Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Alchemy Guide: Master Potion Brewing

Alchemy in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is an important part of the game that greatly influences your gaming experience. Good potions will not only make Henry stronger but can also temporarily change a number of characteristics, solve the problem of frequent saves, and help in quests. In this guide, we will detail all the mechanics of alchemy and how to use them.

First and foremost, you will need ingredients. You can find them either in the surrounding world and forest or buy them from a herbalist/alchemist. In the early stages of the game, the largest stock of herbs will be with the merchant in the very first village. The good news is that you don't necessarily have to buy them — you can steal them.

All collected herbs and flowers have an expiration date. The best potions are obtained only if the quality of the ingredients is 100% and they are fresh. To not worry about expiration, you need to find a drying rack. There, all herbariums can be dried, which automatically makes them non-perishable, but the best decoctions can't be made this way until you unlock the necessary perk. The first drying rack will be in the same village of Troskovice.

When the ingredients are in place, it would be good to get a recipe. It will describe the entire brewing process in detail, which must be strictly followed. Recipes occasionally appear in the open world and in chests if you are into theft, but the easiest way is to buy from an alchemist. In the same Troskovice, you will find all the basic recipes that will provide you with everything you need for a long time. Recipes are quite expensive, so you won't be able to purchase them all at once.

After the preparatory stages, you need to find an alchemy table. It is not easy to find those available to everyone, but there is one in the first village. Both the drying rack and the alchemy table are marked on the map, so don't hesitate to explore it.

At the alchemy table, you will find everything you need for brewing, including the potion base, which can be alcoholic, oily, or watery.

The quality of the decoction directly depends on how accurately you follow the instructions, the freshness of the ingredients, and Henry's skills. Over time, you will be able to unlock perks that will help make high-class decoctions easier. Interestingly, you can brew a decoction without a recipe. If you look at a recipe you like in our other guide and replicate it exactly, you won't have to buy anything. Henry will independently write down the instructions in the book.

So, you've found everything and are fully prepared. Henry is standing by the alchemy table. First, open the recipe book and see what ingredients you need. If they are available, you'll still need to manually place the herb pouches on the shelf to the right. The base is on the left. Immediately pour wine, water, or oil into the cauldron. Then follow the recipe and add the required number of pinches. Sometimes herbs need to be ground. For this, use the mortar at the bottom. If the recipe says to grind but you didn't do it, the decoction will either not turn out at all or will be of lower quality.

Now let's move on to the brewing process. Usually, the recipe specifies how many turns of the hourglass are needed for boiling. It is important to know that to boil, the cauldron needs to be placed on the fire. In some cases, the fire will need to be intensified with bellows. The base does not boil immediately, just like in real life, so keep this in mind. Slightly to the right are the hourglasses. Their turns are counted in the recipe. If several turns are required, the hourglass will need to be flipped multiple times. After counting the required time, lift the cauldron from the fire, which will automatically stop all processes.

Finally, the potion should be strained or distilled. In the first case, take the vial from the bottom left and simply pour the decoction from the cauldron into it. In the second case, use the distillation apparatus, and only then pour it. Very rarely, you need to grind again. This is usually required for gunpowder.

We have a separate guide on the best and most popular potions in the game. In general, you should understand that everything is situational and depends on your play style. Pay attention to decoctions that increase stats, as they will greatly help in battle. The most commonly used will be the saving schnapps. You are probably already aware that this is your save. The more schnapps you have, the more often you can save your progress without penalty, of course, if you don't use the trick we described in the beginner's guide.

There are quite a few perks that can help you in alchemy.