Help with bellows please

[ParatrooperGR]

I am loving this game and the crafting/alchemy implementations really appeal to my OCD gaming :) . However, I am at my wits' end with the use of Bellows. My alchemy is maxed out, I have the perks. When bellows are not involved, all my potions are Henry quality. I just cannot understand them. Have tried every possible timing and duration of bellows use. Before the boil, during it, single or multiple blows. Looking online I am also getting that nobody really knows how they work, as I see different sequences touted with absolute conviction. Anyone can put me out of my misery with this??

[ltron]

Starting the timer and then doing one push of the bellows each turn seems to work better for me, but it can be a bit finicky and I'm not entirely sure what you are supposed to do.

[🟦💀🟦]

From my experience, ...
When cauldron is boiling & has herbs, I bellows once and it skips about 1 turn.
I use this in recipes that that ask for 3 turns. I usually finish the first two when grinding up herbs, then I bellows and lift the cauldron up and its done boiling.

After the first blow, the bellows seems to have no effect, no matter how much you use it. The game just sees it as the cauldron boiling as if you aren't using the bellows. I found that this usually resets once you add another set of herbs.

[daveyfunk]

Originally posted by ParatrooperGR:

I am loving this game and the crafting/alchemy implementations really appeal to my OCD gaming :) . However, I am at my wits' end with the use of Bellows. My alchemy is maxed out, I have the perks. When bellows are not involved, all my potions are Henry quality. I just cannot understand them. Have tried every possible timing and duration of bellows use. Before the boil, during it, single or multiple blows. Looking online I am also getting that nobody really knows how they work, as I see different sequences touted with absolute conviction. Anyone can put me out of my misery with this??

I've crafted strong potions all the time and with the bellows I usually set the timer and then press q for the bellows as soon as I can and then give it another bellows but pull the cauldren off the heat (X) when the timer runs out

[ParatrooperGR]

Excluding the use of bellows, what I have found is that it makes no difference at all what you do (and for how long you do it) when the cauldron is in the "up position". Boiling times are strictly that. You can take your time grinding, reading etc. while the cauldron is up. That still yields Henry potions. I just cannot figure out when exactly, in the boiling process, you are supposed to blow the bellows... and for how long. I have tried what the above posters have suggested and it does not work. The feedback is weird too (if I hear once more that the fire was too much for the comfrey, irrespective of how much/little the bellows were usedI am going to go nuts :) ).

[Satanic Gecko]

For 1 boil turn
- Pull down the cauldron.
- Bellow once.
- Turn the sandglass.
- Pull up the cauldron immediately when the sand runs out. (timing is tight when level is low)


For 2 boil turn
- Pull down the cauldron.
- Bellow once.
- Turn the sandglass.
- Bellow once when the sandglass is halfway (the idea is to bellow before it runs out).
- Turn the sandglass again once the first one runs out

All Henry potions, except for the painkiller. The painkiller is an exception due to a bug, where you do not bellow the marigold and grounded poppy. Skip that step and move directly to adding comfrey and boiling twice before distilling. i did not take the mistakes-perk.

also use fresh herbs, but you can get away using 1 dried herb ingredient and still get henry quality

[daveyfunk]

Originally posted by ParatrooperGR:

Excluding the use of bellows, what I have found is that it makes no difference at all while you do (and for how long you do it) when the cauldron is in the "up position". Boiling times are strictly that. You can take your time grinding, reading etc. while the cauldron is up. That still yields Henry potions. I just cannot figure out when exactly, in the boiling process, you are supposed to blow the bellows... and for how long. I have tried what the above posters have suggested and it does not work. The feedback is weird too (if I hear once more that the fire was too much for the comfrey, irrespective of how much/little the bellows were usedI am going to go nuts :) ).

If it's not working then you might want to check the recipe again to make sure all the other parts are right, if it's a specific potion. Henry usually gives a verbal hint when the potion hasn't been crafted right, Apart from that, I'm not sure what to say as I get strong potions bellows or not

[ParatrooperGR]

Originally posted by daveyfunk:

If it's not working then you might want to check the recipe again to make sure all the other parts are right, if it's a specific potion. Henry usually gives a verbal hint when the potion hasn't been crafted right, Apart from that, I'm not sure what to say as I get strong potions bellows or not

Once your perks are maxed out, you can get Strong even if you screw up the Bellows. I am trying to get to Henry potions though.

[🟦💀🟦]

Originally posted by ParatrooperGR:

Excluding the use of bellows, what I have found is that it makes no difference at all while you do (and for how long you do it) when the cauldron is in the "up position". Boiling times are strictly that. You can take your time grinding, reading etc. while the cauldron is up. That still yields Henry potions. I just cannot figure out when exactly, in the boiling process, you are supposed to blow the bellows... and for how long. I have tried what the above posters have suggested and it does not work. The feedback is weird too (if I hear once more that the fire was too much for the comfrey, irrespective of how much/little the bellows were usedI am going to go nuts :) ).

Are we not talking about using the bellows when the cauldron is DOWN? Thats the only time it really affects the brewing process.
Mind sharing a recipe for a potion you had trouble with that involved the bellows? For me its Bowman's Brew.
Spirits
Add 2x Eyebright to cauldron
Lower cauldron
Grab & grind 1x St. John's Wort, add to plate
Bellows
Add plate contents to cauldron
Bellows
Lift
Distill

Here I used bellows after adding st. john's wort to plate to skip a turn of boiling eyebright.

[🟦💀🟦]

If the perks matter, I use secret of matter 2, & dark arts apprentice since I use only dried herbs. Lvl 30 alchemy.

[ParatrooperGR]

Bucks Blood, Bowman's brew.... anything with bellows never yields Henry for me. Incidentally, I have never used the plate. If the ingredients do not need grinding, I put the handfuls straight into the cauldron. Never failed to yield a Henry quality potion (unless the bellows are used, of course!).

[daveyfunk]

Originally posted by ParatrooperGR:

Originally posted by daveyfunk:

If it's not working then you might want to check the recipe again to make sure all the other parts are right, if it's a specific potion. Henry usually gives a verbal hint when the potion hasn't been crafted right, Apart from that, I'm not sure what to say as I get strong potions bellows or not

Once your perks are maxed out, you can get Strong even if you screw up the Bellows. I am trying to get to Henry potions though.

Oh!!! Sorry!!! Didn't even realise there was a Henry level quality. My mistake for not reading properly

[ParatrooperGR]

Originally posted by 🟦💀🟦:

If the perks matter, I use secret of matter 2, & dark arts apprentice since I use only dried herbs. Lvl 30 alchemy.

They do indeed matter. I have all the perks. Even crafting at night and with fresh ingredients never succeeds to Henry quality, if bellows are involved for me. Even with Strong I get a (nonsensical) hint from Henry about some error (typically too much or too little heat).

[🟦💀🟦]

Originally posted by ParatrooperGR:

Bucks Blood, Bowman's brew.... anything with bellows never yields Henry for me. Incidentally, I have never used the plate. If the ingredients do not need grinding, I put the handfuls straight into the cauldron. Never failed to yield a Henry quality potion (unless the bellows are used, of course!).

If its anything with bellows, when the book tells you to bellows, just bellows and immedietly lift cauldron. Works for me all the time.

Here's my Bucks Blood. Should make Henry quality as long as you have dark arts or fresh herbs.

Buck's Blood
Oil
Grab & grind 1x St. John's Wort, add to cauldron
Add 1x Comfrey, add to cauldron
Lower cauldron
Add 1x Dandelion to cauldron
Bellows
Lift
Pour

[ParatrooperGR]

Originally posted by 🟦💀🟦:

If its anything with bellows, when the book tells you to bellows, just bellows and immedietly lift cauldron. Works for me all the time.

This is interesting. Counter-intuitive but it's the one thing I haven't already tried. To make sure I understand you: You are saying:

Lower cauldron, flip hourglass, blow bellows and lift cauldron immediately, without waiting for the full turn to pass in the hourglass?

As an side, when bellows are not used, I found that flipping the hourglass *when the liquid starts boiling* (vs when you lower the cauldron) to be the key to perfect timing. Henry quality every time. Damn those bellows!!!

[TekDragon]

Dropping this here in case it helps someone else. I was able to figure out 1 turn bellows to get 6x Henry Potions with dried herbs. Specifically Bowman's Brew.

This is with Secret of Matter I and II (no ranks of Equilibrium), Dark Arts Apprentice, and making potions in the 0:00 to 4:30 AM window. Dark Arts Apprentice will forgive one mistake, which in this case is the use of dried herbs. So everything else has to be perfect.

For the first step, boiling for 3 turns, I just lower the pot and as soon as the animation finishes and Henry stops moving, I immediately click to flip the hourglass. I don't bother watching or listening to the pot. Just click when the lower animation is finished. I then flip the hourglass twice, each time the top part is empty, then press the button to lift the pot as soon as the top of the hourglass empties the third time.

For the bellows step, I lower the pot as before, flip the hourglass the moment the lower animation is complete, then press the bellows button once the moment that hourglass flip animation is complete. Then lift the moment the top of the hourglass is empty.

This produced 6x Henry Bowman Potions using dried herbs.

I'll update again once I get some success with a potion that requires bellowing for multiple turns. Not sure if I'll need to bellow after each hourglass flip or not. I'll experiment and let you guys know.