Alchemy is a primary profession in World of Warcraft: Forever and goes up to skill 300 as in Classic. The Forever Hub data knows 75 recipes, 71 of them new in Forever and 28 from Merchant's Favor. This guide shows the cheapest route the leveling calculator finds with these recipes.
With your own auction house prices, a different start skill, trainer recipes only or without certain recipes, the Alchemy leveling calculator works the route out again.
Why Alchemy is worth it in Forever
Alchemy plays a different role than in Classic. The regular healing potion line, from Minor to Major Healing Potion, now belongs to First Aid. Alchemists brew the Discolored Healing Potions instead, taught by the trainer at skill 85, 135, 175 and 230 – and every one of them needs a Murloc Eye. In return the profession has become the supplier of the other crafters: Cerulean Dye (skill 50, two Frilled Lichen per vial) appears in 106 Tailoring recipes in our data, plus twelve Enchanting and nine Leatherworking recipes. Magenta Dye (130, Rosecap) is used by 50 Tailoring recipes, Sulfuric Acid (50, Pyrite) by 30 Blacksmithing recipes and several necklace enchants.
The new potion lines are the Mender's Potion, Spellblasting Potion, Frenzy Potion, Cleric's Elixir and Mageblood Elixir, each from "minor" to "major". At skill 300 four flasks follow – Natural Accuracy, Aggression, Precision and Swiftness – which each cost a Death Lotus plus a dozen Demonsage or Marefoil and are brewed only at the Alchemy Lab. Also new is Transmute: Legionite (275): a Heavy Thorium Bar and a Fel Crystal become a Legionite Bar, which 17 Blacksmithing and five Engineering recipes ask for.
Herbalism as the partner
The shopping list is almost entirely herbs and vials, so Herbalism is the obvious second profession. Frilled Lichen, Rosecap and Stranglevine are Herbalism's scarce materials that show up next to the normal herbs – exactly the ingredients of the three dyes. For Merchant's Favor, herbs fill the plain crates (5, 10 and 15 favor); the favor of the Artisan crates is still unknown.
Camp features and Legacy
The Mana Well (skill 20, Peacebloom and Empty Vial) gives the group 29 mana every 5 seconds and replaces Blessing of Wisdom – redundant with a paladin. The Fermenter (140) is the station for Shadow Oil, Frost Oil, Goblin Rocket Fuel, Viridian Dye and Ghost Dye; the Alchemy Laboratory (300) asks for a Lich's Index Finger. As a crafting profession Alchemy awards three Legacy points (skill 150, 225 and 300); the Legacy node Working Overtime raises the skill-up chance by up to 20%.
Trainer ranks
Without the next rank the skill stops at the cap. Each rank is taught 25 points before the end of the previous one:
- Apprentice: skill 1–75, from character level 5
- Journeyman: skill 50–150, from character level 10
- Expert: skill 125–225, from character level 20
- Artisan: skill 200–300, from character level 35
The route from 1 to 300
Without prices the calculator sorts by reagents per expected skill-up, trainer recipes first: about 363 crafts for 290 skill points, rounded up – with luck you need fewer.
| Skill | Recipe | Crafts | Colour | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–10 | no suitable recipes in the data | – | – | – |
| 10–15 | Elixir of Minor Force | 6 | orange → green | Trainer |
| 15–20 | Elixir of Minor Spirit | 5 | orange | Recipe item |
| 20–25 | Mana Well | 6 | orange → green | Trainer |
| 25–32 | Minor Mageblood Elixir | 8 | orange → yellow | Recipe item |
| 32–35 | Minor Mender's Potion | 3 | orange | Recipe item |
| 35–41 | Minor Spellblasting Potion | 6 | orange → yellow | Recipe item |
| 41–47 | Minor Frenzy Potion | 7 | orange → yellow | Recipe item |
| 47–50 | Minor Cleric's Elixir | 3 | orange | Recipe item |
| 50–75 | Cerulean Dye | 26 | orange → yellow | Trainer |
| 75–85 | Cerulean Dye | 21 | yellow → green | Trainer |
| 85–118 | Lesser Discolored Healing Potion | 41 | orange → green | Trainer |
| 118–121 | Elixir of Spirit | 3 | orange → yellow | Recipe item |
| 121–130 | Draught of Tongues | 13 | yellow | Recipe item |
| 130–145 | Magenta Dye | 16 | orange → yellow | Trainer |
| 145–150 | Discolored Healing Potion | 5 | orange | Trainer |
| 150–171 | Discolored Healing Potion | 36 | orange → green | Trainer |
| 171–175 | Shadow Oil | 4 | orange | Recipe item |
| 175–210 | Greater Discolored Healing Potion | 47 | orange → green | Trainer |
| 210–225 | Goblin Rocket Fuel | 15 | orange | Recipe item |
| 225–230 | Goblin Rocket Fuel | 5 | orange | Recipe item |
| 230–261 | Superior Discolored Healing Potion | 36 | orange → green | Trainer |
| 261–275 | Ghost Dye | 15 | orange → yellow | Recipe item |
| 275–288 | Transmute: Legionite | 16 | orange → green | Recipe item |
| 288–292 | Major Spellblasting Potion | 5 | orange → yellow | Merchant's Favor |
| 292–300 | Major Frenzy Potion | 15 | orange → green | Merchant's Favor |
The first 9 points are covered by the unchanged Classic trainer recipes, which the Forever data does not list one by one.
Shopping list
These are the materials the whole route needs, by amount:
| Material | Amount |
|---|---|
| Murloc Eye | 165 |
| Empty Vial | 145 |
| Leaded Vial | 131 |
| Frilled Lichen | 94 |
| Mageroyal | 54 |
| Crystal Vial | 51 |
| Kingsblood | 50 |
| Bruiseweed | 47 |
| Plaguebloom | 45 |
| Earthroot | 43 |
Plus 18 more materials in small amounts; the full list with price fields is in the calculator.
New recipes in Forever
71 of 75 recipes are new in Forever. The trainer teaches 11 of them, 28 are sold for Merchant's Favor by the trade factions and 32 come from recipe items. 5 recipes need a camp station: the Fermenter (from skill 165).
For the camp, Alchemy makes the Mana Well (from skill 20), the Fermenter (from skill 140) and the Alchemy Laboratory (from skill 300).
How the calculator works
Colours follow the Classic rule (orange from the learning skill, grey from the trivial skill), the skill-up chance in yellow and green the common community approximation (grey − skill) / (grey − yellow) that Blizzard never confirmed. For every point the calculator picks the recipe with the lowest cost per expected skill-up; the formulas are explained in the calculator under "How it is calculated".
One recipe has no trivial skill above its learning skill in the data and is left out.
Pitfalls on the route
- 165 Murloc Eyes. The four Discolored Healing Potions are the cheapest trainer recipes and carry large parts of the route between 85 and 261. If you do not fancy murloc coasts, take them out of the route in the calculator; it then falls back to elixirs and potions made of Kingsblood, Liferoot and Mageroyal, which cost more herbs.
- Draught of Tongues (121–130). The Elixir of Tongues it produces is marked "NYI" (not yet implemented) in the client. Whether the recipe works at launch we do not know – if in doubt, use Magenta Dye, which is orange from 130 anyway.
- The end costs favor. The last eight points run through the Major Spellblasting Potion (180 favor) and the Major Frenzy Potion (240 favor), both only at Honored. Without that reputation you are left with Transmute: Legionite (275–290), the Potion of Beast Slaying (280–290) and, up to 300, Ghost Dye at the Fermenter.
- Ghost Dye needs Purple Dye (a vendor item in Classic) and the Fermenter. Without your own station, a camp where another alchemist has placed one helps – anyone at the fire can use its stations.
One recipe without a trivial skill is the Alchemy Laboratory itself: it gives no skill-up and is missing from the route.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
How do you level Alchemy from 1 to 300 in Forever?
The calculated route has 25 steps with about 363 crafts, from Elixir of Minor Force to Major Frenzy Potion. The leveling calculator adapts it to your prices and recipes.
When do I need the trainer for Alchemy?
Before you reach the caps: 75 (Journeyman), 150 (Expert), 225 (Artisan).
What is new for Alchemy in Forever?
71 recipes in the data are new, 28 of them for Merchant's Favor; 5 recipes need a camp station. On top come the camp features Mana Well, Fermenter and Alchemy Laboratory.
