get a refund from world anvil. I hate world anvil.
I used:
Free web app that helps fantasy writers, game masters, and cartographers create and edit fantasy maps
azgaar.github.io
It seems complex, but its much easier than it seems.
First things first.
1. open the little purple tab (top left) by clicking the play button.
2. go to STYLE tab.
3. under STYLE PRESET: go to atlas (ignore the rest)
4. go back to LAYERS tab.
5. under DISPLAYED LATERS AND LAYER ORDER: turn OFF all (make them greyed out). turn ON rivers
this is the BASIC map creator. you can cycle through random seeds by clicking NEW MAP on the bottom left of the menu. OR close the menu by clicking the backwards play button (top right), and click NEW MAP right next to it to be able to see your screen better.
you can save as many maps as you want, and throw them into GIMP, or Photoshop, or whatever you use to mix and match saved maps to create your own world map or if you're ambitious enough, splice maps together to create your own continents. with the blank canvas of blues it makes it easier to make the maps transparent and smash them together.
IF you don't want to create your own map through photoshop, gimp, etc etc, you can go back into the menu (play button top left):
Turn on BORDERS, STATES, and BIOMES (
personally, i hate having them all on at the same time.)
To fix BIOMES or STATES
go to the TOOLS tab and click either BIOMES or STATES
--> (clicking anything else will make that item visible and you'll have to turn it off in layers tab again)
When you click BIOMES or STATES in the TOOLS tab another menu will pop up on the right
1. at the bottom of this new window there is a paintbrush tool at the bottom center.
2. Clicking on the biome or state you want to fix will give you that color.
3. Use the brush to paint the map however you want.
4. Clicking the checkmark will save what you did. Clicking the X button will EDIT UNDO EVERYTHING you just colored, so be careful.
The only difference between the STATES editor and BIOMES editor menus is that you can rename your STATES and edit however you want..
If you want to mess with the OPTIONS tab you can. but honestly, I couldn't tell the difference between any of it.
I would not recommend messing around with the STYLE tab menu. things get weird. but it won't break anything.
If you click on the coastline, or any rivers, you can edit and play around with them. Goodluck with the coastlines, they get finicky.
Lastly, if you did a bunch of work on the map, clicking NEW MAP will give you a prompt asking if you want to abandon the map, so don't worry about misclicking it by accident.
Overall, it's enjoyable. and free. so meh.
