Well, you asked for it, so now you've got it. Shamans amongst you can rejoice in the knowledge that the mastery guide to alchemy is now complete! A quick word before we begin. I have never been a shaman before, but I have been tempted more than once by the intriguing aspect of alchemy. Perhaps I shall create one in the future, but for now this obviously means that I have no practical experience in this field.
But because you all screamed for it, and because I wanted to include it sooner or later, I have spent some time poring over as much alchemical information as I could find in order to bring you this guide. I have endeavoured to choose a route that is as cheap and quick as possible, and also to choose potions along the way that have a better usefulness, hence making them more desirable to other players when you come to sell them on. Oh, and yes, that is a pie tin...
The first and most important thing to note about Alchemy is that it has a skill cap based on your level. This will probably be quite frustrating to a lot of people, as once you start a trade skill you generally don't want to stop trying to improve your skill.
You can start Alchemy when you reach level 25, and the skill cap formula is:
(Current Level - 24) x 5
This means that when you hit level 25, the most you can work your alchemy skill up to is 5 (25 - 24= 1, 1 x 5= 5). Therefore, if you can manage to remain patient enough, it is best to wait until around level 30 or so before you start, so that you can have a good run at it. If you start at level 30, then the maximum you can work your skill up to is 30. It is recommended that you start saving up practise points with your guild master so that when you are ready to start alchemy you can put the full 21 points into it. This will save you time and money.
When you are ready to begin, you will need to buy yourself a Medicine Bag. These can be bought from your local Shaman Guild (and a few other places), along with all the herbs you will need. It is a container, and you will need to place it in one of your main inventory slots. When you are ready to make a potion, place 1 of each type of herb you need into the medicine bag, and press combine. As always, never stack items in the medicine bag, or it's not going to work.
A note on drinking potions: In order to drink a potion, you must place it into one of your main inventory slots (the ones where you normally have bags). You must then right click on the bottle, and you will drink the potion. If it is a single charge potion, the bottle will disappear once you have drunk it. If it is a multicharge potion, one charge will be expended, and the number in the information panel about the potion will be decreased accordingly.
Note: As has been mentioned to me by a couple of people, I forgot to put Blood of the Wolf (SOW potions) on the table. It doesnt quite fit in with the route, so you can either miss it out or not, but these will most likely be your main source of income from alchemy, and are well worth making.
That is pretty much all of the information you will need in order to get started, so here is the mastery route. I have included 2 potions below skill level 21 in case you have not been able to save up enough skill points. As always, this is not the entire list of everything that can be made, and if you want to know what else you can make then I most whole-heartedly recommend that you visit Belgar's Ultimate Guide to Alchemy. This is by far the most complete compilation I have found on the subject of Alchemy, and I cannot think of anything it does not contain, except perhaps a route guide. But now, on to the table!
Route to Mastery
| Potion | Recipe | Effects | Trivial | Shaman Level needed to Trivial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lesser Vigor | 1 Lucern, 1 Birthwart | Agi+5, Str+5, Sta-3, (21 mins) | 17 | 28 |
| Lesser Power | 1 Lucern, 1 Fenugreek | Dex+5, Str+5, Sta-5, (15 mins) | 22 | 29 |
| Minor Aura of Purity | 1 Lucern, 1 Nightshade | Str+5, Poison Resist+5, Cha-3, (15 mins) | 32 | 31 |
| Blood of the Wolf | 1 Birthwart, 1 Fenugreek, 1 Wolf Blood | Spirit of Wolf | 37 | 32 |
| Unlife Awareness | 1 Fennel, 1 Elderberry | Invis. vs Undead | 42 | 33 |
| Kilva's Blistering Flesh* | 1 Jatamasi, 1 Clubmoss | Damage Shield (level/4 mins) | 52 | 35 |
| Antiweight* | 1 Hydrangea, 1 Jatamasi | Levitate (12 mins) Must have a batwing for this to work | 52 | 35 |
| Serpent's Conviction | 1 Fennel, 1 Eucalyptus Leaf | Serpent Sight | 63 | 37 |
| Vigor | 1 Lucern, 1 Birthwart, 1 Blue Vervain Bulb | Agi+10, Str+10, Sta-10, (30 mins) | 76 | 40 |
| Null | 1 Fenugreek, 1 Mandrake Root, 1 Blue Vervain Bulb | Dex+15, Magic resist+15, Agi-8 | 90 | 42 |
| Aura of Purity | 1 Lucern, 1 Night Shade, 1 Blue Vervain Bulb | Str+15, Poison Resist+15, Cha-8 | 103 | 45 |
| Spirit Shield | 1 Sumbul, 1 Clubmoss, 1 Clover | +18 AC (47 mins) | 110 | 46 |
| Greater Negation | 1 Mystic Ash, 1 Mystic Ash, 1 Mercury | Cancel Magic (removes top 2 effects) | 122 | 49 |
| Dulsehound | 1 Hill Giant Toes**, 1 Balm Leaf | Str+18, Int-25, 180 Regen at 3 per tick (3 mins) | 131 | 51 |
| Greater Vigor | 1 Lucern, 1 Birthwart, 1 Valerian Root | Str+25, Agi+15, Sta-20 | 143 | 53 |
| Greater Power | 1 Lucern, 1 Fenugreek, 1 Valerian Root | Str+25, Dex+15, Sta-20 | 150 | 54 |
| Greater Purity | 1 Lucern, 1 Nightshade, 1 Valerian Root | Str+25, Poison Resist+25, Cha-15 | 163 | 57 |
| Adrenaline Tap | 1 Comfrey, 1 Dhea | Increased attack speed (5 mins) | 170 | 58 |
| NEW Titan Potion |
1 Maliak Leaf, 1 Tri-fern Leaf | GROW! GROW! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! | 180 | ummm, I've lost my calculator. |
* You can make either of these, whichever takes your fancy, I couldn't decide.
**Buy these, or hunt them to make it cheaper.
Manufactured items you may need
| Item | Recipe | Trivial | Made By |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bearskin Potion Bag | 1 Silk Cord, 1 Grizzly Bear Skin combined in a Sewing kit. | 75 | Tailoring |