The following is a basic guide to materials to use for faction-specific builds. What materials should I use in building? The best material to line the bottom of your moat is quagmire which is a readily available resource in swamp biomes such as Midgewater Marshes, Swanfleet, Nindalf or Far Harad Swamp.įor additional detail, visit the pages of Defensive Traps and Fort Defence Tips. A moat is also very useful whether the moat is dry with stabbing thorns or cacti on the bottom or filled with lava or water it is guaranteed to work especially against hired units. In the Middle Ages, men would often pour molten tar, pitch or boiling oil through holes above the gate (these were called murder-holes) onto their enemies, to burn them to death. Also note that gates should have reinforced areas which would actually hold the gate together, such as bracing.Ī castle has multiple defences, besides the walls and the men defending them. Remember, this also depends on the size of your fortress. Also, around the outer gate, you should put towers. The keep will usually have a tower, depending on the faction (Half-trolls would most likely not have a tower). The second gate will be smaller, and protect key buildings, such as the keep. Inside the outer gate, there should be the barracks, the armouries, the smithies, and most other buildings. Half-troll and Morwaith would most likely use wood as well. Civilisations based on Germanic societies, such as Rohan or the Beornings, would use wood. Gondor and most Elven factions will use a stone, wood or metal gate. The gate could be made out of different materials depending on the faction. The outer gate should have battlements, places for the archers to hide while they are being shot at these can be simple or very complex. The outer gate will usually be the larger of the two. This may sound trivial, but it will enhance the realism.Ī castle will usually have two gates an inner gate and an outer gate, both being part of an encircling wall.
You can find a step by step instruction how to build in creative mode on the Building In Creative subpage!Ī castle is meant to protect a certain area therefore, it should be near an area of significance, such as a road or a river – or even a source of raw materials. You can find a gallery of Tolkien's artwork for his own writings at Tolkien Gateway.
It is a good idea to look at pictures from the movies if you want a movie style, but bear in mind that this may differ very strongly from what Tolkien had in mind when he wrote the books. This is good for all of Minecraft, not just Middle-earth. Plan the layout beforehand, possibly in a temporary creative world, then build. That is because they might be added in future updates, and it would be nice to have the structure with other structures that are alike and it looks like it belongs. If you build something about a not added faction, try building it in the area where it might be.