The above flowchart shows the different paths/combines, and here is spreadsheet for tracking progress (make a copy for yourself):
I think I’ve got this basically right, but feel free to let me know if I’ve missed anything or made any errors.
Overview using the Fategaze Chain boots as an example:
- Loot a Warped Primeval Incandessence or Warped Primeval Luminessence.
Warped indicates it can be used for boots or coif. Incandessence vs. Luminessence affects the stats slightly; one can be also be changed into the other (see below).
- Combine the Warped Primeval Incandessence/Luminessence with a Tinea inside a Shaman’s Polymorphic Cocoon to make the Concordant/Discordant boots.
The Cocoons and Tineas are purchased in the Void and are inexpensive. Always double check and make sure to buy the correct item for the combine you’re doing.
- Loot a Warped Coeval Incandessence or Warped Coeval Luminessence.
Same as the Primeval, the Warped indicates it’s for the boots (or coif), and the Incand- vs Lumin- prefix affects stats. Again, you can swap an Incandessence for a Luminessence, and vice versa, and you can also downgrade a Coeval to a Primeval (see below).
- Combine your Concordant/Discordant boots with your Coeval piece in a Temporal Molting Cell to make Balanced/Chaotic/Vested boots.
You can buy a Temporal Molting Cell in the Void. Your boots will be Chaotic if you’ve used a total of two Incandessences so far, Vested if you’ve used two Luminessences, or balanced if you’ve used one of each.
- Loot a Warped Eternal Incandessence or Warped Eternal Luminessence.
These work just like the Primeval and Coeval versions, in that they can be transformed into each other, although since they are group drops you don’t want to downgrade these.
- Combine your Balanced/Chaotic/Vested boots with your Eternal piece in a Temporal Molting Cell to make Infected/Tainted/Tarnished/Ordained boots.
Again, buy the Molting Cell in the Void. Three total Incandessence items yield Infected, two Incandessences and one Luminessence total yield Tainted, one Incandessence and two Luminessences yield Tarnished, and three total Luminessences yield Ordained.
Using the above spreadsheet, you’ll progress from top to bottom by slot. Note that only Phased is used for the chest piece, while Fractured is used for hands and both wrists; Warped is for both boots and hat, and Distorted is used for both legs and sleeves.
- You can change an Incandessences and Luminessences into each other. You can also downgrade a Coeval to a Primeval, as well as take a piece of armor and “pull” an Incandessence/Luminessence out of it.
To exchange between Incandessences and Luminessences you use a Temporal Polymorphic Cell; you can purchase a regular one in the Void, or get a free Consigned one from Tavid Dennant in the Guild Lobby. Tavid has a limited number of total Consigned items he will give you, but the Void version is very expensive at 1000 Chronobines.
(Tavid will give you a limited number of Consigned versions of the combining containers related to these items, but the rest of them can all be purchased in the Void for reasonable Chronobine amounts.)
You can use a Culling Vortex (Incandessent or Luminessent) to downgrade from Coeval to Primeval by combining the -essence with 1 Chronobine. If you put a piece of armor by itself in the Vortex, it will downgrade the armor and give you back the “culled” -essence.
When I was researching all of this I found most information that I came across to generally be too verbose, and maybe this write-up is too, but I’m hoping the flowchart and spreadsheet really help this click.
This is intended as a high level overview to make sure you understand where to start and where to go from there, but make sure to still read through available information on Alla’s and other sites for a deeper dive into all this and to get specific questions answered.
I’m probably not looking to get more detailed with this, but if you notice an error or something extremely important missing, let me know in the commends so I can correct. A lot of this information came from Alla’s, but I owe a big thank you to Kanamori and our guildmates of mine in Cult of Chaos for helping me dig into all this and get it hammered out into something digestible.