Getting Started with Thaumcraft 4

Although some of the basics remain the same, the Research system in Thaumcraft 4 has seen quite an overhaul. This page will give you a first sight of what to do in this latest version of the mod.

Creating your wand

To get started in Thaumcraft 4 you will need to craft your first wand. To do this, all you need is a stick and 10 Iron Nuggets.

Iron cap

After you have gathered the necessary ingredients make your way to the nearest (or any other) Crafting Table. Upon the table, craft your Iron Nuggets into two Iron Caps (to make such a cap, line 3 nuggets in the top slots of the crafting interface, with the fourth in the left middle sloft and the fifth one in the right middle slot—in other words, place them in a helmet shape). Then place one cap in one of the bottom corners, the other in the opposite top corner, and the stick in the center. You are looking for the rough shape of a diagonal line.

Crafting the Iron Capped Wooden Wand

Concentrate your mind, and grab your very own Iron Capped Wooden Wand!

Thaumonomicon

Now that you have your first magic wand, you will need arguably the most important item in your life, a Thaumonomicon, which will record all your Research findings. But this isn't just any book: this book requires the magical fusing of all the knowledge of at least three books. What better place to do that than in a bookshelf? Either acquire one for yourself, or craft one if you have the means to do so. Once you have one, simply place it on the ground and point your wand at it (Right-Click). The knowledge will be fused together and present itself to you in the form of your very own Thaumonomicon.

By this point you may have noticed that your Thaumonomicon is a bit perplexingly empty. I would highly suggest you read any of the topics in the first tab of your Thaumonomicon as they give basic, but usually very helpful advice and hidden tips about Research (you may want to do the same with what's available to you in the other tabs). Looking at other parts than those basic info sections will show you a lot of things that you may have heard hints about during your travels, but never learned enough about to fully understand. Attempting to read these entries will show foreign symbols that will most likely just hurt your head at this point. To better grip these concepts you will need to begin Researching them. You can only research certain aspects of this pantheon of knowledge at a time, requiring you to work your way from more basic concepts into more advanced one, lest you explode your mind with the vast knowledge of advanced concepts.

You are only able to work the concepts in the book that are "highlighted" and have a solid line pointing to them. Sometimes however you will discover concepts in the book you have never heard of, and will mostly likely only accidentally stumble upon these. To start out at this point is craft a Research Table, which is crafted when you use Scribing Tools on the left one of two Tables (you remember how to make those right?) placed side-by-side. To create Scribing Tools, you just need to acquire a feather, a glass jar, and a sac of ink. Place these items in your crafting table to receive what any good scholar should keep with them at all times (really). Once you have your Research Table decorated the way you want (I usually put a Skeleton Skull on mine), pull up a chair and familiarize yourself with the layout.

Arcane Worktable

Once you have the two basic tools of any good thaumaturge, you will need to begin your ascent to magical kingship. But first, where to start? Generally the best place to start is with an Arcane Worktable. To do this, you first need to create a table to infuse a bit of your arcane power. To craft a table, simply make your way to another crafting table with a bit of wooden planks. Place three horizontally in a row to craft some wooden slabs. Then place those slabs back onto the Crafting Table along the middle row, then place two more wooden planks in the bottom corners, roughly in the shape of... a table. Now place the table in a warm corner of your abode, and point your wand at it. And now you have received a place to craft many magical items you may need on your journey.

The Thaumometer

The next important step is to craft yourself a Thaumometer. Without this potent magical lens, you shall not be able to examine the world around you closely enough to understand what kind of Aspect every item, plant and animal is made of—and without knowledge and understanding, how could you even attempt at thorough research, right? Thanks to this tool, you will be able to discover other Aspects than the six primal ones you start with.

The Thaumometer is crafted on your Arcane Worktable with two Gold Ingots, one block of Glass, and one of each of the six types of Shards (Aqua, Ignis, Ordo, Terra, Aer, and Perditio). To use it, simply hold it in your hand and peer through it at whatever item you wish to examine (keep your finger on the right button of your mouse for a few seconds with the Thaumometer selected in your hotbar).

Now, it's time to have a closer look at whatever surrounds you. But keep in mind that the more complicated Aspects may elude you at first: you can only properly read what is made of the primal Aspects, or of Aspects whose combination is that of Aspects you already know. You may want to start with the easiest things to understand, such as soil and stone. You may also want to always carry a set of Scribing Tools and a few sheets of paper with you, for sometimes, examining the world will allow you to directly record findings that will immediately point you towards what you can research.

Only once you have discovered a few more Aspects is it time to get to the actual Research.

Research

The layout of the Research Table may look daunting at first, but it is really quite simple and if your eye sight is good enough, easy to read. In the very first slot of its upper left part, you will see your Scribing Tools. In the slot right next to it, place some sheets of paper, to record your progress. Under those slots, another part will show you the Aspects you have discovered so far.

The Research Table allows you to do two kinds of research:

• Combining two Aspects in the hopes of discovering a new one (purple button).
• Activating Runes to start researching a specific kind of knowledge (green button).

When you want to use an Aspect just place your hand on it on the left side of your table (left-click). However, every time you combine or use Aspects, the amount you had gathered fades (you may see a small number next to an Aspect: this is how many Research attempts you have left in the Aspect). Once they're gone, you will have to gain more of them by exploring the world or combining other Aspects... so you may want to be careful about how you go about doing your research.

Now that you have your paper in the correct spot and a few Aspects to study, simply select an Aspect (and click the green button). If it is liable to lead you to a new kind of knowledge, a parchment will appear in the third top slot, next to your stack of paper. This parchment will be impossible to read at first, except for its title (the name of the research you're attempting to find, when hovering your mouse): all you will see are various runes, as well as nodes (dots). One of those will be a very shiny blue: this is your starting point. Your aim is to link it to the other nodes, the dull purple ones, and to do so, you need to decipher enough of the other runes. To discover which Aspects these runes hold, repeat the process with another Aspect. A rune associated to an Aspect will suddenly start to glow; for instance, Ignis runes will glow red. This kind of rune is called "active". The ones that won't glow are "inactive."

If an Aspect pertains your research, mark it with a green tick; if it doesn't, with a red cross (the mod does that for you automatically). If by chance you see a "red herring" appear on an Aspect, it means that the latter might have been a logical step in your research, but was just a false lead; nevertheless, you can choose to use it to cause several useless runes out of your parchment, and makes things a little clearer.

Move inactive runes out of the way of your nodes by scratching them with your inked feather, for they will only interfere with your research (when left-clicking a rune, several small circles will appear: left-click one of them to move your rune there; bis repetita to move it even further). As for active runes, you cannot move them without deactivating them, which is done by selecting their Aspect (and using the green button, too); activate them again once you have moved them, just repeat the same process (this consumes Aspect points each time, though).

When all the nodes on your sheet are linked the proper way, the parchment will fold itself into a nice roll. Place this new discovery in your hand and transcribe your notes into your Thaumonomicon (right click). Now open your Thaumonomicon and review your notes—the book even adds a magical glow to the tab that contains your new findings. You will have most likely found a full description of your discovery, what it can do, and how to craft it.

Crafting

To craft something you have discovered you will need one of three different vessels, your notes should tell you which needs to be used.

The first being the most simplistic, and one we have already crafted, the Arcane Workbench. To use the Workbench just place the necessary items in their place, set your wand onto the table in the top right corner of the workspace and begin your construction.

The second and more advanced vessel is a Crucible. To create this iron juggernaut is quite simple if you are familiar with basic crafting; simply place an ordinary cauldron on the floor and infuse it with your magical essence (use your wand). Now that you have a Crucible, there are a few more things that need to be done before it is usable. Any apprentice chef will tell you hot water dissolves things faster than cold, so we need some heat. Either place some fire under the Crucible, or some lava. It doesn't matter which, it just needs to burn hot and burn long. Now that the Crucible is heated, simply displace some water from a local reservoir or pond into the Crucible. After a few seconds you will notice that the water begins to boil. Now that it's prepared for crafting, all you need to do at this point is toss some items into the boiling water and they will be broken down into its contained Aspects. Once you feel you have enough magical energy for crafting just use your wand on the Crucible and you will craft an item, if one exists from the magical energies you have gathered. Be warned however, any unused Essentia in the Crucible after crafting will dissipate into the atmosphere, large amounts of this energy can begin to clump together and sometimes have nasty effects on the surrounding environment. If your Crucible starts spewing a foul purple goo onto the ground, it is not a good sign...

The third and most advanced process for crafting is that of Infusion. This large structure, better built outdoors both due to its size and sheer majestic aspect, may only be crafted once you have mastered some basic concepts however, so refer back to your notes to see if you are able to make one of these.

(to be continued)

Thaumcraft 4 Basics!