Nelly Mcarlton 
Introduction:
Umbral engrams are some of the more difficult to decode items in the game, but they are also some of the more rewarding. Umbral engrams can be decoded using a cryptograph or cipher tool while using an Encryption Kit. The cryptograph is available on the market for 100 marks of distinction and you can find Encryption Kits on the player market for approximately 110 marks.
Umbral engrams can be decoded by anyone, but you need an Umbral Cipher to do so. The cipher only costs around 350 Anima Shards in total and is not particularly difficult to make either, provided you have the correct materials already in your inventory. If you are unsure what materials you need or how to craft the Umbral Cipher, check out this guide.
What are umbral engrams?
Once decoded, they will output a random item from the umbral tier of your choice. What’s nice is that you can choose which type of item you would like to get: A weapon, an armor piece or a ring. The caveat is that there are no weapons for ranged (guns), only melee and rings. There also aren’t any helmets or gloves that can be used with the Umbral tier, so if you’re looking for those, there is no way around it: you must craft and use an Astral Cipher.
So how to decode your first umbral engrams?
First of all: make sure you have a cryptograph tool in your inventory. Without it, you will not be able to decode umbral engrams. Once you have it in your inventory, simply right-click the cryptograph and select ‘engram analysis’. This will bring up a window that gives you an option to decode one of your engrams.
Make sure you have the correct cipher tool in your inventory. If you don’t, make one using materials found on the market or in the world. Once you have it in your inventory, right-click it and select ‘engram decipher’. This will bring up a window that gives you an option to decipher one of your engrams.
There is one other thing you should know: the quality of the cipher tool and cryptograph does not affect how many marks of distinction, or materials needed to make your Umbral Cipher. They only affect your chances at decoding an umbral engram. The better your tools, the higher chance you have at getting a higher tier item.
Why is it important to decode these engrams?
If you have a lot of them in your inventory, it is important to make use of them. Why would you want marks of distinction? Well, the player market has a high demand for umbral items, so if you add up the total value of all your umbral items and subtract from that how many marks it cost you to make them, you’ll end up with a figure that’s worth more than the total value of all your umbral items combined.
That is why it is important to make use of them, but how? Well, most umbral items can be traded and put on the player market for an excellent price: Umbral Remnants (the most expensive item in the Umbral tier) can sell for 400-500k on the market at this time. Other umbral items go for 100k+, which is not bad considering it only cost you 110 marks of distinction to make them, plus 10 or so Anima Shards.
Conclusion:
If you want to decode your first umbral engrams, make sure you have a cryptograph and cipher tool in your inventory. Use the one that gives you the highest chance of decoding a high tier item. Lastly, read up on available items and their stats before trying to decipher an umbral engram. This will help you decide what to use it on.
