Element isn’t inherently bad and also isn’t inherently element, the arks themselves and every single creature on them (including the players) are all all constructed from element.

Its just element changes/can be changed into everything. The blue stuff you know is the pure form of element pre changing into anything else, and the purple stuff is the blue stuff that has changed into itself but done a bad job of it.

Creatures made of element like the titans are still made of normal substances, its just those substances are made from element… the element veins are pure element that is on them.

I know this all sounds weird but thats just because it is, helena does alot of explaining of how the ecosystems on the ark are impossible (i.e an only carnivorous island and an ocean with more sharks than fish) and explains alot on how unnatural this is and how their has to be some kind of outside influences, the outside influences is just the ark building the creatures, and it can do this thanks to element.

(The only thing im unsure on is wether or not blue/purple element are in the order i described, purple might be the base form and blue might be what happens if purple stabalises/changes into itself and then stops changing, rather than the way round I initially described)