Getting Started (Thaumcraft 4)

What is this mod about?
Thaumcraft 4 is a mod created by Azanor as a successor to Thaumcraft 3, by the same author. It is a mod that enables players to collect magical energy as aspects and their vis and essentia forms and use them to create magical tools, weapons, armor, and machinery; as well as autonomous golems commanded by the player.

Who is this mod for?
Thaumcraft 4 is a massive mod that provides an alternative to more technology oriented mods. If you enjoy magic, steam-punk, weird science stories and amazing special effects, then this mod is for you.

What mods are compatible?
Thaumcraft is compatible with most of the mods that can be found in popular FTB modpacks, creating some interesting combos with a few of them in particular. In turn, there are also a variety of addons made for Thaumcraft 4 that boosts certain features of the mod.

New resources, biomes, dimensions and mobs
Thaumcraft adds 3 new biomes into the game: Magical Forest, Eerie and Tainted Lands. In addition, it adds in-game mechanics for a player to alter existing biomes, converting them into one of the above. The Thaumic Tinkerer addon also includes a new bedrock dimension that is full of resources but difficult to access.

For each of the 6 primal aspects, Thaumcraft generates "Infused Stone" ores in the overworld, which can be mined for "Shards" of their respective aspect. Amber-bearing Stone and Cinnabar Ore are also generated, alongside 5 plants: Greatwood Trees, Silverwood Trees, Cinderbloom, Shimmerleaf and Mana Beans.

Thaumcraft also adds several hostile mobs, a new neutral mob (The Pech), and golems of various materials that can be used to automate processes.

Basic Necessities
In order to start the adventure with this mod a player will need to create their first magic wand. It is created by combining two Iron Caps and a Stick in the crafting table.

Iron caps are created from 5 Iron Nuggets placed in the shape of a helmet.

Next, the player will need a Bookshelf. Right-clicking it with the wand will transform the bookshelf into the "Thaumonomicon", an interactive guide to the mod, allowing the user to explore and discover the entire Thaumcraft world. The final step is for a player to create their "Thaumometer" by combining any 2 shards, 2 Gold Ingots and 1 Glass in a crafting table.

Basic Mechanics
In Thaumcraft, almost every item, in addition to being composed of ordinary matter, is formed from magical aspects, invisible to those without the correct equipment.

There are 6 basic primal aspects in the world:

By using the Thaumometer, the player will be able to scan, by holding down the right-mouse button on blocks and entities they are currently looking at, and learn about the aspects that compose it. In the scanning process player will discover combinations of aspects and learn that primal aspects can combine together to create more complex aspects, which in turn combine, presenting 7 tiers of aspect beyond the base "primal" aspects. There are 51 aspects in total.

After the player unlocks enough complex aspects, they are ready to start researching. In order to do so, the player must craft the Thaumonomicon, paper and Scribing Tools. After right clicking their Thaumonomicon, the player will be able to select one of many research topics to explore. As long as the player has paper and Scribing Tools in their inventory, left-clicking a research objective will consume one paper, reduce the Scribing Tools' durability, and produce a Research Note. (It is worth noting that not all the research is available to the player immediately, and some advanced topics have to be unlocked by doing more basic research).

Next, the player will have to craft a Research Table. This is done by putting 2 Tables next to each other and placing Scribing Tools on one of them. The tables will then join into one Research Table. Right-clicking it will open up its GUI. The research table allows the player to combine simpler aspects into more complex aspects, and complete the research provided by notes. By placing the research note in the table the player will start the research mini-game. Solving it will complete the research and update the Thaumonomicon, allowing the player to access their newly discovered knowledge.

Research Minigame
The goal is to connect all of the given aspects to one another through the use of the aspects you have discovered. In order to link one aspect to another they must be one tier apart and one of them must be a constitutive aspect that makes up the other. One way of doing this is by combining aspects to create compound or "higher tier" ones, such as combining Aqua and Terra to give Victus. This Victus aspect can then be placed either next to an Aqua or Terra, or next to any aspect directly crafted from Victus. From there you keep moving up and down the tiers of aspects until they are all connected which results in the creating of a research scroll. To add it to the Thaumonomicon, right-click with it in hand.

Tips and Tricks

 * 1) It is strongly recommended that players start their research with Research Expertise and Research Mastery as it will greatly accelerate all other research.
 * 2) If you are struggling to find items to scan or are frequently presented with the "You don't have enough knowledge to scan this item" message, you can try combining aspects together in the research table to unlock new items.
 * 3) Almost everything in the Nether is composed of.
 * 4) Many mods are compatible with Thaumcraft 4 so try scanning everything you see in the game.
 * 5) The deconstruction table will destroy items placed in it and produce a primal aspect. If you ever run low on aspects, use it and then combine primal aspects into more complex forms. Crystal clusters of aspects can also be placed around research tables to generate "ghost points" that will allow the player to use a slow-regenerating aspect point in any of the primal six.
 * 6) Searching for nodes in the night may be dangerous but makes them more visible in the dark background of the night. Nodes show up more clearly when looked at through the Goggles of Revealing, or through the Thaumometer.
 * 7) Some research requires you to scan a specific item.
 * 8) Remember that ores, ingots, and nuggets are all different items and each of them can be scanned separately for new aspects.
 * 9) Putting Crafting Tables in the Deconstruction Table will produce all primal aspects.
 * 10) The first item you scan which contain a yet unknown aspect will provide double research points.