Brewing marigold decoction.

[Ason]

Failed twice now. Am I supposed to boil the nettle or just simmer it or what? It just tells me to "cook" the nettle in water.

[Ason]

bump

[Muno25]

do exactly what it says. You mix nettle and water then boil it, wait untill it cools(basicly just wait untill the wood isnt hot anymore under the pot) and then add the mariflowers.

I did it like this, fill water, then put in nettle then push q(to get fire) then wait for it too cool(when there are no glowing effect under kettle/pot) then give 2 mariflowers then get bottle and voila!

[Ason]

I just watched a youtube video and they didnt bring the water to a boil. they just gave the bellows one pull and that was it. does it matter what heat the water is?

[Muno25]

no just do as I said,there are no boil animation or anything. Just need to press q once(bellows).

[Ason]

there is a boil animation if you pull the bellows enough times. there seemed to be 3 distinct temperatures. one was steaming the other boiling and the last no steam.

[NewbieOne]

Reviving this thread — apparently, I'm too stupid to be able to execute a simple recipe.

Assuming this is my first attempt at alchemy at all, could someone please write it out step by step for me, as in not just the general steps (add water, add nettle, boil, let cool, add marigold, done) but literally every single move to be done, every single key to be pressed, like for a really daft person?

Edit: Aight, sorry. I've figured out what I've been doing wrong. Hope this can be of use to other newbies (though of course I'd much rather you didn't need to):

1. Press E for read on the recipe book.
2. In the book, hold E to Prepare the recipe.
3. Select water from the shelf on your left. Just selecting the water will be enough — Henry will pour it into the cauldron automatically.
4. Select the nettle. But you will also need to Use (press E) the cauldron. Unlike pouring the base, putting the herbs into the cauldron has to be done manually. So there are two activities: 4.1. use the herb, 4.2. use the cauldron.
5. Just one press of Q for the bellows will be enough. No need to bother with the hourglass.
6. Use (E) the marigold. Use the cauldron. Use the marigold AGAIN and use the cauldon AGAIN — the quantities are not just about how many plants you need to have. When it says two handfulfs, you have to literally put a handful of marigold in the cauldron twice.
7. Use the phial.

So it's easy. It's not counterintuitive really, though you can be slightly misled or overwhelmed initially.

[AfLIcTeD]

Originally posted by NewbieOne:

Reviving this thread — apparently, I'm too stupid to be able to execute a simple recipe.

Assuming this is my first attempt at alchemy at all, could someone please write it out step by step for me, as in not just the general steps (add water, add nettle, boil, let cool, add marigold, done) but literally every single move to be done, every single key to be pressed, like for a really daft person?

Edit: Aight, sorry. I've figured out what I've been doing wrong. Hope this can be of use to other newbies (though of course I'd much rather you didn't need to):

1. Press E for read on the recipe book.
2. In the book, hold E to Prepare the recipe.
3. Select water from the shelf on your left. Just selecting the water will be enough — Henry will pour it into the cauldron automatically.
4. Select the nettle. But you will also need to Use (press E) the cauldron. Unlike pouring the base, putting the herbs into the cauldron has to be done manually. So there are two activities: 4.1. use the herb, 4.2. use the cauldron.
5. Just one press of Q for the bellows will be enough. No need to bother with the hourglass.
6. Use (E) the marigold. Use the cauldron. Use the marigold AGAIN and use the cauldon AGAIN — the quantities are not just about how many plants you need to have. When it says two handfulfs, you have to literally put a handful of marigold in the cauldron twice.
7. Use the phial.

So it's easy. It's not counterintuitive really, though you can be slightly misled or overwhelmed initially.

Yeah the recipes can be a bit misleading. You have cook, boil ,simmer, leave to cool and other steps I have no idea about. What do I do to "leave to cool". I just ignore those and "boil" it (I've found 3 bellow pulls equals one turn, at 0 alchemy), even if it says cook or simmer. Seems to work. As your alchemy increases you can reduce some of the steps too.

[PafunaMT]

Rules of thumb;

Boil, cook, simmer, all mean the same thing, so it's just pulling on the bellows that will initiate the process.

Leave to cool means stop cooking for 1 turn.

The sandglass is there for your timing - 1 flip and sand drain cycle on the sandglass = 1 turn.

Also, one pull cycle of the bellows = 1 turn. That's from the pull to when the flames die down. No need to time your cooking with a sandglass.

Grinding herbs with the mortar and pestle also = 1 turn.

Just some handy info.

[NewbieOne]

Originally posted by AfLIcTeD:

Yeah the recipes can be a bit misleading. You have cook, boil ,simmer, leave to cool and other steps I have no idea about. What do I do to "leave to cool". I just ignore those and "boil" it (I've found 3 bellow pulls equals one turn, at 0 alchemy), even if it says cook or simmer. Seems to work. As your alchemy increases you can reduce some of the steps too.

I've read somewhere that you won't get the bonus potions for perfect execution if you make some mistakes, but you can still make some and the game is especially forgiving about the boiling part. One guy said boiling was pretty much optional.

Originally posted by PafunaMT:

Rules of thumb;

Boil, cook, simmer, all mean the same thing, so it's just pulling on the bellows that will initiate the process.

Leave to cool means stop cooking for 1 turn.

The sandglass is there for your timing - 1 flip and sand drain cycle on the sandglass = 1 turn.

Also, one pull cycle of the bellows = 1 turn. That's from the pull to when the flames die down. No need to time your cooking with a sandglass.

Grinding herbs with the mortar and pestle also = 1 turn.

Just some handy info.

Thanks! I didn't like the hourglass part.

[AfLIcTeD]

Originally posted by NewbieOne:

Originally posted by AfLIcTeD:

Yeah the recipes can be a bit misleading. You have cook, boil ,simmer, leave to cool and other steps I have no idea about. What do I do to "leave to cool". I just ignore those and "boil" it (I've found 3 bellow pulls equals one turn, at 0 alchemy), even if it says cook or simmer. Seems to work. As your alchemy increases you can reduce some of the steps too.

I've read somewhere that you won't get the bonus potions for perfect execution if you make some mistakes, but you can still make some and the game is especially forgiving about the boiling part. One guy said boiling was pretty much optional.

Originally posted by PafunaMT:

Rules of thumb;

Boil, cook, simmer, all mean the same thing, so it's just pulling on the bellows that will initiate the process.

Leave to cool means stop cooking for 1 turn.

The sandglass is there for your timing - 1 flip and sand drain cycle on the sandglass = 1 turn.

Also, one pull cycle of the bellows = 1 turn. That's from the pull to when the flames die down. No need to time your cooking with a sandglass.

Grinding herbs with the mortar and pestle also = 1 turn.

Just some handy info.

Thanks! I didn't like the hourglass part.

Yes the more mistakes you make the less potions you get until you fail it. Higher alchemy level increases how many mistakes you can make. At the early levels you want to follow it as closely as possible, if you want maximum potions. As your level increases you can reduce some of the bellow pulls per turn. Eventually you can skip some of the boiling altogether and still get 3 potions.
Once you get to around level 8+ the recipes that require little heating (like marigold and poison), you can just throw the ingredients in and finish the potion. Once you hit 13 you will get auto brew and none of it will matter.

If a recipes requires grinding I will boil anyway and grind as it boils. By the time you finish grinding it will have finished boiling.

[NewbieOne]

Originally posted by AfLIcTeD:

If a recipes requires grinding I will boil anyway and grind as it boils. By the time you finish grinding it will have finished boiling.

Clever! And thanks for the closer specifics on how much you can get away with.

[NewbieOne]

Oh, and more thing. It's possible you already have the recipe for Saviour Schnapps, which I think you acquire early in the Prologue.

So if you want to make money, you might as well make schnapps — it's a little more complicated to make but nets you more gold when selling.

For the record, you don't have to use the dish or repeat the grinding. You still have to 'use' the belladonna twice, but you can put two handfuls in the grinder, grind once and dump straight in the cauldron. So it's like two extra moves on top of marigold.

And you want to keep whatever potions you make until you gain the Snake Oil Salesman perk. Could also actually use them on missions, as the effects are more potent than any bonuses you can obtain from equipment.

I think I'm going to like potions, myself. The thing is, I may have 30 years of experience gaming but I also have a coordination impairment, so brewing a bunch of potions for use before combat and after (to recover energy and health and get some nourishment in the process) would allow me to play a more leisurely game and get away with some mistaken or clumsy movements in combat and skip the sharpening wheel. Plus cheap saving, hence no having to replay longer sequences — this one is valuable if your gaming time is limited.