Alchemy 101

Note: this guide has been renamed Mesxiah's Alchemy Guide. Kept a copy of the snip here since it's still in the top 10 on google when you search for "alchemy ffxi". Look at the link above for the more up to date version.

Alchemy can be a very versatile craft. From essential items for melees (sneak oils/prism powders) to status effect weapons and ammo, alchemy has alot to offer to many adventurers. And since most of the products are consumables, it can be easily profitable once you reach a level where you can HQ these in-demand synths (much like cooking).

Some things to note about this guide. It was originally written by Mesxiah when he power-leveled alchemy during the last two weeks of the North America FFXI beta. As you can imagine, the economy of a 1,000 people server (beta) bears no resemblence to today's ffxi servers where 4,000++ are usually on-line in one world at any given point in time. Because of this, I've tried to edit the guide where appropriate. Some items are more readily available now, and some synths just aren't as profitable. So then, let's start some alchemy!

Professor Mesxiah's Notes:
Note: Like all other guilds, there are two ways to level up. One is to hunt for the ingredients and level up slowly, and the other is to have a large capital/bankroll to finance or "power level" your craft by buying ingredients directly from npcs or auction houses.

Things to save or collect, if you find them on the course of your leveling adventures (these items will help a lot later): Bomb Ash, Flint Stone, Lizard's Tail, Slime Oil, Sulfur, and Treant Bulbs.

Levels 0-2: Antidote (02)

Crystal	Ingredients	Yeild
water crystal	distilled water San'd Orian Grapes Wijnruits	Antidote
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• 1 Water Crystal
  
• 1x Distilled Water
  
• 1x San'd Orian Grapes
  
• 1x Wijnruits
  

Grapes are sold in Southern San'd Oria (duh),and Wijnruits aren't too expensive at M&P's Market in Upper Jeuno. If you're willing to lose a few synths, I'd recommend skipping anitdotes and starting off with...

Levels 3-5: Beeswax

Crystal	Ingredients	Yeild
Fire Crystal	Beehive Chip (x3) Distilled Water	Beeswax (1)
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• Fire Crystal
  
• 3x Beehive Chip
  
• 1x Distilled Water
  

This is one of the mainstay synths of alchemy. So if you don't like bees or are allergic to honey, maybe alchemy isn't for you...

At your early levels, I'd recommend saving your beeswax. You will be tempted to sell it at Auction, but keep in mind, beeswax will be even more profitable once you can HQ it consistently.

Beware when farming for beehive chips, some types of bees drop chips more consistently than others (same with honey). Experiment with the usual places (Tahrongi Canyon, Giddeus, Gustaberg, Davoi, etc.), and if there are already farmers, move on, the only thing slower than farming beehive chips, is farming it with 5 other ppl. ;)

Levels 5-10: Deodorizer (10)

Crystal	Ingredients	Yield
Water Crystal	olive oil, chamomile, sage	Flask of Deodorizer (x1)
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• Water Crystal
• 1x Olive Oil
• 1x Chamomile
• 1x Sage

Chamomile can be purchased from M&P's Market in Upper Jeuno. For the olive oil and sage, head to Raimbroy's Grocery in South San d'Oria.

Levels 10-15: Mercury (15)

Crystal	Ingredients	Yield
Water Crystal	cobalt jellyfish (x4)	Mercury (x1)
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• Water Crystal
• 4x Cobalt Jellyfish

Synth mercury all the way up to the skill cap (15). Even though skill ups will slow down past 13, this synth is pretty affordable since fisherman keep the AH freshly supplied with jellyfish, and they can also be purchased at either the Alchemy guild or the Fishing guilds (don't forget, there's two, one in Mhuara, one in Port Windurst).

Mercury can also be a fast seller in stacks, as it is your second major Alchemy synth. Save some for yourself if you ever plan on making some poison potions for various missions and bcnm battles.

Levels 15-20: Echo Drops (20)

Crystal	Ingredients	Yield
Water Crystal	sage, honey, distilled water	Echo Drops (x1)
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• Water Crystal
• Sprig of Sage
• Pot of honey
• Distilled Water

If you're a mage, you'll be glad to have reached this level in alchemy. Echo drops come in quite handy against monsters with AoE silence attacks (Anticans come to mind). You'll also need them for several missions along your journeys. Because of this, you can almost always find a buyer for your echo drops at AH.

Levels 20-24: Silent Oil (24)

Crystal	Ingredients	Yield
Water Crystal	beeswax (x2), slime oil	Silent Oil (x4)
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• Water Crystal
• Beeswax (x2)
• Slime Oil

Since only mages have access to the spell sneak, silent oils are always in high demand. But keep in mind, like every other consumable in the game, you will not see any substantial profit on this item until you can consistently HQ the synth (HQ3 of this synth, for example, yields a full stack of silent oils). Because the materials for this synth are always in high demand you might wanna consider an alternative synth to get past the early 20s.

Levels 22-27: Blinding Potion (27)

Crystal	Ingredients	Yield
Water Crystal	sleepshroom, poison flour, crying mustard	Blinding Potion (x1)
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• Water Crystal
• Sleepshroom
• Poison Flour
• Crying Mustard

Go ahead and farm Spore Hollow in Junger for a healthy supply of sleepshrooms, or get the best deal at AH. Crying mustard is available cheaply from NPCs, but you may also find it ultra-cheap on some days at the Alchemy Guild. Poison flour does not stack and is only available from the npc goblins' shop in Lower Jeuno. Stack your results and sell them on AH while you're in jeuno buying the flour.

Levels 27-34: Artifical Lens (34)

Crystal	Ingredients	Yield
Fire Crystal	glass fiber (x2)	Artifical Lens (x1)
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• Fire Crystal
• Glass Fiber (x2)

Once capping off your skills with silent oils and blinding potions, this will be your first big challenge as an alchemist. If you have Goldsmithing leveled to recruit or initiate, you can take an alternate route here by synthing minnows until they cap at 31. Or, if you have Smithing skills, you can make Blind Boltheads till they cap at 32. Otherwise you'll have cope with expensive fire crystals and stick with this synth until 32 or 33. Keep in mind, artifical lenses do not stack, tho, they do sell for minimal losses/breakeven at AH or in bazaar.

Levels 32-40: Potion (40)

Crystal	Ingredients	Yield
Water Crystal	Sage, Lizard Tail, Distilled Water	Potion (x1)
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• Water Crystal
• Sprig of Sage
• Lizard Tail
• Distilled Water

Head back to Southern San d'Oria and stock up on some sage and distilled water. Then, head out to your favorite lizard spot till your inventory is full with potions. Normally, synths that result in non-stacking items are bad for skilling up, however, the ingredients for potion are so cheap, you can't really pass it up. Plus, they usually sell for breakeven or profit at AH in Jeuno. If you prefer synths that stack, keep reading for an alternate route.

Levels 32-40: Firesand (40)

Crystal	Ingredients	Yield
Earth Crystal	Bomb Ash (x2), Sulfur (x1)	Firesand (x2)
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• Earth Crystal
• Pinch of Bomb Ash (x2)
• Sulfur

Bomb ash and sulfur are both available in the Metalworks gunpowder room, but keep in mind, sulfur is only available there if Bastok is not last in conquest. Some region sellers also carry sulfur so keep your eye out. Costing almost 2k gil per synth, skilling up on firesand will be expensive. If you cannot sell it at a breakeven price, I highly suggest you keep it in storage for future use. This is especially the case if you're a ranger planning on leveling alchemy so that you can make your own bullets (which you will be able to do consistently after hitting 40 as long as your goldsmithing skill is initiate rank or higher). You can stop synthing firesand/potions around 36 since this is where you can start synthing vitriol...

Levels 36-43: Vitriol (43)

Crystal	Ingredients	Yield
Water Crystal	Treant Bulb (x2)	Vitriol (x1)
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• Water Crystal
• Treant Bulb (x2)

Pretty straight forward skill up for vitriol, treant bulbs are easily farmed and cheaply bought at AH. After taking your Apprentice exam at level 38, you will be able to start participating in the guild contract for some nice Alchemy skill+ gear as well as the Anima key item. At this point, a note should be said about support crafts and guild points.

You will notice that alot of the guild items requested for you to synth will be status weapons (poison baselard, acid claws, etc, etc). Because of this, it is highly recommended you take the time and effort to skill up your goldsmithing and smithing skills (bonework too if you have the gil). This will make your guild point quest alot less stressful. Also, start keeping the usual items used to make status weapons: poison potion, vitriol, animal glue, beeswax (and in the higher levels, venom and paralysis potions). Even if you don't plan on using the guild point items, leveling smithing and goldsmithing will prove invalueable down the road when looking for alchemy synths that can yield you some quick gil (from HQ and +1 synths, of course).

Levels 38-45: Carbon Fiber (45)

Crystal	Ingredients	Yield
Lightning Crystal	Bomb Ash (x4)	Carbon Fiber (x3)
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• Lightning Crystal
• Pinch of Bomb Ash (x4)

Time to camp the gunpowder room npc in Metalworks with some lightning clusters. An alternate route to 45 here involves using all that vitriol you made in making acid bolt heads (requires your Smithing to be at least level 12). You can then turn your bolt heads into bolts with woodworking.

Levels 43-50: Ether (50)

Crystal	Ingredients	Yield
Water Crystal	Bat Wing (x2), Dried Marjoram, Dryad Root, Distilled Water	Ether (x1)
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• Water Crystal
• Bat Wing (x2)
• Dried Marjoram
• Dryad Root
• Distilled Water

Once again, you're back to a non-stacking synth for skill ups. But like potions, ethers are usually a easy seller in Jeuno. Dryad Roots will be your hardest ingredient to find. You're out of stacking synths until you can attempt holy water and/or silver bullets (bullets require goldsmithing initiate skills) at around 47.

Levels 47-51: Holy Water (51)

Crystal	Ingredients	Yield
Light Crystal	Distilled Water	Holy Water (x1)
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• Light Crystal
• Distilled Water

If you're in no rush, take the time to research gardening online and attempt to grow your own light crystals, or go light elemental farming. Otherwise, be prepared to spend the gil for this otherwise easy skill up path. As noted earlier, an alternate route here includes skilling up on silver bullets (caps at 52), but it requires your goldsmithing to be at least level 18. However, silver bullets often sell at breakeven/profit in Jeuno. Once capped at 51, go ahead and use the holy water to make some holy bolt heads and then those into holy bolts (requires smithing and woodworking skills).

Levels 52-60: Hi-Potion (60)

Crystal	Ingredients	Yield
Water Crystal	sage (x2), malboro vine, distilled water	Hi-Potion (x1)
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• Water Crystal
• Sage (x2)
• Malboro Vine
• Distilled Water

Head back to Southern San d'Oria for some good old sage. This time, camp stroppers in Ordelle's, malboro vines are a 100% drop. Hi-Potions do not stack, but neither do the malboro vines, so suck it up and do some gobbiebag quests if you haven't already.