How three orbs become one of 35 recipes, and the pairs of spells the game rewards when you cast them one after the other at the same thing within twenty seconds.
Every recipeThree orbs make a recipe and the order does not matter: 35 combinations, 35 spells.
Every spell is a recipe of exactly three element orbs, and order never matters: Wind, Wind, Fire is the same recipe as Fire, Wind, Wind. Repeats are allowed, which gives exactly 35 recipes, one per spell: 5 pure triples (three of one element), 20 doubles (two of one element plus one other) and 10 with three different elements. All 35 are available from the start; nothing unlocks.
Three orbs circle the student. Small arrow marks sit around the selected one.
Keyboard and mouse (default keys): Q or right-click moves the arrows to the next orb, Z to the previous one. B or mouse wheel up changes the arrowed orb's element forward through Wind, Fire, Will, Growth, Water; V or wheel down goes back.
Pad: D-pad left/right moves the arrows between orbs; D-pad up/down changes that orb's element.
Shortcut: press C (pad: L2) to open the spell list on the right, or hold Alt (Option on a Mac) and click a row. Choosing a spell sets all three orbs to its recipe. In the Codex (Tab), "Set these orbs" does the same.
A new journey starts with Wind, Water, Water set, the recipe for Draw off liquid, and all four slots empty.
Composing orbs never changes a slot; binding is a separate act. Hold Ctrl and press 1–4 (pad: hold R1 and press a face button) to bind the current recipe into that slot. "Bound to slot N." Binding over a filled slot replaces it; a recipe already in another slot answers "Already bound to slot N." and is not copied.
Press 1–4 (pad: hold R2 and press the slot's face button) to cast that slot at whatever the crosshair rests on. Left click recasts the slot you last cast from.
An empty slot says how to fill it. Each spell then needs 0.65 s to recover ("<Spell> is recovering."); the recovery belongs to the spell, not the slot, so two different spells can alternate quickly.
Aimed spells reach 10 m from the student's eyes, and both the camera and the student must see the target. A spell with no fitting under the crosshair still flies to the wall or floor there and fails in its own words. E (Handle) and X (Turn) work fittings by hand within 2.4 m.
Middle click (pad: B) aimed at a fitting dismisses your lasting treatment on it. With nothing aimed, it clears your personal air effects (Rising draught).
Four spells act only on you, wherever you aim: Boost jump, Rising draught, Hasten and Short traverse. Stilling ward is aimed at a fitting but settles on the floor beneath it.
All 35 recipes
| Spell | Orbs | Cast |
|---|---|---|
| Directed impulse | Fire · Fire · Will | Aimed |
| Draw | Wind · Water · Will | Aimed |
| Suspend | Will · Will · Will | Aimed |
| Orient | Water · Will · Will | Aimed |
| Anchor | Growth · Growth · Water | Aimed |
| Tether | Growth · Growth · Will | Aimed |
| Lighten | Wind · Wind · Will | Aimed |
| Repeat motion | Fire · Will · Will | Aimed |
| Heat | Fire · Fire · Growth | Aimed |
| Chill | Growth · Water · Water | Aimed |
| Supply liquid | Water · Water · Water | Aimed |
| Draw off liquid | Wind · Water · Water | Aimed |
| Slick surface | Fire · Growth · Will | Aimed |
| Grip surface | Fire · Growth · Water | Aimed |
| Sever | Fire · Fire · Fire | Aimed |
| Join | Wind · Fire · Fire | Aimed |
| Expand | Fire · Fire · Water | Aimed |
| Span | Wind · Growth · Growth | Aimed |
| Climbing growth | Water · Water · Will | Aimed |
| Brace | Growth · Growth · Growth | Aimed |
| Spring surface | Wind · Growth · Will | Aimed |
| Conduit | Growth · Water · Will | Aimed |
| Place light | Fire · Growth · Growth | Aimed |
| Redirect light | Wind · Wind · Water | Aimed |
| Obscuring veil | Wind · Fire · Growth | Aimed |
| Decoy | Fire · Water · Will | Aimed |
| Reveal traces | Wind · Fire · Water | Aimed |
| Place sound | Wind · Growth · Water | Aimed |
| Cleanse surface | Fire · Water · Water | Aimed |
| Stilling ward | Wind · Will · Will | Aimed |
| Boost jump | Wind · Wind · Fire | On yourself |
| Rising draught | Wind · Wind · Wind | On yourself |
| Hasten | Wind · Fire · Will | On yourself |
| Short traverse | Growth · Will · Will | On yourself |
| Buoyant support | Wind · Wind · Growth | Aimed |
Weightless FreightLighten something, then Draw it, within twenty seconds.
Cast Lighten (Wind, Wind, Will), then Draw (Wind, Water, Will), at the same fitting in the same room within 20 seconds, in that order. Both casts must be accepted by the fitting; a cast it refuses, or one that sheds off, does not count. What matters is the last accepted cast on that fitting, so another spell landing in between replaces the first one. Furniture and wall torches never count. The 20 seconds are real time and keep running while the game is paused. Fittings that accept both in sequence (checked against the room models): the sagging gallery's Cart (the standard route: Lighten, then Draw) or the bell chamber's Clapper. Bind both spells before you start.
Held and TurnedSuspend something, then Orient it, within twenty seconds.
Cast Suspend (Will x3), then Orient (Water, Will, Will), at the same fitting in the same room within 20 seconds, in that order. Both casts must be accepted by the fitting; a cast it refuses, or one that sheds off, does not count. What matters is the last accepted cast on that fitting, so another spell landing in between replaces the first one. Furniture and wall torches never count. The 20 seconds are real time and keep running while the game is paused. Fittings that accept both in sequence (checked against the room models): the choked cistern's Trellis (the standard route: Suspend, then Orient), or the sealed keepsake's Lid once its latch is free (after Lighten and the Lever, or Sever on the Clasp). Bind both spells before you start.
Turned and FetchedOrient something, then Draw it, within twenty seconds.
Cast Orient (Water, Will, Will), then Draw (Wind, Water, Will), at the same fitting in the same room within 20 seconds, in that order. Both casts must be accepted by the fitting; a cast it refuses, or one that sheds off, does not count. What matters is the last accepted cast on that fitting, so another spell landing in between replaces the first one. Furniture and wall torches never count. The 20 seconds are real time and keep running while the game is paused. Fittings that accept both in sequence (checked against the room models): the shelf passage's Folio (the standard route: Orient, then Draw). Bind both spells before you start.
Float and FetchSuspend something, then Draw it, within twenty seconds.
Cast Suspend (Will x3), then Draw (Wind, Water, Will), at the same fitting in the same room within 20 seconds, in that order. Both casts must be accepted by the fitting; a cast it refuses, or one that sheds off, does not count. What matters is the last accepted cast on that fitting, so another spell landing in between replaces the first one. Furniture and wall torches never count. The 20 seconds are real time and keep running while the game is paused. Fittings that accept both in sequence (checked against the room models): the dark frieze's Tray, the drowned hall's Frame, the bell chamber's Clapper, the striker test lane's Roller, the receiving shaft room's Weight or the float test basin's Stop. Bind both spells before you start.
Second ThoughtsSlick a surface, then give it grip, within twenty seconds.
Cast Slick surface (Fire, Growth, Will), then Grip surface (Fire, Growth, Water), at the same fitting in the same room within 20 seconds, in that order. Both casts must be accepted by the fitting; a cast it refuses, or one that sheds off, does not count. What matters is the last accepted cast on that fitting, so another spell landing in between replaces the first one. Furniture and wall torches never count. The 20 seconds are real time and keep running while the game is paused. Fittings that accept both in sequence (checked against the room models): the projection workshop's Strip. Bind both spells before you start.
Fill and DrainSupply liquid to a vessel, then draw it off, within twenty seconds.
Cast Supply liquid (Water x3), then Draw off liquid (Wind, Water, Water), at the same fitting in the same room within 20 seconds, in that order. Both casts must be accepted by the fitting; a cast it refuses, or one that sheds off, does not count. What matters is the last accepted cast on that fitting, so another spell landing in between replaces the first one. Furniture and wall torches never count. The 20 seconds are real time and keep running while the game is paused. Fittings that accept both in sequence (checked against the room models): any goblet in the resonance laboratory, the float test basin's Basin, the drowned hall's Basin, the water-junction room's Source or the cold furnace ducts' Source. Bind both spells before you start.
Clean SlateCleanse a surface, then Reveal its traces, within twenty seconds.
Cast Cleanse surface (Fire, Water, Water), then Reveal traces (Wind, Fire, Water), at the same fitting in the same room within 20 seconds, in that order. Both casts must be accepted by the fitting; a cast it refuses, or one that sheds off, does not count. What matters is the last accepted cast on that fitting, so another spell landing in between replaces the first one. Furniture and wall torches never count. The 20 seconds are real time and keep running while the game is paused. Fittings that accept both in sequence (checked against the room models): the alignment records room's Face or the ward register's Face; both accept Cleanse surface and Reveal traces at any time. Bind both spells before you start.
Light as a FeatherLighten something, then Suspend it, within twenty seconds.
Cast Lighten (Wind, Wind, Will), then Suspend (Will x3), at the same fitting in the same room within 20 seconds, in that order. Both casts must be accepted by the fitting; a cast it refuses, or one that sheds off, does not count. What matters is the last accepted cast on that fitting, so another spell landing in between replaces the first one. Furniture and wall torches never count. The 20 seconds are real time and keep running while the game is paused. Fittings that accept both in sequence (checked against the room models): the choked cistern's Trellis, the sealed keepsake's Lid or the bell chamber's Clapper. Bind both spells before you start.
A Warm BathSupply liquid, then Heat the same thing, within twenty seconds.
Cast Supply liquid (Water x3), then Heat (Fire, Fire, Growth), at the same fitting in the same room within 20 seconds, in that order. Both casts must be accepted by the fitting; a cast it refuses, or one that sheds off, does not count. What matters is the last accepted cast on that fitting, so another spell landing in between replaces the first one. Furniture and wall torches never count. The 20 seconds are real time and keep running while the game is paused. Fittings that accept both in sequence (checked against the room models): the dark frieze's Tray, the botanical stair vestibule's Root, or a choked-cistern blossom. One Heat leaves a quenched blossom dark; a second relights it and the flood resumes. Bind both spells before you start.
Set and HoldOrient something, then Anchor it, within twenty seconds.
Cast Orient (Water, Will, Will), then Anchor (Growth, Growth, Water), at the same fitting in the same room within 20 seconds, in that order. Both casts must be accepted by the fitting; a cast it refuses, or one that sheds off, does not count. What matters is the last accepted cast on that fitting, so another spell landing in between replaces the first one. Furniture and wall torches never count. The 20 seconds are real time and keep running while the game is paused. Fittings that accept both in sequence (checked against the room models): the pendulum maintenance bay's Arm: Handle the Brake, Orient the Arm (it turns to the bracket), then Anchor it within the four seconds the brake holds. Bind both spells before you start.