Throughout the Beta releases of U18 on the Bullroarer server there was no indication of how we would obtain the new tier 8 (105) essences. There is a lot of speculation of how we will be able to get these new essences, but not a peep from Turbine.

We are not sure if Big Battles are scaling to 105 (they were not in Beta). If they do not scale then 105 essences will not drop via Big Battles.

I believe we will see essences as drops in the 3 new instances (Quays of the Harlond, The Blood of the Black Serpent, and The Silent Street), the Featured Instance, and … perhaps they will also be crafted. Crafted???

U18 does not have a new crafting tier that we know of. And yet, Turbine puts a +100% Crafting XP Scroll as the free item in the market and launches +25% Crafting XP for this weekend … right before the launch of U18 (Monday April 11th)? Seems to me that there will be something in U18 that requires crafting. If it is essences, I am guessing Universal Solvents will be required, and possibly Zircon Shards (we have yet to see a use for these)?

Until U18 …