I spliced together the world map with added markings.

[omlech]

Red = explorable zone
Blue = city

I count 26 explorable zones from what I can see, possibly a few more in the Maguuma area, maybe 3 more?

Original

http://i.imgur.com/XMrg5.jpg

Edited

http://i.imgur.com/07bDj.jpg

[Squirrelbanes]

Must explore all the places!

+1 netz Omlech

[Mif]

I wonder how far we will be able to go into Maguuma Wastes

[omlech]

I wonder how far we will be able to go into Maguuma Wastes

I was wondering that too, from the original trailer in 2010, there's some footage of what looked like an area in the Maguuma Jungle from GW1 so there must be something.

[Deleted]

Heh, nice and it takes me closer to winning a bet I made with friends ;>.
My bet is: world size of GW2 at launch > WoW (classic+tbc+wrath)
Dude#1: world size of GW2 at launch > WoW (classic+tbc+wrath+cataclysm)
Dude#2: world size of GW2 at launch > WoW (classic)

From many maps floating around (for example http://agnesbehrendt.pl/gw2/map.html ) AND addition of many explorable/hidden areas in GW2, it seems I'm winning . Will wait till release for final verdict ;]. Two crates of beer are at stake! This is serious business :P.

[Desh]

Looks like they cut out a shitload of the map from GW1...

[Deleted]

This... will keep me busy for a long, long time I think.

[Deleted]

Looks like they cut out a shitload of the map from GW1...

Well.. they have to left something for expansions right? Besides world in GW1 wasn't even fully explorable, there were only chunks of land scattered around the map loosely connected with each other - huge areas between them were not available.

[DrunkenBeard]

Looks like they cut out a shitload of the map from GW1...

Not sure where did you see that ?

[Rhywolver]

Wait this means only about 5% of the whole map can be accessed now?

This leaves a shitload of zones for future content, or am I just thinking in WoW-standards?

[DrunkenBeard]

Wait this means only about 5% of the whole map can be accessed now?

This leaves a shitload of zones for future content, or am I just thinking in WoW-standards?

I'm I missing something here ? Where are you seeing the 5% ?

[omlech]

Looks like they cut out a shitload of the map from GW1...

Ring of Fire and Crystal Desert are coming after launch.

[Rhywolver]

I'm I missing something here ? Where are you seeing the 5% ?

Maybe I didn't get it right - but if the red zones are explorable zones and the blue ones are cities - what is between all those zones?
Or aren't the red and blue circles the limits of said zones?

[Deleted]

Maybe I didn't get it right - but if the red zones are explorable zones and the blue ones are cities - what is between all those zones?
Or aren't the red and blue circles the limits of said zones?

There is no flying mount so mountains could pretty much be a big "zone-splitter" making a lot of space get wasted (maybe being used in patches later? Via some kind of tunnel that has been made or something, idk).
Also the zones is indeed bigger than his markings They are just there to show us approximately where everything is

[jvbastel]

The zones will be similar to GW1 zones, as in, there will be portals between them. They're quite big so it shouldn't be a problem.
This means that we will not be able to explore the entire world map, like in GW1. Unlike gw1, everyone will be together in the same instance of the zone.

It seems they left out the desert, RoF, Almost the entire maguuma, and parts of the southern shiverpeaks.

We got Orr to compensate.

[Deleted]

... What above said
Just to clarify if someone read wrong as I did, the zones are bigger than GW1's and GW2 don't contain even close to the absurb amount of portals as GW1

[jvbastel]

Actually you're not completely correct. There won't even be close to the same amount of portals as in GW1, they've put together a few maps to become the same big zone in GW2

Yeah the zones will be a lot bigger, but apart from being persistent, they should work in the same way.

[Armond]

Ring of Fire and Crystal Desert are coming after launch.

Cantha, Elona, and the Battle Isles are just flat missing, though. (Battle Isles doesn't really count, I guess, but they could do something with it if they really wanted to.) Even with just the continent of Tyria, compare GW map, GW2 map.

That said, Steamspur Mountains? Ancient Dwarflands? I remember those as the Southern Shiverpeaks. Charr Homelands is now Blood Legion Homelands? And Orr got bigger. Oh my.

[woodydave44]

Cantha, Elona, and the Battle Isles are just flat missing, though.

Future expansions

[guff]

Heh, nice and it takes me closer to winning a bet I made with friends ;>.
My bet is: world size of GW2 at launch > WoW (classic+tbc+wrath)
Dude#1: world size of GW2 at launch > WoW (classic+tbc+wrath+cataclysm)
Dude#2: world size of GW2 at launch > WoW (classic)

From many maps floating around (for example http://agnesbehrendt.pl/gw2/map.html ) AND addition of many explorable/hidden areas in GW2, it seems I'm winning . Will wait till release for final verdict ;]. Two crates of beer are at stake! This is serious business :P.

You will never beat Dude#2 you know