shining plains is big open area but immersion is killed by carina’s agro range being 60% of the area
Sameria’s open desert has little to nothing to immerse in… its just sand
Dark sea islands would be good but fog so 
i like shieldguard tho, big and good immersion
I like both, but WoM never fully capitalized on its large, vertical, and expansive map. Many of the improvements in AO, like enhanced movement and building mechanics, would have been far better suited to WoM’s map.
On the other hand, AO hasn’t fully realized the potential of its island-based map. Most of the map consists of flat, empty space (ocean). To improve this, AO either needs more wilderness islands to fill that space or larger, more engaging islands.
The ocean could definitely use some sprucing up as well. Adding rocks, spires, or natural features would help make it feel less flat and more dynamic. These additions could also serve as obstacles, making sailing more engaging. Additionally, structures that spawn on the surface of the ocean would add another layer of interest and variety.
I could go on about ways to enhance AO’s exploration, but my main issue is the wasted, empty space and how unrewarding exploration feels overall.
Sadly, WoM’s map had so much potential, even though it was never fully realized due to the total revamp. While WoM’s exploration wasn’t perfect, it had something that, to me, AO lacks which was a sense of wonder, scale, grandeur, and the feeling of being a small part of a vast world. Perhaps it’s because WoM’s map was more varied in scale and natural features, with dense trees that often obscured the horizon and made it easy to get lost. For me, that made exploring WoM’s world a lot more enjoyable and immersive.
Sameria is a metaphorical and literal desert… 
Random spawning weather played a large part in helping AO feel alive at release
Storms, waves, and even groups of icebergs with chests on them made exploring feel much more intuitive
I can’t wait for the bug to be fixed on full release
one of my favorite things to do in games is get immense mobility and ‘conquer’ the land
with ao, all of the islands can be crossed in under a minute, so there’s nothing really to conquer
this is why the dark sea’s ridiculously tall spires are so fun
Personally, i like both worlds, there are still things i don’t like from both worlds.
On the side of WoM.
On the side of AO
Overall, i believe there should be a mix of both worlds, this would be having the immersion of being in the open sea like what if you could see a family of bluewhales swimming together, or icebergs that house seals in them. While also allowing for easy movement/transportation.
This can also be applied to islands, there could even be small continents or really large large islands (like 8x the size of Ravenna), where you could see different beautiful landscapes, all filled with their niche little traits.
Couldn’t have said it better myself
I can’t wait for the Vimir Sea to release in like a year or two and we get to explore Jotunheim
this is actually a really good idea 
Holy shit you all have the worst opinions, wom fucking sucked
