Holy Incarnate Costs, Batman!

You don't need influence. Emp merits are enough.

EDIT: To further elaborate, currently you can get incarnate salvage the following way:

1. Conversion, this generally costs influence. (at least for the higher tiers) you can convert all the way from Shards to Very Rare thread components, though it's VERY expensive to do so (in influence, time, and shards/threads required) Note that converting threads to common (20 threads) and uncommon (40 threads) does NOT cost you anything, and that while the shards/threads conversion costs influence (2.5 million) the Notice of the Well>40 threads one does NOT. Note that 40 threads is two commons, which means that after two weeks of running the WST once each week you'll have a common incarnate power of your choice crafted.
2. The random table at the end of a successful trial. This is, as the name implies, highly random.
3. Empyreal merit conversion: Eight empyreal merits can be converted into a rare piece of salvage of your choice. 30 gives you a very rare component. You get one empyreal merit per day for each of the separate trials. (one for BAF, one for Lambda, assuming you complete both) Empyreal merit conversions do NOT cost influence. Astral merits can be converted into threads, which.. Well, see above.
4. Completing the additional badges on the trials: Each component badge for the Master Of badge gives you a random uncommon, when you get the Master Of Lambda/BAF (at least the second of which is not very difficult at all) you get a random rare component.
5. Sidegrade: You can also convert one type of component into another of the same tier, this costs threads though (very little for commons, a bit more for uncommons, much more for rares and very rares)
6. Downgrading: You can convert one higher tier component to one lower tier component, should you wish to. (Mainly this is useful for uncommon>common conversions since you need a lot more commons than uncommons)

As I've played I've noticed that (apart from when you're trying to get the T4's) the limiting factor tends to be Ixp and not components per se. (I've almost never unlocked a slot without having something to slot it with) And well, unlocking the slots (or at least earning Ixp) is something I could totally see them adding to arcs, Ramiel-style (Honestly, if you could get regular thread drops from mobs, + Ixp from certain arcs that should enable you to get your slots open and slottet relatively easily, even if you'd still have to pay for the Rares and Very Rares)

Actually, with the new global voucher system they're going to be implementing, that wouldn't be a bad idea. Let people send the Incarnate salvage to their global account so that characters who either don't do well on the trials (like Masterminds) or just have really incredibly rotten luck (like my controller) can keep progressing towards getting the Tier Four abilities, without the players having to pull their hair out in frustration.

City of Heroes taught me that when the world is burning, you don't just stand by and watch, you grab a fire extinguisher and do whatever you can to stop it-even if it's not much at all. Sign the petition to keep City of Heroes alive HERE.

@MissKyo, Leader of the Teamsters coalition on Protector

Ah. took me a second, I think you have your terms mixed up. Yes, we can convert Shards to Threads, but not backwards. On the other hand, all Alpha slot enhancements have a version that can be made with Thread salvage as well. It kinda helps, in that you don't need to make Favors of the Well, but you will still need Rare and Very Rare Salvage for the appropriate level Alphas, so I'm not sure if that helps all that much.

Those people are mistaken. You can't convert threads or thread components to shards, although theother way is possible.

You CAN however unlock your alpha slot powers using threads and thread components (and evenmix and match, say craft tier 1 alpha with shards and tie 2 wih threads)

The thread recipes are found by scrolling down the shard recipes, like when you select what combination of T3's you need for a T4.

Why do you need to keep up with stuff? Who is pushing you?
Are you being forced to run tips?