I know how to read and trying to make my 1st potion. In the woods, I found a herbalist. I went to her alchemy workbench and found one recipe. How to get more recipes? What skill(s) do I need to improve or do i need to visit an alchemist in a town to gain access to more recipes? Thanks!
The way you have phrased your question, it seems like you do not care about spoilers. Nonetheless, I will not spoil anything, but give you some “general” sense for how alchemy fits into the game.
-
There are at least two alchemist/physicians in the game from whom you can buy or otherwise acquire potion recipes. One of them has a lot, the other . . . well, as far as I played not so many. I won’t say which settlements these guys are in, but suffice to say: you are BOUND to go there eventually, and moreover, their locations make sense from an actual economic standpoint (hint, hint: how many drug stores do you find in downtown Manhattan vs Yokelsville, Hinterlands?)
-
There are also ancient treasures in the game, and at least some of the recipe books can be found there.
-
There are some “random” locations where recipe books can be found.
As far as brewing them goes: I recommend jotting down the recipe on a notepad in a format that is easy for you to understand when you are at the work bench. Note: there are wikis and the like which provide the recipes for all the potions in the game. I have not availed myself of them, but have noted them as hits in searches and avoided them cause I don’t want to spoil it for myself: more fun to discover in-game!
That said, it would appear that: having the recipe outside of the game, and then having the ingredients n the game (but not having acquired and “read” a copy of the recipe book) is pointless. This may not have been the case originally in development. In my first or second playline I acquire a large fraction of the potion recipes and maxed out alchemy. In my more recent one I tested how it works by going to an alchemy bench before having acquired any potion recipes, but with plenty of ingredients. I was unable to get any potions to brew despite following my notes for how to brew specific potions quite closely.
Thanks for the speedy and comprehensive response. Your answers are perfect by not spoiling this interesting in-game option for anyone. Others can certainly benefit from your response.
1 Like