Editing Alchemist/Guide

'''Alchemist''' is one of the first [[professions]] you unlock in [[Hopeport]], with part of the tutorial teaching you how to create your first potion. The aim of this guide is to inform players as to the most efficient ways to level up, as well as alternate methods that are more profitable or less intensive. Alchemist is generally a profession that costs slightly more coins to train that the value you get from the potions you produce, however there are exceptions. 

All Alchemist training takes place in the [[Apothecary]]

==Basic gameplay loop==

The basic gameplay loop for training Alchemist is to obtain reagents, prepare them, brew them, and then keep or sell the potions:

# Making potions requires [[Reagents]], which may be obtained through training other professions or purchased from the [[Potion Reagents|Reagents shop]]. It is always much faster to purchase reagents from the shop, but of course it costs coins. A reasaonable estimate is that it takes 30 seconds to travel from the Apothecary to the Reagents shop, buy an inventory of 24 reagents, and then return to the Apothecary. Reagents can either be immediately used to train alchemy, or deposited into the [[Potion Reagents Bank]] if you are stockpiling reagents to make a large batch of potions at once. Note that the reagent shop does not sell each reagents until the player has the Alchemist level to use it.
# Reagents are turned into [[Preparations]] at the [[Reagent Preparation Station]], requiring 2 specific reagents for each type of potion (except 10% Potion Healing, which only has 1). Each preparation takes 5 seconds to make, or 60 seconds for a full inventory of reagents.
# Preparations are brewed into [[Potions]] at the [[Standard Potion Station]], requiring one preparation and one [[Bottle|bottle]] per potion. Preparations cannot be banked, so brewing should happen immediately after preparing. Each standard potion takes 7.5 seconds to make, or 87 seconds for a full inventory of reagents.
# Finally the potions that you have made can either be kept by storing them in the [[Potion Bank]], or sold to [[The Apothecary Shop]] to recover some of the cost put into buying the reagents. 

Combining the time for each step of this process, and adding 10 seconds for moving around the Apothecary, means that it is possible to make approximately 227 standard potions per hour. This number increases to 270 potions per hour if there are already reagents stored in the reagent bank.

==Levels 0 - 20==

After the tutorial, payers will have 355 Alchemist XP, 105 from making a [[10% Potion Healing]] and 250 from the [[Album]] for making the first of that potion, so making each new type of potion is worthwhile to get the album bonus.

Training to level up to 20 takes approximately 1 hour regardless of the potions created, however the cheapest method costs {{currency|25693}} and takes 66 minutes:
{{Checklist|
* Make 5 inventories of {{plink|10% Potion Healing}} to reach level 12, and sell them back to the apothecary shop
** Each inventory uses 24 {{plink|Brown Kelp}} to make 24 potions
* Make 11 inventories of {{plink|3 Minute Potion Fear}} to reach level 19, and sell them back to the apothecary shop
** Each inventory uses 12 {{plink|Veined Globeplant}} and 12 {{plink|Faded Dandelion}} to make 12 potions
* Buy one of each of these ingredients, to make one of each undiscovered potion up to level 18
** {{plink|Brown Kelp}}
** {{plink|Creamy Wallplant}}
** {{plink|White Periwinkle}}
** {{plink|Horn Shell}}
** {{plink|Tangled Pond Weed}}
** {{plink|Mauve Bellplant}}
** {{plink|White Water Lily}}
** {{plink|Wrinkled Starfish}}
** {{plink|Green Hogberries}}
** {{plink|Common Limpet}}
** {{plink|Tad Apple}}
** {{plink|Bulged Haleberries}}
** {{plink|Dull Metallic Tooth}}
** {{plink|Crumbly Rock Scale}}
** {{plink|Plain White Pearl}}
** {{plink|Summerview Grapes}}
* Make one of each of these potions for the album XP bonus, to reach level 20, and sell them back to the apothecary shop
** {{plink|20% Potion Healing}}
** {{plink|5% Potion XP Hopeport}}
** {{plink|+40 Potion Strength Arborae}}
** {{plink|+40 Potion Strength Cryonae}}
** {{plink|+40 Potion Strength Tempestae}}
** {{plink|5% Potion XP Hopeforest}}
** {{plink|5% Potion XP Mine}}
** {{plink|5% Potion XP Crenopolis}}
}}

An alternative, time-optimised method that is slightly faster but significantly more expensive and complicated is:
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+ Fastest method, costs {{currency|100514}}, takes 58 minutes
|-
! Trip # !! Purchase !! Make
|-
| 1 || 17 &times; {{plink|Brown Kelp}} || 17 &times; {{plink|10% Potion Healing}}
|-
| 2 || 12 &times; {{plink|Brown Kelp}}<br>12 &times; {{plink|Creamy Wallplant}} || 12 &times; {{plink|20% Potion Healing}}
|-
| 3 || 12 &times; {{plink|White Periwinkle}}<br>12 &times; {{plink|Horn Shell}} || 12 &times; {{plink|5% Potion XP Hopeport}}
|-
| 4 || 12 &times; {{plink|Tangled Pond Weed}}<br>12 &times; {{plink|Mauve Bellplant}} || 12 &times; {{plink|+40 Potion Strength Arborae}}
|-
| 5 || 12 &times; {{plink|White Water Lily}}<br>12 &times; {{plink|Wrinkled Starfish}} || 12 &times; {{plink|+40 Potion Strength Cryonae}}
|-
| 6 || 12 &times; {{plink|Green Hogberries}}<br>12 &times; {{plink|Common Limpet}} || 12 &times; {{plink|+40 Potion Strength Tempestae}}
|-
| 7-19 || 12 &times; {{plink|Veined Globeplant}}<br>12 &times; {{plink|Faded Dandelion}} || 12 &times; {{plink|3 Minute Potion Fear}}
|-
| 10-12 || 12 &times; {{plink|Tad Apple}}<br>12 &times; {{plink|Bulged Haleberries}} || 12 &times; {{plink|5% Potion XP Hopeforest}}
|-
| 13-15 || 12 &times; {{plink|Dull Metallic Tooth}}<br>12 &times; {{plink|Crumbly Rock Scale}} || 12 &times; {{plink|5% Potion XP Mine}}
|-
| 16-18 || 12 &times; {{plink|Plain White Pearl}}<br>12 &times; {{plink|Summerview Grapes}} || 12 &times; {{plink|5% Potion XP Crenopolis}}
|}
This method makes full inventories of the highest potion available, but saves a small amount of time on the first inventory by only making 17 instead of 24 potions

==Level 20+: Knowledge and Passive training ==

Upon reaching level 20, [[Knowledge]] and [[Passive training]] methods and unlocked. 

Knowledge is a game mechanic that that build as you perform activities that award XP, and can be spent on a profession to gain experience that scales with the level of the profession. Knowledge can be gained by any skill and spent in any skill, however knowledge is not able to gained until at least one profession is level 20, and it cannot be spent on a profession until that profession is level 20. 

The amount of XP gained by spending knowledge is 25% of the amount needed to level up that profession, or 6.25% for professions above level 200. Making potions awards 1 knowledge point for every 72 potions made (6 inventories, or 3 inventories of 10% healing), so making 288 potions will give 4 points of knowledge for 1 level up of any profession under level 200. It can be spent on Alchemist to speed up training, or on another profession which is more annoying or slow to train. At the above stated rate of 227 standard potions per hour, Alchemist training is able to earn 3.18 knowledge points per hour.

Knowledge can also be spent to unlock passive training activities for Alchemist. These are significantly slower XP than actively making potions, but if a passive training method is started before logging out then the method will continue for up to 24 hours, or until the raw materials run out. It is recommended to always start a passive activity before logging out. 

Passive Alchemist activites are of two types:
* [[Ebsworth Work]] that is performed at the [[Reagent Preparation Station]], which uses no materials and awards XP and coins, and is therefore always profitable.
* Passive [[Potion]] making that is performed at the [[Passive Potion Station]], which does require reagents but awards both XP and passive potions in return. Passive potions do not have preaparations, instead they use both reagents and a bottle directly.

The highest level Alchemist passive acitivity that a player has the Alchchemist level to access will give full experience, however any lower levelled passive activities will only award half experience, rounded down. This is true even for passive activites that have not yet been unlocked by spending knowledge. Therefore it is recommended to always unlock the highest level of passive activity for each profession that the player wishes to train passively.

==Level 20+: Active training and cost==

The fastest experience in Alchemist is always earned by making the highest level potion available to the player. 

{{MessageBox
|img = [[File:Alchemist icon.png|Stub|center|35x35px|Link=Alchemist#Active Potions]]
|A full list of active potions, with their approximate XP rates and costs, can be found [[Alchemist#Active Potions|here]].
}}

However, the potion that gives the fastest experience will sometimes be very expensive to make, and so the cost of each potion should also be taken into account. Few potions are actually profitable to make, but it may be preferable to train with a lower levelled potion to save coins.

For example, the level 29 [[20% Potion Healing]] is approximately 52,294 XP per hour, but costs {{currency|8.09}} per XP. However, the level 23 [[5% Potion XP Stonemaw Hill]] is approximately 46,610 XP per hour, which is only 11% less, but only costs {{currency|0.24}} per XP, which is 97% less. It is up to the player to decide if the highest level potion that they have access to is too much of a cost, and if they wish to choose a lower levelled but cheaper alternative.

For levels 20 - 200, assuming that the highest level potion is made, it takes approximately 2.3 to 3.5 hours of making one type of potion, before the next potion is unlocked. Reaching level 200 requires 28.4 million XP. With this method it takes ~80 hours of making potions this way and costs ~{{currency|70000000}}.

==Level 35+: Potent Potions==

Starting at level 35, some potions have "Potent" in their name and are brewed differently, serving as a more intensive (but more rewarding) alternative to standard potion making. Potent potions are usually unlocked a few levels after a comparable standard potion, but use different reagents, have stronger effects, and are often lower cost. The other three steps of the gameplay loop are the same, however the brewing step makes use of the [[Potent Potion Station]] instead of the standard potion station. 

The Potent potion station is a minigame where 4 components of the station must be managed to produce each potion, which takes a minimum of 25 seconds. Consequently, potent potions award more XP per potion than standard potions. With the same assumptions as for the basic gameplay loop, 108 potent potions may be brewed per hour, or 117 if the reagents are already in the reagent bank. Potent potions also award more knowledge than standard potions, at 2.5% per potion, or 1 point for every 33.3 potions made. This means that potent potions also award knowledge faster than standard potions, at 3.24 knowledge points per hour.

The process for efficently operating the potent potion station is to synchronise the separate components:
# Interact with the potent potion station with an inventory of preparations to start the process
# Interact with the hopper
# Interact with the boiler
# Interact with the tank
# Stand in front of cauldron, and wait for it to reach the level line
# Interact with the caudron to produce a potent potion
# Repeat steps 2-6 until all potions have been produced. Step 2 may be skipped once all preparations have been loaded into the station. 
This process produces one potent potion every 25 seconds, which is the minimum time possible.

==Profitable potions==

All potions are profitable if the reagents are gathered manually, however even if all reagents are purchased then there are 5 potions which are still profitable to make, all of which are Potent potions.


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Level 
! Potion 
! Profit / potion 
! Profit / Hour 
! XP / potion 
! XP / hour
|-
| 35 
| {{plink|28% Potent Potion Healing}} 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{currency|891}} 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{currency|96228}} 
| 556 
| 60,048
|-
| 62 
| {{plink|+60 Potent Potion Strength Arborae}} 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{currency|694}} 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{currency|74952}} 
| 936 
| 101,088
|-
| 77 
| {{plink|+60 Potent Potion Strength Cryonae}} 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{currency|700}} 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{currency|75600}} 
| 1,249 
| 134,892
|-
| 104 
| {{plink|9 Minute Potent Potion Fear}} 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{currency|2503}} 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{currency|270324}} 
| 2,100 
| 226,800
|-
| 131 
| {{plink|7% Potent Potion XP Mine}} 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{currency|2801}} 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{currency|302508}} 
| 3,531 
| 381,348
|}

{{AlchemistNavBox}}