Alkahests

Alkahests are one of the two items required to enchant armor and weapons. The tier of the item to be enchanted determines the minimum tier of alkahest that is required. (Tier 3 equipment requires Tier 3 Alkahest.) Some alkahest will not work for all equipment even if it is of the correct tier. Feedstock is the other required enchanting material.

With new level 65 gear system (Guardian gear) feedstock and alkahest is no longer used to enchant level 65 gear. It remains in use for leveling gear. Some types of alkahest are removed from game. Previously Masterwork Alkahest was the most important resource for enchanting level 65 gear from +9 to +12/+15.

Source
Alkahest can be dropped from mobs, given as quest rewards, found on the Brokerage, and obtained from locked boxes, such as the Masterwork Alkahest Box.

Varieties
The different types of alkahest are generally based on the the level of enchantment and the tier of equipment that can be enchanted. The list of the different types, the upper tier limitation, and maximum enchantment bonus is given below.


 * - Tier 5 equipment (or under), up to +6 enchantment
 * - Tier 3 equipment (or under), up to +6 enchantment
 * - Tier 3 equipment (or under), from +7 up to +9 enchantment
 * - Level 64 equipment (or under), from +7 up to +9 enchantment
 * - Level 30 equipment (or under), up to +9 enchantment
 * - Level 31 to 50 equipment (or under), up to +9 enchantment
 * - Level 59 equipment (or under), up to +9 enchantment
 * - Level 64 equipment (or under), up to +9 enchantment

Legacy
The following alkahests were removed from the game. Some can still be sold to merchants in exchange for gold.



Trivia
Wikipedia has an interesting article on Alkahest that can be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkahest