The sprawling, perilous beauty of Elden Ring's Lands Between has captivated millions since its release, offering an exploration experience that's equal parts breathtaking and brutal. Now, as we look back in 2026, that iconic world has been reborn in a charmingly simple form, thanks to the monumental effort of one dedicated fan. Digital artist honzaap embarked on a personal quest far removed from the Tarnished's journey, spending over five hundred hours meticulously recreating the entire base game map in a nostalgic low-poly art style using Blender. This wasn't just a map; it was a love letter, a chunky, blocky tribute that somehow managed to capture the very soul of FromSoftware's masterpiece.
A World Reborn in Blocks
Honzaap's project is a fascinating study in abstraction. By stripping away the hyper-detailed textures and complex lighting of the original game, the artist relied on pure form, color, and layout to make the world recognizable. And boy, did it work. The iconic Erdtree, that colossal golden anchor at the world's heart, stands proud and unmistakable even as a simplified geometric shape. The fly-through video shared with the community was a revelation, letting players see the Lands Between from a true bird's-eye perspective for the first time.
The distinct regions of the map pop with their signature hues, creating a beautiful, almost topographical tapestry:
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Limgrave's rolling hills and gold-tinged foliage.
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The sickly, terrifying scarlet rot bloom of Caelid – still unsettling even in blocks.
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The shimmering blue expanses of Liurnia's lakes.
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The towering, imposing masses of the Altus Plateau and the Mountaintops of the Giants, looming over everything else.
It's like looking at the world's most dangerous and beautiful quilt. The sheer geographical storytelling of FromSoftware's design has never been clearer.
Devil in the (Delightful) Details
What truly blew the Elden Ring community away wasn't just the broad strokes, but the mind-boggling attention to detail. This wasn't a hollow shell; honzaap packed it with secrets. Fans exploring the digital model discovered that individual Sites of Grace—those precious checkpoints—were all rendered in their correct locations. But it goes deeper than that.
| Feature Included | Why It's Impressive |
|---|---|
| Walking Mausoleums | These slow-moving, bell-bearing giants are perfectly placed and instantly identifiable by their shape. |
| Stormveil's Dragon | That pesky, gate-guarding beast is right there, in all its low-poly glory! |
| Major Landmarks | From castles to divine towers, the skeletal structure of the world is fully intact. |
Talk about going the extra mile! It's the kind of detail that makes you think, "Wow, this person really played the game." They didn't just copy a map; they relived the journey through polygons.
A Testament to a Memorable World
The immediate, overwhelming recognition from fellow players speaks volumes. People weren't just seeing a cool 3D model; they were having flashbacks. "That's the cliff I got sniped off of!" "Oh look, there's the swamp where I died fifty times!" It turned into a spontaneous game of Elden Ring GeoGuessr, proving how deeply the original world's layout is burned into players' minds. FromSoftware's genius lies in creating a world that feels less like a designed level and more like a discovered place, and honzaap's map highlights that architectural brilliance perfectly.
When asked about future plans, honzaap hinted that the project, for now, is complete. But they left a tantalizing little cliffhanger... the Realm of Shadow, the setting of the game's massive expansion, is smaller. Maybe, one day. The thought of that haunting, fragmented landscape getting the same adorable low-poly treatment is enough to make any fan's heart beat a little faster.
In the end, this 500-hour labor of love does more than showcase a fan's incredible skill and dedication. It stands as a powerful testament to the enduring legacy of Elden Ring's world design. Years later, the Lands Between isn't just remembered for its challenges, but for its shape, its colors, and its unforgettable silhouette—a silhouette so strong it can be built out of blocks and still feel like home. Some worlds just stick with you, you know?