You can explore without following a quest arrow by choosing a visible landmark, using the map or compass only when they help you orient yourself, and setting small goals you can reassess as you go. First check what the game actually lets you disable: some games separate objective markers from maps, compasses, and other navigation aids, while others do not offer a complete marker toggle.
Choose how much guidance to keep
“No quest markers” does not have to mean “no guidance.” If the game has navigation settings, look for separate controls for objective icons, route guidance, the compass, and map markers. Turn off or ignore the aid that keeps pulling your attention toward an objective, but keep whichever tools help you understand where you are.
There is no universal setting or menu path across open-world RPGs. Some games offer only a broad directional hint; others show landmarks, player-placed markers, or points of interest through an in-world ability. Check the game’s own settings and systems rather than assuming a complete marker toggle exists.
Pick a destination you can see
Choose a nearby, recognizable feature: a ridge, ruin, tower, unusual skyline, road bend, or other landmark. Make the immediate goal concrete—reach the ridge, inspect the ruin, or find a way across the valley—rather than plotting a long route from incomplete map information.
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Once you reach it, pause and choose the next visible destination. This short-hop approach gives you direction without requiring a quest arrow, and makes it easier to notice when terrain or a discovery suggests a better route.
Read the environment for clues
Use the world itself as a navigation interface. Paths can suggest a practical route; elevation can reveal new landmarks; silhouettes can help you keep a destination in view; and lighting, architecture, or unusual structures can draw attention to places worth investigating. These cues vary by game, and not every world is designed to make every destination visible from a distance.
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The Pathless is a clear example of a game built around this approach, but its specific tools are not universal. Matt Nava, Giant Squid’s founder and creative director, said the developers removed fast travel and the map to encourage organic exploration, then designed spirit vision to show visited terrain and distant points of interest. Gaining elevation also expands what the player can see. Those are design choices for The Pathless, not features to expect in every RPG. Nava’s PlayStation.Blog explanation was published August 6, 2020.
Use the map to make decisions, not follow a route
When you do open the map, use it to understand terrain and decide your own next direction. Check where you are in relation to a ridge, road, river, settlement, or other feature, then look back to the world and navigate toward it. If the game supports player-chosen markers, place one on a destination you selected rather than treating every marker as an instruction.
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Elden Ring illustrates this middle ground. Bandai Namco says its Guidance of Grace points in a general direction, regional map fragments reveal map guidance, and players can place beacons that appear on the compass and in the world. Its guide also describes map activities and world bosses as exploration leads. You can use those tools selectively: a broad hint or self-placed beacon can orient you without dictating every step. Bandai Namco’s gameplay overview describes these systems.
A Bandai Namco Europe starter guide additionally describes the compass, map markers and landmarks, bird’s-eye telescopes for viewing destinations, and Guidance of Grace. Because that guide dates to October 11, 2021, check the current game version for exact interface details. Read the publisher’s starter guide.
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Decide whether a detour is worth taking
Detours are choices, not navigation failures. If a site catches your eye, explore it; before leaving your route, note the landmark you were heading toward or place a personal marker if the game allows it. That small reference makes it easier to resume your intended direction afterward.
Sometimes the most useful detour is away from a difficult fight. Bandai Namco advises Elden Ring players to explore elsewhere or return later when an enemy is too difficult. Its guide also notes that areas differ in enemy difficulty, that exploration can strengthen flask capacity or effectiveness, and that some NPC questlines can advance automatically. These are Elden Ring-specific progression considerations, not rules for every RPG. The publisher estimates that fully exploring The Lands Between can be a “100+ hour experience”; that is its estimate, not independently measured or guaranteed playtime. See Bandai Namco’s guide.
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- Welcome to the new world: taking on the role of a Hunter, players are tasked with going on a research expedition to a newly discovered continent known only as “new world”.
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Adjust your approach to the game
Different games provide different amounts and kinds of guidance. Compare them by asking four practical questions:
- How explicit is the direction? Is there a quest arrow, a broad directional hint, or no objective cue?
- What orientation aids remain? Does the game provide a map, compass, player markers, visible landmarks, or an in-world vision system?
- How legible is the environment? Can you see destinations and find traversable routes, or does the terrain obscure them?
- What does a detour offer? Might it lead to useful discoveries or progression, or make it harder to remember your original objective?
In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a 2018 design analysis by Sinan Ozer describes exploration as an emergent goal, with a visible final-dungeon landmark and rewards that can include environmental stories. That is Ozer’s interpretation of the game’s design, not a statement from Nintendo. Read the Game Developer analysis.
The practical balance is to keep the aids that support orientation and stop relying on those that choose your route for you. A nearby landmark gives you a next step; a map check or self-placed marker can restore your bearings; and a deliberate detour lets curiosity shape the journey without losing it altogether.
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