Archaic Infusion is a level 45 crafting material in Enshrouded’s 1.0 update. You need it for every Cinder’s Cradle chest piece, the Eternal spells and arrows, and the Placeable Gem Forge. You can get it two ways. Looting volcanic scrap gets you your first few right away. The Infusion Altar takes some setup through the Ancient Researcher, but it gives you a steady supply you can repeat.
Quick answer: Search scrap piles in the volcanic ruins east and northeast of Ancient Gate. For a steady supply, craft the Infusion Altar at the Ancient Researcher and make five Infusions per batch.
How to get Archaic Infusion from volcanic scrap piles
Scavenging works without any crafting station. Archaic Infusion drops directly from junk in the volcanic biome. The same piles also drop level 45 Diamonds and Metal Sheets, and those Diamonds feed into the Sparkling Dust you’ll need later.
Archaic Infusion also turns up in Locked Chests, Sarcophagi, Silver Chests, Wooden Chests and Golden Chests. The drop rate from chests is low, so count those finds as a bonus rather than something to farm.
Unlock the Infusion Altar through the Ancient Researcher
Crafting depends on Loraine Crim, the Ancient Researcher. You recover her soul as the main story moves into the volcanic biome. The Land of the Sky Islands mission takes you to a floating island near the Cinder’s Ascent waypoint, northeast of Ancient Gate. The “Activating the Gate to the Stars” quest line keeps that progression moving.
| Infusion Altar material | Amount | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
 Basalt | 30 | Mined in Cinder’s Cradle |
 Gold Dust | 10 | Gold Bars ground at the Mill |
 Celestium Bars | 5 | Blast Furnace |
 Moonstone Dust | 1 | Mill |
 Diamond Dust | 1 | Diamonds ground at the Mill |
Celestium Bars take the longest. One Blast Furnace cycle runs 12 minutes and produces 20 bars, far more than the five the altar needs. Diamonds for the Diamond Dust come from the shrouded parts of Cinder’s Cradle, including northeast of Ancient Gate and along the mountainsides.
Picking up the altar also teaches you the Archaic Infusion recipe if you haven’t already learned it from Archaic Shards.
How to craft Archaic Infusion at the Infusion Altar
One batch uses the ingredients below and produces five Archaic Infusion. Almost everything comes from the volcanic region.
| Ingredient | Per batch | Source |
|---|---|---|
 Magma Gel | 10 | Cinder’s Cradle |
 Sparkling Dust | 4 | Mill |
 Archaic Essence VII | 6 | Shroud Lairs on Cinder’s Cradle floating islands |
 Archaic Core | 1 | Destroyed constructs |
 Archaic Shards | 5 | Mechanical enemies, vases |
Where to farm each ingredient
- Magma Gel: a level 45 material gathered in Cinder’s Cradle that stacks to 250.
- Sparkling Dust: ground at the Mill from Diamond, Moonstone, Celestium Ore and Mother-Of-Pearl. Each craft takes 180 seconds and makes one unit. The recipe unlocks when you pick up a Diamond.
- Archaic Essence VII: dropped by Shroud Lairs on the floating islands north and northeast of Ancient Gate, not the ground islands below. Lower Essence tiers can’t fill this slot.
- Archaic Core: taken from the bodies of destroyed constructs.
- Archaic Shards: dropped by scorpion-like mechanical enemies, larger automatons and breakable ceramic vases in the volcanic biome.
You’ll usually have plenty of Shards long before you run out of Cores, so Archaic Core is the ingredient to watch.
Archaic Infusion and Infusion Altar values (build b25988036)
Use these figures from the shipped game to plan batches and storage while you farm.
| Property | Archaic Infusion | Infusion Altar |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Material | Station |
| Item level | 45 | — |
| Rarity | Common | — |
| Stack size | 250 | — |
| Crafted at |  Infusion Altar | Ancient Researcher |
| Yield per craft | 5 | 1 |
| Craft time | 240 s | — |
| Recipes at station | — | 1 |
| Unlocked by | Picking up Archaic Shards or Infusion Altar | Crafted under a roof |
The item description describes Archaic Infusion as refined from materials older than recorded history, and it points to the Ancient Researcher as the one who knows how to use it.
Archaic components are merged at the Infusion Altar to create an infusion. Because it offers just one recipe, the altar is exclusively for making Archaic Infusion.
How to confirm you picked up Archaic Infusion
The first Archaic Infusion you pick up, whether from scrap or the altar, shows a “RECIPE UNLOCKED!” banner reading “Eternal Pillar of Flames I (+2 more) at Alchemist.” The other two recipes are Eternal Arc Lightning II and Eternal Blizzard II. If you see that banner, the material is in your inventory and all three spells are now listed at the Alchemist.
What Archaic Infusion is used for
Eternal spells at the Alchemist
Eternal spells don’t use Spell Charges. You cast them with Mana instead, which is why each one costs several Infusions.
| Spell | Damage | Mana cost | Infusion used |
|---|---|---|---|
 Eternal Pillar Of Flames I | 38 Fire | 186 | 3 |
 Eternal Arc Lightning II | 34 Lightning | 53 | 3 |
 Eternal Blizzard II | — | — | 3 |
 Eternal Protective Barrier | — | — | 2 |
Eternal Pillar Of Flames I is a Legendary level 45 Mage spell. It sets an area on fire for 6 seconds over a 300 radius, has a 1.25 s charge time and a 12 s burn debuff, and comes with perks for 10% fire damage, 5% magical critical strike chance, and 5% reductions to Mana cost and charge time. The regular Pillar Of Flames I, by comparison, is a level 12 Common spell that deals 14 Fire damage for 54 Mana and uses a charge with every cast.
Eternal Arc Lightning II is also a Legendary level 45 Mage spell. It is a channeled lightning attack with a 0.3 s charge time that arcs to nearby targets and fills enemy stun bars. Its perks add 10% shock damage, 3% magical critical strike chance and a 5% Mana cost reduction. Eternal Protective Barrier is a Rare spell whose recipe unlocks from Sparkling Dust, not Archaic Infusion, but it still costs two Infusions to craft.
Cinder’s Cradle chest armor
Every Cinder’s Cradle chest piece needs Archaic Infusion. All of them are item level 45. The verified pieces below share 4 Frost Resistance and 180 seconds of Wet Duration Reduction.
| Chest | Class · Station | Magic / Physical | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
 Vorgoth’s Soulbound Chest | Ranger · Ancient Researcher | 98 / 98 | Legendary |
 Ashwind Strider Chest | Ranger · Hunter | 168 / 168 | Rare |
 Emberguard Chestplate | Warrior · Blacksmith | 112 / 223 | Rare |
 Crestflame Chest | Warrior · Blacksmith | 140 / 251 | Rare |
 Sky Specter Chest | Ranger · Hunter | — | Rare |
 Flame Arcanist Chest | Mage · Alchemist | — | — |
 Lifelock Chest | Mage · Alchemist | — | — |
Ashwind Strider, Emberguard and Crestflame unlock at Flame level 9 or higher. Vorgoth’s Soulbound Chest belongs to Vorgoth’s Soulbound Set and is learned when you pick up Vorgoth’s Bound Essence. On top of 210 Health and 84 Stamina, it adds 10% Bow Damage and 21 Stamina Regeneration. Its full recipe calls for Iron Dust, Celestium Bars, Vorgoth’s Bound Essence, a Spurting Fell Heart from the Fell Sporeseeker, and one Archaic Infusion.
Arrows and base pieces
- Eternal Ember Arrow III at the Hunter, which costs 2 Archaic Infusion.
- Eternal Voltaic Arrow III at the Hunter, which costs 2 Archaic Infusion.
- Placeable Gem Forge from the Ancient Researcher.
- Ancients Night Door from the Carpenter.
A few spells, a pair of arrow types and a chest for each character add up quickly, and scrap drops can’t keep pace with that. Once Loraine Crim is at your base, the Infusion Altar is the dependable source. Each four-minute batch makes five Infusions, enough for one Eternal spell with two left over.
