Today we're excited to share an in-engine screenshot showcasing one of Zephara's most breathtaking locations: a pristine glacial lake nestled among towering snow-capped peaks. But this isn't just a pretty picture—the visible overlays (orange boundary outlines, red wireframes, and white target markers) reveal the early stages of our environment design process in Unreal Engine 5.
This screenshot represents hours of iteration, countless discussions about player flow, and our philosophy that every environment in Zephara should be both beautiful and purposeful. Let us take you behind the scenes.
The Art of Level Blocking
What you're seeing in this image is the intersection of natural beauty and technical craftsmanship. The turquoise glacial waters—that distinctive color comes from rock flour suspended in the water, ground to powder by ancient glaciers—are framed by majestic mountain peaks that pierce the sky. Clouds drift through the valleys below the highest summits, creating layers of depth that reward exploration from any angle.
But the real magic happens in those overlays—they represent the invisible architecture that makes this world feel alive and explorable. Level blocking is where we define player boundaries, navigation paths, interaction zones, and the subtle guidance that makes exploration feel organic rather than forced.
Those orange outlines? They're carefully placed to guide exploration while maintaining the illusion of boundless freedom. We want players to feel like they can climb every peak and swim every lake, while ensuring the experience remains polished and intentional. It's a balancing act between openness and direction, and getting it right takes constant playtesting and refinement.
"Environment design is about creating spaces that tell stories without words. Every rock placement, every water reflection, every mountain silhouette should whisper secrets about the world's history and hint at adventures yet to come. When a player crests a ridge and sees this lake for the first time, we want them to pause—to feel something—before they continue down the path."
Glacial Beauty Meets Gameplay
This glacial lake area—which we're internally calling the Mirror of Kelrath, named for a legendary Verdant explorer who first mapped these peaks—will serve as more than just a scenic vista in Zephara's open world. It's a destination, a challenge, and a reward all in one.
Players who venture here will discover:
- Hidden Exploration Rewards: Ancient ruins beneath the ice, remnants of a pre-Sundering settlement that was flash-frozen when the world changed. These underwater sections require preparation—cold resistance potions, light sources, and the courage to dive into frigid depths where visibility drops and oxygen becomes precious.
- Dynamic Weather Systems: Blizzards that sweep down from the peaks can transform this serene location into a challenging survival scenario within minutes. Navigation markers become obscured, visibility drops to mere meters, and temperature becomes a constant concern. But those who weather the storm might find that the blizzard reveals paths normally hidden—ice bridges that only form in extreme cold, or creatures that only emerge during storms.
- Rare Resource Gathering: Glacial minerals, pristine ice crystals, and unique flora that only grows where ancient magic and elemental ice intersect. These materials are essential for high-level crafting, particularly for Frostborne artisans who know how to work the frozen elements.
- Environmental Storytelling: Remnants of previous expeditions scattered along the shores—abandoned campsites, weathered journals, gear half-buried in snow. Each tells a story. Some expeditions succeeded. Some didn't. The careful observer will piece together what happened, and perhaps learn from others' mistakes.
The Power of UE5
Creating these frozen landscapes in Unreal Engine 5 has been an incredible journey of discovery. The engine's Nanite technology allows us to render millions of polygons for those distant mountain peaks—every ridge, every crag, every snow drift is geometric detail, not just texture tricks. When you climb up to investigate something that caught your eye from a distance, it actually looks like what you saw. That consistency matters for immersion.
Lumen, the engine's global illumination system, brings the subtle lighting that makes the ice shimmer and the water glow with that characteristic glacial turquoise. Watch how light bounces off the snow onto nearby rock faces. Notice how shadows in ice caves have that distinctive blue tint. These aren't hand-painted effects—they're physically accurate light simulation that responds dynamically to time of day, weather, and the player's own light sources.
The level of detail we can achieve—from the texture of weathered rock faces to the way light refracts through clear mountain water—creates an immersive experience that makes exploration feel truly rewarding. When you finally reach this glacial lake after a challenging climb through treacherous mountain passes, we want you to pause, take a screenshot, and feel like you've discovered something truly special. Because in Zephara, you have.
Exploration-Driven Design
In Zephara, environments like this glacial lake aren't just backdrops—they're destinations with purpose. We're designing our open world to reward curiosity and encourage players to venture off the beaten path. Maybe you'll stumble upon this location while following a quest marker that leads nearby. Maybe you'll spot the distinctive turquoise water from a distant ridgeline and decide to investigate on your own. Maybe an NPC mentions rumors of ancient ruins beneath the ice, and you decide to find out for yourself.
That's the kind of player-driven exploration we're striving for. Every mountain range, every frozen valley, every glacial lake should feel like it exists for a reason—not just placed because we needed to fill space, but designed because it has a story to tell, secrets to hide, and rewards to offer.
The world of Zephara was here before you arrived and will continue long after your story ends. We're not building a theme park designed around you—we're building a place that feels like it has always existed, and you're privileged to explore it. The difference is subtle but powerful: instead of feeling like the world exists to entertain you, you feel like a traveler discovering wonders that have waited millennia for someone to appreciate them.
We can't wait to show you more. This is just one corner of Zephara's frozen realm, and there's so much more to discover.
