Not the easiest thing to do, but overcoming this level of difficulty can be solved with a little bit of maths. I use the following techniques to resolve the issue.

• You can build from the floor up, similar to a Lego build, this would require you to plan the depth and dimensions or you take the 3D brush and literally carve out the space and then work it.
  
  
• Once you have a handle on play space for doorways and corridors you’ll work this out what suits best for you.
  
  
• It’s worth noting that from a performance perspective, keep these interiors to a minimum, the larger the structure, more detail, more likely the level will cry. I have some REALLY good arenas that failed due to interior performance.

• Performance, as the engine currently calculates the relevant data, making an entire level ‘float’ is not a good thing. Smaller floating platforms good, entire arena bad.
  
  
• Keep metal blocks to a minimum, base footprints, spawn huts, non-cuttable sections (think metal pillars).
  
  
• Keep Décor blocks to a minimum, ideally these components are decorative elements, by all means use them but be clever, use them as dressing, sign posting. If they aren’t seen, don’t need to use them. Sometimes it’s good to do a pass on an arena towards the end and then clean up/streamline any real unused ones.
  
  
• Light blocks in Décor – These aren’t what you think they are, interiors get dark very quickly, think of other ways to light the arena.
  
  
• Limit the amount of ‘player placed blocks’ as possible. If you want us to publish an arena, your arena, it will be more than likely that the players place down those blocks, not you the map maker. The only arena that we have ‘player placed blocks’ are our starter arenas.

The initial build phase in accomplished hands will level flat very quickly anything you’ve built. So plan the cuts, areas to farm, etc with this in mind.

For those of you that might be reading this who are unsure of the terminology, cutting is a meta that derived from the players cutting sections of the arena to yield 'X' amount of resources.

With this in mind, implementing 'cuts' into your arena becomes an integral part of the design.

A cut might reduce access to a specific locale or it might level an area for an easier defensive setup.

Quick cuts, something that 1 player can focus on to yield a quick payback

If cuts are too quick, rethink the materials used. Granite is a natural slow, but try and use the material sparingly.

Teamcuts, more often than not teamwork can cut quicker, adding elements into your arena that encourages a combined effort.

Adding hidden metal blocks into the mix will keep structures erect, use sparingly or approach construction with the foundations in mind so use of metal 'makes sense'.

I use as a rule 8-12 height and 4 leaf radius. I then balance around that.

Don't intersect the leaf blocks with other placed trees, so placing trees down close by will support any interconnecting tree, until you have cut all supports.

Don't place trees against any other object, otherwise the above will happen and the tree won't become destroyed until you've detached any connecting block.

Leaf blocks can be coloured, but due to the material type only certain palettes work well.

Leaf blocks can sculpted with the deform tool. Sometimes it might be easier building the object with the white concrete material 1st and then swapping the material over with the leaf material.

One of the best brushes you can use, practise sculpting with it, it can really offer a lot of hidden ideas from just you messing around with the brush.

You will see that the tool creates triangles or subtracts in triangles, so depending on the angle you focus the red tube cursor what kind add (or subtract) you make.

I would recommended sculpting with the white concrete material as a rule, try not to mix materials as you'll encounter 'issues'. When you are happy with the form you have sculpted you then replace sections with the material swap.

When sculpting more 'man made' objects, you only really need to be focusing on one half of the object. You would use the mirror tool to flip the object to get the symmetrical side or create the object into a brush and flip that, then paste.

Depending on what stage of the arena creation I'm at, sometimes it's much more accessible to keep a separate arena file that you simply use as a palette of sculpted 'doodles', so in that file lives a lot of my crafted segments.

If you are starting to find the arenas casting a lot of shadows, always sculpt with the brightness ambience setting but you can also flick on/off a light in the map editor to help illuminate the scene.

From a presentation point of view, I like to give the arena a slight border for the mini map (5x5 block brush around the edge works fine). Team ends, of the arena are normally ok sat flush against the edge of world.

Test the arena with all characters! Don’t tailor the experience to your fav heroes you like to play.

Keep a reference folder, I think I currently have folders all over the place with various types of ref material that I end up using.

Practice, the more you craft the better the execution, I think I’ve now made in the region of 154 original arenas, about 40 odd rough cuts (sketchpad type of ideas).

Just have fun, it’s a powerful little tool, but it took me a good couple of months to get the confidence that I ‘got’ what it takes to make an arena. To some respect you are lucky that you can reference other content, now I’m lucky I have that content of knowledge :D