Our The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria Building Guide will teach you the basics of Building and the best place to Build a Camp!
Once you understand the basics of The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, your attention will turn toward Building a base (which is called a Camp). After all, you'll need a place to Cook your Food and store all of your Resources! In this guide, we'll tell you what you need to know about Building.
How The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria Building Works
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria Building allows you to construct a base in the ruins of Moria. It's pretty straightforward as far as Building systems go -- as long as you have a Hammer and the Resources for Building pieces, you can Build pretty much wherever you like as long as you have placed down a Hearth.
Hearths come in different sizes and you'll unlock more Hearths as you find new Resources. Higher-ranked Hearths will give you a larger area for Building a Camp.
Unfortunately, your Camp doesn't just have to look nice -- it also has to be practical. Orks will periodically Siege whatever Camp you happen to be at. They won't stop until you've killed a good few Orks or you've died. Orks can and will destroy your Camp, forcing you to rebuild some or all of it.
It's a good idea to have multiple layers of walls and/or barriers. Keep all of your valuable items in the interior; this way, your Camp can survive for longer if you die trying to defend it.
Best Place to Build in The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria
The best place to Build in The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is The Upper Armories of Third Deep in Dwarrowdelf. This location only has two entrances to the uppermost balconies and it has plenty of room for you to Build everything you need.
Otherwise, you'd want to set up at a highly defensible location, ideally with only one entrance. You won't be more or less safe Building a Camp on high ground; Goblins and Orks can pop up from underground or drop from the ceiling pretty much anywhere.
That said, you can have some level of control over attacks. Find a location with three walls and one open side such as a dead-end hallway or a side room. This will allow you to focus on defending only one area.
Keep in mind that fast traveling consumes Hunger and Energy, just as if you had made the journey on foot. It's generally a good idea to dismantle some or all of your base and build a new one when you get to a new area on the Map so you can avoid these costs.
Important Tip: Do Not Build in Great Forges in The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria
Unfortunately, it seems that there is a bug with placing a Camp in a Great Forge. If that Camp gets raided, Orks will never spawn to attack it. That means that the Siege never ends, and a neverending Siege means that you lose the ability to go to sleep.
You can temporarily resolve this bug by fighting off a Siege at a Camp in another location. However, this bug can return if you exit the game and load a bugged save. The best way to prevent this bug is to avoid building in Great Forges altogether.
How to Unlock More Building Pieces in The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria
You can unlock more Building pieces in The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria by finding new Resources. For example, picking up Metal Scraps will unlock several Building Recipes that require Metal Scraps.
This isn't the only way to unlock new Building pieces, mind. You can also unlock more Building pieces by Crafting the next level of Hammer.
How to Build Without Foundations in The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria
You can build without Foundations in The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria by placing a pillar first and then putting the upper floor on top of the pillar.
If you attempt to attach a second floor to a wall, it may look fine. However, it appears that it's possible for a foundation to spawn when you load into that area again. Additionally, it's possible for a foundation to spawn anytime you build a floor above ground level.
Placing a pillar, however, seems to prevent this issue entirely in my experience. If you're going to Build a multi-level base, make sure to use pillars to support the upper floors!
Does The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria Have a Structural Integrity System?
Yes, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria has a structural integrity system. This means that you cannot place free-floating Building pieces. If a supporting wall or pillar is destroyed, it's entirely possible for the Building pieces above it to be automatically destroyed.
Make sure to use a good mix of walls and pillars to support your Buildings. If a Building piece is yellow or red, it is not supported well enough and it may instantly collapse if the structures supporting it are destroyed.
That's the end of The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria Building Guide. Take a look at our other guides below!