Alchemy Path

[ratiasu220]

Alchemy Path

I'm considering leaning to alchemy on my next run (which'll be iorveth's path). There's one problem: I don't know much about it. 2 times I've played through the game I used 0-2 talents in it. So I would be grateful for some tips & tricks.

Here's something I would like to learn:

I enjoyed doing bombs, but mainly used grapeshot. Are there other useful bombs there?
I didn't used traps excluding harpy guest and couple testings. Same goes for baits. Some ideas which traps to use and when? I would like to rely more on those, too.
I mainly used three potions during my playthrough: Rook, swallow, tawny owl, (sometimes wolf). Many potions' negative effects seem quite major so I haven't get to know hardly any of those. Which potions (or combinations) are truly useful despite of the negative effects?

 

[volsung]

I'm considering leaning to alchemy on my next run (which'll be iorveth's path). There's one problem: I don't know much about it. 2 times I've played through the game I used 0-2 talents in it. So I would be grateful for some tips & tricks.

So what? Play and find out while playing Isn't that what you did when you played before?

I loved alchemist. I played sort of a tactical-bomber witcher who, poisoned, dance madly slashing at stunned, half-dead, burning monsters! I complemented my alchemist build with a handful of sword talents, mainly reducing backstab damage and increasing roll distance and sword damage.

I enjoyed doing bombs, but mainly used grapeshot. Are there other useful bombs there?

Dancing star, dragon's dream.

I mainly used three potions during my playthrough: Rook, swallow, tawny owl, (sometimes wolf)

Apart from rook, swallow and tawny owl (your daily bread), I used golden oriole to increase resistances and get poisoned.

Didn't really use any traps, but enjoyed bombs thoroughly! You may feel sort of weak when not poisoned, but for any major fight just drink up your juice and bomb/slash away. It makes all the difference.

 

[Garrison72]

Read the bestiary to discover what bombs and effects are effective against which monsters, thats part of the fun. As for balancing potions' negetive and postive effects, that's trickier, and dependant on play style. A conservative approach would involve sticking with poitions without negetive effects. I usually go with potions that buff armor and speed up vigor regen, and maybe swallow thrown in for good measure.

 

[ratiasu220]

@Volsung84 Well, of course I try out myself too. Just want to know what kind of things are possibles so it wouldn't turn out that I've missed many nice aspects by thinking they weren't necessary.
Thanks for the info! Nice to know the alchemy path is fun! By the way are there potions that, if used at same time, can compensate (quite well) some of the negative effects? I can't keep on track with the +XX% and -YY%..

@Slimgrin Okay I will. About potions, I would gladly learn how to use other than the basics with no side effects.

 

[tommy5761]

I`m pretty sure that as your knowledge of potions grow through diagrams that if you check your character and somewhere in the knowledge section it tells or gives you hints about potion combos .

 

[saintmagician]

There's a taklent in the alchemy path that icnreases positive effects of potions and decreases negative effects. I think at the second level, it increases positives by 35% and reduces negatives by a wooping -80%

Basicaly makes potions with penalties are lot more useful. Gadwell + Thunderbolt? yar!

 

[maskedreaper]

I'm doing the alchemy path too but a few things I like to learn more about since the manual doesn't really tell you which are:

I want to know about poison affects such as abilities such as: 'Mutant','Amplification' and 'Metathesis' and the 'Adrenaline bar'.

These ablilities are increase chance of...attacks, vigor and so on when intoxicated...Right?
This is bit of a stupid but simple question: How do you know when your 'intoxicated'? Is it when you use the 'Berserk' ability such as press 'X when adrenaline bar is full' and you have green effects all over the screen and things get blurry...Is this when your intoxicated? If yes then the manual doesn't really explain when you are intoxicated.

SO can you only 'see' intoxicated effects through Adrenaline bar?
Even if you have 100% toxicity through potions you don't see the toxic effects on the screen like TW1 did.
I did find this strange that having 100% toxicity with potions alone you don't see any intoxication effects such as seeing blood vessels and blood spots in your eyes with TW1.

Since I just got the Berserk ability for the first time and not really sure how it works other than slightly increased attacks and vigor regeneration which seems simple enough.
I know when you attack it build up the adrenaline bar with each attack and then you can activate it when full.
But as soon as you press X to activated it, does also intoxication abilities kick in aswell?
And so Adrenaline only last when the bar drains from use RIGHT? but when you attack more it build it up again.

But I find you don't really know if Adrenaline is still 'activated' or 'deactivated' or still working since you still have the green effects still around the edges of your screen after the bar as empty, since this seems like a side effect of Adrenaline when after you drained the bar and managed to rebuild some of it again from attacks.

The manual states it saids "Adrenaline bar charges when attacking, using signs and intoxication"....Whoa Whoa HOLD ON a second 'intoxication' so does this determine the amount on the toxicity bar?

I always thought intoxicated was when you drink too much potions...so far I have never gone beyond and exceeded 100% toxicity with potions as when the bar goes yellow when adding potions because you exceed too much and die from intoxication of drinking too much potions.
But, I have to admit I have NEVER tried drinking too much potions to see what happens if Geralt just keels over and dies from drinking too much like in TW1.
But I think this game won't let you exceed beyond 100% until the first lot of potions wear off.
But if you drink enough potions until you get 100% but not over 100%, Do you get the benefit of the Adrenaline bar when having the toxicity bar full?

So my last question is: Is the last few abilities on the alchemy tree are more concerned with Adrenaline bar regenrating and having more use of 'berserk' ability activated more often so you can deal more damage and recover vigor faster? If yes then OK I understand now but I want to know how to get the benefits of it with potions and how quickly it regenerates.

The only down side to Beserk ability is that things get blurry and out of focus for awhile until your potions wear off, but you can Meditate to remove the blurry effects when you walk but into town.

 

[dragonbird]

I was really, really confused about all of the "when poisoned/intoxicated" descriptions too. I think it's because we expect it to mean the same as in TW1.

It's actually a lot simpler. If you drink a potion, you're "poisoned". One potion is enough, and it isn't a negative thing. So if you fight when you have drunk a potion, your adrenaline will build up.

You can't OD in TW2. It won't let you take more than the limit.

 

[maskedreaper]

Yeah thanks Dragonbird that's what I thought too.
It's confusing but once you know what the terms means you totally understand the guest of it.

If you concentrate on putting maximum points in all the last abilities in the Alchemy tree you get the benefit of using Adrenaline bar and going fully berserk.

I have to admit I like the Alchemy path since I like using bombs, oils and having the option to consuming more potions and taking away the negative effects is a bonus, all while in Berserk mode.

So yeah I think getting your toxicity up as high as possible is also a bonus too for Adrenaline bar or beserk mode but so far I haven't got all abilities just yet to increase damage when intoxicated to see how much different Berserk mode is since I've only just got the ability in Act II, so I can't wait to see the full extent of Geralt's abilities.

 

[dragonbird]

I didn't particularly analyse it, and didn't notice if the number of potions you take (i.e. your toxicity level) affects adrenaline build-up or strength/duration of the effect.

The only time that I found the Alchemy build to be a disadvantage is during the Battlefield quest. I haven't found any way of taking potions during that quest yet, so you end up going naked against the Draug. If you do find a way (other than by using a mod), I'd like to hear of it. The extension of potion duration to around 40 minutes in "Better Combat" might help, but I don't think I'd want to use that mod on an Alchemy build.

 

[maskedreaper]

Like is states in the manual Adrenaline bar charges when attacking, using signs and 'intoxication'.

The so getting your toxicity up makes Adrenaline bar charge faster as long as your attacking when potions are in affect.
But so far I haven't tested this without potions to see if the Adrenaline charges slower because of zero level toxicity bar.

But I think you do get the benefit of the toxicity bar since it doesn seem a waste of a toxicity bar when it doesn't do anything.

If you have 100% toxicity and you use Adrenaline bar you'll notice more green effects on the screen so it means your more intoxicated...but so far I have to tested this with number of potions with different toxicity levels to see a difference.
But one thing I have noticed is the longer the timelimit for potions the longer the green intoxication effects are still around too.

Eg After the use Adrenaline bar and if you still have 10 minutes of potion effects then you will STILL have 10 minutes of green hue effects around the screen which shows your still intoxicated.
So this did make me question about intoxicated effects after using Adrenaline but only still in affect because my potion timelimit hadn't run out yet.

Confusing...yes, since there's really no complete explaination of using Adrenaline bar along with potions which have an intoxication effect.
But the manual states the Adrenaline bar charges with intoxication and other attacks.
So in a simple way of saying it's best to combine everything to boost Adrenaline so you can be in berserk mode longer so you can deal more damage and recover quicker.
So in other words you can be the ultimate killing machine.

 

[pomor]

My alchemy run has been well before 1.3 patch, in that patch some details about how adrenaline works were changed, so things may be different now.
Having said that, on alchemy build the adrenaline is not increasing, if you have zero toxicity, you need at least one potion running. On the other hand, in alchemy build alone, you do not need to attack the enemy, to build up your adrenaline bar. You just need to have one enemy around. For example, during the operator fight I was just hiding behind a pillar, waiting till my adrenaline bar is full.

 

[whiplash27]

Impregnation + Great Power Mutagens (which are extremely rare these days) = beast. Also Alchemy path gives you five mutagen slots instead of three in the others.

Also additional damage when poisoned and Berserk mode turns you into a killing machine.

Add in the Alchemist 2 skill for bombs and traps, sprinkle in a few swordsman (counter-attack 1 & dodge 1 especially, maybe position 1& 2 if you can) and mage (upgraded aard preferably 1 & 2, quen 1, and vigor 1 & 2 if you have the points) skills and you're unstoppable.

Of course you could also do alchemy path and go straight through one of the other paths to the get the special in that as well.

Alchemy path in the hands of a skilled player is probably the most overpowered IMO.

 

[dragonbird]

Of course you could also do alchemy path and go straight through one of the other paths to the get the special in that as well.

I've always been curious about that. If you get the special in two paths, what happens when you hit "X"?

 

[phamvan94]

I've always been curious about that. If you get the special in two paths, what happens when you hit "X"?

Both happen at the same time or one after the other. I once got the finisher on 3 opponents and then Heliotrope activated on the remaining enemies.

 

[electrocide]

Alchemy path is i think the best if u want to be the strongest Geralt out there. Check my INSANE dmg output. I kill bosses in few hits, the last one goes down in lets say 5 secs...to not spoil anything here.
Here are the screenshots.
U need to have luck to find power mutagens or even greater power mutagens. I got all power ones and 1 greater. Many luck involved, farmin too. U kill everone with 1 hit...no need for signs ;p

Also the potions i use here are thunderbolt which in normal gives +20% dmg but casue of alchemy its +32%!!!! and Rook gives 10% but here 17%!!

Caerme and Addan Deith are swords will ysight runes only gives +7% dmg each.

Check this shi** out...


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Heres the alchemy path, mutagens +35% oils +35% potions effects too...its just beserk...last one also gives dmg boost...


I picked this thing out from this guy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79bGYLXgq-c
He reached 200 dmg, but using wrong pots i think, i got to 307 top base with a sword!!! Also put talents a bit diffrent in alchemy...and removed 1 point in swords....when i enter beserk mode my dmg goes from 280-519!! and i got highest hit 1513 haha no theory, insane stuff..

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[ratiasu220]

Wow that's quite astonishing! But maybe that's a bit too far as it doesn't leave much challenge left. But nice to know that alchemy is capable of such things. I try to find my own path which I'll enjoy as much as possible. Alchemy sounds really fun.

At the beginning I thought it was the most useless path since I imagined the alchemy mechanics to be close to TW1 (where one couldn't do endless amounts of potions and bombs).

 

[whiplash27]

Yeah, Impregnation is actually quite overpowered to the point where it's almost laughable how powerful you can become. It's also why Power Mutagens are so rare now. Even if you stand around all day killing monsters, it still may take hours to find just one power mutagen. Heck, even lesser power mutagens are rare.

 

[ratiasu220]

So are there mutagens exclusive to alchemy path?

 

[saintmagician]

There are no mutagens exclusive to the alchemy path. In the sense that all the types of mutagens will drop randomly.

There is an ability on the alchemy path that means everytime you make potions, there's a small random chance you'll make a mutagen too. That only increases the number of mutagens you'll have, it doesn't 'unlock' any new mutagens.

However, the alchemy path gives you the most oppotunity to use metagens - i.e. it has more than twice the mutatable skills as the two other paths.