File:Vol 04 - 008.png

Summary
A coloured illustration on page 8 of Sword Art Online Volume 04.

Latest image source: Ruranobe

Original image source: Gsimenas

Sword Art Online Volume 04, Yen Press release

 * For translations of the locations depicted on the map, see Alfheim map

Alfheim

The setting of the next-gen, flight heavy MMO ALfheim Online (ALO), the land of fairies. Alfheim is divided into nine regions, each of which contains the capital city of one of the nine fairy races, with their own unique look and culture.

The nine fairy races are: the sylphs of wind, with quick flight speed and excellent hearing; the salamanders of fire, weapon masters with deadly attacks; the undines of water, skilled at healing magic and aquatic activity; the gnomes of earth, hardy miners with good stamina; the catlike cait siths, nimble animal-tamers; the shadowy spriggans, masters of illusion and treasure hunting; the musical pookas, talented singers and musicians, all; the tinkering leprechauns, skilled at crafting and smithing; and the imps of darkness, who hold domain over the caves with their night vision.

Looming over the center of the map is the final destination of all the players: the titanic World Tree. At its foot rests Alne, the largest city in Alfheim.

A legendary city in the sky is said to rest atop the World Tree, and the first race to successfully reach it and have an audience with Oberon, King of the Fairies, will be reincarnated as higher beings called alfs.

As true fairies, alfs will not be subject to the game's flight limits on altitiude and time, making them the true rulers of the sky.

Alternative translation

 * For translations of the locations depicted on the map, see Alfheim map

Alfheim

The continent which bears the significance, «Land of the Fairies», and the stage for the next-generation MMO «ALfheim Online».

Alfheim is divided into nine large regions, a capital town for each of the fairy tribes is in each region, and each region having its own special appearances.

In the nine tribes classes, wind-class Sylphs excel in flight velocity and hearing ability, fire-class Salamanders excel in weapons handling and offensive attacks, water-class Undines excel in recovery magic and underwater activities, earth-class Gnomes excel in defensive power and mining, cat-class Cait Siths excel in taming and agility/intelligence, shadow-class Spriggans excell in treasure hunting and illusions, musical-class Pookas excel in musical instruments and singing, blacksmith-class Leprechauns excel in weapons manugacturing and craftsmanship, and dark-class Imps excel in night flight and night vision.

In the center of Alfheim, the «World Tree», the final objective for all players, towers over; in its roots lie the world's largest city «Central Capital Alne».

The fairy tribe who had gained an audience with «Fairy King Oberon», living in the legendary city said to exist on top of the «World Tree», are able to be reborn into the high-order fairies «Alf».

When reincarnated into a true fairy «Alf», the flgiht time limit is lifted and perpetual flight is possible, and along with it becoming the rulers of the infinite skies.