A soft, ethereal glow pulses from the walls as Master Chief steps into the cavernous Forerunner chamber—its architecture towering and silent, like a cathedral abandoned by time. Smooth metallic surfaces gleam beneath pale-blue overhead lighting, cascading down tall, ribbed walls that arch overhead and disappear into mist. The air is still, almost sacred, humming faintly with the quiet power of ancient design.

Lined along the chamber’s base, nestled into alcoves and slumped lazily beneath glowing glyphs, are a dozen Grunts. Their methane tanks emit soft hisses with each breath, the only sound in the vast chamber besides Chief’s muffled footsteps. Unarmed and unaware, the Grunts lie curled like children in sleep—peaceful, vulnerable, and strangely innocent beneath the angelic glow of the Forerunner edifice.

For a moment, Chief pauses—not out of mercy, but reverence. The brutal war outside these walls feels far away here. In this silent, alien sanctuary, it’s easy to forget who the enemy is. Then, as always, duty returns. The silence breaks with the metallic slide of a Magnum chambering a round.

For this collaboration, I designed a series of subterranean Forerunner spaces imagined as vast voids carved from the inner mass of the Halo Ring—each inspired by in-game locations or iconic Halo moments. This particular build, dubbed "The Cathedral," is my personal favorite.

At the entrance to one of the main chambers, players are met with prominent Forerunner iconography stretched across the back wall. Recreating this repeating pattern in LEGO was a rewarding challenge. The warm wall lighting contrasts with the cooler overhead tones, casting a beautiful ambient glow around the symbol without needing direct light.

The space captures the essence of Halo: Combat Evolved's architecture—tall arching ceilings fading into mist, and walls detailed with subtle greebling that doesn’t intrude on the environment. I used over a hundred grille elements and hundreds more quarter-round tiles to build layered textures that give the walls depth without feeling cluttered, allowing the central iconography to stand out against the solid brickwork.

Scattered throughout the level are nods to classic encounters—like sleeping Grunts in shadowy chambers, always fun to "wake up" with a Magnum. Glass-inlaid walls, often used in the campaign, hint at hidden dangers. One such window frames a lurking Zealot Elite, ready to strike.

Though the Flood doesn’t appear in this level, we imagined "locked" containment zones hidden deep within—marked by flickering red lights that contrast sharply with the cool, serene glow of the surrounding Forerunner halls.

Special thanks to Eclipsegrafx and Brick Warriors for sponsoring this collaborative project! Check out their websites to find awesome custom Space Marine and Alien accessories.