Aspects are the basis for all of Thaumcraft's resources, structures and research. They represent the "flavors" of magical energy (vis and essentia), and the knowledge used for research. Nearly every item, block, construct, and entity (including mobs) in Thaumcraft (or add-ons designed for Thaumcraft) is represented by a characteristic combination of aspects. (Players have Humanus and two random aspects.)
Mobs and objects from other mods may also have aspects: These can be specified by the mod, or supplied by a "bridge" mod connecting it to Thaumcraft. For many crafted items, Thaumcraft itself can calculate the aspects from their recipe, even if the mod itself has not specified them.
Each aspect is identified by a Latin name, an icon, and a characteristic color. The six Primal Aspects are Aer (air), Aqua (water), Ignis (fire), Terra (earth), Ordo (order), and Perditio (entropy), which are combined pairwise to produce successively more complex Compound Aspects. The example from the Thaumonomicon is combining Terra and Aqua to produce Victus. There are 48 aspects present in Thaumcraft itself, but some "add-ons" add additional compounds.
Thaumonomicon Entry[]
"Every item, object, or creature is bound by varying mystical elements known as aspects. Aspects describe the objects makeup and bent toward the magical elements. A simple stone may possess the aspect of Terra while more complex items like trees or even creatures can be made up of various different aspects in varying amounts. There are close to 50 known aspects with more being discovered all the time."-Basic aspects, Thauminomicon
"There are two main types of aspects: Primal and Compound."
"Primal Aspects are the most basic types of aspects and there are only six of them: Aer (air), Terra (earth), Ignis (fire), Aqua (water), Ordo (order), and Perditio (entropy)."
"These form the basic building blocks of all other aspects."
"Compound Aspects are built from two other aspects. The simplest compound aspects are made from two primal aspect, but it is possible to have incredibly complex compound aspects made from successive layers of simpler aspects."
"The simplest example of such a compound aspect, is the aspect of Victus (life) that is the combination of Terra and Aqua."
"To view what aspect an item possesses, simply hover your cursor over the item and press sneak (shift), and you will see what aspects that item has and what amounts of each, Though you will first need to study that item with a Thaumometer, until then the aspects will remain unknown."
"Aspects that have somehow been separated from their object and purified is known as Vis and is very valuable: both as a crafting ingredient and as a subject for magical research."
"Vis is most often bound into wands, but it is also possible to store it as a magical liquid. Vis stored as a liquid known as Essentia."
Research[]
The player begins with knowledge and research points for each of the primal aspects. They can gain more research points, and learn compound aspects, by scanning mobs, blocks, constructs, items, or nodes with the Thaumometer. This scan will reward the player with research points in the associated aspects. However, if the scan target has aspects the player has not yet learned, additional restrictions apply: The item cannot be scanned unless the player knows both the component aspects of each unknown aspect. If the player does have this basic knowledge, they will learn the new aspect (and gain triple points for "discovering" the aspect). If an item somehow has no aspects, there will be a message "Nothing can be learned from this item." This applies to some items which are not crafted (especially if they come from another mod), or whose crafting recipes would suggest that their aspects would be less than a point.
In general, most scannable items will yield research points equal to their own aspect values. However, nodes will give points of approximately one-tenth the nodes strength in its various aspects, and if a player's point totals become high enough, they will receive fewer points than they would otherwise expect. A common Warp effect can also give single research points in random primal aspects. These points are spent in the process of researching new devices and informational topics. Once scanned, an item's aspects can be viewed at any time by hovering the cursor over the item in any inventory. The Thaumonomicon keeps a list of all aspects discovered by a player, along with a listing of their combinations, and a summary of the items containing each aspect.
The Research Table also allows combining aspects to discover new ones or gain points for known compounds. Other aspects which are useful to discover at the research table are Spiritus (found only in certain items from the Nether), and Tempestas, which is not otherwise found in the world (the occasional wisp notwithstanding). Note that combining research points is "lossy", you get only one point of the compound for 1 point apiece of each component. The research table cannot separate compounds into their component aspects. However, the Deconstruction Table can produce primal research points from surplus items, which can then be combined as above.
Placing bookshelves and crystal clusters around the research table will also provide "ghost points", which can be used (only) when the player has otherwise run out of points in that aspect. Ghost points regenerate over time, and are indicated by a "sparkle" on their icon in the table GUI. See the research table's page for full details.
Magic[]
The two forms of magical energy, vis and essentia, can both appear with any aspect.
Vis is generally extracted from nodes and stored in wands (including staves and scepters), but slain mobs will also drop "aspect orbs" which a wand (etc.) can absorb. However, vis of compound aspects (found in some nodes) cannot be directly used: Whenever it is extracted or transmitted, each point of a compound aspect is replaced by a point of one of the primal aspects the compound is ultimately composed of.
Essentia, in liquid or crystalline form, can appear in any aspect. It is normally extracted as a liquid from objects, by dissolving them in a crucible or distilling them in an Alchemical Furnace. However, the advanced item Liquid Death can also extract aspects in crystalline form, from mobs. The liquid form of compound aspects can be separated into its components with a centrifuge, yielding at most 1 point of either component for each point of the compound.
Neither vis nor essentia may ever be combined aspect-wise, thus the more complex aspects must be collected from items or mobs.
Aspect Table[]
The list below contains Aspects and combinations present as of Thaumcraft 4.2, with notes on prior versions. Aspects added by add-on mods are listed in a separate section.
Many aspects had their recipes changed in versions 4.1 and 4.2, their legacy recipes are given in the "notes" column. A couple of aspects were removed entirely in 4.2:
- Granum ("seed", Ordo+Victus)
- Saxum ("stone", Terra+Terra)
Also listed are various sources for essentia of each aspect; both items to be distilled, and any compounds of the aspect. The sources given below are not meant to be exhaustive, merely the most common and available (and especially, renewable) sources at various points in the game. Italicized items are "perfect" sources, containing only that aspect.
There are renewable sources given for all except Tempestas. In addition to the sources below, ethereal essence and mana beans can both have any aspect (including Tempestas), and be distilled for essentia of that aspect.
Downloadable Version Here or Here
Aspect | Keyword | Component 1 | Component 2 | Source Aspect(s) | In-world Sources and Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aer /ˈaː.eːr/ |
air | Primal | Volatus, Auram, Sensus, Motus, Lux, Vacuos, Arbor, Tempestas | grass, tall plants (notably sugar cane), (vanilla) workbench | |
Alienis /a.liˈeː.nis/ |
eldritch | Tenebrae | Vacuos | ender pearls, banners | |
Aqua /ˈa.kʷa/ |
water | Primal | Limus, Victus, Venenum, Tempestas | cactus, sugar cane, lily pads, water source flowering oak saplings and leaves (Biomes O' Plenty) | |
Arbor /ˈar.bor/ |
tree | Aer | Herba | logs (greatwood and silverwood are not perfect), any wooden items | |
Auram /ˈau̯.ram/ |
aura | Aer | Praecantatio | ethereal essence | |
Bestia /ˈbeːs.ti.a/ |
animal | Motus | Victus | Corpus, Pannus, Humanus | raw meat, eggs, spider eyes, animals |
Cognitio /koˈɡni.ti.o/ |
mind | Ignis | Spiritus | Humanus | paper, zombie brains, books, bookshelves
(formerly Terra + Spiritus) |
Corpus /ˈkor.pus/ |
flesh | Bestia | Mortuus | rotten flesh, all meat | |
Exanimis /ekˈsa.ni.mis/ |
undead | Motus | Mortuus | zombie brains, ghast tears, undead mobs | |
Fabrico /ˈfa.bri.koː/ |
craft, repair | Humanus | Instrumentum | crafting tables and its variations, cooked meats, wool | |
Fames /ˈfa.meːs/ |
hunger | Vacuos | Victus | Lucrum | melon slices, meat nuggets, cooked food, wheat |
Gelum /ˈɡe.lum/ |
cold, ice | Ignis | Perditio | snowballs, snow blocks, ice (formerly Aqua + Ordo) | |
Herba /ˈher.ba/ |
plant | Terra | Victus | Arbor, Messis | seeds, vines, nether wart, most plants, leaves (formerly Terra + Granum) |
Humanus /huːˈmaː.nus/ |
human | Bestia | Cognitio | Fabrico, Instrumentum, Lucrum, Messis, Perfodio | rotten flesh, golems, (multiplayer)other players |
Ignis /ˈiŋ.nis/ |
fire | Primal | Cognitio, Gelum, Lux, Potentia, Telum | coal/charcoal, gunpowder, blaze rod, lava source | |
Instrumentum /in.struːˈmen.tum/ |
tool | Humanus | Ordo | Fabrico, Machina, Meto, Pannus,
Telum, Tutamen |
flint, shovels, axes |
Iter /ˈi.ter/ |
travel | Motus | Terra | boats, ender pearls | |
Limus /ˈli.mus/ |
slime | Aqua | Victus | slimeballs, eggs, tainted goo | |
Lucrum /ˈlu.krum/ |
greed, wealth | Fames | Humanus | gold, emeralds, gold coins, gold items | |
Lux /luːks/ |
light | Aer | Ignis | Tenebrae | torches, glowstone |
Machina /ˈmaː.kʰi.na/ |
machine, device | Instrumentum | Motus | buttons (wood or stone), redstone, levers other devices | |
Messis /ˈmes.sis/ |
crop | Herba | Humanus | Meto | pumpkins, wheat, other crops (formerly Messis + Humanus) |
Metallum /meˈtal.lum/ |
metal | Terra | Vitreus | metal nuggets, ingots, metallic items. (formerly Ordo + Saxum) | |
Meto /ˈme.toː/ |
harvest | Instrumentum | Messis | hoes, shears | |
Mortuus /ˈmor.tu.us/ |
death | Perditio | Victus | Corpus, Exanimis, Spiritus | bones, raw meat |
Motus /ˈmoː.tus/ |
motion | Aer | Ordo | Bestia, Exanimis, Iter, Machina, Vinculum, Volatus | trapdoors, doors |
Ordo /ˈoːr.doː/ |
order | Primal | Instrumentum, Motus, Permutatio, Potentia, Sano, Vitreus | silverwood logs, smooth sandstone, (vanilla) workbench Candleberry (Pam's HarvestCraft) Wax (Forestry, Pam's HarvestCraft) Steel (modded, any) | |
Pannus /ˈpan.nus/ |
cloth | Bestia | Instrumentum | string, wool, leather | |
Perditio /ˈper.di.ti.o/ |
chaos | Primal | Gelum, Mortuus, Permutatio,
Tenebrae, Vacuos, Venenum, Vinculum, Vitium |
cobblestone, cactus, gunpowder, (vanilla) workbench | |
Perfodio /perˈfo.di.oː/ |
mining | Humanus | Terra | pickaxes (formerly Humanus + Saxum) | |
Permutatio /per.muˈta.ti.o/ |
exchange | Ordo | Perditio | Copper, quicksilver, droppers, dispensers, shimmer leaf (formerly Aqua + Motus) | |
Potentia /poˈten.ti.a/ |
energy | Ignis | Ordo | Praecantatio | coal/charcoal, redstone |
Praecantatio /prae̯.kanˈta.ti.o/ |
magic | Potentia | Vacuos | Auram, Vitium | greatwood logs, silverwood logs, chiseled sandstone, nether wart, magical items, blaze rods |
Sano /ˈsaː.noː/ |
healing | Ordo | Victus | milk buckets, healing potions, regeneration potions, Triple Meat Treat (formerly Victus + Victus) | |
Sensus /ˈseːn.sus/ |
senses | Aer | Spiritus | all dyes, cocoa beans, carrots, glowstone | |
Spiritus /ˈspiː.ri.tus/ |
soul | Mortuus | Victus | Cognitio, Sensus | soul sand, ghast tears, mob heads |
Telum /ˈteː.lum/ |
weapon | Ignis | Instrumentum | arrows, weapons (formerly Perditio + Instrumentum) | |
Tempestas /temˈpes.taːs/ |
weather | Aer | Aqua | Only available from mana beans or ethereal essence in vanilla Thaumcraft iron fence, wind mill (IndustrialCraft 2, with Electro-Magic Tools addon installed) weather collector (MineFactory Reloaded) clouds (Natura) | |
Tenebrae /ˈte.ne.brae̯/ |
darkness | Lux | Vacuos | Alienis | mushrooms, obsidian (formerly Lux + Perditio) |
Terra /ˈter.ra/ |
earth, ground | Primal | Herba, Iter, Metallum, Perfodio,
Tutamen, Victus, Vitreus |
dirt, smooth stone, potatoes, cobblestone, | |
Tutamen /tuːˈtaː.men/ |
armor | Instrumentum | Terra | leather, any armor | |
Vacuos /ˈwa.ku.oːs/ |
void | Aer | Perditio | Alienis, Fames, Praecantatio, Tenebrae | wooden bowls, chests, buckets, bottles, phials |
Venenum /weˈneː.num/ |
poison | Aqua | Perditio | quicksilver, spider eyes | |
Victus /ˈwiːk.tus/ |
life | Aqua | Terra | Bestia, Fames, Herba, Limus,
Mortuus, Sano, Spiritus |
eggs, fibrous taint, whitestone (available for scanning in MineFactory Reloaded)
(This is the Thaumonomicon's necessary example for combining research points.) |
Vinculum /ˈwin.ku.lum/ |
trap | Motus | Perditio | amber, potions of Slowing, soul sand, tripwire hooks quicksand (Biomes O' Plenty) | |
Vitium /ˈwi.ti.um/ |
taint | Perditio | Praecantatio | tainted goo, taint tendrils, crusted taint, tainted soil, fibrous taint, tainted mobs | |
Vitreus /ˈwi.treu̯s/ |
crystal | Ordo | Terra | Metallum | glass, diamonds, emeralds |
Volatus /ˈwo.la.tus/ |
flight | Aer | Motus | feathers, bows |
Aspects added by other mods[]
The add-on mods listed here may or may not work with the latest stable release of Thaumcraft.
Thaumic Warden[]
- Exubitor (Warden, Vigilance, Victory, Sacrifice) = Alienis + Mortuus (tier 4)
Forbidden Magic[]
- Desidia (Sloth) = Vinculum + Spiritus (Tier 4)
- Gula (Gluttony) = Fames + Vacuos (tier 3)
- Infernus (The Nether) = Ignis + Praecantatio (tier 3)
- Invidia (Envy) = Sensus + Fames (tier 5)
- Ira (Wrath) = Ignis + Telum (tier 8)
- Luxuria (Lust) = Corpus + Fames (tier 4)
- Superbia (Pride) = Volatus + Vacuos (tier 3)
The Elysium[]
Sanctus (Holy) = Spiritus + Auram
Gregtech[]
- Electrum (Electricity, Lightning) = Potentia + Machina (found in different types of machines and wires)
- Magneto (Magnetism, Attraction) = Metallum + Iter (found in magnetite ore)
- Nebrisum (Cheatyness, Raiding) = Lucrum + Perfodio (found in platinum ingot)
- Radio (Radiation) = Potentia + Lux (found in aura node, maybe in Uranium)
- Strontio (Stupidity, Incompetence) = Perditio + Cognitio (found in aura node and Alumite dust)
Avaritia []
Terminus (Apocalypse) = Alienis + Lucrum
Magic Bees
Tempus (Time) = Vacuos + Ordo (found in Redstone Repeaters)
Botanical Addon[]
Tincturem (Color, Iridescence) = Lux + Ordo
See also[]
- Research Quickstart, some hints to quickly learn all the aspects by scanning.
- Some Block aspects
- Online Research Helper for all new-minigame versions.
Graphic[]

Trivia[]
- All Aspect's names are derived from latin; vitium (taint), for example, means crime, or misstep.