Complete Shape of Dreams Essence List & Effects Guide

Shape of Dreams recently reinforced its Essence system with balance updates and quality of life changes, making Essences more important than ever. Whether you are running solo or in co-op, powers unlocked via Essences can make or break your build. Below, you will find the complete Essence list, their effects, how to unlock them, and tips to maximize your run.

What Are Essences?

Essences in Shape of Dreams are upgrade “gems” that slot into your Memories, the game’s active abilities. Once equipped, Essences modify or augment the effect of the Memory: adding damage, status effects, cooldown reduction, healing buffs, and more.

Key things to know:

• Rarity: Essences are tiered into Common, Rare, Epic, and Legendary. Higher rarity usually means more powerful base effects and more complex bonuses.

• Quality and Fusion: Collecting duplicate copies of the same Essence allows them to fuse, increasing their quality and strengthening their effect.

Full Essence List and Effects by Rarity

Below are selected Essences from the full roster, organized by rarity. Effects are examples and may scale with quality.

1. Common Essences

• Essence of Charcoal – When the Memory hits an enemy, fires a charcoal fragment. If the enemy is already burning, deals higher fire damage.
• Essence of Efficiency – Grants Memory Haste (faster casts), reducing cooldowns.
• Essence of Guidance – Boosts healing, and part of the heal becomes a temporary barrier.

2. Rare Essences

• Essence of Bleakness – Deals increased damage to enemies that are slowed, bound, stunned, or affected by cold.
• Essence of Voracity – After casting a Memory, your Attack Damage increases for a duration and also heals on Attack.
• Essence of Night Sky – Hitting enemies increases your Attack Speed temporarily, stronger if you also deal Dark Damage.

3. Epic Essences

• Essence of Clemency – Heal a percentage of damage dealt by the Memory.
• Essence of Fever – Deals Fire Damage that infects targets with “Fever,” causing explosions. Effects scale with burn stacks.
• Essence of Protection – Grants a defensive buff (high defense for a short period) and sometimes “Unstoppable” status.

4. Legendary Essences

• Divine Faith – Killing enemies with the Memory generates “Faith stacks,” boosting both damage and healing as well as maximum health.
• Eye of the Sun – Periodic empowered casts that rain down Solar Light on burning enemies, increasing burn stacks and dealing high fire damage.
• Perfection – Provides a set of permanent boosts: Attack Damage, Ability Power, Max Health, Attack Speed, Crit Chance, and Memory Haste.

How to Get and Unlock Essences

• Drops and Shops: Essences appear in shops (Jonas is a recurring vendor), from loot rewards, or as drops during runs.
• Fusion and Quality: When you obtain multiple copies of an Essence, they automatically combine into higher quality versions. Higher quality means better stats or stronger effects.
• Special Unlock Requirements: Some Essences require specific achievements or conditions, such as defeating certain bosses, maintaining certain health levels, or completing special runs.

Best Essences for Different Playstyles

Recent Changes and Patch Balancing

• Several Essences, including Guidance and Clemency, are considered must-haves after recent balance tweaks.
• Some unlock criteria were adjusted to be more accessible, according to developer notes and community reports.

Tips and Strategy for Using Essences

• Always aim to upgrade quality by fusing duplicates. Better quality often outperforms rarer but low quality Essences.
• Match the Essence effect with the Memory’s base behavior, for example fire damage Essences on Memories that already deal fire or burn status.
• Keep a versatile set: maybe one Essence for burst and another for sustain. Swap in mid-run if needed.
• Focus on Essences whose benefits scale well over time, such as heal on damage, buff duration, and cooldown reduction.

FAQs

1. Can you swap Essences during a run?

Yes. You can move Essences between Memories at no cost during a run. This helps you adapt as you find new Memories or face different enemies.

2. Does rarity always beat higher quality?

Not always. A Common Essence at very high quality can sometimes outperform a Rare one with low quality. It depends on the effect and synergy with your build.

3. Are there limited or event-only Essences?

Yes. Some Legendary Essences have unlock conditions tied to special runs or boss kills. These are not regular shop drops.

4. How many Essences are there in total?

There are more than 50 Essences across rarities and new ones may be added in future updates.

Conclusion

Essences are a core pillar of building strong characters in Shape of Dreams. Their effects range from raw damage and elemental synergies to healing boosts, utility, and defense. How you choose and upgrade them defines your run. Stay current with patch notes, experiment with combinations, and adjust your strategy as you discover new Essences. The right Essence can turn a tough battle into a victory.