Ars Magica: Legacy in FTB Evolution 2

Same as in the All the Mods 11 0.10.0-beta guide

Ars Magica: Legacy is a port of Mithion's Ars Magica 2 for 1.18.1 and newer. Its big idea is building your own spells and using them to buff yourself, replace tools, fight mobs and more. This pack ships version 1.7.0. The project page warns that the mod is still in development, so many features are not yet implemented and some may not work yet.^[1][2]

What you get

• The project page lists a spellcrafting system where you assemble your own spell from over 100 unique spell parts, though it says many features are not yet implemented.^[1]
• It also lists Magic XP that grows as you cast, so a higher level lets you perform more powerful spells (again, with the page's caveat that not every feature is in yet).^[1]
• The feature list includes a unique and balanced Mana and Burnout mechanic, as far as the page says it is implemented so far.^[1]
• 10 affinities you can shift into, each giving buffs and debuffs depending on how deep your shift is.^[1]
• The project page lists 10 bosses, one for each affinity, with the same not-yet-fully-implemented caveat. The in-game guide gives recommended magic levels, for example 20 for the Earth Guardian and 100 for the Ender Guardian.^[1][3][4]
• The project page also lists in-game documentation through Patchouli, plus datapack customisation of things like unlock costs and mana costs of spell parts, with the same caveat that some features are not yet implemented.^[1]

Getting started

The project page says that on 1.19 and above you will rarely find puddles of Liquid Essence in plains and plains-like biomes. Craft an Arcane Compendium from a book and a Liquid Essence Bucket, and it will guide you through the mod. Keep in mind the page's warning that some features are not yet implemented.^[1]

The compendium's getting started pages mention the Occulus, which has five tabs, the first four of them skill tree tabs. They also recommend a Projectile-Dig spell recipe for beginners.^[5]

Quest book placement

Unverified The sources here do not show any quest chapter, group or ATM Star path entry for this mod, so there is nothing to say about what comes before or after it. Check the pack's quest book in game.

Ars Magica: Legacy is a spellcrafting mod. You put your own spells together from spell parts, earn magic XP by casting, and manage a mana and burnout system. This page covers the first steps in order.^[1]

Step by step

1. Get the Arcane Compendium. The mod's project page gives two routes depending on game version. On 1.19 and above you craft it with a book and a Liquid Essence Bucket, and Liquid Essence puddles are rare finds in plains-like biomes. On 1.18 and below you craft it with a book and a piece of Vinteum Dust. Either way, the Compendium then guides you through the mod.^[1]
2. Know that magic is gated by an advancement. In this pack, magic_advancement is set to arsmagicalegacy:root, and completing it unlocks magic for you.^[6]
3. Open the Occulus. It has five tabs, and the first four are skill tree tabs. You start with two extra blue skill points on top of the one you already get, set by level.extra_skill_points.^[6][7]
4. Build your first spell. The in-game guide recommends Projectile-Dig for beginners. Drag the skills down to the shape groups and the spell grammar section. Naming the spell is optional.^[7]
5. Keep an eye on your resources. Mana is calculated as 200 plus 25 per level above 1, and burnout uses the same base and multiplier. These are the mod's default values, unchanged in this pack.^[6]

Early materials

Once you are casting, you will want the mod's materials. Vinteum Dust is relatively common in the world. Topaz is found in the deepest depths or on the highest peaks and is the entry level magical crystal. Chimerite is found where the stones shift.^[8]

Chimerite ore can be smelted into the gem with the mod's own recipe.^[9]

ChimeriteMod recipe

Smelting

Recipe id: arsmagicalegacy:chimerite_from_smelting_chimerite_ore

Topaz is an example of the pack adding its own routes. A Topaz Ore can be macerated into the gem, and the pack also adds a Hephaestus casting table recipe for it that uses 90 units of molten topaz.^[9]

TopazAdded by the pack

Casting Table (hephaestus)

• 90× Molten Topaz

Recipe id: ftb:hephaestus_materials/casting/topaz/gem

Added by the pack, it casts a Topaz from 90 molten topaz.

Vinteum Dust is purified using Desert Nova and Cerublossom. The pack adds hydroponic growth recipes for both flowers, so you can farm them instead of hunting for them.^[9][10]

CerublossomAdded by the pack

Hydroponic Growth (ftbic)

Recipe id: ftbic:hydroponic_growth/arsmagicalegacy/cerublossom

Added by the pack, it grows Cerublossom hydroponically.

Ars Magica: Legacy is not a machine mod in the usual sense. Its "machines" are a few magic blocks fed with etherium, plus a mana and burnout system for your spells. The sources only explain part of it, so this section sticks to what the pack's config and data files actually show.^[6][11]

Etherium, the Obelisk and its fuel

Etherium is the resource that the mod's magic blocks store. The Obelisk, the Black Aurem and the Celestial Prism each have a configurable etherium cap, and in this pack all of them sit at 5,000: blocks.obelisk_max_etherium for the Obelisk, blocks.black_aurem_max_etherium for the Black Aurem and blocks.celestial_prism_max_etherium for the Celestial Prism. These are the mod defaults, the pack has not touched them.^[6]

The Obelisk burns items as fuel, and the mod's data map sets how fast each one produces etherium. These are the values in the mod's data files, and nothing in the sources shows the pack changing them.^[11]

• Anything in the vinteum dust tag, such as Vinteum Dust: burns for 200 ticks and gives 1 etherium per tick.^[11]
• Anything in the vinteum storage block tag: burns for 900 ticks and gives 2 etherium per tick.^[11]
• A bucket of liquid etherium: burns for 1,000 ticks and gives 2 etherium per tick.^[11]

Liquid etherium also generates in the world. A biome modifier adds liquid etherium lakes to plains biomes in the Overworld, so you can find fuel without crafting anything.^[12][13]

Altar, table and inlays

• The crafting altar is checked as a multiblock. blocks.altar_check_interval sets how many ticks pass between its structure checks, and it is 20 here.^[6]
• blocks.inscription_table_in_world_upgrading is true in this pack, so you can upgrade the inscription table in the world. If it were disabled, the upgrades would have to be applied through crafting.^[6]
• The Gold Inlay teleports over blocks.gold_inlay_range, which is 8 blocks here.^[6]
• The Redstone Inlay multiplies the regular rail's speed by blocks.redstone_inlay_speed_multiplier, which is 2.5 here.^[6]

Mana, burnout and levels

Your mana pool grows with magic level. The formula is base + multiplier * (level - 1), with mana.base at 200 and mana.multiplier at 25. Burnout uses the same formula with burnout.base at 200 and burnout.multiplier at 25.^[6]

Regeneration for both is that same value multiplied by 0.001 (mana.regeneration and burnout.regeneration). Leveling costs multiplier * base ^ (level - 1) XP, using level.multiplier at 2.5 and level.base at 1.1. You also get 2 extra blue skill points at level 1 from level.extra_skill_points.^[6]

The mana regeneration talents multiply your regeneration: talents.mana_regeneration_1_multiplier is 1.05, talents.mana_regeneration_2_multiplier is 1.1 and talents.mana_regeneration_3_multiplier is 1.15. These are mod defaults.^[6]

The one value this pack changed in the config is talents.augmented_casting_multiplier. It is 1.5 here instead of the mod default of 1.4.^[6]

Affinity shifting

Each spell shifts your affinities. A shift is also added at 0.25 to adjacent affinities (affinity.adjacent_multiplier). It is subtracted from the direct opposite at 0.75 (affinity.direct_opposite_multiplier), from major opposites at 0.5 (affinity.major_opposite_multiplier) and from minor opposites at 0.25 (affinity.minor_opposite_multiplier). Continuous spell shapes amplify gains by the 0.25 affinity.continuous_modifier.^[6]

An Affinity Tome adds 0.1 to one affinity and subtracts 0.1 from all the others, set by affinity.affinity_tome_shift and affinity.affinity_tome_reduction. All of these are mod defaults.^[6]

Summons

By default you can hold components.summon_count summon at a time, which is 1. The Extra Summons talent adds talents.extra_summons_count, another 1. Casting Summon costs 20 mana multiplied by the summon's health (components.summon_mana_cost).^[6]

Item handling and automation with other mods

The mod has no pipes or tanks of its own in these sources. Automation comes from other mods in the pack, which add their own recipes for this mod's items. Sunstone gems, for example, can be made from sunstone ore by several machines, including the macerators and pulverizers of FTB Industrial Contraptions, Energized Power, Oritech, LTX Industries, Horse Powered and Occultism. These recipes are added by the pack.^[9]

Aum, the forest flower, can be farmed with machines. The pack adds a hydroponic growth recipe for it in FTB Industrial Contraptions and a garden simulating recipe in LTX Industries.^[9]

AumAdded by the pack

Hydroponic Growth (ftbic)

Recipe id: ftbic:hydroponic_growth/arsmagicalegacy/aum

Hydroponic growth recipe for Aum, added by the pack.

AumAdded by the pack

Garden Simulating (ltxi)

Recipe id: ftb:ltxi/garden_simulating/aum

Garden simulating recipe for Aum, added by the pack.

Moonstone can be cast through Hephaestus Forge in this pack. A gem takes 90 units of molten moonstone, and a Block of Moonstone takes 810.^[9]

MoonstoneAdded by the pack

Casting Table (hephaestus)

• 90× Molten Moonstone

Recipe id: ftb:hephaestus_materials/casting/moonstone/gem

Casting table recipe for a Moonstone gem, added by the pack.

Block of MoonstoneAdded by the pack

Casting Basin (hephaestus)

• 810× Molten Moonstone

Recipe id: ftb:hephaestus_materials/casting/moonstone/block

Casting basin recipe for a block of Moonstone, added by the pack.

Moonstone and chimerite ores can also be processed in a SAG mill from Ender IO. The pack adds those recipes, and they return cobbled deepslate along with the gem.^[9]

Arcane Compendium conversion

The Arcane Compendium conversion runs on its own timer. It checks every 20 ticks (items.arcane_compendium_conversion_check_interval) and takes 50 ticks (items.arcane_compendium_conversion_duration). It reaches 3 blocks horizontally (items.arcane_compendium_conversion_horizontal_range) and 2 vertically (items.arcane_compendium_conversion_vertical_range). Setting the check interval to 0 turns the conversion off completely.^[6]

Ars Magica: Legacy gives you a magic-level ladder to climb, and this pack gives you extra ways to get the materials. In the in-game compendium, each of the ten guardians lists a recommended magic level, so those numbers are the clearest tier markers the sources show.^[14][15]

Guardian tiers by recommended magic level

Going by the recommended level in each guardian's compendium entry, this is the order you would take them in, lowest first.^[15][16]

1. Water Guardian: recommended magic level 10.^[15]
2. Earth Guardian: recommended magic level 20.^[16]
3. Air Guardian: recommended magic level 30.^[14]
4. Arcane Guardian: recommended magic level 40.^[17]
5. Life Guardian: recommended magic level 50.^[18]
6. Ice Guardian: recommended magic level 60.^[19]
7. Nature Guardian: recommended magic level 70.^[20]
8. Lightning Guardian: recommended magic level 80.^[21]
9. Fire Guardian: recommended magic level 90.^[22]
10. Ender Guardian: recommended magic level 100.^[23]

Material tiers

The compendium describes five gem and dust materials. Topaz is called an entry level magical crystal and is found in the deepest depths or on the highest peaks. Chimerite is found where the stones shift. Vinteum Dust is found relatively commonly in most layers of the world. Moonstone is rare and comes from meteorites. Sunstone forms in obsidian touching the Nether's lava oceans.^[8]

Chimerite, topaz and moonstone ores can all be smelted or blasted into their gems with the mod's own recipes. Mined by hand, chimerite and moonstone ore drop the gem itself and respond to Fortune, or the ore block if you use Silk Touch.^[9][24][25]

Extra routes the pack adds

The pack adds machine recipes so you are not limited to hand mining. Ender IO sag milling turns chimerite, moonstone and topaz ore into gems, and Vinteum ore into Vinteum Dust, with sunstone covered too. Occultism crushing gives 2 chimerite, 2 moonstone, 2 topaz, 3 sunstone or 4 vinteum dust per ore. Similar grinding and pulverizing recipes are added for FTB Industrial Contraptions, Energized Power, Horse Powered, LTX Industries and Oritech.^[9]

2× TopazAdded by the pack

Crushing (occultism)

Recipe id: ftb:unification/occultism/crushing/overworld/gem_ore_to_gem/topaz

Occultism crushing topaz ore into 2 topaz, one of the pack-added routes.

The pack also changed the Occultism miner recipe that produces Topaz Ore, so you can get topaz ore from a miner without digging for it.^[9]

Topaz OreChanged by the pack

Miner (occultism)

Recipe id: occultism:miners/iron/topaz

Hephaestus Forge casting is another pack-added route. A casting table turns 90 molten moonstone into one Moonstone, and a casting basin turns 810 into a Block of Moonstone. Topaz works the same way.^[9]

MoonstoneAdded by the pack

Casting Table (hephaestus)

• 90× Molten Moonstone

Recipe id: ftb:hephaestus_materials/casting/moonstone/gem

Block of TopazAdded by the pack

Casting Basin (hephaestus)

• 810× Molten Topaz

Recipe id: ftb:hephaestus_materials/casting/topaz/block

Flowers and farming

The mod's flowers each have a home biome. Aum grows in forests, Desert Nova in dry conditions, Tarma Root in mountain biomes, and Wakebloom on the surface of water in warm climates. Cerublossom thrives in lush, green environments. Desert Nova and Cerublossom both feature in purifying Vinteum Dust.^[10]

If you would rather farm them, the pack adds hydroponic growth recipes and garden simulating recipes for Aum, Cerublossom, Desert Nova, Tarma Root and Wakebloom.^[9]

AumAdded by the pack

Hydroponic Growth (ftbic)

Recipe id: ftbic:hydroponic_growth/arsmagicalegacy/aum

The pack ties Ars Magica: Legacy into other mods in two ways, both through recipes the pack adds itself. Moonstone and Topaz can be cast with fluids from the forge, and one Rune Plate recipe mixes ingredients from three different mods.^[9]

Casting gems with Hephaestus Forge

Moonstone and Topaz are both made in Hephaestus Forge casting, not only found as drops. The pack adds the molten fluids ftb:molten_moonstone and ftb:molten_topaz for this. Each gem is cast in a casting table from 90 units of its molten fluid.^[9]

MoonstoneAdded by the pack

Casting Table (hephaestus)

• 90× Molten Moonstone

Recipe id: ftb:hephaestus_materials/casting/moonstone/gem

Casting table recipe added by the pack: 90 units of molten fluid make one Moonstone.

TopazAdded by the pack

Casting Table (hephaestus)

• 90× Molten Topaz

Recipe id: ftb:hephaestus_materials/casting/topaz/gem

The same 90 unit cost applies to Topaz.

If you want the storage blocks, use a casting basin instead. A Block of Moonstone or a Block of Topaz takes 810 units of the matching molten fluid.^[9]

Block of MoonstoneAdded by the pack

Casting Basin (hephaestus)

• 810× Molten Moonstone

Recipe id: ftb:hephaestus_materials/casting/moonstone/block

Casting basin recipe added by the pack: 810 units of molten Moonstone.

Block of TopazAdded by the pack

Casting Basin (hephaestus)

• 810× Molten Topaz

Recipe id: ftb:hephaestus_materials/casting/topaz/block

Casting basin recipe added by the pack: 810 units of molten Topaz.

Rune Plate: a three-mod cauldron recipe

The Rune Plate is crafted in the cauldron from Just Another Witchery Remake. The recipe is added by the pack and pulls in items from Ars Magica: Legacy, Roots Classic and Witchery itself. One craft gives you 2 Rune Plates.^[9]

2× Rune PlateAdded by the pack

Cauldron Crafting (witchery)

• Purified Vinteum Dust
• Sunstone
• Growth Powder
• Demon Heart
• Refined Evil
• Spectral Dust

Recipe id: ftb:feed_the_beast/rune_plate

Witchery cauldron recipe added by the pack, with Ars Magica: Legacy and Roots Classic items among the inputs.

Good news: this pack barely touches the Ars Magica: Legacy config. Every option in the server config that lists a mod default is left at that default, with one exception. All of the options below live in the same file, so you only need to look in one place.^[6]

The one value the pack changed

talents.augmented_casting_multiplier is set to 1.5 in this pack. The mod default is 1.4. It is the multiplier to various stats used by the Augmented Casting talent, so that talent is a little stronger here than in a stock install.^[6]

Unlocking magic

magic_advancement is set to "arsmagicalegacy:root". Completing that advancement unlocks magic for the player. If you leave the option empty, magic is unlocked from the start with no advancement needed.^[6]

Mana, burnout and levelling

• Mana is base + multiplier * (level - 1). mana.base is 200 and mana.multiplier is 25. mana.regeneration is 0.001.^[6]
• Burnout uses the same formula with the same numbers: burnout.base is 200, burnout.multiplier is 25 and burnout.regeneration is 0.001.^[6]
• The XP cost of a level is multiplier * base ^ (level - 1). level.multiplier is 2.5 and level.base is 1.1.^[6]
• level.extra_skill_points is 2. That is the number of extra blue skill points you get at level 1, on top of the one you already get.^[6]
• mana_to_burnout_ratio is 0.5. It is used when calculating spell costs.^[6]

Talents and summons

• The three Mana Regeneration talents multiply your regeneration by 1.05, 1.1 and 1.15 (see talents.mana_regeneration_1_multiplier, talents.mana_regeneration_2_multiplier and talents.mana_regeneration_3_multiplier).^[6]
• talents.shield_overload_multiplier is 0.95. At full mana with the Shield Overload talent, incoming damage is multiplied by that.^[6]
• components.summon_count is 1, so you can have one summon at a time. The Extra Summons talent adds 1 more (talents.extra_summons_count).^[6]

Spell components worth knowing

• components.damage_damage is 4, in half hearts, for damage-based components.^[6]
• components.dig_tool_tier is 2 for the Dig component, and components.dig_mana_factor is 1.25, multiplied with the block's hardness.^[6]
• components.effect_duration is 600 ticks for effect-based components. components.effect_particles is false, so effect particles are not shown.^[6]
• components.forge_smelts_villagers is true, so the Forge component instantly kills villagers and drops emeralds. Keep that in mind around your villagers.^[6]

Nature Guardian

Killing 20 dryads (entities.dryad_kills_for_nature_guardian_spawn) within 1,200 ticks (entities.dryad_kill_cooldown) spawns the Nature Guardian. Setting the cooldown to 0 disables this way of summoning it.^[6]

FTB Evolution 2 1.1.0 ships Ars Magica: Legacy 1.7.0. The mod was already in the pack in 1.0.2 or earlier, so you may have met an older version before this one.^[26]

1.7.0: a boss drop for every guardian

The 1.7.0 changelog adds ten new items, one for each boss. If you fight the guardians, this is the update that gives you something worth bringing home from each fight. Here is what each one does.^[27]

• Water Orbs (Water Guardian): equip in the Leggings slot, or the Belt slot if Curios is installed. You get infinite air underwater, no water drag, and swim speed similar to Dolphin's Grace. Unbreakable.^[27]
• Fire Antennae (Fire Guardian): fire-proof like Netherite, worn in the Helmet slot or the Head slot with Curios. They negate all incoming fire damage, let you swim and see in lava as if it were water, and disable lava drag. Unbreakable.^[27]
• Earth Armor (Earth Guardian): fire-proof, enchantable, and it repairs itself using mana like Mage/Battlemage armor. It gives 16 armor, 4 armor toughness and 1 extra attack damage, beating Netherite armor in every metric except knockback resistance.^[27]
• Air Sled (Air Guardian): right-click to place it, then ride it for creative-like flight. Shift on the ground to dismount, and shift-right-click to pick it up.^[27]
• Winter's Grasp (Ice Guardian): a sword-like melee weapon dealing 4 attack damage. You can also throw it like the Ice Guardian does, dealing 4 damage and pulling the target in. Unbreakable.^[27]
• Lightning Charm (Lightning Guardian): attracts items in a 16 block range, which is configurable. It can go in a Charm slot from Curios if installed.^[27]
• Nature Scythe (Nature Guardian): an axe-like melee weapon dealing 12 attack damage, and it can be thrown for 12 damage like the Nature Guardian does. Unbreakable.^[27]
• Life Ward (Life Guardian): adds a shield of 20 extra health (10 hearts) shown as a green heart outline. It generates half a heart per second if your last hit was 5 seconds or longer ago. Regeneration speed, max amount and cooldowns can each be configured individually. It can go in a Charm slot from Curios if installed.^[27]
• Arcane Spell Book (Arcane Guardian): a fire-proof upgrade to the regular Spell Book. Spells cast from it cost 20% less mana and get some stats boosted by 40%, similar to the Augmented Casting talent. Both values are adjustable in config.^[27]
• Ender Boots (Ender Guardian): fire-proof, enchantable, and self-repairing with mana like Mage/Battlemage armor. They give 3 armor and 3 armor toughness, equivalent to Netherite armor except for the missing knockback resistance.^[27]

The same release also gives the Spell Recipe new textures.^[27]

Unverified The sources here include no pack changelog entries for this mod, so any changes the pack itself made to Ars Magica: Legacy between releases are not shown here.