Yeah it's rough, I found the only real way to do stuff somewhat balanced is also tweaking resource distribution, unfortunately no way to change terrain artefacts

I had idea to reduce resource chain. This version makes it really too straightforwardly.
Check out another version, changes little bit softly here.
https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2413071751

Thanks for your feedback.
Added the picture with essence points, since my description is not very clear.

This mode definitely wrecks balance, but it made more for fun play (instead of endless micro management with all these transmutations). Might be a good and deep craft and drop rework could help here, but do not think someone gonna do this.

Also seems that combination of gathering points reduction, resource chain reduction and essence buff too op. Toying with idea to make one more version without essence buff.

You right all essence values before wild factoring.
T2 (e.g. dryad wood) link to T4 (e.g. ancient wood) left since there is no option to define resources pattern for transmutation. There is hardcoded logic:
2 parents - transmutaion requies both of them (5|5)
1 or 3+ parent(s) - any of them (8 or 12)
Removing T2->T4 link makes T4 transmutation only via combining both wild and improved T3 resources. I think it not fits here.

I also just noticed, can't you skip t3 entirely by just compositing t2 to t4? And doesn't that make compositing yields about 5x better than normally (ignoring that it's also that much better compared to doing it with your t3 materials)?
Unless you disabled compositing somehow that would be a massive problem...

Hmm you might have some balancing issues at hand here.
Having gatherable T4 with even higher essence values is pretty crazy, though tbh I see the main issue with the position of composites.
This basically means that you have no access to composites until you reach T5 which reduces variability and then pubstomp everything because the essence is even better than before.
I'll assume the values you put there are also before factoring in wild so that'll push it even higher.
I like the idea of pushing the pure T4 to T5 though.