Summary
One dedicatedElden Ringfan has recently gone through the effort of using Unreal Engine 5 to make a level inspired by the Cerulean Coast. His impressive creation serves as an homage to the in-game region that awed manyElden Ringplayers.
The Cerulean Coast is a location that was introduced inElden Ring’s widely belovedShadow of the Erdtreeexpansion, which hit the market back in June 2024. It can be found in the southwest corner of the Land of Shadow, sandwiched between Charo’s Hidden Grave to the north and Coffin Fissure to the south.
Environmental artist Stephen Chin has recently used this memorable location as the basis for creating his ownElden Ring-inspiredlevel. Called the Cerulean Sanctum, the map is dominated by shades of periwinkle, lavender, and blue, a combination that’s also an inherent part of the Cerulean Coast’s visual identity. Aside from the sanctum itself, the level also includes an imposing-looking castle. The fort is reminiscent of Gothic-style designs, featuring spired towers, large windows, and plenty of ornate detailing.
Elden Ring-Inspired Cerulean Sanctum Took Months To Create
Reflecting on this achievement, Chin revealed that the entire map took him “a couple of months” to create. He built a lot of the models from scratch as part of this effort. Aside fromEpic’s Unreal Engine 5, Chin also leveraged Autodesk Maya and SpeedTree for some of the modeling. The mountains and terrain permeating the Cerulean Sanctum were done in QuadSpinner’s Gaea, whereas texture work and material design were accomplished with a combination of Adobe Substance 3D Painter, Quixel Mixer, and Photoshop, among other tools.
Discussing his creation on Reddit, Chin revealed that he made the Cerulean Coast for fun and to strengthen his portfolio. The environmental artist previously worked forForza Motorsportdeveloper Turn 10 Studios, first as an intern and later as a contractor, for about a year in total. However, Chin says he’s been struggling to find work after his contract ended in 2024. “Most studios would rather hire artists with 3-5+ years [of] experience,” he explained.
Chin is ostensibly not the only game developer frustrated with the current state of the job market. The industry, on the whole, has been laying off people en masse in recent years due to a combination of factors. Turn 10 Studios ownerMicrosoft has laid off over 2,500 employees in 2024alone, and that figure doesn’t even account for staffers like Chin, whose contracts simply weren’t renewed.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
WHERE TO PLAY
Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware’s groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.
