Gadola Map Guide

How Exploration Works

Hills navigates Gadola through a district-based world map unlocked over the story. Each day grants Action Points (AP) to travel, interact, shop, and fight. Travel between adjacent districts costs one AP; entering sub-areas (cellars, villas, hidden alleys) may cost an additional AP or require key items from Key Items.

The map is not open-world in the AAA sense—you cannot enter locked districts until narrative gates clear—but within unlocked zones you choose visit order freely. That freedom is what makes time management tense: optional events in the Market compete with loyalty scenes in the Slums and gala prep in the Noble Quarter.

District Overview

District	Role	Unlock	Guide
Market District	Shops, rumors, early companions	Day 1	Market District
Slums	Combat, stealth, working-class NPCs	Day 3 (surface), Day 6 (depth)	Slums
Noble Quarter	Investigation, high exposure risk	Day 10 (outer), Day 12 (inner)	Noble Quarter
Hidden Locations	Secret routes, optional ally	Day 8–10 (varies)	Hidden Locations

Dockside and east gate areas are subzones of Market in gameplay terms but have unique event tables noted in Gadola Overview.

Map and Story Progression

District unlocks gate not only geography but also achievement events and ending flags. Rushing to the Noble Quarter without Slums depth access soft-locks the Ledger Fragment chain—a common true-ending miss noted on Requirements Checklist.

Weather and day-night cycles affect which map nodes appear. Rain opens the spice-alley shortcut in Market; night enables stealth routes in Slums. The Unlock Order page lists story days against district availability.

Exposure and District Danger

Each district has a baseline exposure modifier. Nobles report suspicious commoners quickly; Slums crowds offer camouflage. Hills can lower risk with items and companion escorts (How to Protect). The map hub does not replace that guide—plan district visits with exposure in mind before gala week.

Related Pages

• Gadola Overview — city lore and layout
• Market District
• Slums
• Noble Quarter
• Hidden Locations
• Unlock Order
• Action Points
• How to Find

Navigation UI and Player Tools

The world map in HILLS is a static illustrated board—not a zooming minimap. District nodes pulse when new events are available; a muted node still costs AP to visit but may yield only ambient dialogue. Learn the icon language early:

• Exclamation — mandatory story beat
• Question mark — optional rumor or side content
• Skull — high combat risk random encounters
• Mask — stealth or exposure-sensitive scene

The journal rumor board mirrors question marks you may have missed on the map. Sync journal reads with each morning's planning session during Action Points optimization. Carriage icons appear after Day 7 between Market, Slums surface, and docks—use them to skip encounter rolls when crossing districts for a single objective.

There is no in-game percentage for map completion. Track hidden nodes manually via our Hidden Locations checklist and the gallery's location silhouettes after your first ending.

Planning Your Daily Route

Experienced players sketch a three-line morning plan: (1) mandatory story icon, (2) one optional event or gift run, (3) district that unlocks tomorrow if a flag is close. Hills cannot be in two places without AP cost—sequence matters. Example Day 8: morning guild rumor read (free), Market eavesdrop Event VI, evening rain check for spice alley. If rain fails, swap evening to Slums patrol rather than wasting AP on locked Noble tourism.

Companion location hints appear in dialogue when you rest at the dock inn—use those hints before spending carriage fees. The All Companions page lists who appears where on loyalty days.

District Travel Costs Reference

Standard AP costs for planning spreadsheets:

From → To	Walk	Carriage (Day 7+)
Market ↔ Docks	0 (same zone)	—
Market ↔ Slums surface	1	1
Slums surface ↔ depth	1	—
Market ↔ Noble outer	2	1
Noble outer ↔ inner	1	—
Any → Hidden node	1–2 after unlock	—

Sub-areas inside a district (cellar, ballroom) cost +1 AP when entering from the district hub node. Budget round trips when farming gifts—Market to Slums depth and back is three AP minimum before any events.

Weather and Map Icons

Rain icon on world map header triggers spice alley and some Market encounters. Clear nights enable Slums patrol stealth. Storm variant rare after Day 12 blocks carriage—walk only. Check weather each morning during Days 8–10 for achievement VIII routing.

First-Week Map Goals

Week one target: reveal Market, Slums surface and depth, and first hidden rumor. Week two: Noble outer, inner, Veil twice, aqueduct. Week three: finale nodes only. This mirrors Unlock Order without spoiler beats. Sticking to the week template prevents the common trap of over-clearing Market by Day 5 while Slums depth stays locked.

Cross-District Planning

No single district holds every system—combat XP in Slums, social checks in Noble, economy in Market, secrets in hidden nodes. Rotate daily focus rather than clearing one zone completely before touching others. True-ending routes zigzag Gadola intentionally.

Map Hub Quick Links by Goal

Story only: Market → Slums → Noble per walkthrough. True ending: add hidden locations and checklist. 100%: pair map pages with Missables calendar. Combat training: Slums arena and aqueduct preview.