Kingdom Come: Deliverance was developed by Warhorse Studios and quickly became known for its hyper-realistic medieval setting. There are no features like quick saving and instant healing options. Even ‘basic’ things like using a grindstone to maintain weapons or keeping the player character clean is given a realistic feel. The game overall is so dedicated to being a medieval simulator that several players may find crafting in this game to be complicated or extraneous.
Alchemy is no different. Between the prep work, the player has to do and the actual mechanics of the alchemy table itself, players can easily feel a bit overwhelmed when they try to craft their first potion. So below is a guide that will both explain the uses of alchemy and help players understand how to use it.
How Useful is Alchemy in Kingdom Come: Deliverance?
Alchemy allows the player to create potions, tinctures, concoctions, and potions. Some of these creations can serve as buffs, a cure for drunkenness, poisons for enemies and more. Notably, it also allows the player to create savior schnapps, which allows the player to save the game whenever they wish.
With the game’s combat system being as difficult as it is, these creations can be especially useful in making Henry’s travels a little easier. Especially in early-to-mid game. The marigold decoction, for instance, can restore a little bit of the player’s health. And the Cockerel Potion is useful if the player needs to travel through the night
Players may also find alchemy especially useful when the player chooses to make use of cooking pots. Since most of these pots allow the player to pour potions and other concoctions into them, this can be a useful means of dealing with allies and enemies alike. Going after a bandit camp? Add a bane potion to their cooking pot when no one’s looking to debilitate and possibly even kill them. About to go marching with some soldiers? Players can drop a vitality potion into their camp’s pot to give those NPCs the ability to better withstand injuries for a limited time.
What is Herbalism in Kingdom Come: Deliverance?
First, the easy part. Alchemy requires alchemic ingredients, so it is recommended that the player levels up their herbalism skill as they go about their quests. This herbalism skill is essentially the player’s herb-picking skill and higher levels allow Henry to pick up more herbs with every picking action. Leveling herbalism up is as easy as picking up plants, and since they are not all that heavy, it is unlikely to be a burden to Henry’s limited carry capacity.
But of course, picking alchemy ingredients is easy. But finding them is a different matter. Assuming the player doesn’t simply buy ingredients from an alchemist or herbalist, locating herbs is mostly a matter of either luck or attaining knowledge on where certain herbs can be found. Mine shafts and caves for cave mushrooms, open fields for nettle, woodland areas for fly agaric, etc. An observant player will get a knack for which ingredient can be found where the more they go about collecting.
But it isn’t all that necessary to go out of your way for these alchemic ingredients just yet. Just pick up plants wherever Henry happens to be and odds are the player will be able to gain herbalism levels, ingredients and knowledge all at once without having to go through all that much effort.
What the Player Needs to Do Before Using Alchemy in Kingdom Come: Deliverance
So now that the player knows to start picking herbs up early, what else do they need to do? Well before the player even touches an alchemy bench, there are a few things Henry needs to accomplish before he can start making potions and other concoctions.
Learn to Read
The first thing Henry needs to learn is how to read. In addition to letting the player read skill books, this skill will allow Henry to read alchemy recipes—which is an absolute must. To gain this essential skill the player will need to start the side quest ‘Mightier than the Sword’ which will take the player to a scribe in Uzhits. Simply pay him 50 groshen, read a few books, answer the scribe’s questions, and voila. Henry is now literate.
Gain Alchemy Recipes
The player starts with a free recipe for savior’s schnapps, which allows the player to save the game whenever they want. But if the player wants to create anything else they need to get a recipe. Most herbalists and apothecaries tend to have a few in their inventory, but it should be noted that these are costly. Easily over 100-300 groshen a piece depending on what potion the player wants to learn.
(Optional) Take an Alchemy Tutorial or Fiddle with the Alchemy Bench
Technically the player can go ahead and approach any alchemist bench if they have a recipe and its corresponding ingredients in hand, but paying the apothecary in Rattay to go through the steps one by one can be helpful. He will give you lessons for 60 or so groshen, but players can talk him down a bit if they have the charisma.
Either way, the player should take this opportunity to fiddle with the mechanics and steps behind the alchemy bench. In particular, it is recommended that the player gets a feel for how long it takes to get the cauldron to a boil or simmer, as well as how to maintain that temperature for a certain amount of time. With alchemy in this game requiring precise timing, this heating step is among the easiest to mess up.
How to Use the Alchemy Bench in Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Below are a set of general steps to take when using an alchemy bench. However, it should be noted that these steps are generalized, and some of the more complex potions will require the player to go back and forth between steps.
That being said, the most important thing to is that precision is key in alchemy. A potion must neither have too much nor too little of an ingredient. A potion cannot be boiled, simmered or cooled for too long or too little either. Even small mistakes can reduce the potion’s effectiveness. But more severe ones will result in a complete failure that devours all of the ingredients used in the crafting process.
Step 1: Select the Recipe You Want to Craft
On the far right side of the bench is Henry’s collection of recipes. Open it and find the recipe you want to follow and select it. This will automatically select the necessary ingredients from the player’s inventory and set them on the alchemy bench. It is then up to the player to read the instructions and follow them to the letter.
Step 2: Select a Potion Base
The bases for potions are always available and ready to be used by the player when they enter an alchemy bench. Of the four bases (Water, wine, oil, or spirits) just choose one. Henry will take the base and pour it into the cauldron.
Step 3: Add Ingredients to the Cauldron
Right by the sand-glass on the right shelf are the ingredients for the selected recipe. Some of these may need to be ground by the mortar and pestle before adding it to the cauldron, but otherwise, the player can just grab the ingredients and dump them into the cauldron. Be sure to add however much of an ingredient the recipe calls for.
Step 4: Heat the Cauldron
At this stage, it is recommended that players take a moment or two to look back at the recipe book to at the temperature and length of time the recipe calls for. Otherwise, it is easy to mess up and have the potion fail completely.
To heat the cauldron, use the bellows on the far left until the cauldron reaches the desired temperature. Some recipes call for a boil, others a low heat. But regardless of the temperature, timing is arguably more important. The moment the cauldron reaches the desired temperature is the moment the player should activate the sand-glass. Players will continue to flip the sand-glass and maintain temperature for however long the recipe calls for.
Step 5: Pour the Potion into Either a Phial or a Distiller
When the potion is fully brewed, the player will have the option to pour the potion into either a phial or a distiller. Either can be grabbed on the bench’s left side before selecting the cauldron to complete the process.
Then it’s done! If the recipe was followed, then the player should now have a potion in their inventory.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One