Conquest Reforged: our modpack for Middle-earth

Why do we need Conquest Reforged?

One of the first things you will notice upon joining ArdaCraft is our assortment of blocks and shapes not featured in vanilla Minecraft; these give us a much wider range of available choices, and allows us to depict both Tolkien’s world and real architecture as accurately as possible. So how are these blocks and shapes obtained, and how big of a role do they play in ArdaCraft? The answer is a well-reputed and expansive mod known as Conquest Reforged.

What is Conquest Reforged?

Conquest Reforged (CR) is a mod which fundamentally changes how building works in Minecraft. Founded in 2016, CR adds over 15 thousand new blocks to the game, from half timbered plasters to romanesque mosaics, that massively expand the limits of what creative builders can use. In addition, the mod introduces new block types, such as the pillar, quarter slab and the much sought after vertical slab; these break up the rigid, grid-like limitations of vanilla and allow more nuanced uses of blocks. For example, pillar and eighth blocks can be used to create more realistic rock erosion and stalactites.

CR is continually being tweaked, changed and added to by a dedicated team of volunteers. The community has been consistently strong since the early days, with frequent build showcases and community-wide votes on major new features such as new models and inventory redesigns.

How is Conquest Reforged used on ArdaCraft?

In 2017, ArdaCraft chose to partner with Conquest Reforged, using their mod to enhance our build and broaden the horizons of what we are capable of. Newer shapes and textures allow us to portray Middle-earth to a degree of accuracy far higher than what is possible using vanilla, whilst keeping the project accessible to as many people as possible. CR blocks make up the majority of all builds, elevating the level of what we can achieve in recreating Tolkien’s descriptions. Since then, the two communities have been closely linked, with ArdaCraft members contributing to CR development and advances in CR allowing ArdaCraft to use new items and blocks. To augment CR, ArdaCraft also has its own Resource Pack (RP), which modifies some blocks found in CR to be more applicable to our build- custom blocks and textures include the Elostirion Palantir and wider varieties of plaster and rock. Furthermore, our RP is worked on by our own team of texture artists, enabling us to add whatever we want, whenever we want it without impacting the rest of the Conquest community.

To conclude, ArdaCraft couldn’t be where it is today without Conquest Reforged; their hard work and innovative development make our project the work of art it is today.