Alchemy
If you #dip one potion into another potion, and neither potion is a potion of water or potion of polymorph, then you are performing alchemy. If it goes well, the two potions will mix into one new uncursed, diluted potion. For those who are not spoiled, alchemy is difficult to learn.
Though most of the effects of alchemy are dangerous or unpredictable, a few specific recipes are worth it: you can use potions of gain energy to upgrade your potions of healing and extra healing. You can also use potions of gain level for these upgrades, if you don't need to gain levels.
Contents
Warning
- Do not involve any potion of acid in alchemy.
- Do not dip a cursed potion into anything; it will cause an alchemic blast!
- Dipping into a cursed potion, however, is no different from dipping into an uncursed potion, and in fact is a good way to use up a cursed potion.
- Do not involve any unidentified potions in alchemy; you need to know the identity of both potions to use the recipes. Identifying input potions through alchemy is not feasible because of the high chance of random effects.
- Identifying output potions, on the other hand, is quite common and often useful.
Danger of alchemic blasts
Even if you are following the recipes, there is a 1/10 chance of an alchemic blast. Furthermore, if you dip a potion of acid or any cursed potion into another potion, you will always cause an alchemic blast. The mixture will explode, the blast will take 1 to 10 HP from you, and it will generate vapors from the potion being dipped. The blast will also abuse your strength.[1]
Benefit of stacking
Stacking potions before performing alchemy is often beneficial. Dipping a stack of any number of potions into a stack of one or more other potions will alchemize all potions in the former stack, while consuming only one potion of the latter stack.
For example, dipping one potion of speed into a stack of three potions of healing will leave you one potion of extra healing and two potions of healing, consuming only one potion of healing in the process. However, dipping a stack of three potions of healing into one potion of speed will give you three potions of extra healing (the one and only potion of speed in the latter stack being consumed).
In summary, always dip the larger stack of potions of one type into the smaller stack of potions of the other to get the most out of alchemy. Additionally, you may wish to consolidate stacks of potions of the same type by ensuring they have the same beatitude and dilution. If the stacks of both types of potion are large, you may choose to hold between one and three potions back from the larger stack so that you can perform alchemy on the remains of the smaller stack.
If an alchemy attempt results in an explosion, only one potion of each type will be used up.
Recipes
The mixtype function decrees the alchemy recipes in this game. Each recipe requires you to mix two potions. The order of potions does not matter: whether you dip a potion of healing into a potion of speed, or dip a potion of speed into a potion of healing, you will make a potion of extra healing (with the 1/10 chance of an alchemic blast instead).
In the below tables, the result is on the left and the ingredients are on the right; sometimes there is a numbered list of multiple recipes. Try skimming the left column for the potion that you want to make. All potions in the tables do link to their articles.
Simple recipes
These recipes have the greatest likelihood of succeeding. Potions of extra healing and full healing are useful to have throughout the game, because quaffing them while fully healed is a common way to increase max hit points. Potions of gain ability are a good way to increase attributes early in the game, but are of little use late in the game when your attributes are already at maximum.
It is not usually necessary to manufacture potions of see invisible via alchemy, because potions of see invisible are relatively common anyway, and a single blessed potion of see invisible will convey the intrinsic permanently.
| To make | Use these ingredients |
|---|---|
| potion of extra healing | |
| potion of full healing | |
| potion of gain ability | |
| potion of see invisible |
Difficult recipes
Some recipes do not always produce the same result. The chances below add to 9/10 because there is also a 1/10 chance of alchemic blast. The potion of enlightenment formula is almost never worth attempting because the probability of success is so low. Potions of gain level, however, are often worth obtaining via alchemy, because they are more useful than the potions used to make them, and the chance of success is higher than with enlightenment.
| To make | Use these ingredients |
|---|---|
|
|
|
Mostly-useless recipes
Only in rare cases would you ever use these recipes, since you're using up some good potions to make bad ones. For example, maybe you really need a potion of booze to confuse yourself, or potions of hallucination are smoky potions in your game. Most players, however, would find these recipes useless:
| To make | Use these ingredients |
|---|---|
| potion of booze | |
| potion of confusion | |
| potion of hallucination | |
| potion of sickness |
Random alchemy results
If you perform alchemy on two potions that do not have an otherwise defined result, and you did not dip into a potion of acid, then NetHack will give you some random result:
- You might make a potion of water. (1/8 chance, but 1/1 chance if dipping a diluted potion into another potion)
- You might make a potion of sickness. (1/4 chance)
- You might make a random potion, with the usual probabilities that apply to random potions found in the dungeon. (1/8 chance)
- You might evaporate and waste both potions. (1/2 chance)
SLASH'EM
In SLASH'EM, dipping a valuable gem into a potion of acid will generate another type of potion. The potion you get is defined by its randomized description, not by its identified description. For example, if you dip a ruby into acid, you will always get a ruby potion whether ruby potions are full healing or hallucination in your game. Note there are no gems that give out milky, smoky or clear potions. There seems to be a chance that any dippage can result in an explosion, as in any alchemy.
| Gem to dip into acid | Resulting potion color/appearance |
|---|---|
| Dilithium crystal | None - Always explodes |
| Opal | Cloudy potion |
| Ruby | Ruby potion |
| Garnet | Pink potion |
| Jasper | Purple-red potion |
| Jacinth | Orange potion |
| Agate | Swirly potion |
| Citrine | Yellow potion |
| Chrysoberyl | Golden potion |
| Amber | Brown potion |
| Topaz | Murky potion |
| Emerald | Emerald potion |
| Turquoise | Sky blue potion |
| Aquamarine | Cyan potion |
| Jade | Dark green potion |
| Sapphire | Brilliant blue potion |
| Amethyst | Magenta blue potion |
| Fluorite | White potion |
| Black opal | Black potion |
| Jet | Dark potion |
| Obsidian | Effervescent potion |
| Worthless glass | No effect |
References
This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.
It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.4.3. Information on this page may be out of date.
Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-343}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.
