Map

The Map is an in-game function designed to help you explore during your travels in the Heleus Cluster.

Overview
While the Map may sound like an intuitive concept, there are a number of features and functions that aren't explained during gameplay.

The Map can be accessed from the Main Menu during gameplay and provides an overhead view of the current area in which you are located.

Overhead Map
This is an overhead view of the current area in which you are located.
 * You are able to move around the map and to zoom in/out.
 * Different symbols are placed initially on the map and others are added during exploration or through other gameplay features. Symbols on the overhead map stay once discovered. Not all locations will have a symbol. Sometimes a symbol will not be on the overhead map but will appear on the heads-up display (HUD) Compass.
 * The Fog Of War initially covers the overhead map with opaque black until you explore an area and reveal what is hiding underneath the fog.
 * Each major planet as well as other gameplay missions will have their own overhead map (potentially with different levels).
 * Planets where viability can be increase will have a percentage complete indicator and color coded bar on the upper left side of the screen.
 * Fast travel can be accessed while the overhead map is open by hovering over a fast travel symbol.

Levels
Each overhead map may have several levels or "floors". These levels may be different areas, different elevations, or other landscape variations that cause them to be distinct maps that you can select. You are able to move up or down through the levels.

Levels are indicated in the bottom right corner of the map and consist of a stack of transparent hexagons.
 * Each level has its own hexagon.
 * The level that you are currently located on will have a small Player symbol and arrow next to that hexagon.
 * The level that you are currently viewing will be slightly larger when selected and will have a light blue glow around the hexagon.

A rounded rectangle at the bottom of the map screen will list at the top the name of the level you are currently viewing in white text. If you are located on a different level, the name of the level that you are located on will be in light blue (below the white text).

Legend
The Legend is one of the least explained functions of the game. There is an in-game Legend that lists in game symbols that you can toggle on and off while in the map screen but no explanation of what the symbols mean is given. There are only very brief names next to each map symbol. The Legend doesn't even list all of the symbols that you will encounter during your travels. Sometimes symbols are used for different functions.

The list below is all of the map symbols that you will encounter during your travels. There are expanded descriptions and when symbols might be encountered. Some symbols are used very frequently while others are hardly used at all. Some of the symbol names match the Legend but others are merely speculative because the Legend never lists a name. Symbols may or may not show up on the overhead map and HUD Compass.

Map Symbol Color
This feature isn't explained at all during game play. Map symbols will be white when you first encounter them. When you have completed all of the tasks, collected all of the items, mined all of the resources, and/or explored everything at a symbol-marked location, the symbol will turn blue. A variation of this rule applies to forward stations. Projected drop points are white; once the forward station has been established, the symbol will change to blue.

This coloring function is more than likely designed to help you quickly look at the overhead map to see which areas you still need to explore, complete tasks, etc.

Certain symbols will not turn blue such as merchants, travel up/down, etc.

Note that there are a few locations that will still be marked in white even when all related missions have been completed and all loot has been collected. These include, but are not limited to, two Remnant locations on Eos and two outlaw structures on Kadara.

Heads-Up Display (HUD) Compass
During gameplay, at the top of the screen, a heads-up display (HUD) compass with tick marks will show the direction you are facing as well as map symbols.
 * As you turn in a 360 degree circle North (N) will always correspond to the top of the overhead map, East (E) to the right, West (W) to the left, and South (S) to the bottom.
 * Symbols will appear depending upon your proximity to the symbol marked location. The closer that you are to the location, the larger the symbol will be and smaller is further away.
 * You aren't able to see every marked location on a large planet at the same time with the compass but you can see hundreds of meters into the distance. The symbols will disappear from the compass if you move out of the "zone of seeing". Approaching close enough again and the symbols will reappear.
 * Small white arrows can appear either above or below symbols on the compass. This is to indicate if the place that the symbol is representing is above or below your current elevation.
 * Sometimes the overhead map will have a symbol but the Compass will not have the symbol and vice versa.
 * Non-hostile Remnant will appear as light blue circles on the compass.
 * Hostile creatures/enemies will appear as red circles on the compass.