The automap is the foundation of navigation

The official feature list names an in-game automap as one of Underkeep's modern conveniences. It supports navigation through a handcrafted world explored using grid-based movement. That makes it the appropriate starting point when you need to understand where your party has been instead of relying only on a corridor's appearance.

Use the map as a record that accompanies exploration. When a route becomes confusing, compare the current position with places you recognize from the same playthrough. A remembered screenshot from another version is less reliable than the map associated with the world you are actually exploring.

Custom markers record places worth revisiting

The developer explicitly advertises custom marks on the automap. Markers give you a way to distinguish a noteworthy location from an ordinary section of explored terrain. Their value is in preserving a question you would otherwise have to remember through later encounters and conversations.

Choose a consistent personal meaning for the locations you mark. A locked door, a suspicious wall and an unfinished passage are different tasks even if all three require a return visit. Treat this organization as your own navigation method rather than a claim that the game assigns a particular fixed icon to each situation.

Minimap notes add the reason for returning

The later official update describes notes placed directly on the minimap. Its examples include suspicious walls and places you intend to revisit. A written reminder can explain what you were trying to do, which is information a simple marker may not communicate on its own.

Write enough to recognize the unfinished task when you return after exploring elsewhere. Distinguish a location that needs another look from one where you already understand the obstacle. The goal is a useful memory aid, not an attempt to document the entire world before continuing the adventure.

Track blockers by what actually stops progress

An obstructed route is easier to understand when you name the obstruction. In the historical demo, repeated reports identify crates and a rubble passage as different problems. Recording which interaction remains unresolved keeps a blocked route from being confused with an item that is merely hard to see.

If you resolve the blocker, revise your record so it no longer reads as an unfinished task. A map filled with obsolete reminders becomes less helpful during the next search. Keeping the record current is a practical way to make the confirmed marker and note features serve your own exploration.

Use the map when retracing a cave

When trying to return through explored terrain, start by identifying the route you already know. Use visible connections and your own notes to distinguish it from an unexplored branch. This is a navigation method based on the game's confirmed tools, rather than an invented universal sequence of turns.

A rubble passage and an exit are not interchangeable descriptions. Clearing an obstruction may give access to another area without proving that you have found the way out. Keep the purpose of a route separate from the fact that you can now enter it, especially when comparing historical demo reports.

Mark puzzle questions without inventing answers

The developer describes environmental puzzles involving pressure plates, levers and riddles. These fit naturally into a map record of places that need another inspection. A useful note can preserve the clue or mechanism you observed while you continue exploring elsewhere.

Record observations separately from a possible solution. Seeing a plate establishes that the mechanism is present, but does not prove an exact input order or a connection to every nearby door. That separation helps you return to the puzzle with a clear account of what you have actually checked.

Keep demo and release maps separate

The developer confirms that the full game's levels differ from the demo's. The forest and mushroom encounter are specifically mentioned in the save-compatibility explanation. A historical demo map should therefore not be used as if it were a complete map of the release game's opening route.

Before following directions, match the product and build as closely as the guide allows. If a feature is missing from the expected place, check the version before assuming that you overlooked it. Your current automap remains the most direct record of the layout in the version you are playing.

Write notes that make sense after another encounter

A note is most useful when it survives the gap between noticing a problem and returning to it. Instead of recording only that an area is interesting, describe the visible reason you left it unfinished: an obstruction, an unresolved clue or a route you have not yet followed. Those descriptions are examples of organizing your own observations, not a claim that the game requires a fixed naming system for markers.

Separate a confirmed observation from a hypothesis in that record. You can record that a wall looks suspicious without writing that it certainly contains a secret, or record a plate without deciding that it opens every nearby door. Returning to a precise observation gives you a clearer investigation than returning to a confident conclusion you never actually tested.

Use the same distinction when comparing your map with another player's screenshot. A route marked in someone else's game shows that player's record, not automatic proof that your version has the identical layout or unfinished objective. Check the product, surroundings and visible mechanism before turning another map annotation into an instruction for your own run.

When you resolve a question, revise the note so it accurately reflects what remains. This keeps your exploration record useful as the number of return visits grows. The confirmed marker and minimap-note features can support that habit without needing a complete externally annotated world map.

Build a useful personal exploration record

Start by checking your position, then mark a location only when there is a reason to return. Add a note explaining the unresolved task and update it when the situation changes. This turns the automap's confirmed tools into a focused record of your adventure instead of a collection of unexplained symbols.

The same approach works for missing quest items, unexplored branches and suspicious walls without promising a complete location catalog. It also lets you compare advice with your own observations before committing to a route. For the underlying mechanics, read the puzzle and secrets guides; for a specific historical demo search, use the mushroom checklist.

Sources and further reading

Information checked November 5, 2026. Report a correction.