You use Alchemy to create Potions, Bombs, and Oils, and aside from your weapons and signs, these are the only ways you have to boost Geralt before a fight. Using the correct tools for the job can be helpful on the default difficulty.

To use Alchemy you’ll need a base for whatever you’re concoting: Alcohol for Potions, Powders for Bombs, and Greases for Oils. These all come in varying degrees of potency, but the stronger the base the more slots for ingredients the base will have, and hence, the stronger items that base can create. For example Soldier’s Hooch is Strong Alcohol with three ingredient slots, Cherry Spirit Cordial is Strong Alcohol with four ingredient slots, and White Gull-technically a Potion used as a base for other Potions-has five ingredient slots. In addition to bases you’ll need Alchemical Ingredients. There are scores of ingredients in the Witcher, but what matters are the elements contained within them. Ingredients contain one of seven primary element, and some also carried one of three secondary elements, as shown below.

To create an item with Alchemy, meditate, and click the “Alchemy” icon in the top right corner of the screen. If you have a base, and the appropriate ingredients the item you want to make will be lit on the left side of the screen, otherwise it’ll be greyed out.. provided you know a recipe for said item. You can also experiment blindly to make items, but with how many combinations there are.. you’re better off just using a guide or sticking to what you know. Selecting a potion you know and can make will automatically distribute the ingredients, albeit not very wisely. The computer never takes into account which components are more common and it doesn’t take secondary components into consideration. If you’re blindly creating items (or using this guide’s recipes to create items) keep in mind that it won’t be added to your Journal until you create and use the item. After that, the recipe will be added to your Journal and will be much easier to make. Towards the end of Chapter 2 it might be a good idea to just create everything that interests you, so you won’t have to bother with looking up the recipes again.

Secondary Elements¶

Ingredients with two elements can be used to make even stronger potions. Matching all the secondary elements will create a potion with added effects. For example, if you make a Cat potion (Rebis and two Quebrith) with Ruebedo as a secondary element in all three (for example, a potion made with Green Mold and two Gravier Bones) you’ll get a Cat potion with Ruebedo as its dominant substance. In addition to letting you see in the dark, this potion will increase your vitality regeneration. It might sound complex, but there are only three secondary elements: Albedo, Nitrol, and Rubedo. If you use components with the required primary elements and identical secondary elements, you’ll get a secondary substance dominated potion.

Alcohol¶

Alcohol serves two major purposes in the Witcher. First, stronger alcohol can be used as potion bases… although you can just make White Gull, which works just as well. The second function of alcohol is to participate in various drinking games with NPCs, which can get you information and items. Note that most potions require High-Quality Potion bases… pretty much everything other than Cat, Tawny Owl, White Gull, and Wive’s Tears. To make Potions out of cheaper alcohol, you’ll need to make White Gull, and then use that as the base… which is in all honesty usually cheaper than paying the extra ten Orens for more potent liquor.

Alcohol that can be used as low-quality potion bases (three Alchemical Ingredient slots) include Dwarven Spirit, Local Pepper Vodka, Nilfgaardian Lemon, Redanian Herbal, Soldier’s Hooch, Temerian Rye, Wormwood Spirit and Zerrikanian Spirit. High-quality potion bases (four Alchemical Ingredint slots) include Alcohest, Azoth, Cherry Spirit Cordial, Mandrake Cordial, Plum Cordial, Temerian Spirit and Wyvern Blood Spirit. Only White Gull can be used to create potions that require five Alchemical Ingredient slots.

List of Potions¶

Potions are one of the most important tools of a Witcher-behind only their swords and spells. Potions can do all sorts of wonderful things, from increasing your Vitality or Endurance regeneration, allowing you to dodge and parry better, deal more damage, or make your blood poisonous to blood-sucking beasts. Whatever your situation, you can always find a potion that will help you do it better. The following list only includes the “common” potions-those that don’t take a special ingredient to make. The description of their effects comes straight from the in-game journal-for better or worse.

Bindweed

Ingredients: Aether (x1), Quebrith (x1), Vermillion (x1)

Effects: This potion increases resistance to acid and acid-based poisons.

Black Blood

Ingredients: Vitriol (x3), Rebis (x1), Aether (x1)

Effects: Turns the imbiber’s blood into poison, blood becomes lethal to monsters which drink it.

Blizzard

Ingredients: Vitriol (x2), Rebis (x2)

Effects: Blzzard is one of the most powerful Witcher’s potions; it improves reflexes and reaction time, allowing a Witcher to better parry and evade attacks.

Cat

Ingredients: Rebis (x1), Quebrith (x2)

Effects: This potion grants vision in total darkness.

De Vries’ Extract

Ingredients: Rebis (x1), Aether (x1), Quebrith (x1), Hydragenum (x1)

Effects: This potion makes concealed creatures visible.

Golden Oriole

Ingredients: Aether (x2), Vitriol (x2)

Effects: Golden Oriole renders a Witcher’s body immune to poison and neutralizes the effects of poisons already present in his bloodstream.

Fisstech

Ingredients: Quebrith (x1), Hydragenum (x3), Vermillion (x1)

Effects: Fisstech has no beneficial effects; on the contrary, the narcotic causes its user to feel stunned and lose consciousness.

Full Moon

Ingredients: Vermillion (x2), Hydragenum (x2), Quebrith (x1)

Effects: This potion significantly increases maximum Vitality.

Kiss

Ingredients: Vermillion (x1), Vitriol (x2)

Effects: Kiss increases resistance to bleeding and stanches any current bleeding.

Maribor Forest

Ingredients: Rebis (x2), Aether (x1), Quebrith (x1)

Effects: This potion significantly increases maximum Endurance; it is predominantly used by Witchers trained in the use of signs.

Perfume

Ingredients: Vitriol (x1), Aether (x1), Quebrith (x1)

Effects: Perfume has a beautiful aroma and is a gift that almost any lady will appreciate; it can often serve as a welcome replacement for other gifts.

Petri’s Philter

Ingredients: Quebrith (x2), Hydragenum (x1), Vermillion (x1), Rebis (x1)

Effects: Petri’s Philter increases the intensity of all the Witcher Signs.

Shrike

Ingredients: Rebis (x1), Hydragenum (x1), Quebrith (x1), Vermillion (x2)

Effects: Inflicts pain on assailants during combat.

Swallow

Ingredients: Vitriol (x1), Aether (x1), Rebis (x2)

Effects: Swallow accelerates the regeneration of Vitality.

Tawny Owl

Ingredients: Vitriol (x1), Aether (x2)

Effects: Tawny Owl significantly increases Endurance regeneration; it is particularly valued by Witchers who often use Signs in combat.

Thunderbolt

Ingredients: Vitriol (x1), Hydragenum (x1), Rebis (x1), Vermillion (x2)

Effects: Greatly increases damage inflicted on opponents, but makes dodging and parrying impossible.

White Gull

Ingredients: Vitriol (x2), Rebis (x1)

Effects: White gull is a hallucinogenic beverage, but it can also be used to create other potions; it serves as a base for complex potions, accomodating up to five other ingredients.

White Honey

Ingredients: Vitriol (x1), Rebis (x1), Aether (x1)

Effects: Reduces Toxicity to zero and cancels the effects of other poisons.

White Rafford’s Decoction

Ingredients: Vitriol (x1), Rebis (x1), Hydragenum (x2)

Effects: White Rafford’s Decoction immediately restores a majority of lost Vitality.

Willow

Ingredients: Quebrith (x1), Aether (x2)

Effects: This potion grants immunity to the stun and knockdown effects.

Wive’s Tears

Ingredients: Rebis (x1), Quebrith (x1), Aether (x1)

Effects: This potion immediately removes drunkenness, restoring sobriety without causing a hangover.

Wolf

Ingredients: Vitriol (x2), Hydragenum (x2), Vermillion (x1)

Effects: Wolf improves focus and coordination, thereby increasing the chances of inflicting critical damage.

Wolverine

Ingredients: Quebrith (x1), Hydragenum (x1), Vermillion (x1), Aether (x2)

Effects: Wolverine increases damage inflicted when a Witcher’s Vitality falls below half.

Greases¶

Greases are your bases for Oils, just like Alcohol is your base for Potions. Oils aren’t quite as diverse as Potions, as they only tend to serve to improve the damaging qualities of your weapons-but that’s a fine limitation in its own right. To make some Oils you need top-quality grease, rather than high-quality grease.

Blade Coatings¶

Blade Coatings, aka Oils, are various liquids you can coat your blade with to make your attacks more potent. They’re like potions.. for your sword! Typically Oils deal increased damage to certain types of enemies (for example, Necrophage Oil deals greater damage to corporeal undead, Specter Oil deals greater damage to specters) while some increase the odds of inflicting certain effects-Crinfrid Oil causes pain, for example.

Argentia

Ingredients: Vitriol (x1), Aether (x1), Hydragenum (x1), Vermillion (x2)

Effects: Witchers coat their silver blades with Argentia, wihch increases the effectiveness of silver, but weakens steel blades.

Brown Oil

Ingredients: Rebis (x1), Aether (x1), Quebrith (x1), Vermillion (x2)

Effects: Brown Oil accelerates bleeding; creatures lacking a circulatory system immune to its effects.

Crinfrid Oil

Ingredients: Vitriol (x1), Aether (x1), Hydragenum (x1), Vermillion (x2)

Effects: A blade coated with this substance causes crippling pain to a wounded creature; creatures which do not feel pain are immune to its effects.

Hanged Man’s Venom

Ingredients: Vitriol (x1), Aether (x1), Rebis (x1), Hydragenum (x1), Vermillion (x1)

Effects: This blade coating poisons wounded opponents, yet it is ineffective against monsters whose physiology differs greatly from that of humans.

Insectoid Oil

Ingredients: Rebis (x1), Quebrith (x1), Aether (x1), Vermillion (x1)

Effects: A blade coated with this substance inflicts increased damage on all insectoid creatures.

Necrophage Oil

Ingredients: Vitriol (x2), Aether (x1)

Effects: A blade coated with this substance inflicts increased damage on necrophages.

Ornithosaur Oil

Ingredients: Vitriol (x1), Quebrith (x1), Rebis (x1), Hydragenum (x1)

Effects: A blade coated with this substance inflicts increased damage on ornithosaurs.

Specter Oil

Ingredients: Vitriol (x1), Aether (x1), Rebis (x1)

Effects: A blade coated with this substance causes increased damage to specters.

Vampire Oil

Ingredients: Vitriol (x1), Vermillion (x1), Hydragenum (x1), Quebrith (x2)

Effects: A blade coated with this substance causes increased damage to all types of vampires.

Powders¶

Powders are used to create Bombs, and like Bombs, there’s not too many of them. Most Bombs won’t come in handy against monsters, but the Dragon’s Dream Bomb is interesting for setting explosive traps for enemies. Only Dragon’s Dream requires a top-quality base.

Bombs¶

Bombs are made from powders, and all but Dragon’s Dream can use any Powder to create. That said, all of the Bombs besides Dragon’s Dream cause status effects, which many monsters will be immune to.

Devil’s Puffball

Ingredients: Rebis (x1), Hydragenum (x1), Aether (x2)

Effects: Upon detonation, this bomb sprays a cloud of poison, affecting nearby enemies; those resistant to poison might not be harmed.

Dragon’s Dream

Ingredients: Rebis (x1), Quebrith (x1), Vermillion (x1), Hydragenum (x1)

Effects: This bomb releases a cloud of flammable gas which causes a destructive explosion when ignited.

King and Queen

Ingredients: Rebis (x2), Aether (x1)

Effects: Upon detonation, this bomb magically evokes fear in the hearts of opponents.

Samum

Ingredients: Aether (x1), Vermillion (x1), Rebis (x2)

Effects: Upon detonation, this bomb stuns any creature within range, provided they are not immune to this effect.

Zerrikanian Sun

Ingredients: Quebrith (x1), Aether (x1), Vermillion (x1), Hydragenum (x1)

Effects: Upon detonation, this bomb releases a flash of light, blinding all nearby opponents.