The Bonus Item Phenomenon [Update 2.3]

[Sphyxia]

When you craft something successfully on rare occasions you are given a bonus item.

Things I have hypothesized on the phenomenon:
1. It happens on consecutive successful crafts of very low success formulas. It can happen even if you failed twice before getting a very low success formula right.
2. It only gives components found on caches.
3. Components from Sapphire caches are the most commonly found. It depends on the very low success or formula you're crafting given on recent reports
4. Anyone who experiences a lot of fail rates are less likely to have a bonus item Previous attempts have no sufficient evidence that says they could affect the next chances of receiving an item on the next craft.
5. More chances of the system giving you a bonus item if you keep crafting the same formula over and over again
6. It can still occur even at level ten. This is absolute.
7. Only very low success rate formulas are the only ones which can proc the bonus items. The ledlenovo disproves this.
8. There is a 12% chance you'll get a bonus item whenever you craft. (possibly limited to very low success rate component formulas) which is explained further by Pheonix Fontaine:

Pheonix Fontaine

From a design standpoint.... it probably is like this:

Craft Recipe:
Chance of bonus item (0.1-12%???)
Rarity of Item crafted (Set group of drops) OR Specific recipes assigned tags that denote group of bonus items or singular bonus item.
Specific Item crafted (+Bonus item to group of drops) (Using the grenade launcher as reference.)

Group of drops:
Philosopher's Cache items???
Store Alchemy items???
All items appear to be alchemy ingredients except the specific item bonuses. (like the grenade launcher?)

3rd potential outcome is:
Recipe is given:
Success: Standard success
Bonus Success: Standard success + bonus item (est 12%)
Critical Success: Standard success + rare bonus item (est 0.1%?)

9.You only get one kind of bonus item from a single very low success rate formula. See Uranium Biscuits.

What was reported crafted > what was reported received as bonus:

Eldritch Horror Tentacle > Honey Liqueur
Eldritch Horror Tentacle > Chalk x1
Demon Curse > Weak Acid x1
Demon Blood > Weak Acid x4
Angel Blood > Stardust x6
Plague Virus > Irradiated Stone x5
Uranium Biscuits > Harmless Spores x14
Ledlenovo > Ashes x4
Dark Matter > Lapis Lazuli x1
Dark Matter > Illiaster x1
Mannfrey's Rocket Launcher > Mannfrey's Grenade Launcher
Ambrosia > Honey Liqueur x4
Bas****ds Heart > Serpent Stone x1
Soul Cyrstals > Lapis Lazuli x1
Inizio Quests drop wings as a sure bonus item once crafted depending on levels

Possible Lore:

Something I've been thinking about the nature of bonus items to alchemy fantasy. Could be something or could be nothing.

Demon Blood can melt any surface according to it's description. See the connection with the "weak acid"?

Angel Blood, a biblical reference is that the three kings who visited the baby Jesus followed a star. A star which a messenger angel has told.

Eldritch Horror Tentacle, I once read and forgotten the name of a famous horror writer (though famous, how could I forget?) that they frequently "drink" to get them inspired through writing. Thus honey "liquor". The connection is so far far far, then again, could be something or nothing.

Or

It was absinthe given given to children as medicine in a cup of honey. Frequently mistaken as liqueur. -Urd Tanzanite

Or

Kelso The Great

H P Lovecraft wrote stories of Eldrich Horrors.
Absinthe is a popular drink made of Wormswood that has a dangerously high alcohol content, and when enough is imbibed, people can enter euphoric and agitated states, and even hallucinate.
Lovecraft's stories seemed like experiences one would have on absinthe.
Usually involving cult activities and deity worship, The Honey Liqueur could be an offering.

Controllable Destiny

Apparently, Ambrosia is the food of gods.

"In ancient Greek mythology, ambrosia (Greek: ἀμβροσία) is sometimes the food or drink of the Greek gods (or demigods), often depicted as conferring immortality upon whoever consumed it." -from wikipedia

The bonus item is honey liqueur. A liqueur is an alcoholic spirit. Honey is normally associated with sweetness. This suggests that it is a drink of gods.

For the Serpent Stone

Urd Tanzanite

Perhaps the "bosom serpent" folklore? It's the idea that animals can live inside a person's body, in this case specifically, a serpent in the heart.

Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a short story about this in which the character with a serpent in his heart is a bit of a b*****d, having separated from his wife. It's not a metaphorical serpent either since the character says he can hear it hissing inside his chest. There's been a lot of lit analysis written about whether the character is delusional, if the character is demonically possessed, if this is an allegory for sin (as in original sin), or if it should be treated as literal.

People who Contributed:

Yuzuhara
Platonix
Larkadroid
Akatsuki_Girl_Rita
Masticated Marshmallows
The Faithful Pirate
Urd Tanzanite
CBB1112
Kelso the Great
engineer-of-doom
Pheonix Fontaine
Proletariat Porno
Black_Viet
Shannon_Jeva
Tay Lorien
Naugahyde spp
post-beast
sbrnz
maidos
iiGen
Controllable Destiny
TillxGone
Kaiki kit
Kovva
mist777
Syfawx

Those who weren't mention can just call my attention.

[Starshine]

This is very interesting, first time I've heard about it.

[Occupandi Temporis]

Sphyxia

Mannfrey's Rocket Launcher > Mannfrey's Grenade Launcher
And I got Lapis Lazuli out of something the other day. Dark Matter I think.

[Urd Tanzanite]

I didn't realize anyone was keeping track of this stuff. It's interesting to see what people are getting. With the exception of a couple of those, almost all those are components for the Crown of the Thrice Great.

Sphyxia

Eldritch Horror Tentacle, I once read and forgotten the name of a famous horror writer (though famous, how could I forget?) that they frequently "drink" to get them inspired through writing. Thus honey "liquor". The connection is so far far far, then again, could be something or nothing.

I believe you are talking about absinthe.

It was frequently mistaken for a liqueur. And it was given to children as medicine in a cup of honey (to make it drinkable).

Not sure what writer you're referring to since there were quite a few that drank this. Can't remember any horror ones off the top of my head though.

[Occupandi Temporis]

Sphyxia

The Wings are a bonus from crafting technically. But they are guaranteed to drop. Not a random chance.

[Larkadroid]

Crafted Plague Virus x4, got Irradiated Stone as a bonus on the first one I crafted.

[Sphyxia]

Larkadroid

Crafted Plague Virus x4, got Irradiated Stone as a bonus on the first one I crafted.

Thank you, am thinking of declaring it official that you need to craft this certain formula in order for it to give you that certain bonus item if it reaches a minimum of ten reports.

[Zzyli]

Urd Tanzanite

Not sure what writer you're referring to since there were quite a few that drank this. Can't remember any horror ones off the top of my head though.

I'm thinking it may be Lovecraft, because he was the author who made the idea of Eldritch Abominations well-known (I believe there is some older lore which refers to similar beings, but this may be me forming assumptions based on fiction).

One link with bonus items which I have been curious about is whether or not your level increases the likelihood of obtaining the bonus. I know that there was a vast increase in reports of not getting wings granted as a bonus item to the Wing Quest after Gaia had sold quests directly in the CS, but then again, there was also a vast increase in quests being made, so this could be purely anecdotal.

[Starshine]

Is Mannfrey's Grenade Launcher only dropped as a rare bonus item? That makes it one of the rarest items ever xd

[ninniku]

I got something from the eldrtich tentacle, but I can't remember exactly what it was. It wasn't honey liquer because I don't have that in my inventory. It might be mineral water. I thought it was a consolation. "I'm so sorry this took you 20 tries to craft. Have a bonus item!" My second sort of crafting did not produce an item, and only took 3 tries.

[CBB1112]

I was so gonna make a thread about this and you beat me to it D:

[CBB1112]

Sphyxia

Misfortuned Checkmate

Well here is the info I have based one what I've crafted:

PS. Horror Enriched Tenticals Dont give Honey Liquor (as above screenie shows) they give chalk, I'll summon the person who made the discovery to please post the screenie of it C:

[Kelso The Great]

H P Lovecraft wrote stories of Eldrich Horrors.
Absinthe is a popular drink made of Wormswood that has a dangerously high alcohol content, and when enough is imbibed, people can enter euphoric and agitated states, and even hallucinate.
Lovecraft's stories seemed like experiences one would have on absinthe.
Usually involving cult activities and deity worship, The Honey Liqueur could be an offering.

[Sphyxia]

CBB1112

Sphyxia

Misfortuned Checkmate

Well here is the info I have based one what I've crafted:

PS. Horror Enriched Tenticals Dont give Honey Liquor (as above screenie shows) they give chalk, I'll summon the person who made the discovery to please post the screenie of it C:

If I get a bonus item that often is repeatedly dropped from the same formula x10, I'm going to declare it as the sole item dropped.

As for ambrosia, I'll insert that part on the thread and the lore as well.

[Sphyxia]

Kelso The Great

H P Lovecraft wrote stories of Eldrich Horrors.
Absinthe is a popular drink made of Wormswood that has a dangerously high alcohol content, and when enough is imbibed, people can enter euphoric and agitated states, and even hallucinate.
Lovecraft's stories seemed like experiences one would have on absinthe.
Usually involving cult activities and deity worship, The Honey Liqueur could be an offering.

Thank you, putting your input on quote :>