Is Enshrouded Procedurally Generated?

With the launch of Enshrouded, veteran open-world survival players are wondering whether the map is procedurally generated. Having a hand-crafted map versus a unique and randomly generated one for each player makes a world of difference. So is Enshrouded procedurally generated?

Is the Map in Enshrouded Procedurally Generated, or is it the Same for All Players?

Keen Games has confirmed that the Enshrouded map is a highly detailed pre-built world, so maps in Enshrouded aren’t procedurally generated. While this may reduce the RNG players will experience, it better helps players lean into the game’s story and lore told through its world. I dug through their designer notes and forum posts and I’ve found the following. 

Keen Games has stated that its aim is to create a narrative-driven experience using a hand-crafted world. In one Steam Discussion post, they pointed to other procedurally generated survival games and expressed that they wish to diverge from the norm and create something unique.

“This wasn’t done out of laziness or because procedural generation would be too hard, but rather that procedural generated worlds inherently come with a pretty strong lack of structure. They will always inherently be less detailed and coherent than a hand built world, which would have made it pretty much impossible to actually achieve a level of story telling and world building that we wanted to do with our game. There’s definitely upsides to both systems, but because many survival games already use procedural worlds we wanted to do something different”

Keen Games

How is Enshrouded’s Map Designed?

Enshrouded’s map is voxel-based and destructible, featuring custom, coherent, and structural encounters for players to discover. The RPG elements and adventure aspects merge well with the pre-built map. They work together to evoke world-building and a story element that we don’t often see done right in survival games. That’s especially true in co-op server-based games. Keen Games may be on to something here — and I’m glad to have a survival game like this — but it remains to be seen.

Does Keen Games Plan to Expand Enshrouded’s Static Map?

Yes. In another forum discussion, one of the Keen Games developers stated the following. “[Keen Games is] definitely aware of concerns players have for replayability, but rest assured we have a lot planned to make sure our game is rich with content and can be played for a very long time :)”

Essentially, while replayability is an issue with handmade maps, regular updates should remedy this problem. Enshrouded has just launched its Early Access so there are many patches and content updates to come. I just hope they can keep up with players racking up hundreds of hours in the game.

So, Enshrouded‘s map isn’t procedurally generated, but it’s that way for a reason and serves as a catalyst for future stories and expansions, should Keen Games choose to add more. For more Enshrouded guides, check out our best skills for Mages, Warriors, and Rangers or how to craft healing potions.