Changes: Mordor (Biome)

Revision as of 11:14, 3 August 2019

Mordor (Biome)

Map

Geography
Sub-biomes
Mordor Mountains, Udûn, Gorgoroth, Morgul Vale, Nan Ungol, Nurn, Nurn Marshes, Sea of Núrnen, Eastern Desolation

Vegetation
Oak (normal, desert and dead variant in Morgul Vale only), Stabbing Thorns, Charred Tree, Morgul-shroom, Withered Moss, Global common vegetation (Morgul Vale only)

Nearby biomes
Dagorlad [NW], Brown Lands [N], Wilderland [NE], Rhûn [E], Near Harad [S], Ithilien [W]

History
Added in
Public Beta 1

Mordor (Biome)

Mobs & Structures
Factions present
Mordor, (including the Black Uruks)

Mobs and Animals
None (only fell beasts like Wargs and Mordor Spiders)

Risk of Bandits
Never

Risk of Invasion
One does not simply invade Mordor...

Visiting Traders
None

Generated Structures
Mordor Tower Orc Camp Warg Pit Spider Pit (Nan Ungol only) Orc Slaver Tower (Nurn only)

This article is about the biome. For the faction, see here.

“	One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. The great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire, ash, and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume.	”
–The Fellowship of the Ring (film)

Mordor (Sindarin for Black/Dark Land) is a biome that lies to the east of Gondor, to the west of Rhûn, north of Harad, and south of Wilderland. The biome is dark and evil and the homeland of the Mordor Orcs, Black Uruks and Olog-hai. There are lava lakes, ravines, and rivers across the biome, making these lands dangerous for both good and evil. The ground is made completely out of black Mordor Rock, with patches of Mordor Dirt and Mordor Gravel, which adds to the dark atmosphere of Mordor. The water here is black and oily, and there is little vegetation. Scattered across the landscape, large dark boulders and large amounts of lava bear witness to frequent volcanic eruptions from Mount Doom. Only "evil" plants grow here, including Stabbing Thorns, Morgul-shrooms and Withered Moss. As reminders of a long-forgotten past, charred trees can be found throughout Mordor.

The sky in Mordor is darkened by the ash and dust clouds coming from Mount Doom, and blots out both the Sun and Moon. This protects Orcs from debuffs during the day. In addition, these mobs can spawn at any time, not only in the night. Because of this, Mordor is not a good place for good players to be unless you are very well prepared and want to get some alignment.

The roads in the Black Land are made of Mordor Dirt.

Upon walking into Mordor, the player earns the achievement "One Does Not Simply..."

Sub-biomes

Mordor Mountains

These Mountains exist all around Mordor except at the east border. They are actually three mountain ranges: the Ered Lithui (Ash Mountains) to the north, the Ephel Duath (Mountains of Shadow) to the west and southwest, and the unnamed extension of the Ephel Duath to the southeast (though all are the same sub-biome in the mod). They are made of Mordor Rock, and form a nearly impassable wall that protects the heartland of Mordor. Mordor Towers are the only structures that generate here.

Udûn

UdunRoad — The Udûn Road runs through a knot of camps.

Udûn is a valley in the northwest of Mordor. The ground there is rough and jagged, and there are more structures than the normal Mordor biome - especially camps. If the countless Orcs were not dangerous enough, there are many lava-filled ravines in Udûn, which lead many to their deaths. The ground is lower here than the rest of Mordor, making the mountains that surround it on all sides even steeper. In addition, the sky is less red-tinged than it is in the basic Mordor biome and in the Mountains, instead appearing as a solemn reddish-gray.

Gorgoroth

Gorgoroth (Sindarin for Deadly Fear) is a plateau that makes up most of the northwestern region of the Black Land. The ground here is higher and is significantly flatter than the rest of Mordor, and as with Udûn all Mordor mobs and structures are more common than normal. However, the flatness of the ground means that there is no cover for good players - making it all the more deadly. In the very center of this dreadful place is Mount Doom, a fearsome volcano that is the center of Sauron's power, the forging place of the One Ring, and the only place where that Ring can be unmade.

Morgul Vale

The Morgul Vale is the accursed vale where the Nazgûl make their home. The sky in the Vale is a greenish hue. The soil is moderately fertile and supports green grasses and trees. Normal, desert and dead oak trees grown here on the sickly green grass. In addition, Morgul-flowers grow abundantly here; these are no ordinary flowers, for they give nausea, slowness, weakness, and blindness to anyone with under +250 Mordor alignment simply by being near them. Stepping on them gives those and poison. All water that generates in the Morgul Vale takes on a greenish hue, and the rivers are of the Morgulduin variant. Entering these waters gives you the status effects Slowness II, Mining Fatigue II, Poison, and Weakness, unless you have 100 Mordor alignment, in which case you are immune. Gulduril Ore is more common here, and generates starting at Y = 60 as opposed to Y = 32. As a result of this and the large numbers of Orcs present in the vale, it is a haven for the most evil of players, though good players had best stay away.

Nan Ungol

Also called the "Valley of Spiders," Nan Ungol is located in the south-west corner of Mordor. Exclusive to this region are the Mordor Spiders, that can be ridden by Orcs. Mordor Spiders can be bought from Mordor Spider Keepers in Spider Pits. Webs of Ungoliant are scattered all over, and the land is covered by charred trees, implying that it once was a forested vale before the spawn of Ungoliant poisoned it.

Nurn

Nurn (Sindarin for Sad) is the only fertile region of Mordor, and is located around the Sea of Núrnen in the south of Mordor. Grass and other plants grow here, due to the rich ash that is blown by wind from Mount Doom. In Nurn lives thousands of human slaves, working on farms to produce food for the thousands of Orcs in Mordor. You can purchase Slaves of Nurn from Orc Slavers found in Orc Slaver Towers. Occasionally, patches of Nurn Forest will generate here, and Nurn Swampland generates around the points where the various rivers in Nurn empties into the Sea of Núrnen. The fertility of Nurn is only skin-deep, as directly under the topsoil layer is even more Mordor Rock. The sky here is a light brown, as the clouds overhead are thinner. It also rains in Nurn, and the stars are visible at night.

Sea of Núrnen

Nurnen — A view of the waters of the Sea of Núrnen from Nurn.

This sea is located in the center of Nurn, in the south of Mordor. Its appearance is similar to the normal Ocean biome, but the water is a dead brown like all water in Nurn. Four rivers flow down from the mountains into this sea. There can be small islands in the sea.

Eastern Desolation

The Eastern Desolation is a strip of land that makes up the eastern border of Mordor. The Eastern Desolation is a flat plain of Mordor dirt and gravel. Mordor scrubs are more abundant here than elsewhere in Mordor, and there are more charred trees as well, adding to the implication that this was once a pleasant land before some ancient calamity destroyed it. The sky here is a musky brown.

Variants

Mordor itself is unique in that it has no biome variants. The sub-biome of Nurn does, but those are listed on that respective page.

Structures

Several structures generate in Mordor. They are listed below.

Mordor Tower - Tall towers made of Mordor Brick. These towers have a number of floors full of Orc guards, with windows are made of Orc Steel bars. One floor contains three Orc Bombs and three barrels of Orc Draught. At the top of the tower, a Mordor Orc Commander always spawns. Mordor banners can be found in plentiful numbers here. These towers spawn in all Mordor biomes.
Mordor Orc Camps - Camps with 2-4 tents (which are made of wool and charred fences, and include one loot chest), 0-2 Forge Tents (which are made of Mordor Brick and contain Orc Forges), a number of skulls on fences, orc torches, and a Morgul crafting table. Mordor Orcs spawn here, as well as a Mordor Orc Trader. They can be found across all of Mordor, except in the mountains.
Mordor Warg Pits - Pits of Mordor Brick that contain rideable Mordor Wargs, a chest, and an Orc with a lead. They can prove valuable for evil players, as they provide a number of readily-available mounts, and spawn in all of Mordor except the mountains and Nan Ungol.
Mordor Spider Pits - Structures that are similar to Warg Pits, except they contain Mordor Spiders. The spiders in the pits can be tamed, or they can be hired from Mordor Spider Keepers that spawn in the pits. These structures spawn only in Nan Ungol.
Nurn Wheat Farm - Small farms where Slaves of Nurn grow wheat for the Orcs of Mordor. They contain slaves, four patches of wheat, orc torches, water sources, and a Morgul crafting table. They only appear in Nurn.
Orc Slaver Tower - Skeletal, moderately large wooden towers with several floors. They contain Mordor Orcish guards and an Orc Slaver, from which Slaves of Nurn can be bought. They only spawn in Nurn.

Mobs

Sauron has many evil servants living in his dark realm.

Mordor Orc - Evil Orcs of Mordor, equipped with Mordor armour, and armed with Mordor weapons, such as scimitars, spears, battleaxes, daggers, warscythes, or warhammers. They can also be found riding Wargs.
Mordor Orc Archer - Mordor Orcs equipped with Orc Bows. They can be found riding Wargs as well.
Mordor Orc Bombardier - Mordor Orcs with armed with Orc Bombs. They are very destructive, and when the bomb has been used, the Bombardier will switch to a dagger. Hired bombardiers can be re-equipped with new bombs.
Mordor Warg - Wargs allied with Mordor. Wargs are rideable giant wolves, and can be saddled and equipped with Mordor Warg Armour. They can be ridden by Mordor Orcs or archers. They do not spawn in Nan Ungol.
Olog-hai - Trolls bred by Sauron that do not turn to stone in the sun. They are heavily armoured and carry giant warhammers. Some can have two heads, making them even more powerful. They do not spawn in Nurn.
Black Uruk - Deadly Uruks bred by Sauron. They are expensive and elite shocktroops, and deal a lot of damage. They have thick Black Uruk Armour and use Black Uruk Equipment.
Black Uruk Archer- Black Uruks armed with Black Uruk Bows and arrows.
Mordor Orc Commander - Mordor traders that spawn in Mordor Orc Towers from whom you can hire all of the above. They are equipped with Mordor Armour, with the exception of the helmet, and an Orc Skull Staff. They hold a silver coin in their hand to show that they are traders.
Mordor Orc Trader - Mordor Traders that spawn in Orc Camps from whom you can buy and sell goods. They are equipped with Warg Fur armour. They carry coins and use daggers (which may be poisoned) to defend themselves.

Mordor Spider - Large spiders that spawn exclusively in Nan Ungol. They come in different sizes and inflict poison on enemies. They can be ridden by Mordor Orcs and archers. They can be bought from Mordor Orc Spider Keepers. These spiders can be tamed and ridden by evil players only.
Mordor Orc Spider Keeper - Mordor traders that spawn in Mordor Spider Pits from whom you can hire Mordor Spiders. They hold a silver coin in their hand to show that they are traders.

Slave of Nurn - Slaves who farm wheat for the food of hundreds of thousands of Orcs. They can be bought and will plant and harvest whatever seeds you give them. They only spawn in Nurn, primarily in slave farms.
Mordor Orc Slaver - Mordor traders that spawn in Mordor Orc Slaver Towers from whom you can hire Slaves of Nurn. They hold a silver coin in their hand to show that they are traders.

Fixed Structures

Mount Doom

Mount Doom, otherwise known as Orodruin, the great Mountain of Fire, is the one place in Middle-Earth where the One Ring can be destroyed and the evil of Sauron ended forever. However, its location in the middle of Gorgoroth makes this hard to achieve. In the mod, Mount Doom generates just south of the waypoint of the same name, across Sauron's Road. It is a great mountain of Mordor Rock, with a volcanic crater at the top.

Mining

Three ores are exclusive to Mordor, and are the only ores that generate here, since the entire biome is made completely of Mordor Rock. Durnaur Ore spawns here, which is used for Orc Torches among other uses. Morgul Iron is exclusive to Mordor, Angmar, and Dol Guldur, and can be smelted into Orc Steel. Gulduril ore also spawns here (and more commonly so in Morgul Vale), and is used (among other uses) for making Morgul portals back to the Overworld.

Vegetation

Only a few plants grow in Mordor. Trees are usually charred and the vegetation that is present forms a very hostile environment, as some plants will try to harm you. There are, however, mysterious reports of a giant cherry-like tree in the biome. The only plants here aside from charred trees are Mordor scrubs, stabbing thorns, and withered moss. Morgul-shrooms can also be found in the Orc Camps that spawn in Mordor, which can be used as a food source by evil players and are required for brewing orc draught.

The land of Nurn is more fertile, so it has dry grass, trees, sugar cane and even wheat at the slave farms.