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 - 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 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)
News - November 21st Update: The White Hand Part II
Posted on November 21, 2011, by Nertea. View Comments (27)
In this update, I'll be showing off Isengard's new hero and some major changes to Saruman.
Saruman starts off with a new Rank 10 power - Storm. This power can be cast on enemy buildings to massively decrease their production output while damaging them as well. Don't like your opponent's prized Level 3 Mumakil Pen? Well, a Storm or two will destroy it. The rest of his powers are unchanged.
Eventually Saruman the White broke light to see what it was made of, and so became Saruman of Many Colours. In the mod, Summon Balrog has been replaced by a power upgrading Saruman. This gives him a host of new devastating powers to choose from. Firstly, Wizard blast becomes Crushing Blast, a new power with greater range that deals crushing damage to all enemies causght within its area of effect. Fireball is improved to Searing Fireball, which ignites the ground for several seconds after impact. Both Dominate and his Leadership powers also increase in radius and strength. Speech Craft is replaced by Isengard Unleashed, a new power that greatly boots the production speed of a target building for quite a long duration. Finally, Storm is also replaced - Duel of Minds is another crafty new power. When used, Saruman will engage in a duel of wills with the opponent. This has the effect of debuffing all of their attributes and doing some light damage. The power lasts until Saruman is moved or uses another power, so can be used to lock down an opponent's hero. However, there are a few mighty characters with the mental fortitude to stave off this attack completely...
Besides this set of powers, Saruman also casts lightning bolts when upgraded, which provide a slow but rather powerful attack.
When you purchase Saruman of Many Colours from the spellbook, you also gain a new structure. Your Citadels construct a scaffhold around them upon which Saruman can perch and give orders to his minions. From the building, you can purchase Focus upgrades. Only one can be active at a time, but you may choose from modes that benefit Uruks, Archers, Warg Riders, Siege Weapons or resource collection.
Posted on November 21, 2011, by Nertea. View Comments (27)
News - June 28th Update: Gondor Unit Roster Changes
Posted on June 28, 2011, by Nertea. View Comments (24)
There are a couple of changes to Gondor's units roster in the new version of TDH:
Firstly, Gondor Soldiers have been replaced with Gondor Spearmen. Functionally, they are practically identical to the old unit, though they have a little more attack range, better armor against cavalry and slightly higher cost revenge damage. They cost a wee bit more too (20).
EA's strange Tower Guard unit is also gone, replaced with Citadel Guard. Again, these are functionally identical and are just a graphical upgrade. The Fountain Court guard remain as rare, powerful units instead of being front-line combatants.
I should also probably mention that we (Matias) have done another reskin/remodel of all the basic Gondor units. No more weird rigging or strange pointy bits!
The most interesting new unit though is the Gondor Captain. Like the Dwarf Captain, he's a powerful single unit that can lead men into battle to improve their performance. The leaders of Gondor are however quite different than their Dwarven counterparts. While the Zirak-Burkûn sported leadership that grew in strength when they leveled, the Gondorian Captains instead unlock powers in a fashion similar to a standard hero. However, all experience is lost when they die, and you can only purchase up to 3 at a time. Captains are trained at a Level 3 Barracks.
You can also choose to specialize your Captains as captains of the City or of the White Tower, representing men that lead Gondor's armies through unfettered heroism or command through cunning and skill. Captains of the City gain bonuses to knockback resistance, health and damage and are overall better fighters - think of Boromir here. Their powers are activated rather than passive - they start with Battle Cry, a triggered buffing power power that improves in range at Ranks 4 and 8. At Rank 5 they gain Hero of Gondor, a passive ability that grants nearby units more damage and speed when the Captain is in combat.
Captains of the White City gain a large spear and some bonuses against cavalry, but it is their various passive leadership abilities that make them most useful. They start with The White Tower's Favour, a bonus that increases defence and experience gain of nearby units. At Rank 4, The Steward's Will is activated, increasing the build speed and experience gain of nearby Archery Ranges, Stables and Barracks. This lets you build your army even faster! At Level 8, they gain Hold Steadfast, which gives additional bonuses to Fear resistance and decreases power recharge times.
That almost concludes our changes to Gondor. Next update will deal with the last set of things - the spellbook.
Posted on June 28, 2011, by Nertea. View Comments (24)