Elden Ring Moss Terrarium in 9 Easy Steps
Mossarium is a small and low maintenance terrarium with various species of moss. You can use the moss to create an effect of rolling hills, dense jungle, or wild grassland such as in Elden Ring. It brings any action figure to life!
If you want to create your own mossarium featuring Torrent the Spirit Steed (player’s mount) , continue reading!
Supplies
For the horse figure:
- Paint (primer filler, acrylic paints, clear spray paint)
- small pliers
- Brushes
- 3D model
- 3D printer (SLA)
For the mossarium:
- Moss
- Glass Dome Ikea SKÖNJA
- Soil
- Activated Charcoal
- Tweezers
- Scissors
- Mesh – can be 3D printed
- 3D printer (FDM) – for the mesh inset, can be made otherwise
Step 1: Print the Torrent statue form Elden Ring
When printing such small and detailed figure, the SLA printer is a go-to. I recommend printing multiple figures, so you can test your paints and have a backup in case something goes wrong. (Also great to try different scale each time. I ended up with 80% scale.)
You can use any resin you have at home.
Step 2: Print SKÖNJA Inset
While removing the supports, send the SKONJA_mossarium_inset.stl to your FDM 3D printer. It will hold the glass dome nicely in place while keeping the charcoal at the bottom. It is included among the files. 🙂
3D printing settings:
- solid layers top: 0
- solid layers bottom: 0
- perimeters: 2
- infill: grid, 70%
- modifier: infill 0% on all of the model except where the first layer is
Step 3: Remove supports and prime
For removing the supports, you’ll need small pliers.
Firstly – before painting, attach your Link figure to some sort of a flat surface or a holder. I used double-sided adhesive tape for that.
Secondly, apply a thin layer of a spray filler.
Step 4: Base Paint
I can’t give you much advice on this, as all you need is just a little patience. 😀
Use acrylic paint with the best coverage possible. It is better to start with the lightest colors and then move to the darker ones. From the bigger areas to the raised details but you will probably need to go back a few times and do some repairs. Use tiny sharp quality brushes.
Step 5: Main Colours
Step 6: Glue Together and Clear Coat
When everything was completely dry, I coated the Torrent figure with clear protective spray paint and glued it to the 3D printed mesh.
Step 7: Gather Moss
The safest way to create a mossarium is with store-bought sterile moss. The reason you should buy terrarium mosses is that they grow it in lighthouses and keep it clean. If you decide to gather the moss in your surrounding, you have to keep in mind that it might contain bugs and you might need to change the moss some time in the future as it might also get moldy over time. I still think it is worth the risk as it was the best part of the project.
I gathered different species of moss on different spots including a roof. 😀 You want your mossarium to be as diverse as possible!
- If you don’t mind your Torrent ending up in a jungle, you can gather also some small ferns, mondo grass, or tropical houseplants such as small begonia or peperomias.
- Clean your moss after you gather it and trim it using scissors if needed.
Step 8: Set Up the Base
Now let’s assemble our Elden Ring mossarium!
Firstly: inset, then activated charcoal. It’s key function? Filtration. Then soil.
Mosses generally prefer compacted, clay-based soils. You can look for terrarium soils, or mix your own using a bit of basic soil, orchid bark, perlite and a dry sphagnum moss.
Step 9: Add Some Moss
Start stuffing the soil with the moss. For now without the metal base. You might need tweezers in this phase.
Step 10: Watch it Grow!
Where to place your diorama:
Keep your mossarium in relatively shaded area that doesn’t get blasted with direct sunlight regularly. 🙂
How much to water:
The amount of moisture needed will depend on which moss you’re growing. In general, most species like to be evenly moist but not wet. Less is more, as over watering can lead to harmful mold and algae. Use a pipette to water the moss evenly, keep it moist, but not too much. The glass dome should get a little hazy at the bottom, with a few water drops, but never fully cloudy! In case that happens, leave it open a bit to ventilate.
Have fun creating this Elden Ring inspired mossarium with 3D printed Torrent! I would love to see your version of this creation, so feel free to share it on social media and tag me!
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