Skip to main content

Where to find the cartographer in Dawntrail in Avowed

An environment shot of the Dawnshore Eastern Overlands in Avowed.
Obsidian

After the tutorial teaches you the essential tips and tricks for playing Avowed, you will be set free in the Living Lands. Almost right away you will encounter a man named Sanza who has an important side quest for you to locate a missing cartographer. While you might be eager to complete the main story, side quests are important for unlocking new abilities and exploring the world. Unlike most side quests, however, this one only gives you a vague written description of where the cartographer is instead of a marker on your map to travel to. Even though each zone in Avowed isn’t massive, there is still a lot of ground to cover when looking for a single person. Here’s where you can find the cartographer in Dawntrail.

Where to find the missing cartographer

A map location in Avowed.
Obsidian

The side quest only says that the cartographer should be located near some cliffs on the east side of Dawntrail, which is quite a big place to search. The area you’re looking for is called Usher’s Hand and is directly east of Paradis. If you go out the eastern exit and head north, you will find it no problem.

Recommended Videos

Once you get in the area, you will get a search area on your map to look through, but the exact location of the cartographer is indicated on our map above. Be aware that you’re actually looking for a corpse because the cartographer didn’t make it, so listen for the little loot jingle that plays whenever you’re near some treasure to help you find it. Once you find their body, grab their loot and the map beside them. Take this to Sanza who has returned to his emporium inside of Paradis to tell him the bad news and get your reward.

Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox has been a writer at Digital Trends for over four years and has no plans of stopping. He covers all things…
How long is Avowed?
An environment shot of the Dawnshore Eastern Overlands in Avowed.

When it was first revealed, Avowed drew a lot of comparisons to Skyrim. Both are fantasy RPGs playable in first or third-person and set in open worlds, so it made some sense to compare the two. However, Obsidian later clarified that Avowed was not an open world in the same sense as an Elder Scrolls, and was more hub-based like The Outer Worlds. This left fans wondering just how long of an RPG this would be. Even though the game will be available on Game Pass, it is important to know how long or short of a time investment is before deciding when you want to start it. Here's how long you can expect to spend exploring the Living Lands in Avowed.
How long is Avowed?

Even though the world in Avowed isn't anywhere close to as big as Skyrim, each zone is dense with activities, side quests, and secrets. Your playtime will heavily depend on how much optional content you decide to partake in. In our experience, doing most of the primary side content, our playthrough took around 35 hours. Had we focused only on the main story, we predict it could be finished in between 15 and 20 hours depending on the difficulty level and your individual skill. This is roughly the same as The Outer Worlds.

Read more
Should you free Ilora in Avowed?

Avowed is a game that loves to give the player tons of choices. You can read up on all the best tips and tricks for which abilities to get, how to fast travel, and switch to third-person, but no one can tell you how to role-play. The first choice that the game hits you with during the tutorial section is whether or not you should trust a free a prisoner named Ilora. On one hand, she claims to have a boat and will help you reach Paradis. On the other, she clearly has a bone to pick with Aedyrans and could easily betray you. If you're uncertain on how to proceed with this early choice, we'll clue you in on how it all plays out.
Should you free Ilora?

Yes, you should choose to be kind to Ilora and take the time to find the cell key and release her. Not only will she join you as a temporary companion for the rest of the tutorial, but she will keep her word on helping you reach Paradis. There's no risk of betrayal so long as you don't provoke or abandon her.

Read more
Avowed: tips and tricks to conquer the Living Lands
Kai fights a Xaurip in Avowed.

Your character in Avowed doesn't exactly have a smooth start when arriving in the Living Lands. After a rough landing, things only get more difficult as you take on quests, fight monsters, and get into heated conversations. Leveling up and unlocking new abilities will help, but anyone who knows RPGs could tell you that. Despite Avowed looking like a sequel to Skyrim, it has a lot of differences that require a different approach from the player. Before you get lost in the lore and drama of saving the Living Lands from the Dreamscourge, make sure you prepare with these essential tips and tricks.
Don't focus on just one weapon

In almost any other RPG, you would only be limiting yourself if you tried to use multiple weapon types -- if the game even allowed for it. In Avowed, not only can you use any and all weapons you want, but it is essential. Avowed doesn't force you into any specific class that limits what your character can equip. You will still invest your points that make your character better in certain aspects, but you will never find a weapon or armor you can't use if you want to.

Read more