What does a fantasy world map need?

[Bubblegum Knight]

Hello! I am currently working on a fantasy map for a novel i'm going to write, but i'm not sure what my map needs.

[Azélor]

Land, water, names. That's what any basic wold map should have.


You make a map to show something specific and put everything that is relevant. For example, some maps have no rivers, no forests, no political borders, no mountains.

[Lingon]

I think there are two ways of looking at that. These are my opinions on a very broad question.

Either, you make a map that shows the reader what you can't smoothly convey through the writing; explaining the relative positions of mountain ranges, kingdoms, cities etc is rarely fun, so with a very basic map that shows just the relevant locations, you can write the story like you would a story set in the real world, without explaining that Europe is across the ocean from North America. In this case, the map and text is working together, and just like the descriptions and explanations within the text itself, the map should only contain the absolutely necessary, while still looking good.

Or, the map is an illustration. Just like the cover art. In that case, conveying the mood of the story and the aesthetics of the setting should be the main importance. Go wild, detail everything, think about colors and contrast and style.