IRON NEST Map Guide: Bearings, Distance and Spotters

The tactical map is where raw intelligence becomes a position you can fire at. The key distinction is between a location, a bearing and a distance.

What each clue tells you

• A grid coordinate gives a location.
• A bearing gives a direction from a known reference point.
• A distance gives a radius from a known reference point.
• A spotter is a reference source; it does not automatically reveal the target on your map.

Plot a bearing report

Mark the known reference point, align the map tool to the reported bearing and extend a line from that point. One line gives direction but not a unique position. A second bearing from another known point can estimate the target's position where the two lines intersect.

Plot a distance report

A distance defines a circle around the reference point. Two distance reports can narrow the target to one or two circle intersections; another clue may be needed to choose between them. A bearing plus a distance can also produce a usable position.

Work with spotters

Keep the original spotter message, map mark, and reconnaissance material until the mission is over. Later instructions can refer back to that spotter. If you erase the reference, the new bearing or distance has no reliable origin.

Why copied coordinates fail

Mission layouts and clues can vary. A coordinate from a video, forum reply or another save may be correct for that player and still be wrong for you. Follow the geometry using the numbers in your own session.

Troubleshooting

If two lines do not meet cleanly, confirm the origin point, direction convention and measurement scale. Do not silently invent an error allowance: the developers have not published a universal spotter-error value.

Sources and scope

• Official Steam store page — map measurement and firing-solution loop.
• Official developer FAQ — manual plotting and reconnaissance behavior.

Internal implementation measurements are excluded because they are not player-facing operating instructions.