I structured the score as a progression from a frozen, desolate calm to the cinematic awakening of the dragon. Inspired by Dark Souls–style harmony, the piece begins in G minor before shifting by semitone to Ab minor, using dissonance to mirror the dragon’s violent emergence.

The climax layers full orchestra, driving percussion, gritty ostinatos, choir, and piercing soprano textures, with a final tempo slowdown to emphasize the creature’s immense scale and weight.

For sound design, I favored organic sources over polished libraries. Recording and deconstructing my own vocals for orc voices, layering ambiences, foley to achieve sonic immersiveness. The final mix followed a subtractive approach, cutting nearly 40% of assets to keep the soundscape focused and narratively driven.

Key references included Dark Souls III, World of Warcraft, God of War, Game of Thrones, and Lords of the Fallen.