Nodes

A normal node

A pure node in the wild

An unstable node.

Aura Nodes are centers of Aura, from which all thaumaturgists get their Vis. Nodes are what you tap into when you use your wand or other such things. Nodes will randomly generate in your world, and can be seen more easily at night, by using the thaummometer, or when wearing a pair of Goggles of Revealing. They have different sizes depending on the aura inside them. There are 4 types of nodes:

Normal

Normal Nodes are the nodes you will see the most. They do not contain any special properties.

Pure Nodes

Pure nodes are nodes that spawn in Silverwood trees, or very rarely in the Overworld. They cleanse themselves of Flux.

Unstable Nodes

Unstable nodes are nodes that generate Flux. They spawn like regular nodes, but much more rare, and found atop obsidian ruins.

A Dark Node within a Barrow Hill

Dark Nodes

Dark nodes are the rare nodes that spawn within Barrow Hills or in the wild. They pump forth malign energy, generate Malum, Mutatio and Mortuus flux (Which makes the wisps of those types), and generally have around 650 aura.

Node Behavior

Vis Distribution

Vis in the world is not created, it is simply redistributed. When a wand absorbs Vis or a player uses a recipe which consumes Vis, the Vis is taken from the current aura node. The aura node replenishes itself by leeching Vis from nearby aura nodes larger than it (larger being measured in Maximum Vis, not current Vis).  Those nodes then leech vis from nodes larger than them until the largest node is empty.  At this point the largest node will begin draining its Infused Ore to feed the smaller nodes until it is completely used up.  If enough Vis is drained, it is possible to completely deplete the Vis in an area. 

The only way to create new Vis is through Crystal Clusters, although this is a very slow process.

Incidentally this means it is better to be near a smaller node, such as a silverwood tree, because the smaller node will regenerate much more quickly and for longer than a larger node.

Combining Nodes

If a Silverwood sapling grows nearby another node, then the two nodes will combine by moving together and generating flux while doing so. Whilst combining the node may cause mysterious events, such as spewing forth something foul, causing rain, giving a mysterious sickness, or even do nothing. It will completely drain the Vis in the area and often drastically increase the amount of Flux.

Warning: When two nodes combine, it will cause a massive disorder in the aura and completely drain the Vis from nearby nodes. The node type after combination will be the type of the largest node.

The size of the new node will be equal to the size of the largest node + 1/3 of the smaller node.

Node Sizes

Nodes come in many sizes based on how much aura they have in them. Most nodes you will see have 200-900 Aura in them. Certain structures can have very large nodes in them for example Desert Temples or Witch Huts. Some biomes can also affect the sizes of the nodes for example both jungle biomes and mushroom biomes generally have large nodes.

Guide to using Silverwood Trees to manipulate nodes:

Manipulating Vis nodes with Silverwood trees is a SLOW process.  Be prepared for many in-game hours of work before your work is finished!

Before you start, you need: 

• Silverwood Saplings (get these by cutting down Silverwood trees in the wild. They are RARE.)
• An area with at least 100 aura where you wish to grow the saplings
• Goggles of Revealing so you can monitor the location and strength of the nodes, as well as Flux levels
• Torches, or other light sources, and materials to create a protected fence around your farm to protect it from monsters. Your saplings are valuable! Don't let a creeper destroy your hard work!

Creating and growing a new large Pure Node

You can create a brand new pure node simply by planting and growing a Silverwood tree.  The first tree you plant will create a very tiny Pure node (30 or so Aura) draining nearby nodes in the process. The process is also lossy.  Some vis will be destroyed.  In order to increase it in size, simply plant and grow more Silverwood trees nearby. Each new pure node will merge with the existing one and the resulting node will grow in size each generation.

Caution:

• Each time a node merges with another, Flux is generated. If you are worried about the negative effects of high Flux, plant and grow your trees one at a time and wait for the resulting Flux to die down before planting the next one.
• Do not accidentally plant your trees close to an existing node, or the larger natural node will merge with your tiny pure node and convert it to whatever type the original node was. (Normal, Unstable, etc.) Use your Goggles of Revealing to monitor the location of nearby nodes.

Using Silverwood trees to convert an existing node into a PURE node.

In order to convert an existing node into a pure node, you must first create a brand new pure node far enough away from the existing node so that it does not merge with old node prematurely.  Then you must grow the pure node until it is BIGGER than the node you want to convert.  Finally, you must "chain link" the two nodes together carefully so that the large Pure node moves close enough to the old node to merge and convert it to pure.

Part One: Growing a pure node:

1. Measure enough distance away from the existing node so that new nodes do not merge with it.  (50 blocks away is far enough, but closer may also be okay.24 blocks is the limit this depends on the node size a 600 node will have enough power to absorb a 200 or less node.)
2. Plant a Silverwood saplings a few blocks apart from each other. Use torches and materials to light up the farm and protect it from monsters.
3. Wait for saplings to grow. This can take several in-game days. (You can also use a Hoe Of Growth which will instantly transform your sapling into a Silverwood Tree.)
4. Locate your new node and confirm it is safe from merging with the old node.  NOTE: if you planted a single tree, your node may be too tiny to be seen in the trunk of the tree. Cut the tree down in order to find it.
5. (Optional) If your pure nodes merged, wait for flux levels to die down.
6. Cut down your trees and replant them, creating more tiny pure nodes, which will merge with your existing pure nodes. 
7. Repeat until your pure node is LARGER than the existing node

Part two: "Chain linking" your pure node to the target node:

Once your pure node is larger than the target node, it is safe to begin moving it closer and merge it with the target.

IMPORTANT: Never plant any trees near the target node. The target node will simply gobble up the tiny new pure node and become stronger.

1. Plant one silverwood tree close to your pure node, but around 5 or so blocks closer to your target node.
2. Wait for it to grow and merge with your pure node, and observe how far it has moved.
3. Plant another tree a bit closer to the target, and wait. Observe again how far it has moved.
4. Repeat this process until at last, your large pure node merges with the now smaller target node, creating a very large pure node.

CAUTION:

The final merge with the target node can generate a LARGE amount of flux. Be prepared for wisps, poison, thunderstorms, etc.