The four regions: north, south, east and west.

Where the regions are

A true-size home planet is a ring of land and sea. The north is the cold part, the south is hot and wet, the east is hot and dry, and the west is mild. Each region is purest at its heart: the north at the north line, the south on the opposite side of the planet, the east a quarter of the way round, and the west three quarters of the way round. The land between them blends from one into the next over many kilometres.

When you start a new world, you choose where to drop in from the main menu. A world's regions are set when it is made, so a world keeps the regions it was made with. Regions only apply to a true-size home planet made since 29 September 2026. A classic-size world has no regions.

About a fifth of the planet is land. The rest is sea, so the coast is never far away, and most regions have a coast near enough to reach by a short walk.

The four regions

Region	Difficulty	The land	Hunters
The West	1 (gentle)	Mild green meadows, oak and birch woods, rivers and gentle coasts.	Few
The North	3	Frozen tundra, snowfields and dark pine highlands.	Average
The South	3	Hot, wet jungle, marshes, crimson woods and warm reefs.	More than average
The East	4 (brutal)	Burning deserts, ochre mesas and salt flats, with oil under them.	Most

The West

The easiest place to start. The soil is soft, and wood and stone are everywhere. Villages and traders are near, and few hunters come.

• Pros: an easy start, soft ground, wood and stone everywhere, villages and traders close by, few hunters.
• Cons: rare ores are scarce near the surface, and there is little oil.
• Animals: Meadow Horse, Burrowkit and Dune Hen.
• Dangers: Gloamstalkers in the caves at night.
• Boss: Goldgut in the deep mines.

The North

Cold, snowy and slow to cross, but rich in iron and coal near the surface in the hills.

• Pros: iron and coal close to the surface in the hills, plenty of timber, and crag goats for wool and meat.
• Cons: snow and ice slow you down, there is little to eat, villages are far apart, and Frost Wolves hunt in packs.
• Animals: Crag Goat, Pinewood Bear, Frost Wolf and Meadow Horse.
• Dangers: Frost Wolf packs, Pinewood Bears and Gloamstalkers.
• Boss: Goldgut in the deep mines.

The South

Food everywhere, warm seas and coral reefs, but the jungle is hard to get through and the marshes hide crocodiles.

• Pros: food everywhere (fruit, fish and game), warm seas and coral reefs, and fast-growing crops.
• Cons: dense jungle is slow going, there are marshes and deep water, and Greyfin Hunters wait off the coast.
• Animals: Burrowkit, Pinewood Bear (in the crimson woods), Mire Croc, Reef Darter, Sunscale and Veil Ray.
• Dangers: Mire Crocs in the marshes, Greyfin Hunters and Gloamstalkers.
• Bosses: The Kraken in the deep sea (see The Kraken), and Goldgut in the deep mines.

The East

The hardest region. Oil lies under the sand, and gold and copper are in the mesas, but there is heat, little fresh water and little wood.

• Pros: oil fields everywhere, so oil rigs and the Refinery come early. Gold and copper in the mesas, and open ground to build and drive on.
• Cons: heat and little fresh water, Dune Lions hunt in packs, and there is little wood.
• Animals: Dune Hen, Crag Goat and Dune Lion.
• Dangers: Sand Raiders with scimitars, Dune Lions and Gloamstalkers.
• Bosses: the Salt Pan King under the salt flats, and Goldgut in the deep mines.

How the climate leans

The north is colder, the south hot and wet, the east hot and dry, and the west mild. So the biomes you find (see Biomes) change with where you are. Moving from one region to the next, you will pass through lands that blend the two.

Tips

• For a gentle first game, drop into the West. For oil and a challenge, go East.
• Hunters are more common the further east and south you go. Carry a weapon.
• Your first drop decides your first few days, so pick the region that suits the game you want.

← Back to the wiki · Last updated 25 October 2026. Mantlenaut is in alpha, so things change.