Updates

The Lord of the Rings mod has been through many updates since its beginning in January 2013. Some of these updates were large; others small. Some were focused on one aspect of the mod, while others were more "general" updates. Below is listed every major update that this mod has seen, and also some of the upcoming features of the LoTR mod.

This page gives a general summary of every update; to see the complete list of changes for any given update, please read the mod's changelog.

Beta 1 -- The Beginning of the Journey (February 1st, 2013)
The update that started this mod was Beta 1. It featured Hobbits, Orcs (which at the time were all Mordor Orcs), Hobbit Holes, and the realm of Middle-Earth, accesible via the Ring Portal. Alignment was also introduced in this update, though it was on a simple positive and negative scale that corresponded with positive being Good and negative being Evil.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.4.7)

Beta 2 -- Trading Update (March 1st, 2013)
Notable features added in this update were Lothlorien, Galadhrim Elves (simply named Elves at that time) and the first combat between NPCs.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.4.7)

Beta 3 -- Structures Update, Part 1 (March 16th, 2013)
Some of the structures in Gondor and Mordor today, such as Gondor Fortresses, Gondor Smithies, Mordor Towers, and Mordor Orc Camps, were added in this update.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.5)

Beta 4 -- Structures Update, Part 2 (April 1st, 2013)
This update continued where Beta 3 left off, as the mod was updated to a new Minecraft version in the middle of the month.

Many structures in Rohan, such as the Rohan Watchtower were added. The Elven Portal was also introduced, which meant that travelling back to the Overworld from Middle-Earth was much easier now than before, when marches of several thousand blocks or more were needed to get back to the Ring Portal.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.5.1)

Beta 5 -- Dwarf Update (May 1st, 2013)
The Dwarves of the Iron Hills (now known as Durin's Folk) and their equipment were the main focus of this update.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.5.1)

Beta 6 -- Unit Hiring Update (June 1st, 2013)
One of this mod's signature features that we now often take for granted -- the fact that we can hire units, if our Alignment and budget allow it -- was added in this update; Unit Hiring. At the time only military units were available for hire. This update also featured Trolls and Uruk-Hai.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.5.2)

Beta 7 -- Mirkwood Update (July 9th, 2013)
Mirkwood and its inhabitants were added in this update, along with a few generated structures for the inhabitants to live in.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.6.2)

Beta 8 -- Rohan Update (September 1st, 2013)
This update added a wide variety of new content, including the Rohan Fort, but the main focus was on Rohirrim and new AI to enable NPCs to ride horses, as well as the ability to hire mounted troops. It added Rohirrim, cavalry units, Dwarf Houses, and Barrel Brewing.

Beta 8 was in development for two months.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.6.2)

Beta 9 -- Ranger Update (October 1st, 2013)
Beta 9 added Rangers of the North (which at the time could not be hired), Rangers of Ithilien, and Dunlendings, along with the land they call home. The Lone-Lands and Eriador were also added.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.6.4)

Beta 10 -- Fangorn Update (November 1st, 2013)
Fangorn, Ents, and more Dunlending content was the main focus of this update.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.6.4)

Beta 11 -- Mountain Troll Update (December 1st, 2013)
One of the smalller updates of the mod, Beta 11 added the Mountain Troll and the Ettenmoors.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.6.4)

Beta 12 -- Biome Update (January 1st, 2014)
Wood-Elven content (including Wood-Elven Towers and Ruined varients) was expanded in the Beta 12 update, but one of the most important changes in the Beta 12 update was the addition of loads of new biomes. This update also made Wood-Elves hireable.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.6.4)

Beta 13 -- Middle-earth Update (February 1st, 2014)
This update marked the one-year anniversary of the mod's first public release.

One of the greatest updates in the history of the mod, Beta 13 marked the end of randomly distributed Middle-Earth biomes and the begin of a Middle-Earth shaped map. Rhun and Harad did not yet exist in this update, but all the major regions of Middle-Earth, from Lindon to the Iron Hills to Gondor, were in their correct places and available for adventure, though they weren't all inhabited at this point. Fast Travel didn't exist yet, so death could be a major inconvenience.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.6.4)

Beta 14 -- Fast Travel Update (March 1st, 2014)
Beta 14 saw Slaves of Nurn, Fast Travel, and even more biomes added to the mod. This marked the first time that units could be hired for things other than combat.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.6.4)

Beta 15 -- Factions & Structures Update (April 1st, 2014)
One of the biggest changes in the Beta 15 update was the addition of the faction-based alignment system, which made fights much more realistic; whereas before, killing Orcs in Mordor made the player a hero in the Shire, now Gundabad Orcs would have to be slain in order to get the same Lindon alignment. This update also meant that NPC's could have more complex relationships with one another. As a result of the faction changes, this update also divided Orcs into Mordor Orcs, Angmar Orcs, and Gundabad Orcs.

A player structure competition was also held at this time, and some of the structures players submitted to Mevans were added into the mod at this time.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.6.4)

Beta 16 -- Far Harad Update (April 13th, 2014)
Beta 16 saw new animals such as Giraffes, Zebras, and Crocodiles and also plants like Banana Trees added to Harad, along with the entire mod being re-coded to work with Minecraft 1.7.2.

This update was not a full month's update due to the release of Forge for 1.7.2

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.7.2)

Beta 17 -- High Elves & Haradrim Update (May 1st, 2014)
In this update the High Elves of Lindon were added, along with Near Haradrim.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.7.2)

Beta 18 -- Harad & Rhun Update (July 1st, 2014)
This update added Rhun, along with more Near Harad content, including Near Harad villages. The Dwarves of the Blue Mountains also became a separate faction from Durin's Folk, and Blue Dwarven Equipment was also introduced.

This update was in development for two months.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.7.10)

Beta 19 -- Outlaws & Enemies Update (August 1st, 2014)
Beta 19 shows Banner functionality that is expanded in order to allow them to be used to claim land when placed atop a block of Gold. Bandits were added, along with invasions, better Ent Draughts and a way of summoning 'hired' Huorns.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.7.10)

Beta 20 -- Mini-Quest Update (September 1st, 2014)
The most notable addition in this update was the Mini-Quest system, along with the Red Book and the Shire Reckoning calendar.

This update also improved upon the faction of Dol Guldur, adding Dol Guldur Orcs, crafting tables, banners, structures, hired unit captains, and the ability to tame spiders. Many new types of horse and other mount armour were added, and mounts were improved to be tamed and have inventories like horses. Capes were replaced with Shields. Perhaps most exciting of all, Hobbits now have hairy feet!

This update was the largest update in the history of the mod (by changelog length), until Beta 21.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.7.10)

Beta 21 -- Utumno Update (November 8th, 2014)
This update added the pits of Utumno and the many fell creatures which lurk within, including Orcs, Wargs, Trolls, tormented Elves, and the fearsome Balrogs. It was the first time a new dimension had been added since the original release of the mod.

Other major notable features in this update included the addition of many new Harad biomes, several environmental improvements, dik dik antelopes, Uruk-hai berserkers, player titles, an on-screen compass, Black Uruks of Mordor, and a great number of new waypoints. Beta 21 surpassed Beta 20 as the largest update in the history of the mod.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.7.10)

Beta 22 -- Road Update (February 1st, 2015)
This update added roads through the lands of Middle-earth, and dramatically improved world generation with a new biome variant system that is overlayed onto the ordinary biomes to create much more variation, without taking up biome IDs. Some other notable features were the Half-trolls, hired unit squadrons, different values of coins, trimmed Dwarven armour, and an improved factions menu.

Beta 22 was released on the second anniversary of the mod's first ever public release.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.7.10)

Beta 23 -- Moredain Update (April 18th, 2015)
This update focused on adding the Moredain to the mod, along with their equipment, blocks, structures, and other Moredain content. Another major addition was the Dol Amroth subfaction, including the Swan Knights of Dol Amroth and their associated features. Elves also received some notable new features in Elven Steel, the Elven Forge, Elven Smithies, and new types of Elven blocks for all three factions.

Other important features were were the lengthening of the day-night cycle to 40 minutes, a fast-travel 'shortcuts' feature, Erebor biome with mountain, new tree types, the first female human NPCs, swans, and a redesigned Núrn biome.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.7.10)

Beta 24 -- Mallorn Ent Update (July 12th, 2015)
Current mod version

This update added the Mallorn Ent boss and new boss mechanics, including exclusive drops, trophy items, and group-kill achievements. It also notably added the Hillmen of Rhudaur subfaction, the new Middle-earth fullscreen map, and neutral faction mechanics.

You can download the current update from the Minecraft Forums thread. (Minecraft 1.7.10)

Beta 25 (November 7th 2015 )
Public Beta 25 is the next mod update. It is currently the largest update so far. It will be released on November 7. Features planned for the next update include:


 * The ability to spawn directly into Middle-Earth
 * The ability to use hoppers with the Unsmeltery
 * Citrus trees, with fruit and juices (orange, lemon and lime)
 * A new texture for Rohirric Armour, with the old texture being used for Rohirric Marshal Armour
 * Major changes to the melee combat system; see here for more details
 * New traders, travelling oddment collectors that buy and sell various scrap items like: orc steel, rotten flesh, tin ingots, flint, and many more
 * Crafting mossy and cracked versions of stones and bricks
 * A new faction, possibly Tauredain or Limwaith
 * A new look of the Far-Harad Jungle Biome with more lakes
 * New weapons, like pikes (for Uruk-hai), battlestaffs (for Elven factions), poleaxes (for Haradrim) and lances (for Swan knights)
 * NPC chat will display over the NPC instead of in the chat
 * New Umbar biomes: the Umbar Hills and Umbar Forest
 * Fog on the Barrow-downs
 * Redesigned Barrow-downs Barrows
 * Lots of new banner changes
 * Near Harad Cavalry and horse armour
 * Mutton as a drop from sheep
 * Pyramids (temples) in the Far Harad Jungle
 * Banner-protected Dungeons
 * The possibility to lock the game's difficulty, another feature backported from 1.8, this is to stop people from being tempted to cheat
 * Obsidian gravel in Far Harad Jungle, to be used by the new faction for making equipment
 * New Middle-Earth map waypoint system, that also store the Y coordinates so players can teleport inside houses with roof and underground structures like bases and mines (the old waypoints teleported the player to the highest block of the waypoint position)
 * A new swamp Biome, which is almost certainly the Long Marshes.
 * A new water-based marsh plant, found in the above swamp biome
 * Big hills/mountains at specific locations
 * New trees; mossy stone pillar and watch tower for the new faction.
 * Rohan boulder fields will added again

Please see here for the list of planned features; items with a '*' will be added in the mod's next update.