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 or click the changelog-button at each section.

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, accessible 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 Lothlórien, 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 traveling 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 The fighting 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 smaller updates of the mod, Beta 11 added the Mountain Trolls 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 variants) 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 beginning of a Middle-Earth shaped map. Rhûn 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 lions, 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 & Rhûn Update (July 1st, 2014)
This update added Rhûn, 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. It was the largest update until Beta 25.

You can download this update here. (Minecraft 1.7.10)

Beta 22 -- Road Update (February 1st, 2015)
This update marked the second anniversary of the mod's first public release.

This update added roads through the lands of Middle-earth, and dramatically improved world generation with a new biome variant system that is overlaid 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.

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 bricks for all three factions.

Other important features 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)
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 this update here. (Minecraft 1.7.10)

Beta 25 -- Jungle Update (November 7th, 2015)
This update was the largest so far and most notably added the Tauredain, Barrow-wights, a new combat system, 'spawn into Middle-earth' world type and much more.

You can download this update here (Minecraft 1.7.10)

Beta 26 -- Uruk Update (December 25th, 2015)
This updated added some Isengard content, such as Isengard Snagae and improved Uruk-Hai Berserkers, as well as Gundabad Uruks, better clouds and other things, like willow trees and Dwarven Smiths. One of the most notable feature of this update was the Circle of Isengard, which has been referred to as the first major structure in the mod.

You can download this update here (Minecraft 1.7.10)

Beta 27 -- Gate Update (February 1st, 2016)
This update marked the third anniversary of the mod's first public release.

This update lacked much of a common theme, however, several of the more notable features include Gates, Kebab, Deer, and many new building blocks. Dwarves and their structures were added to the Erebor biome, specialized Bandits appeared in the lands of Harad, and Ruined Dwarven Towers were added to the Misty Mountains, within which Gundabad Orcs can sometimes dwell. In this update, Ringil, sword of Fingolfin, Mud Bricks, and Elven longspears (Elvish pikes) also were added. It also changed the textures of bronze armor and weapons, as well as Wood-elven arms and armor.

You can download this update here (Minecraft 1.7.10)

Beta 28 -- Northmen Update (April 14th, 2016)
Current mod version 

Beta 28 was the update that added Dale and Dorwinion to the mod, along with a brewing recipe for Red Wine. The Hobbits also received new items, among them a crafting table, banner, and gate. Many new food items were added, such as olives, grapes (red and white), leeks and turnips. Ithilien Ranger Armour and armour worn by the Rangers of the North also became separate items, with the latter receiving a new texture. Other new textures included Dol Guldur weapon, Near Harad Armour, and the Mallorn Torch.

Beta 29 -- The Fiefdoms Update
Launch date announced : Sunday, August 21st!

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

Currently confirmed to be release features learned (mostly) from the Mod's Facebook page:


 * Many New Biomes/Sub-Biomes
 * Gondorian fiefdoms of Anorien, Lossanach, Pelargir, Lamedon, Morthond, and Pinnath Gelin.
 * Harandor being split into two, the current Biome being renamed to Harandor Dessert, while the Northern portion is much less deserty.
 * The addition of Druwaith Laur and Andrast as Biomes.
 * Oases as a Sub-Biome in the Near Harad Desert.
 * Rivers are now Sub-biomes of their parent biomes.
 * A biome for the Valley of, “Imloth Melui” (with waypoint).
 * Many Gondorian additions:
 * Gondor gaining Anorien, Lossanach, Pelargir, Lamedon, Morthond, and Pinnath as Sub-factions, which when added with Ithilien and Dol Amroth will make 8 total Sub-factions.
 * New Banners for each faction, with Dol Amroth's getting a re-design. Also a plain white one presumed to be for the stewards of Gondor.
 * Improved Pelennor Fields, along with the addition of a major structure, Rammas Echor, the wall surrounding Pelennor Fields.
 * 3 types of Gondorian Villages. Each are different sizes with different purposes. Many new types of buildings spawn in them, like farm steads, wells, commoner housing, and taverns/inns. They also have networks of natural feeling roads, along with names and dates of establishment.
 * Blacksmiths now just spawn in villages, and have a slight redesign.
 * A new bathhouse building
 * A new fort, possibly a redesign of the current Fortress.
 * Dark Oaks now grow in Gondor.
 * Dol Amroth Orchards (w/ plum trees).
 * 9 new Item Traders and 15 new Units. This includes (but is not limited too):
 * Dol Amroth Men at Arms.
 * Pinnath Gelin Solders with green based items and chainmail.
 * Axe-men of Lossanach.
 * Morthond Archers.
 * Pelargir “Marines” with Ekets and Tridents (based off of Numenorean ways).
 * Many Mordor additions:
 * Morgul Flowers that, when looked at while having negative Mordor alignment, causes nausea and blindness and poisons when walked through. All of these are negated when player has positive Mordor alignment.
 * Morgul Draught made from the Morgul Flowers. Grants Night vision to those with positive alignment, and poisons those with no/negative alignment.
 * 3 new banners and shields for Mordor Sub-factions: Morgul Vale, Nan Ungol, and Black Uruk.
 * New Mordor Scimitar Design.
 * Improved Road Generation. This includes slabs being used to make a smother road, along with many lesser-traveled roads across Middle-earth spawning deteriorated and in disrepair.
 * The ability to grow party trees for the following tree varieties: Oak, Birch, Beech, Lebethron, Mallorn, Maple, and Mirk-Oaks (mostly likely now also including Green-Oaks and Red-Oaks).
 * Vastly improved World Generation Mechanics.
 * Trees and Forest have gained better forms/generation, including both Mirkwood trees and Lothlorien trees.
 * Spawning of NPCs has been decreased in many of Middle-earth's biomes.
 * Bridges have gained a huge upgrade.
 * Rivers marked on the map have also been made to be much straighter and narrower.
 * Mountains and Hills have gotten an improvement.
 * A option for Middle-earth biomes to randomly spawn like vanilla minecraft/early versions of the mod.
 * The addition of a new type of sand, White Sand.
 * New Rendering for Thatch Flooring.
 * Region/Waypoint names show on the Middle-earth map. The further zoomed-out, the more general the titled regions are, the closer zoomed-in, the more specific the region names are. Waypoints, and some roads, show their names when closely zoomed onto.
 * Food will last 3 times as long now, meaning it will take 3 times as long for hunger points to start falling as they did previously. There will be an option to disable this in the Config File.
 * Hired Units can now be equipped with armour and weapons. They will still have default armour and weapons, but you cannot take said items from them. However, Ranged items do not work at the time. This can be somewhat looked around though, due to originally ranged units using said weapons when too far away for melee attack.
 * Reed Baskets as a new type of chest.
 * Treasure Piles for Gold, Silver, and other metals.
 * New items for holding drinks, including Ceramic Mugs, Flasks, Silver Goblets, Gold Goblets, Drinking Horns, Bronze Goblets, Wine Glasses, Wooden (?) Goblets, and Skull Cups. Glass Bottles can also be used to hold drinks now.
 * Logs can now be made to have bark on all sides: Simply left-click the block with bonemeal.
 * A banner redesign for Dol Guldur.
 * Vastly Improved Mini-Quest System.
 * NPCs with Mini-Quest now have an exclamation point above their heads.
 * The Red Book will record the day a Mini-Quest is accepted, the wording of the NPC when they asked to the quest, the day you completed the Mini-Quest, what they told you when you completed the Mini-Quest, and the rewards received for completing the quest.
 * Improved NPC battling. In short, NPC´s will be able to detect how many allied NPC´s are attacking an enemy NPC, and if there are enough, move on to the next enemy NPC. This will hopefully make battles more realistic by spreading them out more, rather then having every single NPC from each side focus on a single NPC from the other.
 * Configurable option for Creative Structure Spawning being built in a kind of slow motion, time lapse.
 * Swords of Command now target a 12*12*12 area.
 * The removal of Drunkards. Instead, if an NPC is near an allied bartender, they may randomly become drunk.
 * Redesigned Hobbit Taverns.
 * New flowers: Black Iris, Orange Marigolds, and possibly others.
 * A new color for mod as a dye (possibly).
 * Various New Trees
 * A new one in Lothlorien (the Lairosse Tree?)
 * Plum Trees
 * Possibly either Alder or Elm trees (light grey bark, light green leaves).
 * Green-Oaks, the non-corrupted versions of Mirk-Oaks. Includes new logs, planks, and leaves.
 * Red-Oaks are now their own separate type of tree as well. Includes new logs and planks.
 * Mirk-Oaks, though not new, now have their own vines instead of the vanilla vines.
 * Dorwinion Pillars with variants.
 * Many new types of slabs, including dirt path, dirt, and Mordor dirt.
 * Ability to zoom-out to see whole of Arda.
 * Unknown hints/possible curve balls...
 * A picture of mosquitos with a caption about salt and tea. Possible hints at the addition of teas, salts/saltwater, and/or mosquitos.
 * A picture of Turkish Delights. Many have pointed as this being a new food item for Near Harad, though there is no clear answer.
 * "...something rather nice and special for you Elf players..." At the moment, it is unknown what this may be.

And many, many more additions not yet known to the public!
 * A New Gondor Trading NPC The Gondorian Fishmonger.

Statistics of the update:

At last count, the update had (at least) : > 96 new blocks; > 70 new items, of which 13 are new banners; > 39 new classes of mob; > 15 new biomes, and 18 new "biome variants"; > 14 new structures (not including fiefdom variants); > 230 KB of new code; > 300 KB of new textures / speech banks / other assets.

This will be the largest update in the mod's history, with about 240 lines in the changelog!