Atelier Ryza 2: Alchemy and Essences, Duplication and Evolution Linking

It’s been a while since Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy was released, two years to be precise. But with Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key getting close (released on March 24, 2023), I decided to dive back in the game. And as always happens when I’m playing a stellar game, a guide of sorts jumps onto paper…or, to be precise, the computer screen! I wanted to talk more about Synthesis and the more advanced techniques!

The Cauldron

Of course, it all starts with synthesizing using the cauldron in your atelier. At the start of your game, there’s just one option, to synthesize items. If you are a beginner, you might find my guide Atelier Ryza 2 Guide: Let’s synthesize! a good place to start. When you make things, you earn SP, which you can use to unlock recipes, skills, more powerful versions of tools and such and more in your Skill Tree. That isn’t the only way to get SP by the way; exploring the ruins and solving the mysteries, there is another. As you unlock more and more of the Skill Tree, the following actions become available at the cauldron:

Item Rebuild

Especially when using scarce materials, it can be a challenge to make the best tool, armour, weapon or medicine possible. Of course, you should get the item to the best rank possible with your alchemy, but you might get higher-level materials later on in the game. Instead of making the item all over again, you can use Item Rebuild.

With it, you can get a higher quality in your item or level up material loops that you couldn’t before. Add traits and level-up effects to make your item stronger. To do this, you need gems. So let’s move on to the Gem Reduction.

Beware that you cannot use Essences (more on that below) when rebuilding.

Gem Reduction

Gem Reduction allows you to break up items to obtain Gems, which are used in Item Rebuilding and Item Duplication. You can sort your materials to “Obtained Gems” but beware that you lose the item you had of course. So maybe another sorting is safer for you, like sorting to quality and going to the lowest item.

The element the item has that you reduce to gems will come to matter too after you get Mist Refinement (see below). If the items you reduce have several elements in them, you will get Mist for all of the elements.

Duplicating Cauldron

Eventually, along the Skill Tree, you will unlock the Duplicating Cauldron. It’s a device that’ll pop up in your atelier once you unlock it in the Skill Tree. It’s right below Gem Reduction in the lower left corner of the skill tree. Once you have that device, several options become available.

Item Duplication

It costs gems, but Item Duplication is the perfect way to ensure everyone has the best weapons, armour and Core items available. The higher the quality and ranking of the item, the more gems it costs, but believe me, it’s worth it!

Essence Refinement

Essences add an extra level to synthesis that was already very deep. To make essences, you need Mist, which can be obtained from Gem Reduction as described above and from battles. After a battle is over it shows you how much mist you’ve gathered and from what element. I’ve tested it, and the mist element you get depends on the resistance and enemy has for that element. In my case, it was fire.

fighting this Noble Paladin with the resistance to red, will drop 3 Fire mist, as you can see in the picture below on the left upper corner.

Evolution Link

With Evolution Link, you can mix two items in a specific order to create a new one. As these new items will have a combined and more powerful effect, you will surely benefit from them in battle. One combined item will do the job of the two mixed items! this, once again, will cost you gems!

A Cocktail Leb as bases and Nectar added to it gives an Innocent Leb

Here is the list of all new items that can be created. Be aware that the first item is the base item and the other is added to it. The screen shows you what item you will make. The item made has the material loops for the base items and adds effects, traits and levels, so new material loops. By Item Rebuilding as mentioned above, you can add to the item you have now created.

Bomb + Rose Bomb = Grand Bomb
Ice Bomb + Kleid Ice Bomb = Crystal Ice Bomb
Plajig + Strajl Plajig = Laute Plajig
Luft + Ratsel Luft = Wirbel Luft
Omega Craft + Grand Bomb = N/A
Philosopher’s Book + Lunar Lamp = Apocalypse
Bubble Bullet + Omega Craft = Mortal Bullet
Grass Beans + Godess Cup = Holy Beans
Nectar + Elixir = Mythic Nectar
Cocktail Leb + Nectar = Innocent Leb
Elixir + Miracle Ebonyal = Forbidden Elixir
Ashra Milk + Nexfuelia = Curative Milk
War Powder + War Powder = Red War Powder
Mystic Robe + Energianica = Blue Star Robe
Miracle Ebonyal + Witch’s Potion = Lunatic Debonyal
Astronomical Clock + Lunatic Debonyal = Reverse Clock
Fish Oil + Ashra Donut = Order Breaker
Thorny Embrace + Poison Smoke = Poison Thorn Prison
Poison Smoke + Miracle Ebonyal = Bottle of Poison
Witch’s Potion + Godess Cup = Demonic Potion
Heroic Giest + Red War Powder = Master Spirit

Using Essences in Alchemy

Use Essence Refinement to make essences out of mist

The Essences you make using mists can be used in Alchemy. Looking at the material loops, you will see that some of them have a small orange lever above the circle. While your pointer rests on the circle of the material loop that has the orange lever, press X on your Switch.

Where there was only one level to reach, like in the picture below for the synth quality of the Degenesis Stone, now another level is added. Fill both us with the appropriate element (wind in this case), and the Effect is extra forceful. The mist to choose belongs to the element of the material loop.