Potion of speed
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| |
|---|---|
| Name | speed |
| Appearance | random |
| Base price | 200 zm |
| Weight | 20 |
| Monster use | May be used by monsters as misc items. |
A potion of speed is a potion in NetHack that temporarily increases your speed to very fast when quaffed.
Effects
The duration of higher speed depends on the potion's BUC status:
- Blessed: 160–169 turns
- Uncursed: 100–109 turns
- Cursed: 40–49 turns
In addition, a potion of any BUC heals wounded legs.
If you are already very fast, the message "Your legs get new energy." is displayed, and the duration of very fast speed will be increased if applicable. If the potion is shattered and you are exposed to the vapors, it will give you 1-5 turns of very fast speed and the message “Your knees seem more flexible now.” You can then name the potion.
Strategy
Early in the game, a potion of speed allows you to outrun enemies you either aren't ready for or need separation from, e.g. Team Ant, or pummel enemies that have you trapped. Even cursed potions are worth drinking in this regard.
If you find or decide to wish for speed boots later on, these potions become viable candidates for alchemy - they can upgrade potions of healing to potions of extra healing, allowing you to save your potions of gain level and gain energy for other purposes. This also works for dipping a stack of them in a potion of healing.
Potions of speed should not be diluted, as they can still serve uses in the endgame - if you decide to swap your speed boots for jumping boots on the Astral Plane, a potion of speed will allow you to remain very fast. This is particularly useful if you are also using a wand of teleportation, because it increases your chances of being able to jump through the path you have cleared before monsters can reoccupy it.
