World map

The World map interface is a large, scrolling map of the entire surface of Gielinor. On the map are the names of cities, towns, islands, kingdoms, mountains, caves, dungeons, rivers, lakes, and countless other geographic features as well as information icons for specific locations, buildings and quest starting points. Blue checkered parts on the map are part of the Unknown, inaccessible areas within Gielinor.

To access the World Map, "World Map" button located on the Minimap must be clicked. Doing this will change the game screen into the World map view. (Note: World map view cannot be accessed during combat.) This version of the map is dynamic - players can search it using keywords, quickly move from one location to another one, view the "Key" list where all of the icons are explained and can be clicked on to reveal all of the locations of the certain icon. The dynamic map may also be zoomed in or out, depending on the player's preference.

Prior to the High Detail update, the map opened in a new window, or could be accessed directly from the RuneScape home page.

As of 9 November 2009, other players can now see that you are busy looking at the world map. While the map is displayed, your character will appear to be looking at a scroll of parchment, presumably containing a map on it. This should prevent players assuming you are listening to them.

Scrolling
The World map, once loaded, will show the current location of the player. With the 7 October 2009 update, players can now scroll using the arrow keys, instead of having to click and drag using the mouse. Dragging the mouse can still be used to browse throughout the world map.

You are here
The "You are here" feature was added on the 27 January 2009. It shows the location of the player on the map.

While looking at another part of the map, the "You are here" arrow can be left-clicked to scroll automatically to the current location.

Quest starting point
A quest start point can be selected to be shown on the World map by right-clicking the quest name and selecting "Show on the World map". The starting point of the quest (if it starts in a dungeon, the dungeon entrance) will be shown as a cyan arrow similar to the "You are here" one. The quest name will become cyan, and the arrow is kept until logout, choosing another quest or switching it off (right-clicking quest name). This was removed from the game.

Gravestone marker
If you have died recently and have a gravestone, the world map will mark it on the map similar to the "You are here" arrow.

Dungeon maps
On the 27 May 2009 Jagex released maps of many dungeons. To use this, you can select a Dungeon from a drop down list at the bottom of the map or click on the entrance to a dungeon on the world map. After doing so, the surface of Gielinor would disappear, and all left on the map is an underworld consisting solely of dungeons. You can view other dungeons even if the entrance you clicked is not linked to your target dungeon in any way. This feature is very useful when doing a quest demanding frequent undeground trips, as you can stop relying on maps on Runescape wiki as they are patched up from bits of minimaps and can be inaccurate.

Starting arrow
In the first image on a recent Developers' Blog (called RuneTek 5), there is a mention of the 'starting arrow' being added to the world map. It is currently unknown what this is.

Zooming
The Zoom button is used for zooming the current World map view. To obtain a wider or a more detailed view, the map can be magnified accordingly. There are five zoom buttons available for doing this: 37%, 50%, 75%, 100% and 200%


 * {|class="wikitable"

!Zoom !Pixel-lengths/square-length
 * 200%
 * 8
 * 100%
 * 4
 * 75%
 * 3
 * 50%
 * 2
 * 37%
 * 1.48
 * }
 * 2
 * 37%
 * 1.48
 * }
 * }

Key list
The Key button, basically shows icons describing specific locations within the map, and is located on the left-hand side on the World Map. When an entry in the Key list is clicked, yellow circles will flash on the World map. This shows where the building (or location) is located on the map.

Searching
To search for a location within the World map, the "Search bar" can used to type-in keywords. This is located at the bottom of the World map, next to the Key button. As words are typed, suggested locations are displayed within the Search bar.



Minimap
The Overview button, located on the far right-hand side, is used to show a minimap showing the entire RuneScape world. The area shown on the World Map is highlighted in a red square.

This red square can be clicked and moved to quickly move around the World Map. This minimap can be useful in conjunction with the Key button, as yellow circles will also flash in this minimap even when these circles are not flashing in the current World map view.

Closing
The Close button is used to exit from the World map view, and is located at the top-right corner of the World map. Clicking this button brings the player back to the real RuneScape world.

Rune altar map
Interestingly, the Rune Altar map in the Runecrafting Guild does not show any unexplored, black areas like this world map does. However, the Rune Altar map may not be as accurate as the world map. For example, Dragontooth Island is clearly missing, as well as the distinct bird beak bay near Piscatoris.