-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 0
Alchemy
Alchemy is the resource refinement and potion enhancement system. It lets you transmute lower-tier gathering materials into higher-tier ones (and vice versa), brew powerful potion passives through a multi-step distillation process, and break down boss keys/essences into Cosmic Dust for crafting and upgrades.
Access it with /alchemy.
Alchemy has 5 levels. Each level:
- Unlocks one additional potion passive slot (Level 1 = 1 slot, Level 5 = 5 slots).
- Improves transmutation ratios (fewer low-tier resources needed to make one high-tier).
- Reduces disenchant times and increases concurrent synthesis queue slots.
- Slightly discounts Cosmic Dust costs for synthesis.
Leveling costs Spirit Stones (a rare endgame currency, primarily from high-level content and certain rewards). Costs scale: 10 → 15 → 25 → 40 for levels 2–5.
Max level is a major milestone that fully optimizes resource conversion and passive power.
These are the standout feature. Potions (bought from the shop or found) not only heal but also trigger one of your equipped passives when used in combat.
Passives are obtained exclusively through the Distillation (Potion Lab) system — a 9-step choice-driven mini-game using Cosmic Dust. They are significantly stronger than older legacy effects and can dramatically swing fights.
Examples of powerful distilled passives (exact values scale with the distillation outcome):
- Panacea: Chance to cleanse ailments + temporary immunity on potion use.
- Eclipse Strike: Next attack(s) deal massively increased damage and are guaranteed crits.
- Astral Aegis: Shield for % of max HP + immunity to the next lethal blow.
- Void Tide: Debuff monster ATK/DEF for several turns.
- Blood Pact: Leech % of damage dealt as HP.
- Quickening Draught: Next hit cannot miss + hit chance buff.
- Potent Brew / Venomous Infusion / Battle Draft / Ironclad Elixir / Ward Surge: Various strong heal amplification, damage conversion, stat buffs, ward restoration, etc.
- Many more (offensive, defensive, utility, healing, control).
You manage and view your active passives directly in the Alchemy hub. Empty slots can be filled by running the distillation process.
The 9-step "Sage Elixir" style crafting:
- Choose a base passive type (sampled randomly from the powerful catalog for replayability).
- For each of 9 steps, select one of three colored reagents (Verdant/Green, Astral/Blue, Crimson/Red).
- Reagents bias toward value (consistent power), duration, or volatile swings.
- Each step has a pre-revealed property/event (free steps, lucky/unlucky, guaranteed duration/value, cost reductions, refunds, big swings, etc.).
- Events and choices accumulate duration_mod and value_mod.
- At the end, the passive is finalized with scaled power based on your choices, luck, and accumulated modifiers.
Cosmic Dust is the primary cost. Events can make steps free, lucky, or dramatically better/worse. Higher Alchemy level indirectly helps through better overall economy.
This is the main way to obtain (and potentially replace) your potion passives.
Convert gathering resources between tiers using improved ratios at higher Alchemy levels:
- Upgrade (low → high): e.g., 4 Iron → 1 Coal at low levels; improves to 2:1 at max level (even better with Mastery "Master Baiter" synergy from Fishing).
- Downgrade (high → low): Break down for bulk lower materials.
Resources covered:
- Mining: Iron/Coal/Gold/Platinum/Idea Ore
- Fishing: Various Bones (Desiccated → Titanium)
- Woodcutting: Logs (Oak → Idea Logs)
Costs gold per transmutation. This is essential for feeding Settlement converters, Black Market offers, construction, and keeping your gathering resources balanced.
Mastery synergies (from Gathering) can further improve ratios.
Cosmic Dust is Alchemy's key secondary currency (also used for rerolling Paradise jewel passives).
Break down endgame items in queues (multiple concurrent slots unlock with level; time-based processing that improves with Alchemy level):
- Boss Keys (Dragon Key, Angel Key, Soul Cores, Void Fragments, Balance Fragments) → Cosmic Dust.
- Essences (Power, Protection, Insight, Evasion, Blocking, Deftness, Precision, Gluttony, Cleansing, Chaos, Annulment, and corrupted ones like Aphrodite/Lucifer/Gemini/NEET) → Dust (higher for corrupted/rare).
- Elemental Keys (from Uber: Capricious Carp, Blessed Bismuth, Sparkling Sprig) → Dust.
- Also ties into other high-value items.
Queues have limited slots early on (1→2→3) and take real time (50 min down to 10 min per item at higher levels).
- Fuel the Distillation mini-game for potion passives.
- Synthesize new boss keys (dust + large gold cost, with level-based discount).
- Reroll or enhance other systems (e.g., Paradise passives).
Disenchanting is a major sink for excess endgame loot and a primary way to fuel Alchemy's crafting.
- Gathering: Primary source of transmutable resources. Mastery (especially Fishing's Master Baiter) improves Alchemy ratios. Rich events and remnants indirectly support the broader economy.
- Settlement: Apothecary building gives flat extra healing on potion use (stacks with passives). Black Market can offer resources or high-end items that feed dust/essences. Nursery/Idlem support related loops.
- Combat: Potions are the delivery vehicle for these powerful passives. Many passives are encounter-defining (crit guarantees, leech, shields, debuffs, etc.). Works with Ward, Hematurgy, Paradise jewels, etc.
- Mastery (Gathering): Direct cross-bonuses to Alchemy efficiency.
- Uber/Endgame: Keys and essences from bosses feed the dust economy and synthesis.
- Paradise: Shares Cosmic Dust for jewel passive rerolls.
- Essences (gear): Many essences can be disenchanted here for dust.
- Prioritize Alchemy levels early for more passive slots and better resource conversion.
- Run Distillation regularly — the 9-step process rewards experimentation with reagents and reading the event properties.
- Use transmutation to balance your resource stockpiles for Settlement and Black Market.
- Disenchant excess keys/essences promptly; queues are a good "set and forget" activity while you do other things.
- Potion passives are some of the strongest "on-use" effects in the game — treat your slots as high-value real estate.
- Watch for Mastery synergies that make transmutation cheaper/more efficient.
- Cosmic Dust is precious; don't waste it on low-value distillation runs if you're low on dust.
- Combine with Settlement's Apothecary and good healing sources (partners, passives, etc.) for massive sustain.
Alchemy bridges gathering, combat utility, and endgame item economies into a cohesive crafting and enhancement loop.
Transmute. Distill. Empower your potions.
Last updated: May 2026 (sourced from cogs/alchemy.py, core/alchemy/mechanics.py, core/alchemy/views.py + sub-views, database/repositories/alchemy.py, CLAUDE.md architecture notes, and cross-references in skills/mastery, settlement, and combat systems)