Alchemy Guide by Ctownwoody

Alchemy Guide 1.1

0-100

By Ctownwoody

Asura Server, Sons of Valkrum Linkshell

Disclaimer: I did my research using ffxiah.com and have taken most of my crafts up to level 60+ and am in the process of taking an Alchemy mule up to 100. Prices and availability varies by server, but I tend to focus on easy-to-farm items or ones you can buy from NPCs for mass-producing.

Alchemy Tips

1. Ingredients for Alchemy fall into 3 general categories--Farmable Items, Cheap Groceries/Herbs, and Fish.

Farmable Items: range from easy to difficult to farm (unless you have a 75 THF), but all can be bought at AH.

Fish: are easy to catch and you can buy them at Fishing Guilds, including Windy, Selbina and Bibiki Bay. Learn what the price range at guilds are for maximize value.

Groceries/Herbs: are bought from Raimbroy’s Grocery in South Sandy or from Regional Vendors, so watch Conquest results.

2. One general formula is Ingredients -> Powder/Dust -> Potion -> weapon or boltheads (with glue and possibly ingots). Most of your Guild Points will be made through the end result weapons and getting up to 3 separate synths for one item is a great way to skill-up without busting your bank or clogging your inventory.

3. The first time I started Alchemy I had a Goldsmithing 41 and a Smithing 39, which makes it a lot easier. There are some recipes that take Goldsmithing up to 24 and Smithing up to 15, and they make the process easier. The second time, I started from the ground up, but Smithing 14 and Goldsmithing 20 are your first benchmarks and are easy to get. (If you aren't a Bastok citizen, you should consider basing your operations out of Bastok for a bit anyway.)

4. Work in Bastok, Sell in Jeuno. Aside from stuff to buy from Raimbroy’s or Regional Vendors, you can farm or buy what you need in Bastok as cheaply as in Jeuno, which is great because of synth support. Double-check on ffxiah.com though.

5. Bullets and boltheads can make your life easier. Bullets can be “pouched” (quivered) for 36 synths in one stack and with boltheads, you can either make into tons of bolts for sale or stacks of 99 heads, at 6 heads a synth.

6. Boltheads are good, but bolts are better. Boltheads sell okay, but Bolts can be quivered (36 synths in one stack) and made cheaply and easily (Woodworking 15) and sell so much more quickly than the boltheads alone.

The Guide Itself-Item (cap)-Crystal, Ingredients--What to do with the products and how much to make.

Tsurarax10 (6)-Ice Crystal, Distilled Waterx2, Rock Salt—Get the salt at Raimbroy’s, mass-produce the Tsuara until you hit the cap, and either sell them cheaply at Jeuno’s AH (under Ninja Tools), use them with your NIN or NPC them. Quick and easy.

Deodorizer (10)-Wind Crystal, Sage, Chamomile, Olive Oil—The sage is at Raimbroy’s and the Chamomile is either at the Jeuno Flowershop in Upper Jeuno or from Vollbow RV. These are really cheap, and, between these and Poison Dust, you want to cap out with Poison Dust.

Poison Dust (12)-Lightning Crystal, Yellow Globex2—Yellow Globes are fish caught in various areas, especially in the Sandy and Kazham airship waiting areas in Port Jeuno or Mhaura. You want to make enough poison dust, at least 2 stacks, for poison potions later.

Mercury (16)-Lightning Crystal, Cobalt Jellyfishx4—Caught in almost any saltwater area, they sell at Windy, Bastok and Jeuno AHs, plus Alchemy and Fishing Guilds. Make as many as you made Poison Dust.

Poison Potion (18)-Water Crystal, Mercury, Poison Dust—Use the dust and mercury you made to make a stack or two. These are your level 18 test item as well, so they sell very well at the Jeuno AH (poison potions are the best way to avoid Sleepga effects). Just make as many as you made with Poison Dust. If you fish your own Yellow Globes and Jellyfish, this can be very profitable, but it takes a lot of them.

Silent Oil (24)-Water Crystal, Beeswax x2, Slime Oil--If you farm your own beehive chips or have a high level crafter (60+) make it for you, you can almost pull even on these. However, on most servers, high-level Alchemists (there is a difference between crafting mules and gil-sellers; most people who crowd out crafts aren't necessarily the latter, but are usually the former) use this to make gil. A good bridge if you have to. Sells extremely fast, fortunately.

Blinding Potion (27)-Water Crystal, Sleepshroom, Poison Flour, Crying Mustard—Crying Mustard at Raimbroy’s, Poison Flour from the Gobbie shop in Jeuno and Sleepshrooms from the AH. Since the flour doesn’t stack, I made these in Jeuno. Make as many as you can and save them. It is a 9-level jump from Poison Potions, so be careful and expect a lot of breaks.

Blind Bolt Headsx6 (31)-Wind Crystal, Animal Glue, Blinding Potion, Bronze Ingot—This requires Smithing 14, which is easy enough to get. Make a ton and sell them at Jeuno AH. Make sure you get to at least 30 with them. The next recipe’s at 38. (You can make bolts, which sell much more quickly but that takes a lot longer as you will be making between 50-150 stacks of bolts if you have Woodworking 16; I made around 300 stacks with a Woodworking of 75+2.)

Artificial Lens(34)-Fire Crystal, Glass Fiberx2--This doesn't stack and is only for people worried about the 9 level jump. They may not stack but mixed with a Light Crystal and two more Glass Fiber at level 41, they make Prism Powder, a HIGHLY profitable and fast selling synth. Make what you feel comfortable with, both skill and invenory-wise, and save for later.

Bronze Bulletx33 (38)-Fire Crystal, Firesand, Bronze Ingot--These don't sell too terribly fast anymore, but do make a profit. Once you hit around 35 or so, you can start making your own Firesand to tandem with these (and with Bullets). Smithing 13 is the subcraft, but if you made Blind Bolt Heads, or have a Smithing of at least 10, you should be fine.

Firesandx2 (40)-Earth Crystal, Bomb Ashx2, Sulfur—Bomb Ash in the Metalworks area of Bastok and Sulfur from the Gustaberg RV in Port Bastok. Tandem with Bullets to work your way closer to 35-36. Once a great synth taken over by professional mules...

Bulletx33 (41)-Fire Crystal, Firesand, Brass Ingot--Goldsmithing 18 as a sub-craft. These sell pretty well in stacks but bullet-production has largely been usurped by professional mules. However, if you made a lot of Firesand, this is a good way to get rid of it.

Prism Powder (41)-Light Crystal, Artificial Lens, Glass Fiberx2--These are profitable, easy to make (4 glass fiber, 1 fire and 1 light crystal), and sell extremely rapidly. They are also made in by the ton for gil by higher-level Alchemists because of the profitability. You'll have to undercut prices a little, but even then, you should be able to make good profits.

Vitriol (43)-Water Crystal, Treant Bulbx2—Make up to the cap of this stuff, especially if you want to make a ton of gil later on making Acid Bolts. Treant Bulbs are very farmable and you can farm grain seeds (worth 10k/stack on Asura) at the same time.

Acid Bolt Headsx6 (45)-Wind Crystal, Animal Glue, Vitriol, Bronze Ingot—These sell so much better (as more gil-per-synth and as return on investment) as Bolts than as Boltheads, so I suggest making these into Bolts, Quiver them, and sell them while twirling your mustache in glee. I took this to cap because I made a lot of vitriol. I recommend it as well.

Shrimp Lure (48)-Fire Crystal, Silver Ingot, Crayfish, Glass Fiber--These are little profit-monkeys just sitting there, waiting to be mass-produced...except they don't stack. If you want to rectify any gil-shortages, use these to replenish your fortunes by making a dozen or two of them. Recently, on Asura, several crafters and myself have driven these down to only 4k (was 7-8k) but that's still profitable, if not as much. Be careful of flooding the market and also, these require Goldsmithing 21 to make.

Holy Water (51)-Light Crystal, Distilled Water—Light crystals recently crashed (from 10k/stack to 4k/stack), making this a much better synth. You can save some to make Holy Bolt Heads (recepie is next just for kicks), but the real secret is that Holy Water sells to NPCs for 350-390 each, which is profitable if you got the light crystals for 4k/stack or less. Mass-producing items and selling to NPCs for a profit is the best way to increase your skill.

Holy Bolt Heads x6 (53)-Wind Crystal, Bronze Ingot, Holy Waterx2--These make incredibly profitable bolts, but don't sell well as simply Boltheads. It's one way to use up your Holy Water (another is to NPC them).

Sleeping Potion (56)-Water Crystal, Chamomile, Sleepshroom, Poison Flour—Aside for Sleepshrooms from the AH, you can get everything for this cheap, very-fast selling and profitable synth in Jeuno! The chamomile's in Upper Jeuno’s Flowershop and the Poison Flour's in Lower Jeuno’s Gobbie shop. Save a few stacks if going past 60 for boltheads. They sell more profitably as singles than as stacks; balance the two approaches.

Cermet Chunk (59)-Fire Crystal, Golem Shard x2--This was the best way to make Cermet Chunks on Asura. Alternatives include Magic Pot Shardx4 (56) or Doll Shardx2 (60). Save a stack or two for Porcelain Flowerpots, but these sell quickly. Use your judgement on which type to make. Prices fluctuate.

Porcelain Flowerpot (61)-Fire Crystal, Cermet Chunk—Good profit, all things considered, if you made the Cermet yourself. The standard pot for gardeners (who can't afford Arcane Potx10), so there's a strong demand, if streakish, but these don't stack. I suggest finding people (strangers and/or friends) who are starting up Gardening or setting up Gardening Mules. If you aren't gardening yourself, I'd suggest starting up, even if it's not for Elemental Ores.

POST 60 Recepies

This is for going past 60 in Alchemy. Only do this if you want to take Alchemy to 100 (or 75 for Animas). The jump from here to 75 (Animas) is hard on the wallet and I spent a long time selling Shrimp Lures before starting it. Key Item: Anima Synthesis is a must.

Venom Dust (62)-Lightning Crystal, Ogre Eelx2--While you can fish for these in a variety of places, I've always disdained salt-water fishing. Find them on the AH, mostly in Jeuno but check Windy and Bastok. You just want to make 1 level to help lay in for Venom Potions later. Buying the Venom Dust directly is usually cheaper.

Sleep Bolt Heads x6 (67)-Wind Crystal, Bronze Ingot, Animal Glue, Sleeping Potion--Smithing 14 as a sub-skill, same as the other boltheads you've made. Profitable to sell but don't expect to sell them as quickly as you can the bolts themselves. Because it is after 50, expect to make a few stacks (x99) of the boltheads. Find a WW friend to pawn them off on if possible, or do the several hundred synths yourself when the first place nation controls Norvallen at the same time (easy access to Quiver and Ash Lumber).

Venom Potion (68)-Water Crystal, Mercury, Venom Dust--By now, you should be regularly HQ1-3 on making Mercury, so it will probably be cheaper to make your own. That doesn't mean you shouldn't raid the Fishing Guilds, but it does mean this won't cost you as much. Save these for bolt heads or for Guild Point items.

Hi-Ether (69)-Water Crystal, Bat Wingx4, Dried Marjoramx2, Dryad Root, Distilled Water--Doesn't stack but sells quickly. Tag-team these with Remedies to get about 1-2 levels, to get closer to Animas. The number of Bat Wings required means you'll want to start saving in advance.

Remedyx2 (69)-Water Crystal, Chamomile, Sage, Wijnruit, Boyahda Moss, Mistletoe, Dried Marjoram, Distilled Water, Honey--Mistletoe is the most expensive item and the limiting factor here. Otherwise, it's a laundry list for either Regional Vendors or Jeuno's AH. You can farm the Moss and Mistletoe if your Thief is that high-level but your time is better spent not. Doesn't sell in stacks, so beware of doing more than 1-2 levels at a time. Between the proceeding four items, you'll want to be at least at 68 if not 69 before starting animas.

Anima Synthesis (75)-Elemental Crystal, Memory, Rock Salt, Sulfur, Mercury--Lots of different Memories needed, as well as Key Item: Anima Synthesis, which is very much worth it at this point. I suggest around 3 stacks of each anima (30 synths each or 240 total). That's just for Photoanima later. See Guildworker's Union for a start on other items you can make with these (Reraise Earring and Warp Cudgel for example). Dance in the mountains of gil you can now make.

X-Potion (77)-Water Crystal, Sagex2, Hecteyes Eye, Reishi Mushroom, Distilled Water--The Eyes and Mushrooms are limiting factors and the potions don't stack, but these sell incredibly well and profitably. A very minor bridge to Bloody Boltheads at 81 and Photoanimas at 85.

Bloody Bolt Headsx6 (81)-Wind Crystal, Bronze Ingot, Beastman Blood, Revival Tree Root--Great synth for this high up. While the Beastman Blood and Tree Root are limiting factors, these bolts sell quickly and are very stackable for a Level 81 synth. This is especially nice if you've gotten your Woodworking up past 47, so you can reliably HQ.

Photoanima (85)-Fire Crystal, 1 of each Anima--Get at least 2 stacks finished and you've got a large supply of highly profitable Photoanimas to use. Either go nuts on Shade Gear (or team up with Bonecrafter on them) or just sell them 1 at a time and rake in the gil. Either way should make you a ton of gil.

Gold Nuggetx6 (88)-Fire Crystal, Gold Leaf, Panacea--Pretty good profit if you can get the ingredients. Vital if you are taking your Goldsmithing from 51 to 54.

Urushi (91)-Fire Crystal, Lacquer Tree Sapx4, Iron Ore, Honey--This and Animas are what prompted me to make an Alchemy mule. These are essential for helping get Woodworking from 91 to 96 and above. The sub-crafts are Woodworking 59 and Smithing 21. Read that again, just to be sure.

Icarus Wing (93)-Wind Crystal, Giant Bird Featherx6, Beeswaxx2--Giant Bird Feathers availability aside, these are incredibly cheap and easy for Level 93 synth (you should be able to kill at making Beeswax by now and you may have picked up Trituration from the Guild). Sold singly, they clear quickly and at a large profit. Stacks don't sell as well, though, so clearing all you've made to reach 93 will take a long time.

Platinum Nuggetx6 (96)-Fire Crystal, Platinum Leaf, Panacea--Same as Gold Nuggets but for Platinum-level Goldsmithing at 60+. The leaves are easier to get as they are a 'failed' attempt to grow Elemental Ores. Let your friends and LS mates know you'll take/buy them and, hopefully, once a month, you'll get a bunch.

Panacea (98)-Light Crystal, Philosopher's Stone, Mercury, Sulfur, Rock Salt--Great tandem synth with Platinum Nuggest starting at level 94 or so. Only 2 to go. Getting the stone will be hard, as others snatch them up quickly from the AH and professional chocobo diggers control many of the areas you can dig them up.

Pro-Ether (100)-Water Crystal, Ahriman Wingx2, Treant Bulb, Dried Marjoramx3, Distilled Water, Wyvern Wing--Only level 100 item that sells well. But the Wings are the expensive part. Farm the Ahriman wings and this can net around a 10k profit each. As is, expect a slight loss.