Distillery Spirits Guide

This guide lists all Spirits found in Bastion, gives basic facts about them (their function, when available, etc.), and discusses their usefulness. It also includes two recommended builds to use.

Introduction

Each time the Kid gains a level he can install another spirit at the Distillery (up to ten). These can be swapped out at any time. There are nineteen spirits in the game (plus one special one that does not go in a spirit slot), and this guide aims to show which ones are worth using. Spirits labeled highly recommended are those that most players will find useful, regardless of playstyle or difficulty level. Spirits labeled recommended are useful, but may not fit your playstyle, or be useful in all parts of the game. Spirits labeled not recommended are either mostly useless, or effective only in a few situations.
At the end of the guide are a couple of sample builds. I always swap out spirits as needed for particular tasks, but these two builds govern my basic approach.
I should note that I do not claim to be the world's best Bastion player, so it is possible I have missed some useful combinations or strategies. If you find that to be so, please give your own suggestions.

Spirit List Part 1

Squirt Cider
Description: Fermented Squirt extract with a nose of stale bread and ocean water. Very nutritious.
Effects: +10 max health.
Availability: When first Distillery is found.
Analysis: This is extremely useful in the early game, giving you the equivalent of five levels of health. Once you are higher level, you may want to replace it with something else, unless you are going for a tank build or are using Doomshine. Recommended.

Dreadrum
Description: Pungent concoction that calms senses and steadies nerves. Favored by the Breakers and other fighting forces.
Effects: +10% critical hit chance. Active Only When at Full Health.
Availability: When first Distillery is found.
Analysis: Most of the time, you will not be at full health unless there are only a few enemies around--in which case critical hits will not be that vital. Not recommended.

Fetching Fizz
Description: Started as a barroom prank but evolved to become popular with miners and scrap workers. Metallic aftertaste.
Effects: Absorb Stray Fragments
Availability: When first Distillery is found.
Analysis: This is mostly a convenience, letting you vacuum up fragments faster. It will occasionally let you get fragments you otherwise could not reach. In particular, since the Sundown Path is constantly falling apart beneath you, this spirit will allow you to collect a lot more fragments than you could otherwise. Once you start turning on idols, however, it is a wasted slot, since the idols will give you fragment bonuses. Not recommended.

Werewhiskey
Description: Scentless yet very brisk beverage of boiled Rattle-tail whisker. Used to revive patients in triage centers.
Effects: +100% Critical Hit Chance. Note: Active Only When Below 33% Health.
Availability: When Distillery is built.
Analysis: High-risk players willing to remain at low health can have some fun with this spirit. Once you turn some idols on, though, remaining at low health on purpose is risky. In that case the only use of Werewhiskey is helping you kill enemies that have forced you to low health. That is somewhat useful, but there are better spirits available. Not recommended for higher difficulties.

Hearty Punch
Description: Aromatic beverage served piping hot. According to folk tales it can almost wake the dead.
Effects: +1 Chance to Carry On if Defeated. Damage Surrounding Foes if Defeated.
Availability: When Distillery is built.
Analysis: This is quite useful to players who are still learning the game and don't want to have to resort to No-Sweat Mode. It becomes highly useful again when trying to complete the Who Knows Where challenges, especially with idols on. The damage done upon defeat is particularly useful against anklegators--I once killed one by being defeated, since of course an anklegator will always be above ground and vulnerable to damage when killing you. Recommended.

Cinderbrick Stout
Description: Spicy, nutty flavors and a dry aftertaste. Very heavy and filling.
Effects: +33% Speed While Defending.
Availability: When Distillery is built.
Analysis: This might not seem necessary, but once pincushions are attacking from two different angles, being able to keep your shield up while quickly moving to a position where it can block both of them becomes extremely useful. This spirit also allows rapid and safe closing on ranged enemies if you want to attack with melee weapons, and all kinds of other useful maneuvers. Highly Recommended.

Lunkhead Liqueur
Description: Bitter leathery flavor comes from bits of Lunkhead scales. Believed to improve reflexes.
Effects: +100% Damage When Counter-Blocking with the Bullhead Shield.
Availability: When Lost-and-Found is built.
Analysis: Counter-blocking is a useful skill even without this, but Lunkhead Liqueur makes it far more effective. It is an absolute necessity for completing the Bullhead Shield's Proving Ground, and quite helpful against the high-hit point and high-attack enemies of the late game and Who Knows Where. Highly recommended.

Bastion Bourbon
Description: Soothing hot herbal brew with restorative properties. Hints of citrus and berry flavors.
Effects: Health Tonics Fully Restore Health. +2 Health Tonic Capacity.
Availability: When Lost-and-Found is built.
Analysis: This spirit is useful no matter what your playstyle is. If you turn on Roathus, those two extra tonics make an especially big difference. It also partly counteracts the negative effects of Leechade, another highly useful spirit. Highly recommended.

Whale Ale
Description: Mariners concocted this mixture to see them through rough waters. Musky, smoky aroma.
Effects: +25% Damage Using Secret Skills.
Availability: When Lost-and Found is built.
Analysis: This only affects secret skills that involve you inflicting damage directly. If you use that kind of secret skill, and you use it a lot, this is quite useful. Recommended only in combination with Black Rye.

Stabsinthe
Description: Waxy, thirst-quenching drink refined from ground Stabweed needles. Spitting up the needles is considered rude, but effective.
Effects: Automatically Retaliate When Injured.
Availability: When Lost-and-Found is built.
Analysis: This causes you to expel needles a short distance in all directions when you take damage. It is most useful against groups of melee enemies, or when fighting enemies at melee range. The low damage makes it less useful when idols such as Jevel or Micia are turned on. Recommended.

Spirit List Part 2

Falling Malt
Description: Very dry with flavors of pepper and gravel. First crafted by mountaineers claiming it helped them keep a surer foot.
Effects: Reduced Damage from Falling. +200% Damage by Falling on Foes.
Availability: When Distillery is upgraded.
Analysis: The likelihood of falling on an enemy when dropping back onto a level is fairly low. The reduced falling damage would be nice, but if you are falling off the edge regularly on levels not named The Sundown Path you should work on finding a better control scheme. The combination of two rarely needed boosts makes this one of the worst spirits in the game. Not recommended.

Black Rye
Description: Has the fullness and texture of hearty stew. Said to improve short-term memory.
Effects: +2 Black Tonic Capacity.
Availability: When Distillery is upgraded.
Analysis: This is practically a necessity when going through Who Knows Where with Roathus turned on, since the tonics that ordinarily drop between reflections count as loot drops. I am one of those players who does not use secret skills very often, however, so I often leave Black Rye out of my regular build. Most levels have a few Black Tonics scattered around even if Roathus is turned on. Recommended.

Lifewine
Description: Creamy, nutty flavors said to bring about courage and confidence. Favorite drink of Slingers and other risk-taking sorts.
Effects: Survive an Attack that Would Have Brought Defeat.
Availability: When Distillery is upgraded.
Analysis: An attack that would have defeated you will instead leave you with one hit point. Once you heal, Lifewine will reset. If you fail to heal before taking further damage you will be defeated. Players who prefer a high-risk style can use this in combination with Bastion Bourbon to maximize the benefits of health tonics: wait until Lifewine activates, then use a tonic to return to full health. With more idols on, or in Who Knows Where, a high-risk style is not recommended, but this is still useful to give you a moment to heal yourself from an unexpectedly powerful attack; it also combines usefully with Leechade--see below for more details. Highly recommended.

Mender Mead
Description: Filled with herbs and vitamins that promote wellness. Fragrant herbal bouquet.
Effects: Gain Some Health by Counter-Blocking with the Bullhead Shield.
Availability: When Lost-and-Found is upgraded.
Analysis: Since counter-blocking is less common (and more difficult) than attacking, this is generally less useful than the next tonic. It really shines when encountering a single enemy with a predictable, low-damage attack, since that will allow you to counter--and heal--several times before it dies. Recommended.

Leechade
Description: Intense sour flavor known for its invigorating effects. Bitter taste lingers for hours.
Effects: Gain Some Health by Striking Foes. -66% Health Tonic Potency.
Availability: When Lost-and-Found is upgraded.
Analysis: The amount of health gained from inflicting damage is significant, and the penalty to health tonics can be partly countered by Bastion Bourbon. As mentioned above, Lifewine resets if you heal, and any healing from Leechade counts. This means that, once Lifewine has activated, so long as you inflict damage before being hit again, you cannot die. Only if an enemy gets a second hit on you before you can strike back will you go down. Another useful feature of Leechade comes into play with Micia activated: corner a single slow-attacking enemy, damage it until it is near death, let it heal, then damage it some more. Repeat until fully healed. Highly recommended.

Graver Gimlet
Description: Photosensitive beverage with a mild chalky flavor, brewed underground. Potent effects come and go unpredictably.
Effects: +5% Chance to Turn Zealous After Defeating a Foe. While Zealous, Gain +200% Damage for 3 Seconds.
Availability: When Lost-and-Found is upgraded.
Analysis: This is not quite as good as it sounds. Getting a massive, short damage boost every twenty kills or so is helpful for taking out strong enemies accompanied by a number of weak ones, but the spirit often activates when not useful, or does not activate when it would be. If you are confident in your ability to avoid enemy attacks, this is still worth using, but some will prefer a defensive spirit or the more reliable damage of Whale Ale instead. Recommended.

Bull Brandy
Description: Viscous beverage brewed as an offering to Pyth. Known for promoting longevity and resistance to pain.
Effects: +15% Damage resistance.
Availability: When Lost-and-Found is upgraded.
Analysis: There are no armor upgrades in Bastion, so this is the only way to increase damage resistance (not counting the Fire Bellows upgrade). Since the shield only blocks in one direction, this will help protect your back when attacked from multiple sides. Or your front when you fail to put your shield up. Or your head when a Lungblossom attacks--you get the idea. Highly recommended.

Doomshine
Description: Rancid drink believed to bring fortune in battle. No permanent injury from imbibing but sure feels like it.
Effects: +10% Critical Hit Chance. -10 Max Health.
Availability: Unlocked in New Game Plus.
Analysis: The negative effect of Doomshine can be removed by Squirt Cider, but unlike with Hearty Punch (Cham-Pain) and Bastion Bourbon (Leechade), Squirt Cider has no other positive effects, meaning you would essentially be wasting a spirit slot. Since you will presumably not be using this spirit until at higher character levels, the reduced health is not necessarily deadly, but it still makes for a greater risk. The critical hits it gives are certainly helpful, but Cham-Pain's constant damage boost makes a more noticable impact. Not recommended unless you enjoy high-risk, high-reward play.

Cham-Pain
Description: Sickness-inducing mixture brewed from aged Scumbag secretion. Imbibed as a rite of passage.
Effects: +25% Damage. -1 Chance to Carry On if Defeated.
Availability: Unlocked in New Game Plus.
Analysis: This makes your attacks massively more effective, and the hammer becomes a one-hit kill on a number of enemies. Combine it with Hearty Punch to counter the loss of a chance to continue. The biggest caveat with Cham-Pain is that when going through Who Knows Where with a lot of idols on, you may prefer to have two chances to continue, and even with Cham-Pain's damage the stronger enemies still often require several attacks to kill. At that point Micia and Garmuth come into effect and cause trouble. Of course, Cham-Pain helps Leechade to heal you faster, so the risk may be worth it for some players. Recommended.

SPOILER ALERT!

The following spirit is found in a level, and must be picked up to continue. It does not go in the regular spirit slots. I include this for completeness.



Hop-Scotch
Description: So frothy it barely qualifies as a liquid. Said to put a spring in one's step.
Effects: New Ability: Leap. Replaces the Evasive Roll.
Availability: Found in Tazal Terminals.
Analysis: This is necessary to complete the level, of course. The leap still serves as a dodge, so you do not really lose anything by switching abilities.



END SPOILER ALERT

Recommended Builds

Tank Build:
Squirt Cider
Hearty Punch
Cinderbrick Stout
Lunkhead Liqueur
Bastion Bourbon
Stabsinthe
Lifewine
Mender Mead
Leechade
Bull Brandy

Damage-dealer Build:
Hearty Punch
Cinderbrick Stout
Lunkhead Liqueur
Bastion Bourbon
Stabsinthe
Lifewine
Leechade
Graver Gimlet/Black Rye
Bull Brandy
Cham-Pain

[Jerry Cheng]

Lifewine + Stabsinthe + Leechade makes a quite funny combo, because most of time after Lifewine activates you are healed 1 HP by Stabsinthe, resetting Lifewine. I have experienced several scenarios when Lifewine was activated several times in a row.

[toma tratamento]

Thanks for the guide! ;)

[ayy_lmao]

Do you know if the mirror shield secret skill gets the bonuses from lunkhead liquor and mender mead? I've tried it and I think it's more effective with them, but I'm not sure.

[Mr. Mama]

You did not mention the Leechade + Wherewhisky + Lifewine combo. With the crits you can heal enough to become nearly invincible.

[Herviboro el Carnivoro]

gracias por la publicacion

[Eldynn]

Thank you for this good guide/build :).

[Dust]

Ohh i get it, the bourbon and punch ea have a counteract+bonus capacity, while the duality between the 2 other spirits: squirtcider and doomshine have no +bonus . I get it nvm. thx for your greatly accurate and concise guide! :D

[A Little Lad]

Very helpful.

[Hallucigeneric]

Very good miniguide!

[gavinfitz81]

Great guide, thank you