> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.pawtato.gg/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.pawtato.gg/pawtato-land/gameplay/the-world/heroes-on-the-map.md).

# Heroes on the Map

See where the rest of Axoma is adventuring, live on the world map

Axoma is busier than it looks. Wherever a Hero is **currently doing something**, a small stack of round Hero portraits appears above that spot on the world map — so you can see at a glance which Thickets are being worked, which Shoals are crowded and which Dungeons players are inside.

## Where Heroes show up

Portraits appear at the points of interest where an activity actually happens:

* **Dungeons** — Heroes currently inside a run, shown above the Dungeon's area marker
* **Combat Encounters** — Heroes fighting a [Proving Grounds](/pawtato-land/gameplay/adventure/proving-grounds.md) spawn
* **The Assignment Board** — Heroes out on an [Assignment](/pawtato-land/gameplay/adventure/assignments.md)
* **Fishing Shoals** — Heroes working a [Shoal](/pawtato-land/gameplay/adventure/fishing.md)
* **Herbalism Thickets** — Heroes cutting a [Thicket](/pawtato-land/gameplay/adventure/herbalism.md)

The map refreshes itself roughly every **10 seconds**, so the crowd shifts as you watch — no reloading needed.

## Reading a stack

* A location shows up to **3 portraits**, overlapping like a hand of cards. When more Heroes than that are there, a **+N** bubble sits behind the stack to stand in for the rest of the crowd.
* **Your own Heroes are ringed in gold.** Every Hero you own is marked, not just the one you currently have selected — so if you have several out at once you can pick them all out of a busy stack.
* Stacks scale with the map, growing and shrinking as you zoom, and they hide themselves while a Shoal or Thicket panel is open so they never cover it.

## Portraits with real gear

By default every portrait on the map is the Hero's **original NFT artwork** — the picture it was minted with, whatever it happens to be wearing today.

Turn on **Real equipment portraits** (**Settings → Display**, in the **Heroes** block) and portraits are drawn from the Hero's **currently equipped gear and visages** instead — on the world map and in Hero Management alike. The setting is **Off** by default, so map portraits are opt-in.

{% hint style="info" %}
When the map gets exceptionally busy, portraits quietly fall back to the original artwork so the live view keeps working. Once the crowd thins out, the real gear comes back on its own.
{% endhint %}

## How long a Hero stays visible

A Hero appears when it **acts**, and drops off once it has been quiet for a while:

* **Short activities** — a cast, a cut, a fight — clear a couple of minutes after the last action.
* **Dungeons and Assignments** are different: those are ongoing occupancy, so the Hero holds its spot for as long as the run or assignment lasts instead of blinking out between actions. It is taken off the map as soon as it clears, is defeated, forfeits, or its assignment completes or is cancelled.

{% hint style="info" %}
This is a live view of activity, not a roster. A quiet map means nobody has acted recently at those spots — not that nobody is playing.
{% endhint %}

## Turning it off

If you would rather have a clean map, open **Settings → Display**, find the **Heroes** block and toggle **Other players on the map** to **Off**. It is **On** by default.

With it off you stop seeing everyone else — but **your own Hero still shows in the Dungeon it is in**, so you can keep tracking your own run.