For this bounty, we want to know the difference between charms, infusions, and enchantments! Which are best? Are they all applied to weapons? Why would you use one over the other?
After explaining what they are and what they do, feel free to enchant us by infusing your entries with some charming tips. We're looking for at least 50 words in your answers. Questionable wordplay optional.
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TheGrapeOfSpades has already provided an excellent overview, but I’d like to add a few specifics and tips to complement their explanation.
Firstly, infusions that enhance specific stats operate similarly to crafting; they only amplify an existing stat on an item. In other words, if an item doesn't already have a critical hit bonus, adding 7.5% critical hit chance to a base of 0% remains ineffective.
Infusions come in three quality tiers: Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3. The primary difference lies in the essence used during the crafting process. For the best results, aim for Tier 3 (epic) infusions, as they consistently offer superior stats compared to the other two tiers. For example, a max health bonus can range from 5% in Tier 1, 10% in Tier 2, to 15% in Tier 3.
You can have up to 3 Enchantments (on your tools/weapons), and you can switch between them at any moment just by holding the 'R' key. But as soon you can cast a new spell, the effect of the old one is removed. You can also cast a spell, let's say a Quake, with your dagger and then switch to an Axe to melee your foes, but bonuses on the spell will use your current weapons in your hands.
Regarding crafting, to produce all three types of item modifications, you’ll need an Enchanter’s Focus. Additionally, augmentations like the Crystal Ball, Danu's Cauldron, and Macabre Rack, and similar unlock 'decor recipes' for charms and enchantments.
Some enchantments offer unique advantages and can significantly alter gameplay or create new opportunities. For example, the Dispel spell allows the removal of immunity from the Carmut apex boss making him attacable. Another significant enchantment is Oberon’s Bounty; combined with the Quarry minor card, it doubles the yield of ores/rocks from each node – an essential factor for builders, there are minor cards for plants and trees too.
A special mention should go to the Quake Enchantment, arguably the best AOE spell in the game. Note that there is a hard cap on damage, so stacking more than 300 magic damage bonus on your gear will still yield 600-900 damage per tick. However, critical damage remains uncapped, allowing for potentially astronomical numbers like 12k damage per tick, provided you equip the right gear (Dauntless hunting knife, Dauntless lantern, and other items with crit modifications).
There are also some intriguing combinations I’ve discovered that work well with a caster's build:
Charm of Venom – nearly doubles damage, activated when poisoned.
Charm of the Herbivore – triggers self-poisoning when consuming meat, maintaining the Venom buff.
Charm of Brutality - increases damage against knocked down and prone enemies, a common result of the Quake spell.
Charm Blood, Ferocity, Spellsword, Flanking - reinforce the build even further if placed on the right items.
By strategically combining charms, enchantments, and infusions, you can significantly amplify your damage output, potentially increasing it by up to five times.
Charms, Infusions and Enchantments are all different ways of Enhancing your gear, and increasing your gear score, while offering you powerful new abilities and buffs.
The simplest of these are infusions- these are power-ups which enhance the natural Stats of your gear to make it even stronger. Some examples of what an infusion can achieve include; Increasing a ranged weapon's effective range, reducing the overall weight of an item, Increasing damage or critical rating and much, much more. You can have up to 3 Infusions on an epic Item, 2 on a rare item, and just 1 on an uncommon item. You cannot have more than one of the same infusion on an item at once, and they cannot be removed once added, though you can replace them with other infusions.
Next, We have Charms. Charms offer Passive buffs to you and your Gear, such as increasing your melee damage after casting a spell, Increasing your chance to recieve essence when doing certain actions, or even preventing you from becoming tired and hungry while fishing. Unlike Infusions and enchantments, you can currently only have a single charm on each piece of gear at once. However, as with the others they cannot be removed once added, but can be replaced.
Finally, we come to enchantments. These are essentially spells you can equip to your weapons. There are many effects that these spells can produce, which can be combative, or helpful for gathering and exploration.
Some of the combat spells include: Hermetic Flame, which engulfs your weapon with flame for one or a number of hits depending on your magick power and charge; Quake, which causes a powerful AoE dealing damage and knocking enemies back; Jana's Roar, Which either taunts or terrifies nearby enemies depending on their power.
A Few examples of other enchantments are: Regrowth, which hastens the respawn rate of trees and plants that you've harvested in the area; Track Legend, which shows the way to the nearest fabled or apex creature; and Oberon's Bounty, which increases your gathering power, allowing you to more quickly destroy rocks and trees.
As ranged Weapons have the reload property, enchantments cannot be applied to them. Similarly to infusions however, you can have multiple enchantments on each item, depending on the quality.
My personal favourite enchantment is Quake, I love having an AoE available. For infusions, I usually go for increased damage/crit, reduced weight, and stamina efficiency. A charm i find very handy is the charm of the terrifier, which scares enemies whenever you score a crit on their allies, because I'm a charming fellow like that.
