Where the hell is "North" in POE?

In delve, the surface-leading tunnels are always pointing up and to the left. In other words, they are at 10 o'clock relative to where you're standing.

Wraeclast appears to be on a round planet similar to Earth, near its southern pole, which is cold. (Southbound gloves)

This means the sun, regardless of the planetary rotation (rises in east, or west, does not matter) would appear in the sky at any time, in a northerly position to the azimuth.

Let's assume the sun over Wraeclast rises in the east and sets in the west (same spin direction as Earth).

So next time you're in an outdoor area, like Desert, Castle Ruins, or Peninsula, where the shadow length indicates the time of day is closer to sunrise/sunset than midday, take note of the direction of the light and shadow on objects nearby.

If the shadows start far from the viewer and approach from the viewer's left, then the far distance (relative to you, the player/camera) is northward, and it is early morning.

That said, anything in the atlas is considered to be (at best) a semi-organic projection of how we, or certain others, remember a certain place in Oriath/Wraeclast at a certain time. Our recollections of where we were standing, and which way we were facing, when we first strolled on the beach or visited Oriath Cathedral are imperfect, at best; it might have been early morning but our mind plays tricks on us and "remembers" us walking the strand at midday, heading north with the sea on our left when in fact the coastline we walked on only runs east-west.

So when we first enter the atlas through Pier or Wharf, we're seeing not the real leeward piers of Sarn City, but instead a composite of the Shaper's memories of various visits to the piers of various cities in both Oriath and Wraeclast.

We may even be seeing in that composite jumble, memories of previous visits to the map itself, which may explain why the layouts of some maps follow a fairly predictable pattern. Our own memories of Legion-league glacier farming have gone on to shape our future Glacier runs: we expect a glaring white expanse of ice, and then a cavern, and then it's raining goatmans.

And to the topic at hand, are we facing north? South? When we're indoors or in a cave or inside the Beast, which way is which? If the Beast turns clockwise by 90 degrees does up still mean north?

Seems easier to just not make any assumptions and use up/down/left/right instead. And I mean, once you hit maps, North as a concept is probably not applicable anyway.

North is whatever direction your compass point in, Jack, it's what you want most.

Here's a little tip: just agree to run ALL maps clockwise or counter clockwise. and you will clear any map as efficient as it can be - minimum backtracking, maximum monster clear. I guess most old players do that but there's still a lot of fresh blood who run chaotically :D

i don't call it north and stuff just top bottom left right and a combination of those xd

I greatly appreciate all of your responses friends. Unfortunately, none of them answer the question. Where the f**k is GGG when you need them the most? :'(

North is about 2 o'clock. :D

"

Jealous wrote:

I greatly appreciate all of your responses friends. Unfortunately, none of them answer the question. Where the f**k is GGG when you need them the most? :'(

Wait, seriously you need GGG for this?...

I retract my answer And wish I haven't even answered in the first place...

The first screenshot of course. North=up, west=left and so on.

So you guys agree on on "top", do you? Let me fuck that up for you.



I always call the circled door/architect "top".