Tinkers Tools (2024)

This page provides data and information about the Tinker's Construct tools. You may be looking for GregTech Tools instead.

The Tinker's Construct (TiCon) mod introduces customizable tools and weapons. These tools can be built out of multiple parts with different materials. Each material has its own statistics and special attributes. Tool parts are created in the Parts Station, the Smeltery, or MV Extruder, and combined to build a tool in a Tool Station or its upgrade, the Tool Forge.

• Spreadsheet Data (slightly outdated).

Searching for Parts

The majority of TiCon parts are blacklisted in NEI and cannot be searched for directly. However, the Uses page of any TiCon material will have a Tool Materials tab, displaying the statistics and attributes of tool parts made with that material.

To look up the parts themselves, look up the NEI Uses tab for the Cast item that creates the specific part (ex. "Pickaxe Head Cast"). Then, navigate to the Casting Table tab for parts that can be made with the Smeltery and the TiCon Part Extruding tab otherwise. The 2.6.1 text search function is helpful for navigating the large variety of materials.

Repair, Enhancement, and Part Replacement

TiCon tools can be repaired in a Crafting Station, Adventure Backpack, Tool Station, or Tool Forge using the primary part's material (usually in ingot form). For Crafting Stations and Adventure Backpacks, the tool must be placed in the center of the grid to be repaired, where the pickaxe icon is. More material can be used in a single repair by filling more of the surrounding grid slots with the repair material.

A tool can be enhanced with modifiers or have their parts replaced in a similar fashion. Both require the tool to be at full durability.

Levels

There are two separate levelling systems associated with TiCon tools/weapons.

Mining Level

Mining Level/XP is only present on tools that break stone/ore blocks like Pickaxes and Hammers. Mining XP will either be two numbers divided by a slash showing the current / needed XP, or "Boosted", which means the tool is fully powered up. When a new tool is made or the tool head is replaced, the tool's Mining XP will reset to zero. Until it reaches "Boosted" status, the tool's Mining Level will be reduced by one. The NEI Tool Materials tabs show the Boosted Mining Level of a material, while Extruder and Smeltery tool part recipes show the unboosted Mining Level.

A tool's Mining Level can also reach Boosted instantly by having an item (Zombie Head 1, Skeleton Skull 2, Creeper Head 4, Wither Skull 7, or Nether Star 8) be attached to it. Each item works only on tools of up to the Mining Level listed on the head and will show on the tool's icon. These items do not cost a modifier slot to apply but can only be added to fully repaired tools, just like other modifiers. They also cannot be attached to tools that already have Boosted status.

A tool's Mining Level determines what blocks it can break. The Waila tooltip of a block displays any Mining Level requirement (i.e., "Harvest Level: 05-Obsidian"). The tooltip text will be green if the current tool meets the requirement, or red if it does not.

Tool Level

Tool Levels, introduced by Iguana's Tinkers Tweaks, are present on all TiCon tools/weapons. Unlike Mining Level/XP, there is no cap on tool levels, but each level requires an increasing amount of XP. Tool Level maxes out at 100, and grants modifiers at certain levels.

Level Gain

Mining/Tool Levels accumulate with 1 XP per block harvested or enemy killed. The amount of XP it takes to level up is based on harvesting speed for tools or damage dealt for weapons.

Tools

Pickaxe/Shovel/Axe/Mattock

General rule of thumb for pickaxes is to use the head with the best mining level you can get. You can more or less follow similarly with shovels/axes, as only speed/durability matter here. If ingots are in short supply, it's fine to hold off upgrading your shovel/axe/mattock. Don't upgrade to a pickaxe head you don't have the ability to repair.

Steam

• Head: Bronze
• Binding: Any (Any material you want, this only adds the trait and has NO other effect)
• Tool Rod: Slime Crystal (requires an Alloy Smelter, slime - Slimy trait will occasionally spawn small slimes) > Bronze

LV

• Head: Alumite
• Binding: Any (Paper or Thaumium add an extra modifier, which is given as a quest reward also. Paper/Thaumium parts are made in the part builder)
• Tool Rod: Slime Crystal > Alumite/Steel > Bronze. If you don't care about durability, you can use Thaumium for the extra modifier (does not stack with Thaumium binding).

MV

• Head: Cobalt or Vanadiumsteel (post MV extruder)
• Binding: Paper or Thaumium
• Reinforced Tool Rod (The metal "Reinforced Ingot", requires an implosion compressor or luck from loot bags) > Damascus Steel > Vanadiumsteel, or stick with Thaumium

HV+

Shadow Metal, Energetic Alloy, Vibrant Alloy, or most GT metals work.

Later on you can make a Vajra, which acts as all tools plus GT tools with silk touch in one and insta-mines blocks.

Hammer/Lumberaxe/Excavator

Hammers greatly speed up mining ore veins, since they are able to mine in a 3x3 area.

The head should be easily repairable. The head and large plates should give a good mix of durability and mining speed. Higher mining speed also increases the tool experience required to level exponentially, so be careful when upgrading especially when close to the next tool level.

For the Lumberaxe and Excavators, it is recommended to start with Netherrack heads for ease of repairing, slower mining speed for easier leveling, and lack of harvesting level requirements for most use cases. Making them out of the common materials is fine as well.

Steam

• Head: Alumite > Bronze (whatever you can best afford to repair)
• Large Plates: Alumite > Bronze > Iron
• Tool Rod: Alumite/Steel > Bronze > Iron

LV

• Head: Alumite > Bronze
• Large Plates: Alumite > Bronze > Iron
• Tool Rod: Alumite/Steel > Bronze > Iron

MV

• Head: Perditio (fast, fragile, easy repair), Vanadiumsteel (moderate speed, good durability, difficult repair), Manasteel (slow speed, high durability, easy repair)
• Large Plates: Perditio, Vanadiumsteel, Manasteel
• Tool Rod: Manasteel > Damascus Steel > Vanadiumsteel > Aeon Steel

HV+

Switch to MV+ auto miners.

Broadsword/Rapier/Cleaver

Broadsword is more or less an early game sword which becomes replaceable quickly by Crossbow in terms of total damage starting in LV from there. There are some certain cases where you will have to use a melee sword, such as Withers when they have protection from ranged attacks on, or against Vengenance mobs or Witch spiders. Rapiers are okay in that their damage goes through armor, which can be particularly effective vs some bosses like Lich, but Broadsword does just fine for all the early game needs.

Cleaver is not recommended to make, as its damage is poor in comparison to Crossbow. You'd only ideally make one for the Beheading bonus (Cleaver comes with innate 20% Beheading chance) which you will likely make in HV-tier due to the NASA Workbench requiring 9 Nether Stars, which require Wither kills. If you are at this point, you can make the MV one identically; large plates only affect durability and speed, so it doesn't matter what you want to use here. It is recommended to make a Skullfire Sword instead of a Cleaver as they guarantee 3 Wither Skeleton heads on every regular Skeleton kill, but this path requires some Thaumcraft progression (up to the Infusion altar).

Every other weapon not mentioned aren't known to be strong/meta, mostly a meme, or impossible to make in a Tool Forge (i.e. Katanas which you can only get from loot bags).

Steam/LV

• Blade: Alumite (2 damage) > Bronze/Iron (1.5 damage)
• Binding: Any with Reinforced or bonus modifier (Paper/Thaumium)
• Tool Rod: Slime Crystal (or the best durability multiplier you can find) > Wood

MV

• Blade: Vanadiumsteel (7 damage, post MV Extruder)
• Binding: Thaumium
• Tool Rod: Damascus Steel > Vanadiumsteel

The better upgrades after Vanadiumsteel Blade in order of progression are Meteoric Steel (12 damage, early EV), Tungstensteel (14 damage, mid-EV), Palladium (16 damage, IV), Adamantium (19 damage, LuV), and Neutronium (20 damage, UV).

Crossbow

The limb affects arrow speed, draw speed, and durability. Carbon is low durability with fast draw speed and moderate arrow speed. The binding only gives its trait, so use the highest reinforced stat possible (obsidian) or free modifier (thaumium). Paper tough binding is not possible to make, so only use these two. The body only contributes durability.

Steam

• You can only make a crossbow once you have access to the Tool Forge, at that point you should be more or less close to LV. Invest in a hammer instead of a crossbow
• If you still want one, you can follow the quests where it tells you to make a wooden crossbow in Steam page after Tool Forge, but not recommended. A broadsword is enough for your early game needs.

LV

• Limb: Carbon
• Bowstring: Fiery (dropped from spiders in the Nether)
• Tough Binding: Obsidian or Thaumium
• Body: Slime Crystal > Wooden

MV

• Limb: Carbon
• Bowstring: Fiery
• Tough Binding: Thaumium
• Body: Manasteel > Damascus Steel > Vanadiumsteel

HV-EV

• Limb: Energetic Alloy
• Bowstring: Fiery
• Tough Binding: Thaumium
• Body: Manasteel > Damascus Steel > Vanadiumsteel

IV

• Limb: Osmiridium
• Bowstring: Fiery
• Tough Binding: Thaumium
• Body: Manasteel > Damascus Steel > Vanadiumsteel

After that

• Upgrade the head to Infinity.

• Upgrade body to:

1. Neutronium
2. Draconium
3. Trinium
4. Awakened Draconium
5. Infinity

In that order at any point when you feel like it and have access to the material, only changes durability. (durability multiplication modifier)

Crossbow Bolts

Rule of thumb is "highest damage tip material with the lightest rod". Use Slimeleaf Fletching, made of Slimy Leaves from a Slime Island tree, for all bolts by preference.

With the Tinker's Smeltery only some basic materials can be cast directly on a tool rod placed on the casting table, tipping the rod with the same metal, such as Iron. For higher tier tips, a MV Fluid Solidifier is required, supplied with the tool rod and molten metal from the Smeltery. For crossbow bolts the Fluid Solidifier cannot use GT molten metals.

Upgrade fully repaired bolts by making a new tool rod tipped with the desired metal, replacing both old rod and tip in a Crafting Station or Tool Forge.

Steam

• The quest asks you to make an iron tipped wooden rod that you can use the Smeltery to make, although still not recommended here.

LV

• Tool Rod: Slime Crystal
• Tip: Alumite
• Fletching: Slimy Leaves

MV

• Tool Rod: Carbon
• Tip: Vanadiumsteel
• Fletching: Slimy Leaves

HV

• Tool Rod: Energetic Alloy
• Tip: Meteoric Steel (post Moon, NOT Meteoric Iron!), Vanadiumsteel
• Fletching: Slimy Leaves

EV/IV

• Tool Rod: Energetic Alloy
• Tip: Palladium
• Fletching: Slimy Leaves

LuV

• Tool Rod: Energetic Alloy
• Tip: Adamantium
• Fletching: Slimy Leaves
  

Modifiers

Modifiers are special abilities independent of material traits. A tool requires Modifier slots to gain modifiers; these are gained by increasing Tool Level or through one-time-only combinations with specific items in the Tool Station/Tool Forge.

Adding Modifiers

All tools start with zero modifier slots unless one of their materials gives modifier slots as an attribute (Thaumium - Thaumic/Paper - Writable). Up to three modifier slots can be added to any tool using the items below by combining them with a tool in a Crafting Station, Adventure Backpack, Tool Station, or Tool Forge; each combination can only be used once. Some Enhanced Lootbags have a chance to drop a Creative Tool Modifier for an additional modifier slot. Creative modifiers are unlimited in uses per tool.

• Diamond + Gold Block
• Enchanted Golden Apple + Diamond Block
• Nether Star

Pickaxe/Shovel/Axe/Mattock

• Redstone
• Diamond
• Lapis

Redstone increases mining speed. Diamond boosts Mining Level by one and adds a flat 500 durability. Emerald adds 50% durability. Lapis/Luck adds Fortune, which increases yield from small ores. Note that Auto Miners have a greater fortune bonus in the later game. Reinforced (Durability Save chance) or Moss (Auto-Repair) modifiers are generally not worth putting on these tools, as they're easy to repair (typically 1-3 ingots to full durability). Save Ball of Moss for crossbow bolts and Reinforced for making unbreakable tools for Automated Farming later.

Hammer

• Redstone
• Lapis

Hammers tremendously benefit from mining speed, because they typically start with lower mining speed than pickaxes. Extra mining speed can help clear ore veins more quickly. Hammers already have a large amount of durability, so Reinforced and Moss are not recommended.

Lapis adds Fortune, which increases yield from small ores. Note that Auto Miners have a greater fortune bonus in the later game.

Lumberaxe

• Reinforced

Lumberaxes should eventually be made unbreakable for farming use; refer to the Netherrack levelling tip in the Hammer/Lumberaxe/Excavator materials section above.

Excavator

• Redstone
• Reinforced

At 22 mining speed, excavators can dig blocks in one tick. After hitting that benchmark, use Reinforced/Moss.

Broadsword/Rapier/Cleaver/any melee weapon

• Quartz
• Lapis
• Beheading

Quartz for more damage. Lapis for looting. Beheading for better chances of head drops (e.g., wither skulls). Other modifiers not recommended.

Crossbow

• Redstone
• Lapis
• Diamond
• Reinforced

In that order. Redstone until 0.25s minimum draw speed. Lapis for Looting bonus. Diamonds, Reinforceds, and Moss for durability.

Note that every other modifier (such as Quartz) only works for using the crossbow as a melee weapon.

Bolt

• Moss
• Quartz

2x Moss recommended for faster regen. Moss can be acquired as a quest reward or through a Thaumcraft infusion recipe (New Horizons tab). Alternatively, opening early game loot bags has a chance to give a Pierce bolt with Moss, Diamond, and extra modifier slots.

Quartz for damage; note that this extra damage does not multiply with arrow speed.

Auto Leveling

The Dynamism Tablet from Thaumcraft can automatically level some Tinker's tools. Melee weapons will gain XP from killing mobs, mining/digging/woodcutting tools can level by either killing mobs or breaking automatically placed blocks. Shurikens gain XP by killing mobs too, but require switching to right-click mode and rapidly consume ammo. Other ranged weapons and ammo can't be leveled this way.

Troubleshooting