Building Tips

General advice for building in Middle-earth
Be careful with doors, because NPC's can open them!

Plan the layout beforehand, possibly in a temporary creative world, then build. This is good for all of minecraft, not just Middle-Earth.

Dwarvish Builds
Here you can find advice for building with different factions of Dwarves

Red Mountain Dwarves
You can be as imaginative as you want with the dwarves of the Orocarni, as they were never described in full.

These dwarves likely use a lot of Sarncaran Brick in their buildings, which would probably be mostly underground, but do not be scared of using other materials. Cobblestone and Dwarven Brick work well with Sarncaran.

Make use of the extra blocks (Pillars, Walls) in your structures, as well as the carved variant of Sarncaran.

An abandoned mineshaft-type mine looks best for the Orocarni dwarves.

A forge room, with fire, armor stands, and furnaces gives a structure a Dwarven flair. Remember to use lots of Sarncaran!

Durin's Folk
Durin's Folk have less aboveground options then those of the Blue Mountains. They usually have cavernous spaces under the mountains, with massive pillars holding it up. These cities usually have vertical descents down halls and mines.

Be underground, of course! It's a good idea to map out your fortress before you start when working underground.

A mine is a good idea. For Durin's Folk, vertical mines work best. Leave the cliff edges rough with ores visible to show of the riches. A treasure room can be a good way to display gold.

Leave ores showing through the halls on important structures to show off the geological wealth.

Use trimmed brick to add detail along with pillars

Personal rooms will be off to the side of the main hall. Have a fireplace in it, and maybe a vertical tunnel to the surface for lighting. This can also work with dining rooms.

A forge room is a seriously Dwarf style addition. A huge fireplace, surrounded by forges, crafting tables, and armor stands looks great.

Lots of vertical caverns! Use pictures of Erebor as reference.

Elvish Builds
Here you can find advice for building with different factions of Elves

High Elves
The High Elven buildings are usually very elegant, made of High Elven Brick with arches, banners, and carved bricks. A Greek or Roman style is one way to start.

Rooms should have high, arching roofs. At least two sides of each room should be pillared the pillars should have at least one carved brick. The solid walls should have at least one dyed wool or banner.

Stairs should be in a gentle spiral.

Domes, with a covered tower topped with an arch, is another good feature. Have at least one Elven guard in the tower.

Open air balconies are great places for dinner tables.

An underground extension with a fireplace, forge area, and armour stands can add the sense of a forging area - crafting was a Noldorin hobby. Item frames can display swords there.

Windows are a no-no, try stone bricks arranged in a slightly plant-like pattern.

An interior, open-air courtyard with a fountain and garden can give an Elven atmosphere. Fangorn plants look nice here, along with a vegetable farm.

Galadhrim
Galadhrim builds are usually made of Mallorn wood, and are built among the boughs of the huge Mallorns. On the forest floor, more Galadhrim Brick can be used.

For a richer home, a spiral staircase, with periodic races along it, up the mallorn tree side looks nice. For less wealthy folk, try a ladder.

A hole in the floor, looking down to the ground is a great decoration, but also a hazard.

No windows! Just leave open spaces. This looks great, but is a potential danger.

Lighting should be from torches or well-hidden glowstone.

No fires! Wood should be the main material, so you don't want fire in the building.

Woodland Realm
The Silvan Elves of Mirkwood live in underground houses with aboveground extensions.

Be sure to plan out your underground part before you build.

The underground portions should be more expansive, with curving pillars, hanging stairs, and springs coursing below the airborne paths. Wood should be dominant here, with orange and amber colored decorations. The whole thing should be made vertically, with stairs and bridge/walkways.

Light should come from torches. No fire!

Bedrooms should be circular, built into the rock face, small rooms with a fire and bed. At least one banner in the room.

Copper blocks look good to highlight specific areas and to create designs.

The aboveground part should be a tower or small stone house in a copse of trees.

Avari Elves
Not much is yet known about the Avari, so feel free to be creative! They might have lived in trees, like the Galadhrim, or underground like the Wood Elves. They were divided into six tribes, but there were two races among them: The fewer Tatyar, ancestors of the Noldor and the more numerous Nelyar, ancestors of the Teleri/Sindar/Silvan elves.

One possible color option for the Avari is a russet-orange and green. This is based on their forest living, their proximity to the Red Mountains, and the Wood-Elven love of amber. However, anything works. The Tatyar living among them might prefer blue to green.

Stone should not be the main material, as the Avari were not as good with it as the other elves. It can be used as a highlight, though! A Tatyarin style home might have more stone.

Light should come from Wood-Elven torches.

Try not to use much metal, and don't have a forge. The Nelyar were not skilled at metalworking. Leather armor, dyed red or green, does work for armor stands. Tatyarin have a higher skill with metal, so wood-elven helmets can be used with leather if you are going for Tatyarin style..

As with all elves, no glass at all! The elves used thin, curving wood or stone bars. Just use blocks arranged in a natural pattern.

Orcish Builds
Here you can find advice for building with different factions of Orcs

Angmar
Angmar builds should be made out of Angmar brick and orc steel, with jagged edges. try to go for a Black Gate/ Gundabad from the Hobbit look.

A tower is a good idea for any follower of the Witch-King. Angmar brick should make it up. Add walls to the top of the tower to look like spikes, and put skulls around the entrance. orc and Morgul steel looks nice here. Fly a banner from the top.

Living areas should consist of tents for a lower ranking individual or a room off the side of a tower for a captain. The room should have Angmar banners, skulls, and an orc bed. A fire works well here. The floor can be made of charred wood or stone.

The whole build should be surrounded by a stone and orc steel wall with spikes and skulls. A space should be left between the build and the wall for tents, smaller buildings, pillars, fires, and ruins.

Smaller buildings around the main one can include warg stables, barracks, dungeons, and a forge. The forge should have Angmar and Morgul armor sets and a fire.

Light should come from fire, orc torches, and Morgul torches.

Morgul and orc steel can be used as decoration, as can Gulduril-corrupted bricks..

Mordor
Mordor designs are usually dark and harsh looking. The main component is usually a tower made of Mordor brick. This can be designed somewhat similar to the Towers of the Teeth. It should have an open, jagged top with lower levels.

Use iron bars instead of windows to create a hostile vibe.

A dungeon, torture room, and forge work well to create an evil feel. The forge should have a large fire with armor stands and anvils. The torture room should have lava, skulls, and poisoned daggers. It should be connected to the prison, which should have cells with bars (duh) and skulls on the floor.

A bedroom should be underground the tower, with orc beds, skulls, and torches

Another option is to make a taken Gondorian fortress. This should be made of Gondor brick, dark gondor brick, and gulduril gondor brick. The style should be based off that of Minas Morgul-corrupted and rotting over a foundation of glory. See the Gondor section for more info.

Gundabad
A Gundabad home is usually in a small, shallow cave.

The edges of the cave should be jagged, not smoothed in any way. Orc beds should be located in small corners of the cave.

For decoration, mismatched armor sets, skulls, and pieces of thatch give the tunnel an orcish look. Orc Torches and skulls on spikes are a must outside the caves.

For a larger home, create a Durin's Folk home and distress it. Add remains to the floor, mine up the exposed ores, and dig smaller tunnels under the halls for sleeping areas. Replace everything dwarvish with orc equivalents.

There are not really any bounds to larger fortresses, other than being disheviled, which is great for survival players, as there is no real brick type that you should use.

If one wants to go for a Goblin-town look, the first order of business is to dig or find a very deep, irregular and long underground ravine. Add dirt and filth. Now it is time to add goblin structures.

Build rickety bridges, paths, and propped up shacks made of wood of many different types. Use remains, skulls, and totem-like structures liberally. No forges or armor should appear. Light should come from fire and orc torches.

Uruk-Hai
The Uruk-Hai live mostly underground, in mines and pits made of dirt.

The main hall should be a irregular, dirt cavern. Parts of it should be exposed to the light, and it should not be that deep underground. It is reached from the surface by Uruk brick stairs, and uruk brick bridges criss-cross through the pit, above the cavern floor.

The main hall doubles as a forge. There should be many furnaces, anvils, crafting tables, and armor sets strewn throughout. Lava and fire should supply the main lighting.

A "bedroom" consists of a small room off to the side of the main cavern. it has an orc bed and nothing else.

Gondor
The people of Gondor live in stone houses and fortresses.

The building should have a thick and tall Gondor brick wall with dark Gondor brick decoration. Stairs should come up parallel to the wall.

The building should have at least one big tower. It should have a covered top, and taper as it goes towards the tip of it. Some smaller ones, resembling beacon towers, should also be built along the wall. Domes should be built along the corners of the main building.

In a rectangle around the large tower, but not touching it, should be the living area and workshops. Gondor armor on stands and flags should be positioned at intervals along the halls. The halls should have pillars and arches along the side facing the tower, looking across a garden surrounding the tower.

The bedroom should be in one corner of the rectangle under a dome. it should have beds, armor stands, and a barrel of ale. The crafting room, also under a dome, should resemble a Blacksmith building, with a pool of lava and anvils. it should also have item and armor stands in it. There should be at least one banner in every room.

The Rangers of Ithilien live in underground halls beneath the forest. If you want to, it can be built under a waterfall like Henneth Annun. There should be a table with wine and bread, along with ranger armor and bows on stands. A Gondor banner should be positioned on one wall.

Rangers
Rangers typically do not settle down for long, so building with them would probably be either a tent or some sort of outpost like a watchtower. Dark wood and thatch work well for towers.

Another option is to make a small settlement, like those seen in Born of Hope. Small, dark wood and thatch houses surrounded by a stockade are a good choice.

One building should be larger, with banners in it. This is the leader's house.

Every house should have a warg skin rug (or warg-fur colored carpet) and a fire. A large, communal fire should be located outside.

Rohan
The Rohirrim live in wooden houses with thatched roofs. Little stone should be used to make it.

Houses should be spruce or other dark wood. They should have Viking influences, including colorful wooden pillars, and arches. The roof should be made of sloping thatch. Light should come from torches, but houses should have at least one fire.

A watchtower near the main hall is a good way to watch for enemies. it should have an open top, with no cover from the elements.

There should be no windows at all, or openings, or bars. The Rohirrim did not make windows for light or watching enemies.

A wargskin or regular carpet looks nice in a wealthier person's house, as do banners and gold decorations. Poor houses should not have these, or colorful pillars.

There should be a stable for the famed Rohirrim horses, along with an area for cows and sheep.

A stockade of wood around a small settlement gives the impression of a semi-advanced people. it is good protection, but people cannot go onto the walls.

Dunlendings
The Dunlendings are somewhat savage and crude men, and their builds should use little to no metal, and not much stone except for the floor.

These people mostly live in small wooden huts with wood or dirt floors, with a fire, a chest full of weapons, and a bed. These people enjoy their liquor, so barrels of rum are a nice touch.

Flooring can include warg skin rugs, ragged carpet, or thatch. Skulls and weapons in item stands make good decorations.

Near Haradrim
The Near Haradrim have two major designs: The Haradrim and the Mahud.

The Haradrim live in Harad brick houses with pillars and open roofs. A tower is another option, as is a pyramid with several halls.

The beds are located on the roof surface, to get the fresh air. No need to worry about rain in a desert!

Decoration usually consists of skulls, bronze, or banners. A set of Haradrim armor on a stand is another possible item.

Iron bars can be used along with windows.

A camel stable is a good idea for a larger estate.

Mahud Nomads live in hardened clay and sand huts. These people are the ones who tamed the mumakil. Their houses could be similar to the Sand People from Star Wars

No windows-the Mahud huts have only one opening at the top to let in light.

Mahud decoration consists of semi-precious/precious items on display, along with skulls.

Moredain
The Moredain are a tribal folk with mostly small to medium sized houses.

Use Moredain brick and acacia wood planks in the houses with thatch for the roof. Flooring is made of dirt and thatch. Lion fur beds should be used, as the Moredain worshipped the lions.

For a wealthier Moredain house, use more Hardened Clay and Moredain brick. This makes the home seem more sophisticated.

A stable can be made to hold the Moredain zebra mounts.

Tauredain
The Tauredain are yet little known. A good inspiration is Inca and Mayan structures. Gold and Mossy Cobble work well with this design.

Easterlings
Not much is known about the Easterlings, but here are some ideas for architecture.

The Easterlings were a rich people, so their houses would be made of their specific block when added, with some gold and Lapis Lazuli decorations.

A room of the building should be dedicated to the worship of Sauron. A large fire, along with valuable items as offering, works well.

The bedroom should have lion fur beds and item stands with Easterling weapons. A forge room should also be added. This would have armor stands, anvils, and furnaces.

The whole building should have gold, bronze, and copper blocks arranged at key points.

Lighting should come from torches. Windows should have glass or iron bars.

Numenoreans
The Numenoreans were master seafarers, so their buildings could be in a island or costal stronghold. They should function as a port as well.

If a Faithful settlement, Athelas should be found in large amounts. The build could be made out of Gondor Brick.

If it is a ruin, it should be in disrepair, with vines climbing all over it.

Windows should be iron bars. Light should come from glowstone.

For a King's Men or Black Numenorean settlement, use jagged designs of an Orcish metal and dark Gondor brick.

Ruins should have vines over it or be broken down.

Windows should be orc iron bars. Light should come from fire, lava, or torches

Other factions
Here you can find advice for building with the other people of Middle-Earth.

Hobbits of the Shire
Hobbit homes are easiest to make when built into an already existing hill, but can also be built to look like a hill.

Hobbit homes often have more rooms focused on food than anything else (one for eating, one for cooking, one for storage, etc.), but this is not entirely necessary.

Glass windows looking out the side of the hill/house are common for lighting, as well as iron chandeliers. Lit hearth stones are also an option for bigger houses.

Bricks and wood planks (typically oak) are used for the walls to make the build more homely on the inside. For your hobbit home, think relaxed, stylistically.

Hobbit homes usually have a brick chimney on top, possibly with the addition of a flower pot as a smoke exit.

If your hobbit hole has any business parts, these are typically made rectangular out of wood, and are either disconnected from or sticking out of your hill.

Smaller homes have only one floor, but bigger ones can include two or three. A hobbit hole should be built more horizontally than vertically.

Fangorn
An Ent home is simple: A huge cave under the outcrop of a hill.

A waterfall down the side of the cave with a small pool creates a natural atmosphere.

A big stone table, topped with Ent draughts. No food should be there, Ents live on their drinks alone! (For survival, you might want a chest of food just in case)

The bed should just be a stone ledge, but an actual bed should be there for the player's convenience.

Half-trolls
The Troll-Men live in clay huts decorated with skulls. A simple clay hut with thatch flooring and skulls on spikes gives a crude, cruel feeling. There should be some fire in the house for light and heat, but the house should be rather bare and unsophisticated.

Utumno
Utumno buildings should either in a tall tower or in underground pits. Utumno materials are very useful, as they have heigh blast resistance and are very evil looking.

An Utumno building should be very imposing, and be decorated with skulls, torches, and other evil decorations. It should have a large gate, and many chambers.

A cool idea is the torture chamber, you could make many piston suffocating, drowning and lava traps. These should be preformed on either prisoners or torments elves.

Barracks, prisons full of high elves, and storage rooms to hold materials are other good building ideas.. A major source of lighting could be lava, as this fits in with the fire element of Utumno.