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. This page lists every update that this mod has seen, and also some of the upcoming features of the LoTR mod.

Beta 1 -- The Beginning of the Journey
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.

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

Beta 3
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.

Beta 4
Many structures in Rohan, such as the Rohan Watchtower and the Rohan Fort, 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.

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

Beta 6 -- Unit Hiring Update
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.

Beta 7 -- The Mirkwood Update
Mirkwood and its inhabitants were added in this update, along with a few generated structures for the inhabitants to live in.

Beta 8
This update was much more random, at least in terms of content added, compared to many other updates in the mod. It added Rohirrim, cavalry units, Dwarf Houses, and Barrel Brewing.

Beta 9 -- Ranger Update
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 Eriandor were also added.

Beta 10 -- The Fangorn Update
Fangorn, Ents, and more Dunlending content was the main focus of this update.

Beta 11
One of the smalller updates of the mod, Beta 11 added the Mountain Troll and the Ettenmoors.

Beta 12
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.

Beta 13 -- The Update That Changed The World
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.

Beta 14 -- Fast Travel Update
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.

Beta 15 -- Factions & Structures Update
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 Lindon, 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. 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.

Beta 16
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 recoded to work with Minecraft 1.7.2.

Beta 17
In this update the High Elves of Lindon were added, along with Near Haradrim.

Beta 18 -- Harad & Rhun Update [Current Version]
The Eastern lands of Rhun were added in Beta 18, along with more Near Harad content, including Near Harad villages. The Dwarves of the Blue Mountains also became a seperate faction from Durin's Folk, and Blue Dwarven Equipment was also introduced.

Beta 19
Beta 19 will see Banner functionality be expanded in order to allow them to be used to claim land, when placed atop a block of Gold. Bandits will also be added, along with invasions.

Beta 20, 21, 22
These updates will probably see Rhun and Harad content, among other things.

Beta 23 and beyond
What the far future holds is unknown; quests and major structures will maybe be the focus of these updates.