┬┴ ╦╩◄
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•┬┴ ╦╩◄
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| Ocean
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| Lake
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Terrain feature key
| Terrain feature
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Normal
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Snow/Ice
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Good
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Evil
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| Peak
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^
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^
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^
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^ ^
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| Volcano
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^
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Construction key
| Construction
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Normal
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| Road
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•┬┴• •┬┴• •┬┴• •┬┴•
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Tree key
Forests and swamps will use the map tiles of the trees they contain. The tiles below are used to specify generic forests, even if no trees that use that tile exist in that forest. Whether the game uses the generic tiles or the tile of the actual tree they contain is randomized on a tile-by-tile basis.
Tiles can vary significantly in forests due to the variety of trees that can be generated.
| Tile |
Terrain
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| ⌠ |
Swamp
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| ↑ |
Conifer Forest
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| ♠ |
Broadleaf Forest
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| Γ |
Tropical Forest
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Site key
Site tiles are organized by columns, from left-to-right: normal populated sites, ruined sites, and sites captured by necromancers or their night creature armies.
Dwarven sites
Elven sites
Forest retreats marked as (¶) are market towns.
Goblin sites
A light magenta dark fortress (Π) indicates the presence of an underworld spire.
Human sites
For towns, the tiles indicate a town's current population (increases from left to right). Hamlet tiles represent the region the hamlet is in (hills, plains, rivers, etc.).
| Site
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Normal
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Ruins
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Night creature
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| Town
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+ * # ☼
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μ
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μ
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| Hamlet
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= ≡ æ Æ
= ≡ æ Æ
= ≡ æ Æ
= ≡ æ Æ
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= ≡ æ Æ
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= ≡ æ Æ
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| Castle
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○
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○
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Other sites
Embark assistant added sites
Shown when the DFHack plugin is active, list is from the in game plugin information, see there for details.
| Site
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Symbol
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| Camp
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C
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| Cave
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c
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| Lair
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m b l
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| Labyrinth
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L
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| Monument
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M
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| Shrine
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S
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| Vault
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V
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Fast travel key
| Description
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Symbol
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| Adventurer(s)
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@
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| Other traveling individual or group
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*
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