The Dwarf Holds (TDH) is a mod for The Battle for Middle-Earth. TDH adds a fully-functional Erebor faction, significantly updates the gameplay and artwork of the original four factions, and includes a wide array of maps covering the whole of Middle-earth.
TDH's latest version, 0.75, was released in March 2012, and can be downloaded from our downloads page. For more information, check out our news (below), screenshots on our media page, and information about new content on our about page.
News - July 3rd Update: What To Expect
Posted on July 2, 2012, by _Haldir_. View Comments (39)
Hey there!
It's been quite a while since our last update and the release of the 0.755 patch, which we hope you're all enjoying. But even though things have been fairly quiet here in terms of public updates, don't worry! The team has been hard at work on lots of exciting new things. So in this update, we thought we'd give you a little peek at what's been happening behind the scenes, and what you can expect from the Dwarf Holds over the next while.
For those of you who haven't guessed as much already, i'm pleased to announce that The Dwarf Holds is currently working on adding in two brand new campaigns. Those of you who were savvy enough (or illiterate enough 
) to venture past the "Unavailable" buttons in the mod's campaign section may have even caught a glimpse of the beginnings of a new Living World Map. Well, see below for the nearly-finished result.
Now we don't want to give away too many details, but we can tell you that there will be two Dwarven campaigns. One will follow the story of Balin, and his ill-fated Retaking of Moria. The other will take you through the War in the North, and the Dwarven battles that took place during the War of the Ring.
Each campaign will contain plenty of new maps, new units, and new spellbook powers for you to experience; and we've made sure to include a unique and interesting variety of campaign missions and map objectives for you to play through.
As i said, we wouldn't want to ruin the surprises by showing you too much of the different campaign missions, so updates will probably be fairly scarce from now on. However, we'll certainly try and give you small glimpses when we can, so here's a little sneak peek at the first mission of the Moria campaign, The Eastgate.
Posted on July 2, 2012, by _Haldir_. View Comments (39)
News - The Dwarf Holds 0.75
Posted on March 23, 2012, by Nertea. View Comments (52)
After a lot of work, things thrown at walls and lots of time, we can finally announce that The Dwarf Holds version 0.75 is ready to download. It contains tons of new content, including new units for every faction, new spells, new heroes, new buildings - the works! It also fixes many bugs and makes balancing changes. For the full changelog see here (though it's missing a few maps). You can also have a look though the extensive manual - included with the download or available here.
Note: because we made some changes to the auto-updater, you cannot use it to update to the new version. Unfortunately, you have to download the full installer. Sorry about that!
To download, just head over to our ModDb page. We also have an alternative download on LOTR Files.
If you find and bugs that aren't listed in the manual/changelog, post them in bugs threads here. We'll address them as well as we can.
The TDH team hopes you enjoy the release!
Posted on March 23, 2012, by Nertea. View Comments (52)
News - January 23rd Update: Rohan Spellbook, Part II
Posted on January 23, 2012, by _Haldir_. View Comments (16)
Update time!
This week we'll be revealing the last of the changes to Rohan's spellbook, which also makes this the last Rohan update!
Replacing the now-obsolete Anduril ability as one of Rohan's tier 2 powers is Aid from Lorien. A passive power, Aid from Lorien allows the player to recruit Haldir and the Galadhrim from the Rohan Archery Range.
With the ability to toggle between bow and sword, the Galadhrim are the same elves you know and love - with the exception of the trample immunity offered by their sword toggle, which has been removed. Your Galadhrim can still be upgraded with heavy armour, forged blades and fire arrows; can remain stealthed amongst trees; and can be combined into a double battalion.
Also joining Rohan's hero roster is Haldir, who is buildable from the archery range once Aid from Lorien has been purchased. A resourceful and versatile warrior, Haldir is able to remain hidden amongst trees; and his rank 1 Toggle allows him to switch between bow and sword. Whilst using his bow, Haldir is also able to use his rank 1, Pinpoint Strike ability, which damages an enemy unit and reduces their speed for a short duration. 
At rank 4, Haldir gains his Elven Captain leadership ability, granting an attack and experience bonus to nearby Galadhrim. And lastly, at rank 7, is Haldir's Call Volley. When selected, Haldir fires a flaming signal arrow, which soon brings a flurry of arrows down on any unfortunate enemies within the targeted area.
And as many of you have guessed, replacing Army of the Dead as Rohan's final spellbook power are The Three Hunters. For 10pp, you can temporarily summon, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli to the map, each with a range of unique abilities.
Firstly, each of the Three Hunters share the passive Hunter ability, which grants Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli a small boost to armour and speed whenever they are nearby either of the other hunters.
Aragorn gains his Knife Throw ability, which damages and reduces the armour of the targeted unit. Athelas allows Aragorn to heal his fellow hunters, as well as other friendly heroes; and Blademaster vastly increases his attack speed and damage for a short duration. A natural born leader, Aragorn's Leadership inspires surrounding troops, granting them a damage and experience bonus.
Legolas retains his Hawk Strike ability, allowing him to fire twin shots at a targeted enemy. Knife Fighter allows Legolas to temporarily switch to melee attacks, as well as granting him a boost to armour. Legolas' Train Archers grants experience to targeted units; and his Elf Eyes ability allows Legolas to reveal stealthed enemies within a targeted area.
Gimli keeps his Axe Throw ability, allowing him to take out multiple enemies at once. Donning the shield he was given by Theoden in Rohan's capital, the Buckler of Edoras grants Gimli an increase to defence, at a cost to speed. And lastly, Gimli's Dwarven Vengeance ability allows him to regain small amounts of health whilst attacking. A passive ability, it also inspires surrounding troops, providing them with a small boost.
And that's it! Hope you enjoyed this week's update, keep your eyes peeled for a release announcement which hopefully won't be too far away!
Posted on January 23, 2012, by _Haldir_. View Comments (16)
News - January 16th Update: Rohan Spellbook, Part I
Posted on January 16, 2012, by _Haldir_. View Comments (15)
Hey there!
In this weeks update, we'll be looking at the first lot of changes to Rohan's Spellbook.
Replacing Heal as one of Rohan's tier 1 powers is Ride Light and Swift. When activated, this global ability grants all your mounted units an increase in speed and a decrease in trample deceleration. Lasting for 30 seconds, Ride Light and Swift can be equally useful in cutting through enemy ranks, outmaneuvering foes, or for making hasty retreats.
At tier 2 is Muster of Rohan, replacing the now completely-removed Elven Wood. For 2pp, this ability provides a 60 second bonus to all stables when activated - decreasing the cost and build time of all mounted units. When combined with the cavalry discount provided by farms, the cost of mustering your rohirrim can be incredibly low!
Lastly, the Oath of Cirion replaces the Elven Allies power at tier 2. At a cost of 3pp, this ability summons 2 battalions of Gondor Archers and 2 battalions of Gondor Spearmen to Rohan's aid. Upgraded with heavy armour, your Gondorian allies can be extremely useful in raiding undefended settlements, outflanking enemy troops, or simply bolstering your existing forces.
And that's all for this update!
Next week: Rohan Spellbook Part II
Posted on January 16, 2012, by _Haldir_. View Comments (15)
News - January 9th Update: The Heroes of the Mark
Posted on January 9, 2012, by _Haldir_. View Comments (13)
Hey everybody!
Before we dive into the second Rohan update, we thought it'd be nice to give you an update on the progress of the mod. Unfortunately, Nertea is going to be away for a couple of weeks, so the release of the next patch is going to be delayed until after he comes back. Rest assured though, that progress on the mod is going swimmingly, and that besides some bugfixing and polishing, there isn't a lot left to finish off. You've all been incredibly patient - just hang in there, it won't be much longer 
Until then however, i'll be taking over the next few updates, which will cover the last changes included in the next version, 0.75!
In this update, we'll be looking at some exciting changes to the Rohan hero roster.
Firstly, in keeping with the changes made to his Gondorian counterpart Pippin, Merry will be receiving a new power - Esquire of Rohan. Available at rank 4, this passive power grants Merry a boost in armour and health. Merry otherwise remains unchanged, retaining his Elven Cloak and Toggle Sword/Rock abilities.
Newly added to Rohan's ranks is Gamling the Old. Although a capable warrior on foot, Gamling can also use his Mount ability at rank 1, allowing him to join the ranks of your rohirrim archers. A stout and loyal soldier, Gamling's Fealty ability is also available at rank 1, which grants Gamling a passive experience boost whenever near Theoden, Eomer or Erkenbrand. At rank 4, his Master of Archers leadership provides a passive attack buff to yeoman archers and rohirrim archers.
At rank 6, Gamling is able to summon The King's Standard, a banner that provides leadership and replenishes nearby battalions. It is only temporary however, and can also be destroyed by the enemy if not protected.
Also joining the Rohan hero roster is Erkenbrand. A great warrior and strong leader, Erkenbrand's rank 1 ability, Horn of the Westfold, inspires nearby troops and provides them with boosts to attack and speed. At rank 3, Erkenbrand displays the Red Shield of the Mark, which grants Erkenbrand additional health, as well as attack and armour bonuses to peasants, westfold miltia and yeoman archers. And like most of the Rohan heroes, Erkenbrand is equally skilled on horse and foot - his Mount ability available at rank 4 allows Erkenbrand to ride forth with the rest of your Rohirrim.
Erkenbrand receives his Rally the Westmark ability at rank 6 - a passive ability which decreses the cost of peasants, horsemen of the mark, and westfold militia. And finally, Erkenbrand becomes a truly fearsome warrior at rank 8, when he receives his Hammerhand Reborn ability. When activated, Erkenbrand's damage is greatly increased, and he may randomly deliver a devastating blow to knock back and damage his surrounding enemies!
Lastly, as many of you know, Aragorn and Gimli have assumed their roles amongst the heroes of Gondor and Erebor respectively. As such, Legolas has also been removed from Rohan's heroes. Don't worry though, more will be revealed on the fate of the Three Hunters in a future update 
Next week: Rohan Spellbook Part I
Posted on January 9, 2012, by _Haldir_. View Comments (13)