The Great Desert

• General
• Mobs & Structures

The Great Desert
Map
Geography
Sub-biomes	Desrt Hills, Near Harad boulder fields, Near Harad dunes, Near Harad Half-desert, Near Harad Red Desert, Near Harad Oasis, Near Harad Riverbank
Vegetation	Cacti, dead bushes
Nearby biomes	The Sea [W,E], Umbar [W], Harondor [N], Harnedor [N], Lostladen [N], Mordor [N], Rhûn [NE], Gulf of Harad [SE], Far Harad [S],
History
Added in	Public Beta 15

The Great Desert
Mobs & Structures
Factions present	Near Harad
Mobs and Animals	Camels and desert scorpions
Risk of Bandits	Rare
Risk of Invasion	None
Visiting Traders	Unknown
Generated Structures	see article

“	Many of the Wainriders now passed south of Mordor and made alliance with men of Khand and of Near Harad.	”
–Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, The Lord of the Rings

The Great Desert is the large, barren desert region located south of most of the familiar lands of Middle-earth. Cacti are much more rare here than in the vanilla Minecraft deserts, and surface water is almost nonexistent. The desert is home to the Nomads, people known to have no permanent dwellings and who travel around with all their belongings in permanent search of vegetation and water for their livestock, and for trade opportunities. Their presence secures the bonding between the peoples of Near Harad as they cater for the trade needs of their kin in the Southron Coasts to their west, Harnedor to their north, and the Gulf of Harad to the south of their barren habitat.

Upon entering Near Harad you earn the achievement "The Great Desert".

Due to the intense heat of this desert region, the player will periodically take damage, similar to the way the player will take damage in Forodwaith due to the intense cold. The best way to avoid this is to obtain Harad robes or get out from underneath the burning sun, and to only travel at night ... but mind the scorpions.

Camels spawn here, and can be ridden by any player after being tamed.

Sub-biomes

Half-deserts

This is a transition biome that lies between the Great Desert and the rest of the world. It features sparse vegetation: dry scrubby grass, and the occasional tree, although many of the trees are dead.

Red Desert

This sub-biome is located on north-east of Near Harad. Compared to normal desert, it has red sand and sandstone, from which red brick can be made. This gives this sub-biome a very unique look.

Oasis

This small sub-biome is found randomly throughout the desert. Their appearance is very similar to the lands of the Southron Coasts, and can even have regular Southrons spawn. Oases tend to contain lush, fertile grass with many flowers, usually based around bodies of water. Birds, rabbits, boars and more can spawn in oases. Trees grow such as date palms, cedar trees, cypress trees, oak trees and olive trees. Upon entering an oasis, the player earns the achievement "Jewel of Harad".

Desert Hills

Great ranges of hills covered in sand.

Variants

In the Great Desert, the following biome variants can be found:

• Dunes
• Steppe
• Red boulder fields
• Hills - a version of the great desert with more hills.
• Dead forest (Half-deserts only) - a desert forest of dead trees.
• Sandy scrublands (Desert Hills only)
• Oasis - a place in the desert where there is water and plants and trees grow.

Structures

Throughout all of Near Harad, stone ruins can be found. They are silent witnesses of the strength of sands and winds. The following structures can be found in the desert.

• Obelisks - Tall sandstone structures with fire at the top. Like the Gondor obelisks, they mark the territory of Near Harad.
• Nomad Outposts - Small camps that can be found in the Half-Deserts.
• Nomad Encampments - Larger camps with a bazaar and a chieftain, which can also be found in the Half-Deserts.
• Ruined Desert Fortress - Empty fortresses formerly home to ancient Haradrim. They contain plenty of loot.
• Desert Pyramids - Pyramids that, at first glance, appear empty, with a depiction of the Eye of Sauron at the summit (the pupil of which is a gold block.) Hidden inside is a complex of burial chambers, guardrooms, and a scorpion room, all of which contain some good loot.

Mobs

Desert scorpions will spawn in the desert often during the cool hours of the night, and camels spawn in the day time.

• Scorpions - Poisonous beasts hostile to all. They only spawn in the desert.
• Harad Nomad - Nomads of the Great Desert.
• Nomad Guard - Armed and armored Nomads that are tasked with guarding the caravans from thieves.
• Nomad Archer - Archers of the Nomads.
• Nomad Chieftain - Unit captains that will allow you to hire the above.
• Nomad Bazaar Traders - Traders that can be found in Nomad Encampments.
• Wraiths - Ghosts of ancient Southron kings that inhabit the pyramids found in the desert.

Mining

Beneath the Great Desert all the normal ores can be found, but lapis lazuli is now exclusive to this biome and the other parts of Near Harad.

Vegetation

There is little vegetation in the desert of Near Harad. Here only dead trees grow, and very rarely at that.

Trivia

Glflegolas did a regional spotlight on the Near Harad Desert, which can be found here. If you plan on visiting, make sure to check that out.

Gallery

The Great Desert

The red boulders variant of Near Harad.

A lone Southron Fortress amid the vast sand dunes of Harad.

The border between the desert and the fertile lands.

A Near Harad oasis.

A Near Harad oasis.

A Near Harad oasis.

A Near Harad oasis at sunrise.

The red desert.

Near Harad Half-Deserts

A Southron Fortress in the semidesert.

The dead forest variant.

The steppe variant.

A stunted tree stands alone on the steppe.

The bushland variant.

The One Wiki to Rule Them All has an article on: Near Harad

The Tolkien Gateway has an article on: Near Harad