Timberborn Maps Guide
All official Timberborn 1.0 maps reviewed with terrain descriptions, difficulty ratings, water availability, and faction-specific tips. Find the right map for your next colony.
๐บ๏ธ Choosing Your Map in Timberborn
Map selection in Timberborn is a strategic decision as meaningful as faction choice. Each official map presents a distinct engineering challenge โ the water availability, terrain height variation, ore deposit locations, and Badwater Source positions all change dramatically between maps. A beginner who struggles on The Mesa's water-scarce plateau may find the same mechanics completely manageable on Eagle Gap's open valley.
Beyond terrain, maps influence your faction choice's effectiveness. Folktails with their Ziplines and hillside lodges excel on vertical terrain maps like Spiraling Heights and Waterfall Ridge. Iron Teeth with their Tubeway networks and dense industrial layouts thrive on flat expansive maps like Iron Meadow and Double River Delta.
All 12 official maps were overhauled in Update 5 to incorporate Badwater Sources and updated terrain. Every map now includes at least one Badwater Source that activates during Badtide seasons โ factor this into your water system design from the start.
The most beginner-friendly map in Timberborn. A wide open valley with a generous river, flat farmland on both sides, and minimal terrain obstacles. Ideal for learning basic dam building and irrigation without geographic pressure.
๐ก Tips
- โ๏ธ Build your first Dam at the river narrowing in the center of the map
- โ๏ธ Both riverbanks offer large flat farming zones โ use Irrigation Towers aggressively
- โ๏ธ Metal ore deposits are plentiful in the eastern hills
A small compact map with a single river canyon running through the center. Excellent for players learning vertical building and tight colony layouts. Limited flat land forces players to build upward early.
๐ก Tips
- โ๏ธ Vertical building is nearly mandatory โ plan your platform layers before placing permanent buildings
- โ๏ธ The single river channel is easy to dam but also vulnerable to Badtide floods โ plan isolation barriers early
- โ๏ธ Small size makes this map excellent for speedrun-style playthroughs
A broad meadow map with multiple ore-rich hills and a moderately challenging river system. Favored by Iron Teeth players for its abundant metal deposits. The flat terrain enables large industrial layouts.
๐ก Tips
- โ๏ธ Multiple ore deposits in the northern hills โ set up mining chains early
- โ๏ธ River splits into two branches mid-map, creating a natural island for a secondary district
- โ๏ธ Wide flat terrain is ideal for Iron Teeth Tubeway networks spanning the whole map
A dramatic multi-tier cliff map with waterfalls cascading between levels. Exceptional Water Wheel placement opportunities at each waterfall. One of the most visually striking maps, ideal for players who enjoy engineering complex water power systems.
๐ก Tips
- โ๏ธ Each waterfall drop is a Water Wheel opportunity โ chain them for enormous power output
- โ๏ธ Vertical building is natural here โ use cliff faces as building platforms
- โ๏ธ Badwater flows downhill between tiers during Badtides โ isolate each tier with its own contamination barriers
One of the most challenging official maps. The main colony starts on a high mesa plateau, far above the only river source deep in the canyon below. Getting water to the surface requires extensive pump chains and careful engineering. Not for beginners.
๐ก Tips
- โ๏ธ Build a pump chain from the canyon floor upward immediately โ without water at mesa level, your colony dies
- โ๏ธ Windmills are extremely effective here โ the high open plateau has excellent wind
- โ๏ธ Badwater rises from canyon Badwater Sources during Badtides โ your pump intake can be contaminated, making the separate clean-water loop critical
Two rivers intersect at a central island, creating four distinct quadrants. Each quadrant can host an independent district. Multi-district management practice in a controlled environment. The crossing rivers create complex water mixing that must be managed carefully during Badtides.
๐ก Tips
- โ๏ธ The central island is the ideal District Center location โ equidistant from all quadrant resources
- โ๏ธ Each river branch can be dammed independently for redundant water reserves
- โ๏ธ During Badtides, contamination can spread across the crossing point โ barrier placement at the intersection is critical
A brutally vertical map with a narrow spiral canyon and a thin river thread at the bottom. Building space is extremely limited and must be carved out through terraforming. The ultimate vertical architecture challenge in Timberborn.
๐ก Tips
- โ๏ธ Terraforming is mandatory โ use Dirt Excavators from the earliest possible moment
- โ๏ธ Ziplines (Folktails) are almost essential for this map โ the spiral terrain makes ground transport painfully slow
- โ๏ธ Water is critically limited โ multiple Dams along the spiral river are the only way to build drought-safe reserves
A lush river delta with two generous river branches and extensive flat farmland. The most resource-abundant map in the official set โ ideal for building massive colonies without resource constraints. Popular for mega-colony and aesthetics-focused playthroughs.
๐ก Tips
- โ๏ธ Food is almost trivially easy here โ use the space to experiment with complex city layouts
- โ๏ธ Both rivers can be dammed for enormous drought reserves
- โ๏ธ Badtide management is more complex with two river sources โ both need contamination barriers upstream
๐ ๏ธ Steam Workshop Custom Maps
Beyond the 12 official maps, Timberborn has a thriving Steam Workshop community with thousands of custom maps. Workshop maps range from scenic aesthetic challenges to sadistic survival experiments. You can access the Workshop directly from the Timberborn main menu or via Steam's Workshop browser.
Popular Workshop categories include: extreme vertical maps (testing Zipline/Tubeway mastery), creative city-builder maps (flat with abundant resources for aesthetic colonies), challenge maps (deliberately placed Badwater Sources for maximum threat), and lore maps (hand-crafted narrative environments). See our Mods & Workshop Guide for curated recommendations.
โ Frequently Asked Questions
How many official maps are in Timberborn 1.0? ๏ผ
Timberborn 1.0 ships with 12 official maps ranging from beginner-friendly flat valleys to brutally vertical canyon challenges. All 12 maps were reworked in Update 5 to incorporate Badwater Sources and updated terrain layouts.
Which Timberborn map is best for beginners? ๏ผ
Eagle Gap is widely considered the best beginner map โ flat terrain, abundant water, and generous resources. A Paw Full of Dirt is also excellent for players wanting to learn vertical building in a smaller, more forgiving environment.
Can I play custom maps in Timberborn? ๏ผ
Yes. Timberborn has full Steam Workshop support for custom maps. Thousands of community-made maps are available, ranging from creative aesthetic challenges to extreme survival scenarios. Access them via the Steam Workshop link on the game's Steam page.
Do all maps support both factions? ๏ผ
Yes. Every official and workshop map supports both Folktails and Iron Teeth. Faction choice is independent of map selection. However, some maps naturally favor one faction โ vertical maps suit Folktails Ziplines, while flat industrial maps suit Iron Teeth Tubeways.
What map is best for maximizing Water Wheel power? ๏ผ
Waterfall Ridge is the premier Water Wheel map. Its multi-tier waterfall cascades provide ideal fast-flowing water at multiple elevation levels, allowing chains of Water Wheels for massive combined power output.