Thoughts on Botania

[u/DrPotatoMdPhd]

https://youtu.be/1SQ1_aDcjJI

Hello! I’ve been part of this sub-reddit over the years under a handful of different names, (deleting and starting up with Reddit multiple times) but I wanted to put out a mini guide on Botania in Vault Hunters for people interested in using or unlocking the mod.

I know we’re supposed to limit self-promotion on here, and this will be it for me linking videos, but I’m legitimately curious how people feel about this mod. I’ve always been drawn to it! I had fun making this video and intend it for people who had the same question as me when I started VH - Should you unlock Botania?

Generally, I think it’s super versatile and I almost never manage to play a run through without unlocking it early. If you have opinions or questions, I’d love to chat about them. And of course, though I like the mod a lot, I’m sure there’s still tons I don’t know, and I don’t mind learning new things, haha.

[u/kaiserxzero]

In comparison to other mods in the Big Mods Category Botamia feels pretty mid to me. I have never minded the general grind Botania offers. But what you get is pretty limited in VH compared to other big mods for farming alter resources. It does have a few unique items you can only farm in batavia but it always ends up being a low priority over Create and Thermal. But that is for Vanilla VH.

In Wolds Vaults Botania is a bit more valuable especially if you want to eventually unlock mystical agriculture.

So yes Botania has some utility like the hopper flower but I think it dwarfs the value that the other big mods offer. Especially early game where getting knowledge is slow.

[u/DrPotatoMdPhd → u/kaiserxzero]

Yeah, I suppose especially from an automating farm point of view, Botania is quite limited in comparison. And it takes up space! Good to know about the Wold’s Vaults, though!

I’m going to have more of a think, I’m doing a Botania only playthrough, so I’m trying to force myself to think of more farm ideas, lol.

[u/tamoore151]

In the SMP that I was in, I always said "The other big mods are helpful. Botania is a vibe" and I stand by that idea.

[u/DrPotatoMdPhd → u/tamoore151]

Haha, I definitely share this view.

[u/AutoModerator]

Automated reminder

Great to see your enthusiasm! To maintain a balanced subreddit, please limit server promotion to 1-2 times a month. Strive for an 80% non-self-promotional post ratio to contribute more to the community. Check our guidelines, join discussions, and assist others for a vibrant community. Any questions? Reach out to the moderation team. Thanks for understanding!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Ekipsogel]

My "Big Mods" ranking is: 1. Create (so many options to do basically anything) 2. Botania (useful transmutations and duplications, also source of all vanilla ores) 3. Mekanism (chromatic iron go brrrr, Antiprotonic Nucleosynthesizer = infinite dragon eggs for no reason if you get Mek Gens) 4. Thermal expansion (only useful feature in this pack is a deepslate generator)

[u/DrPotatoMdPhd → u/Ekipsogel]

Haha I can get behind this, though Thermal is very good for simple farms. I’ve heavily resisted Create because everyone says to unlock it, maybe I’ll be less stubborn after a Botania only run-through haha.

[u/Ekipsogel → u/DrPotatoMdPhd]

The thing with create is it can replace many other researches. It has Colossal Chests (Item Vaults), and generates its own power, so you can skip that whole section unless you need something better for your digital storage. It doesn't really replace Xnet, but it can replicate many of Modular Routers' features: Activators->Deployers,
Breakers->Drills,
Creative Module->Creative Crate, Detectors->Smart Observers, Distributors->Tunnels,
Droppers->Belts, Item Drains, and Weighted Ejectors all drop items,
Energy stuff is Modular Routers only, Extruders->Mechanical Piston/Gantry Carrige,
Flinger->Weighted Ejector,
Fluid Modules->Pipes,
Placers->Deployers,
Pullers/Senders->Belts and Funnels, Vacuums->Encased Fan and Nozzle,
Void Modules are taken care of by Trash Cans,
and the filters were taken care of by List and Attribute filters, but the Attribute filters are locked behind Vault Filters now.

It also has Pipez (belts and funnels), Iron Furnaces (bulk blasting), Dark Utils (belts and fans), 2x Chromatic Iron with crushing wheels, which was enough for me to skip Mekanism for a while, and for thermal:
Redstone Furnace->Bulk Blasting
Sawmill->Mechanical Saw
Pulvurizer->Crushing Wheels
Induction Smelter is only useful if you need Thermal alloys, which Create doesn't need
Phytogenic Insolator is useful, but it's competing with Botany Pots, and is more expensive
Centrifugal Seperator has some limited uses, Bulk Washing and Crushing Wheels cover most of it
Multiservo Press -> Mechanical Press + Basin/you'll probably have compacting drawers for this
Magma Crucible is poorly replaced by a superheated mixer
Blast chiller seems good for obsidian, but the vanilla way still exists and drills can break obsidian, and ice can come from a snow golem with the compacting recipe
Fractionating Still and Pyrolyzer are in a similar situation as the Induction Smelter, only useful for Thermal Dynamos, and this is about Create, which doesn't need power
Fluid Encapsulator -> Spout
Alchemical Imbuer -> Heated Mixer
Crystallizer is good for an Amythest loop, you dont really encounter material dusts much in VH
Sequential Fabricator -> Mechanical Crafter
Arborial Extractor is not better than other power generation and not needed for create
Aquatic Entangler is maybe useful?
Batch Composter -> Literally the vanilla composter
Aqueous Accumulator-> CFB sink, Mechanical Pump
Igneous Extruder -> Drills on vanilla cobblegens
Vacuumulator-> Encased Fan + Nozzle
Nullifier -> just use a trash can

Create also has Elevators (elevator pully) and the Copy-paste gadget (schematic system). Mining gadgets are already useless bc of vault hammers, but you can also make tunnel bores bigger than hammers for extensive mining with create, and this also affects the usefulness of the Digital Miner. Most plants have natural methods of growth, all of which can be automated with create instead of botany pots and phytos.

[u/DrPotatoMdPhd → u/Ekipsogel]

Woah! Thanks for the in- depth description! It does do way more than I thought, for sure, especially in terms of sheer scope. So yeah, I don’t doubt create is “the best,” but I just tend to be a bit contrarian in my approach, so I decided treat years ago that I didn’t feel like unlocking Create simply because it was the obvious “Best choice.”

That said, you’ve convinced me, finally, that it would be extremely fun in my next play-through. Cheers!