Alchemy

[beeQWOP]

Well, I'm missing a bunch of recipes and I'm sure other people are too. It might be helpful if we cooperate and compile! For those of you who hate even mechanical spoilers, please look away. I haven't checked to see what level of alchemy each recipe requires, and they are not in any particular order except how they show up in my cookbook.

Forage skill at a sufficiently high level will let you scavenge ingredients as you journey. Spot Hidden + Perception increases your chance of enemy drops, which can also include alchemical items. Otherwise, you can often find the stuff in sealed barrels and sealed ceramic jars or simply purchase it. Investing in forage can give you excess alchemy ingredients which you can sell for mo' money.

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Cat's Eyes: Noximander Venom & Brimstone. Gives you low level night vision. Quite helpful if you don't pump Alchemy and only invest in a point or three.
Healing Elixer: Willow Bark & Sulfur. The higher your alchemy stat, the more powerful the resultant HP restorative.
Invisibility Brew: Ectoplasm & Noximander Venom. The higher your stat, the longer the duration.
Mana Potion: Ambergris & Mandrake Root. More alchemy, more better.
Potion of Fortify Mana: Dried Brainstem & Raven's Heart.
PO Leatherskin:Brimstone & Raven's Heart. Improves armor rating.
PO Predator Sight: Stinkroot & Corpse Ash. Grants infrared vision.
PO Stoneskin: Black-spotted shroom & Stinkroot. Improves armor rating.
Fused Keg: Powder Keg (is the vessel), Sulfur, Wick. Goes boom in 5 rounds. Please maintain a safe distance.
Fueled Lamp: Bottle of Oil, Lamp (is the vessel), Wick. LET THERE BE LIGHT

[Dorok]

I think that since Book 2 you can't cheat anymore with the alchemy recipes ie you must find a recipe before to use it, I'm not 100% sure.

It can be useful anyway to ensure keep the components you'll want use but I'd say keep all components is anyway a good idea, for many potions some alchemy low level allows make the level 1 potion and Alchemy rings can even help do level 2 potions with only a minimal investment.

[beeQWOP]

You can definitely blow yourself up a little bit if you're not at the right level. I don't know if you can make things you do not possess the recipe for. I certainly hope one can.

[Dorok]

In Book 1 it was possible, but many players found it was too easy to cheat. The best solution was probably have random components but there's a problem of prices and frequency, and manage this random would have been arduous.

Now if you like the idea to experiment then for sure this is destroyed with the new design since Book 2. I prefer myself the new design because I never found a single formula in Book 1, and frankly I doubt many was possible to find without some tedious save/reload (but certainly few very logical but among many more as logical not working).