World map The world map , also known as the overworld , plays a prominent role in many games of the " Final Fantasy " series . It is a smaller - scale representation that is used in the game to make travel less time - consuming and easier for the player . On it , the player can move about between various locations including town s , dungeon s , and other areas , as well as fight monsters in random encounters . Later games in the main series , starting with " Final Fantasy X " , did away with an explorable world map and replaced it with groups of large , fully - scaled , interconnected areas , while some modern spin - offs , such as " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " , continue to use it . The games offer various modes of transportation to the player . In most games , the player is initially forced to walk to each location , but other modes of transportation become available as the game progresses and the player is required to overcome geological obstacles . These modes include boats , airships , hovercraft , and chocobo s . The game ' s main theme , if not a variation of it , usually plays on the world map , with the exception being " Final Fantasy VIII " . Certain games in the series , especially " Final Fantasy IV " , have more than one overworld theme , because there is more than one overworld map . Most of the world maps in the " Final Fantasy " series are made up of two dimensional square tiles , and since these tile maps wrap on both the X and Y axis , the spacial relationships between all the tiles could only be accurately represented in three dimensional geometry as a . Appearances . " Final Fantasy " . The world map is made up of three continents . The world ' s geography includes forest s , mountain s , deserts , and a volcano . The player can use a boat to travel by sea , a canoe to travel by river , and an airship to travel anywhere with a clearing available . Points of interest in this world are the Chaos Shrine , Cornelia , Cavern of Ice , Crescent Lake , Mount Gulg and the Citadel of Trials . " Final Fantasy II " . The " Final Fantasy II " world map is unique in the series in that it is connected all around the world as one giant land mass . Most of the map can be accessed from the start , but strong enemies usually appear if the player strays too far from the path they are meant to take . Many areas are also inaccessible , and the party will not be able to enter them from the world map until later in the story . Mysidia and the Cave of Mysidia can be theoretically accessed from the start , but in the case of the latter , most of the area is inaccessible due to a Doppelganger blocking the path . Notable locations include Fynn , Altair , Palamecia Castle and Pandaemonium . A Snowfield takes up a large portion of the north area of the map . The world map is accessible through the Ring key item , and by pressing + on the overworld in the NES version . " Final Fantasy III " . " Final Fantasy III " was the first game to have several maps . The party starts off on a floating continent , but later finds that the " continent " is but an island levitating above the face of a huge world . This surface world also goes through some changes . When first discovered , the world has been flooded as a result of the Water Crystal being taken over by Xande , leaving only a few patches of land accessible to the player . Later , the waters recede , revealing three large continents . " Final Fantasy IV " . " Final Fantasy IV " has three world maps : the Overworld , the Underworld , and the Red Moon ; however the Moon and Underworld are relatively small . The Overworld is the largest of the three and the place where the majority of the game takes place . It consists of oceans , mountains , plains , and forests and contains a number of towns , castles , and other accessible areas . The Underworld is the second world map and is cave - like . Its terrain consists of lava and caves with a few towns and castles , as well as the ground entrance to the Tower of Babel . The Underworld is unique in that one cannot cross from one side of the map to another by continuously going in the same direction . The Moon is the third and final world map made up of a few caves and the Crystal Palace . Its terrain is plain , consisting of caves and craters . It is the smallest of any world map . While moving on the world map , if the player presses the very quickly , they can enter the menu while the character is mid - transition . If the player then uses a Tent , the game ' s collision detection is off by a tile by the time normal gameplay resumes . With this the player can trigger a bypass event glitch . " Final Fantasy V " . " Final Fantasy V " has three world maps : Bartz ' s World , Galuf ' s World , and both worlds combined , the Merged World . The game adds two additional theoretical world maps : the underwater map for Galuf ' s World used to sneak into the Barrier Tower , and the underwater map for the Merged World . The submarine opens many optional places to visit , such as the Sunken Tower . Another quasi - world map appears when the player allows Cid and Mid to upgrade the airship using Adamantite . This gives the airship the opportunity to fly at higher altitudes , which allows the player to reach the Ronka Ruins . Once this area is completed , the player can no longer reach those high altitudes . " Final Fantasy VI " . " Final Fantasy VI " has two world maps : The World of Balance and the World of Ruin . The game begins in the World of Balance , and after Kefka Palazzo changes the positions of the Warring Triad , the world changes to the World of Ruin . Traveling options include airship , ferries and chocobos , which can be rented from stables in towns and forests . " Final Fantasy VII " . " Final Fantasy VII " has three world map modules , and was the first to be rendered in full 3D . They are also the first world maps with a controllable camera . The primary world map is the overworld . Although the overworld map remains the same throughout the game , there are a few changes at different points in the story , including the appearance of Meteor in the sky , and geographical changes . Some are just aesthetic , such as the Temple of the Ancients and Mideel changing objects to reflect the changes in the field locations , while others change both aesthetics and functionality , including the addition of a crater in the Junon Area which renders Junon inaccessible by foot . Most of the overworld is in daylight , but the area around Midgar and North Crater are always night , and the area around Cosmo Canyon is always dusk . The player can travel the map by buggy and Tiny Bronco before the summoning of the meteor , and by airship once the meteor has been summoned . Chocobos can be captured and used for transportation even across otherwise unreachable terrain . The second world map is the Bottom of the Sea accessible with the Shinra Sub . Like underwater world maps of previous games , the player can freely enter and leave it by surfacing and submerging the submarine . Only an area at the center of the world map between the main three continents can be accessed , although there are numerous tunnels that travel underneath the continent . One leads to a location called ? ? ? , normally only accessible through certain breeds of Chocobo . The map display used is the same as the overworld map . There are no random encounters , but the player can face the Emerald Weapon in a fixed encounter here . The third world map isn ' t technically a world map ; however , it is a world map module within the game . In the Great Glacier is an area where the player is seen from a top - down view , and they can move the camera . While traversing this area , snowstorms occur , changing the camera angle . To navigate the area , the player can leave flags , so when the camera angle is changed , they can follow in the same direction . The player can exit into different areas by moving off the " edge " of the map , but there is still one area in the middle , a cave containing an All Materia . The world map connects the rest of the Great Glacier to the base of Gaea ' s Cliff . There are random encounters . " Final Fantasy VIII " . " Final Fantasy VIII " has a single world map , but with 32 locations to be explored . It was the first and only map to date to feature an optional 3D globe in place of the traditional minimap . While traveling on foot , the player can use the roads to avoid random encounters . Other ways to travel the map are by rental car , chocobo , train , Balamb Garden , or airship . The area around Deling City is always night , and around Dollet , it is always dusk . During the Lunatic Pandora event , the area near and around Tears ' Point is enveloped in an ominous red aura with the Lunatic Pandora itself seen hovering over the point . The artificial sea - haven for artisans , Fishermans Horizon , is located in the center of the map ' s main ocean , and a causeway rail bridge spanning either direction from the town connecting Galbadia to Esthar , bifurcates the body of water making early transportation with Balamb Garden difficult . During the time compression most of the world map locations become inaccessible and various " warp points " appear across the world for the player to travel in and out of Ultimecia Castle . " Final Fantasy IX " . " Final Fantasy IX " has two world maps . At first , the party is granted a map of the known civilized world : the Mist Continent , listed in the game ' s inventory as the " Continental Map . " After certain conditions are met , players receive an ancient map detailing all of Gaia , which is an expansion of the first map . The player can travel the map by chocobo , boat , or airship . Gaia comprises four major landmasses and their surrounding islands : the Mist Continent to the southeast , the Outer Continent to the northeast , the Lost Continent in the northwest , and the Forgotten Continent in the southwest . An endless night shrouds the Dark City Treno , and rain falls upon the city of Burmecia , while the greatest landmass of the Forgotten Continent is forever locked in twilight ( though the vast archipelago in its southern region remains sunny ) . The overall lucidity of the skies varies in the presence of Mist . Being a product of the Iifa Tree and its roots , this Mist only permeates the Mist Continent and around the tree itself on the secluded western half of the Outer Continent . During the final events of Disc 4 many locales become inaccessible ( likely because of disc capacity concerns ) ; they are sealed off with the Iifa Tree ' s roots , and the world becomes enveloped in Mist . The world map is similar to the original " Final Fantasy " world map . Chocobo footprints on the world map let the player summon Choco by the use of Gysahl Greens . Secret chocobo treasures can be found from bubbling areas on the sea , and cracks in the mountains . Small circular shadows denote the location of Chocobo ' s Air Garden , and using a Dead Pepper on a flying Choco in these locations allows the player access to the final Chocobo Hot and Cold location . Pressing button summons a moogle to save the game on the world map . " Final Fantasy XI " . World maps may be accessed through the Region section of the main menu . There are three maps , each with its own purpose . The Middle Lands map displays areas participating in Conquest and the region that currently owns them , and also displays the current influence in the region and the player ' s current Conquest Points . It does not display regions in the Middle Lands of Vana ' diel that are not participating in Conquest , such as Promyvion . The Aradjiah map displays the areas of Besieged , and each of the various faction ' s current strength , the number of prisoners they have , and the number of Archaic Mirrors they possess . It also displays an adventurer ' s current Imperial Standing . The Shadowreign era map displays the fronts of Campaign , as well as their current owners . It also displays the influence the current owning faction has in the region , as well as whether or not a battle is currently taking place . It also keeps track of an adventurer ' s Allied Notes . The first chapter takes place in the same Ivalice as " Final Fantasy XII " . After the acquisition of the " Galbana " , the Purvama of Lemurés is accessible and plays host to the majority of the game ' s events . Later on , the party may freely travel between Lemurés , Ivalice , and the lofty Keep of Forgotten Time . Unique among " Final Fantasy " installments , " Revenant Wings " allows the player to travel by airship very early in the game , and the world map itself requires little walking . " Final Fantasy Tactics " . Ivalice differs from the world maps of previous games . It is made up of a series of locations represented by glowing dots on a 2D map , which the player can see at all times when not in battle . Ramza can move between these dots , and each space traversed takes up one day . Blue dots signal a peaceful town or city , green dots signal an area where a random battle has a 50 % chance of occurring , and red dots signal a location where a storyline mission will be forced upon moving onto the dot . " Final Fantasy Tactics Advance " . " Final Fantasy Tactics Advance " is also set in Ivalice , but its geography is different from that of " Final Fantasy Tactics " . The world map is again a 2D plane made up of a total of 24 location symbols rather than the worlds of other " Final Fantasies " . With a few exceptions , a new area can be placed in blank circles on the world map whenever Marche completes certain missions . Moving between spaces on the map , symbolic or blank , takes one day . " " . A 2D region of Ivalice called Jylland is used for " Final Fantasy Tactics A2 " . This Ivalician area spans two continents ; Loar in the west and Ordalia in the east . Airships are used to travel between these two continents , from Moorabella in the west to Fluorgis in the east . Jylland is comprised of five territories , in which there are many smaller territories and locations . " Tactics A2 " differs from " Tactics Advance " in that all locations are set , and traveling between locations does not necessarily take up one day . " Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles " . The world is split into nine areas , each one containing dungeons or settlements . The dungeons and settlements are represented by little icons that represent the area . The Tipa Caravan moves across the map by selecting a location ; along the way , random events can be witnessed on the path . To enter another area , the caravan must past through the Miasma Stream , which , depending upon the year in the game , can only be passed if the Crystal Chalice element matches the Miasma Stream ' s element for that year . " " . The map is made up of one area with towns and dungeons represented by small portraits on a 3D map . The entire map can be viewed freely , but new dungeons only appear as players progress . " " . The map is used to assign quests for the adventurers sent out by King Leo . None of the locations ( besides Padarak ) are seen , and they are only explored by the adventurers . As they explore and defeat the bosses in each dungeon new locations show up on the map . " " . Dungeons and towns are represented by icons , much like in the original " Crystal Chronicles " . When connecting with friends , other icons will appear , such as character polygons or new locations . Characters can freely move around on the map , much like in the old " Final Fantasy " games , except that there are no enemies nor monsters to fight against with . " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " . The player can travel the world map on foot , by chocobo , or by airship . While there are monsters that roam about the map , there are also random encounters the player can get into . The enemies that are visible on the world map are tough optional enemies the party can take on as a challenge . Towns on the map have the emblem of the peristylium that currently controls it above them . Only the towns that are under Dominion of Rubrum ' s control can be entered . The party can leave Akademeia to enter the world map . This is done during storyline missions , or during free time by expending six hours . Some areas on the world map are landlocked and can only be accessed via caves or the airship . The weather changes randomly on the world map . " Final Fantasy Mystic Quest " . The player controls Benjamin on the world map . At first , the map is nearly all hidden by clouds except for the Earth Region and the strongholds of the Vile Four situated in the other regions . By defeating the Vile Four in their respective dungeons , new regions will be revealed as the clouds disperse . When a crystal is freed , that region will be restored to normal . " Final Fantasy Adventure " . The world is one huge continent , containing grasslands , a marsh , a coastal beach , a forest , three deserts , snowfields , a mountainous region , and two small islands . " Final Fantasy Legend II " . " Final Fantasy Legend II " has thirteen worlds the player will explore during their journey , each different from one another . Each of them are separated from one another , but they are all connected to the Celestial World by the Pillar of Sky . " Final Fantasy Legend III " . " Final Fantasy Legend III " has two types of world maps for the original world : the Overworld and the Seafloor . There are three different versions of the Overworld and Seafloor maps : the Past , Present , and Future version of the original world are all different from one another . There is also the Floatland map which is only accessible in the Future World . The last two maps are Pureland ; the Overworld and the Underworld . The player controls the lead character of their party on the map , although Brandt ' s icon is always displayed on the map view as an indicator of the player ' s location , regardless of whether Brandt is actually in the party or not . The map is 3D , but the player can ' t rotate the map like in most other games . Some locations on the world map can only be entered by transforming into an animal with the Transformation Staff . Initially , the player has no map view while on the world map , but they are given the map of the world during the story . The map is not as detailed as in other " Final Fantasy " games , and is merely an artwork of the world and doesn ' t have the locations displayed on it , although it does show the player ' s current position . " Bravely Default " . The world map is displayed on the touch screen of the Nintendo 3DS , with yellow marks to indicate where to continue the main scenario and blue marks to indicate any available sub - scenarios . While on the world map , the player can save anywhere and access Grandship when it becomes available . Day and night change depending on the cue in the music , allowing access to certain events and enemies that are only present at nighttime . All locations on the world map , both towns and dungeons , require the button to let the player visit . Initially during the Intro chapter , the world map only shows the Caldis Region , but once Chapter 1 begins , it is expanded to show all of Luxendarc . " Final Fantasy Dimensions " . For the majority of the game , the world has been split into two halves , the worlds of World of Light and World of Darkness , meaning that the world map is also segmented . Early in Chapter 4 the world has become whole again and changes into the World of Dusk , and the map is given to the Warriors of Light and Darkness by Dr . Lugae . It contains every location ever visited by both parties , and extra locations that weren ' t . All of these locations are accessible by airship by the end of the game . " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " . Unlike its predecessor , " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " has a 3D world map used for most of the story ; however , the classic " Game Board " returns for dungeons . Certain actions earn the player Kupo Points ( KP ) , which can be used at the Moogle Shops located around the world map . The player can form parties to travel the world map with . The map shown is similar to the original " Final Fantasy " world map , although in a post - apocalyptic atmosphere , with all cities in ruins .