Potion strategy

Which potions are valuable and which are not depends very greatly on your place within the game. When you first enter the dungeons, most potions provide some substantially useful effect. As you gain intrinsics or abilities, most become redundant or only marginally useful.

Recommended potions, in approximate order of desirability:

Table of potions

Always useful

Potion	Notes
full healing	When blessed, fully heals you and raises your max hp by 8. Ascending with 6 or so provides a safe number of emergency outs, but save these for when you need them.
gain level	When cursed, teleports you up one level. Useful for Moloch's Sanctum, Gehennom and emergency escapes.
holy water	Increments BUC status of #dipped objects. This provides the most reliable way to bless an object, or spot uncursing during the ascension run.
smoky (can be any type)	Save, bless and quaff for the chance of a wish. A unicorn horn may be necessary to deal with ill effects.

Usually useful

Potion	Notes
extra healing	Mid-game emergency heal, otherwise save and alchemize to full healing.
healing	Early-game emergency heal, otherwise save and alchemize to extra healing.
speed	Without speed boots, useful for difficult combat. Otherwise, alchemize with healing potions to make extra healing.
gain energy	Alchemize with extra healing potions to make full healing potions. Extras can be quaffed for a slight maximum energy gain.
gain ability	Bless to raise all attributes by one point when quaffed.
enlightenment	Bless to raise intelligence and wisdom by one point when quaffed. Also useful for verifying current intrinsics.
booze/confusion	Useful for confusing yourself, then reading a scroll of gold detection to locate portals on the four Elemental Planes. More than four, or an alternate source of confusion render these unncessary.