Faerûn is a large continent with many distinct regions in it. While the majority of gameplay will initially take place in the Sword Coast and neighboring areas in northwestern and western Faerûn, characters may also come from neighboring regions and the party’s adventures may eventually take them elsewhere.
Northwestern Faerûn
High Forest
A vast forest home inhabited largely by animals, elves, fey, and other creatures, and not particularly hospitable to would-be settlers
Notable cities & towns: none
Frozenfar
A rugged tundra bounded by an icefield and treacherous mountains
Notable cities & towns: Auckney, Kuldahar, Ten Towns
Savage Frontier
Forested hills and fertile farmlands under constant threat of attack by goblin bands, orc hordes, giant clans, and worse
Notable cities & towns: Longsaddle, Loudwater, Triboar, Westbridge, Yartar
Silver Marches
A wild land of forests guarded by elves, farmland worked by humans, and mountains mined by dwarves
Notable cities & towns: Citadel Adbar, Citadel Felbarr, Everlund, Mithral Hall, Silverymoon
Sword Coast North
A land of extremes, the Sword Coast North boasts high mountains, deep forests, rolling hills, and dangerous ruins
Notable cities & towns: Gauntlgrym, Luskan, Neverwinter, Waterdeep
Northern Faerûn
Anauroch
A huge desert which was once a verdant land ruled by the empire of Netheril, but is now only sparsely populated by nomadic humans
Notable cities & towns: none
The Dalelands
Dense forests and fertile farmlands, largely populated by humans and half-elves
Notable cities & towns: Archendale, Deepingdale, Harrowdale, Shadowdale
The Moonsea
A large inland sea bordered by volatile and often-warring human-controlled city-states
Notable cities & towns: Hillsfar, Melvaunt, Phlan, Zhentil Keep
The Ride
A cold steppe region home to nomadic humans
Notable cities & towns: none
The Vast
A once-forested region long ago cut down to grasslands and isolated woods
Notable cities & towns: Calaunt, Procampur, Raven’s Bluff, Tantras
Northeastern Faerûn
Damara
Scattered forests, jagged mountains, and rugged farmlands, largely populated by humans
Notable cities & towns: Helgabal
The Great Dale
A cold and windswept pair of large forests overseen by a druidic hierarchy of mostly humans
Notable cities & towns: none
Impiltur
Gently-sloping grasslands with hundreds of miles of coast, Impiltur became largely land-locked during the Spellplague, and is only beginning to recover its mercantile status
Notable cities & towns: Lyrabar, New Sarshel
The Hordelands
Grasslands home to human nomads and secretive clans of gold dwarves
Notable cities & towns: Almorel, Quaraband
Narfell
A frigid plain home to human nomads and more ruins than permanent settlements
Notable cities & towns: none
Rashemen
A mountainous land of frigid northern hills and more-temperate southern farmlands
Notable cities & towns: Immilmar, Mulptan, Mulsantir, Thasunta
Thesk
A fertile but storm-tossed land of merchants and farmers, it is more a place one goes “through” than “to”
Notable cities & towns: Telflamm, Phsant
Vaasa
An isolated region of rolling tundra, frozen bogs, and sparse grassland frequently blanketed in fog
Notable cities: Palischuk, Telos City
Western Faerûn
Amn
A mostly-human nation of great prosperity and wealth with a comfortably temperate climate but an uncomfortably xenophobic culture with a propensity for enslaving non-humans
Notable cities & towns: Athkatla, Esmeltaran, Nashkel
Calimshan
An arid nation of vast deserts and extensive coastlines which specializes in naval power, excessive wealth, crushing poverty, and rampant slavery
Notable cities & towns: Calimport, Memnon
Evermeet
An isolated island nation home to the largest population of elves in all of Faerûn; very few non-elves are allowed to visit
Notable cities & towns: Leuthilspar, Ruith, Taltempla
Lantan
A secretive island nation home to the largest population of gnomes in all of Faerûn
Notable cities & towns: Illul, Sambar, Sundrah
The Moonshae Isles
An archipelago of rugged, wind-swept islands populated by stalwart human farmers and fisherfolk
Notable cities & towns: Caer Calidyrr, Caer Westphal, Wyngate
The Nelanther Isles
A rocky archipelago inhabited primarily by pirates—human and otherwise—who make their living preying upon merchant vessels
Notable cities & towns: None
Sword Coast
Treacherous mountains along the storm-tossed coast give away to wild seas to the west and to fertile farmlands and deep forests to the east
Notable cities & towns: Baldur’s Gate, Candlekeep, Daggerford, Waterdeep
Tethyr
A warm and heavily-forested land with a large population of wood elves and bordered by mountain ranges
Notable cities & towns: Caradoon, Darromar, Myratma, Riatavin, Velen, Zazesspur
Western Heartlands
A vast land of farmlands, independent cities, and ancient forests
Notable cities & towns: Berdusk, Elturel, Evereska, Scornubel, Secomber, Triel