Alchemy: sand into potions

Brew potions from sand, glass and what the world drops. Alchemy runs from 1 to 99, and it all happens at one cauldron.

The Alchemy skill page — every level, every item and the xp, in tables.

On this page: Getting started · The vials · Every potion, in order · How it works · Going further · Ink, and a few extras

Getting started

Dig sand out of the pits in the Golden Sands at Mining 20.
Melt it into glass at the cauldron under the temple colonnade, then brew the glass with what monsters and plants drop.
One cauldron does everything. It's the only one in the game: it blows the vials and brews the potions, so you never need any Smithing to train Alchemy.

The vials

The vial is the tier: a better potion needs a bigger bottle. How long a potion lasts is its own, listed in the next table.

Alchemy	Vial	Takes	xp
1	Small vial	Sand	10
34	Medium vial	2 Sand	30
64	Large flask	Glass gourd	150
68	Large flask	4 Sand	70

Every potion, in order

Most of the way up, the list alternates a skilling buff with a combat one, so there's rarely a dead stretch for any kind of player. "Bite" is for fishing: it's how readily a fish takes the hook, not how hard you hit.

Alchemy	Potion	Does	Lasts	Needs
1	Swift draught	you swing and fish 4% faster	5 min	Small vial, 2 Sulky sporecap
1	Mining potion I	jewels turn up in the rock 3% more often; 1% more Mining xp	30 min	Small vial, 2 Grimstone ore, 2 Copper ore
5	Mushroom potion I	your beds fruit 3% faster; 1% more Fungiculture xp	30 min	Small vial, 4 Oyster shelf, 2 Button cap
10	Hide tonic	you take 5% less damage	5 min	Small vial, 2 Cowhide
10	Fishing potion I	fish bite 1% more often; 1% more Fishing xp	30 min	Small vial, 4 Sardine, 2 Trout
15	Harvesting potion I	3% chance a seed comes back when you plant; 1% more Harvesting xp	30 min	Small vial, 4 Wheat, 2 Sunpetal
15	Woodcutting potion I	you chop 2% faster; 1% more Woodcutting xp	30 min	Small vial, 4 Sulky sporecap, 2 Gloomwillow logs
18	Thieving potion I	you pick pockets 2% more reliably; Thieving pays 1% more xp	30 min	Small vial, 4 Copper ore, 2 Emerald ore
19	Keen-eye water	rare drops come up 6% more often	5 min	Small vial, 2 Wheat, Sulky sporecap
20	Puffball sleep-dust	you pick pockets 6% more reliably	7.5 min	Small vial, 2 Puffball
23	Salt salve	heals 140 at once	—	Small vial, 2 Lanternroot
25	Agility potion I	you walk 1% faster; Agility pays 1% more xp	30 min	Small vial, 4 Wheat, 2 Mudskipper
28	Rattle brew	fish bite 2% more often	5 min	Small vial, 2 Rattlebean
30	Mining potion II	jewels turn up in the rock 7% more often; 2% more Mining xp	30 min	Medium vial, 2 Grimstone ore, 2 Diamond ore
35	Fishing potion II	fish bite 2% more often; 2% more Fishing xp	30 min	Medium vial, 4 Sardine, 2 Ghost carp
35	Harvesting potion II	7% chance a seed comes back when you plant; 2% more Harvesting xp	30 min	Medium vial, 4 Wheat, 2 Frostcap
35	Woodcutting potion II	you chop 4% faster; 2% more Woodcutting xp	30 min	Medium vial, 4 Sulky sporecap, 2 Ancient yew logs
36	Quickhand philtre	you swing and fish 7% faster	7.5 min	Medium vial, Marked card, Lanternroot
40	Agility potion II	you walk 2% faster; Agility pays 2% more xp	30 min	Medium vial, 4 Wheat, 2 Oasis perch
40	Thieving potion II	you pick pockets 4% more reliably; Thieving pays 2% more xp	30 min	Medium vial, 4 Copper ore, 2 Dragonstone ore
42	Bleeding-tooth draught	you take 12% less damage	10 min	Medium vial, 2 Bleeding tooth, Bones
42	Mushroom potion II	your beds fruit 7% faster; 2% more Fungiculture xp	30 min	Medium vial, 4 Oyster shelf, 2 Bleeding tooth
45	Gourd draught	you take 9% less damage	7.5 min	Medium vial, 2 Bonegourd, Bones
50	Field salve	heals 260 at once	—	Medium vial, 3 Lanternroot, Bonegourd
54	Ghost grease	you pick pockets 5% more reliably	7.5 min	Medium vial, Enormous cobweb, Hornworm husk
58	Ghost-pipe tincture	rare drops come up 16% more often	10 min	Medium vial, 2 Ghost pipe
60	Mining potion III	jewels turn up in the rock 10% more often; 4% more Mining xp	30 min	Large flask, 2 Grimstone ore, 2 Starfall ore
62	Tax-dodger's tincture	9% more tickets from kills, and that chance of a second fish on a catch	7.5 min	Medium vial, Tax receipt, Stormcorn
65	Coral draught	you take 3% less damage	7.5 min	Medium vial, 2 Coral
65	Woodcutting potion III	you chop 6% faster; 4% more Woodcutting xp	30 min	Large flask, 4 Sulky sporecap, 2 Rustpine logs
68	Fishing potion III	fish bite 4% more often; 4% more Fishing xp	30 min	Large flask, 4 Sardine, 2 Fairground koi
70	Prospector's flask	rare drops come up 14% more often	10 min	Large flask, Golden tomatoe, Marked card, Scarab shell
70	Thieving potion III	you pick pockets 6% more reliably; Thieving pays 4% more xp	30 min	Large flask, 4 Copper ore, 2 Eclipse ore
72	Lion's-mane focus	you swing and fish 10% faster; fish bite 3% more often	12.5 min	Large flask, 2 Lion's mane
72	Mushroom potion III	your beds fruit 10% faster; 4% more Fungiculture xp	30 min	Large flask, 4 Oyster shelf, 2 Lion's mane
74	Kiln tonic	nothing you cook burns; 10% of your smelts cost nothing	10 min	Large flask, 2 Ember wheat, 2 Charcoal
74	Agility potion III	you walk 4% faster; Agility pays 4% more xp	30 min	Large flask, 4 Wheat, 2 Raw swordfish
74	Harvesting potion III	10% chance a seed comes back when you plant; 4% more Harvesting xp	30 min	Large flask, 4 Wheat, 2 Ember wheat
76	Foreman's grease	a Kindled Diamond at the Gem Bench costs 1% less gem dust (10% at most)	10 min	Large flask, Foreman's tally, Bonegourd
78	Fang flask	fish bite 4.5% more often	10 min	Large flask, Gold shark tooth, Cobra fang, Rattlebean
80	Frostmind draught ×2	your spells hit 6% harder	7.5 min	Small vial, Frost shard, Glacite
84	Royal salve	heals 440 at once	—	Large flask, 4 Lanternroot, Scarab shell
85	Melon tonic	your pet grows 25% faster	30 min	Large flask, Primeval melon
85	Agility potion IV	you walk 5% faster; 2% chance a lap pays double xp; Agility pays 5% more xp	30 min	Large flask, 4 Wheat, 2 Raw cove grouper
85	Harvesting potion IV	13% chance a seed comes back when you plant; crops grow 2% faster; 5% more Harvesting xp	30 min	Large flask, 4 Wheat, 2 Primeval melon
86	Hunter's draught	your arrows hit 6% harder	7.5 min	Large flask, Claw pin, Stormcorn
88	Orchard cider	5% of what you mine, cut or catch comes up double	10 min	Large flask, Orc arm-band, 3 Olives
88	Thieving potion IV	2% chance a pocket gives twice; you pick pockets 9% more reliably; Thieving pays 5% more xp	30 min	Large flask, 4 Copper ore, 2 Singularity ore
90	Starcap elixir	you swing and fish 10% faster; you take 22% less damage; rare drops come up 8% more often	15 min	Large flask, Starcap, Lion's mane
90	Storm flask	you swing and fish 12% faster	10 min	Large flask, Static pelt, Storm jelly, Lanternroot
92	Fishing potion IV	fish bite 5% more often; 2% more rare catches; 5% more Fishing xp	30 min	Large flask, 4 Sardine, 2 Raw coelacanth
92	Woodcutting potion IV	you chop 9% faster; 2% chance the tree stays standing; 5% more Woodcutting xp	30 min	Large flask, 4 Sulky sporecap, 2 Cycad logs
93	Growth tonic	your pet grows 50% faster	10 min	Large flask, Lion's mane, Glass gourd
94	Mining potion IV	jewels turn up in the rock 13% more often; 2% chance the rock gives a second ore; 5% more Mining xp	30 min	Large flask, 2 Grimstone ore, 2 Glacite
95	Under-ice oil	you take 5% less damage; the cold doesn't bite, as if you wore a Frost ward	10 min	Large flask, Raw under-ice pike, Glacite
95	Mushroom potion IV	your beds fruit 13% faster; 2% chance a bed fruits twice; 5% more Fungiculture xp	30 min	Large flask, 4 Oyster shelf, 2 Rimecap
96	Gem-finder's draught	jewels turn up in the rock 50% more often	10 min	Large flask, Glimmering geode, 2 Glacite
99	Coilbreaker draught	you swing and fish 8% faster; you take 24% less damage	12.5 min	Large flask, 2 Serpent venom, 2 Scarab shell, Bonegourd
99	Frostbloom draught	you swing and fish 6% faster; you take 12% less damage; the cold doesn't bite, as if you wore a Frost ward	15 min	Large flask, Frostbloom, Starfruit
99	Pharaoh's draught	you take 18% less damage; fish bite 3% more often	10 min	Large flask, 2 Scarab shell, Cobra fang, Golden tomatoe
99	Rex's draught	8% more tickets from kills, and that chance of a second fish on a catch; rare drops come up 15% more often	15 min	Large flask, Rex's rot, Starcap
104	Fishing potion V	fish bite 6% more often; 2% more rare catches; 6% more Fishing xp	30 min	Large flask, 2 Ashbell, 2 Cinderroot
106	Mining potion V	jewels turn up in the rock 16% more often; 2% chance the rock gives a second ore; 6% more Mining xp	30 min	Large flask, 2 Ashbell, Starfruit
109	Woodcutting potion V	you chop 12% faster; 2% chance the tree stays standing; 6% more Woodcutting xp	30 min	Large flask, 2 Salt morel, 2 Brineberry
111	Harvesting potion V	16% chance a seed comes back when you plant; crops grow 2% faster; 6% more Harvesting xp	30 min	Large flask, 2 Salt morel, Frostbloom
114	Thieving potion V	2% chance a pocket gives twice; you pick pockets 12% more reliably; Thieving pays 6% more xp	30 min	Large flask, 2 Antler bracket, 2 Crownheart squash
116	Agility potion V	you walk 6% faster; 2% chance a lap pays double xp; Agility pays 6% more xp	30 min	Large flask, 2 Antler bracket, 2 Brineberry
119	Mushroom potion V	your beds fruit 16% faster; 2% chance a bed fruits twice; 6% more Fungiculture xp	30 min	Large flask, 2 Nebula puffball, Rex's rot, 2 Starwheat

How it works

Brews can fail. A recipe spoils about half the time at the level that unlocks it, and less as you level past it, but never zero. Glasswork bottoms out at about 2% of batches, forever. A spoiled batch leaves nothing behind.
A potion is a drink. It uses the same slot as the Prize Counter's lager, whiskey and champagne, so drinking one replaces whatever drink is running, and the other way around. A salve isn't a drink: it heals on the spot, like food, and works alongside everything else.
A potion stacks with your gear. Every number above stays under the game's cap for that effect, so a potion adds to what you're wearing instead of replacing it.
Potions only work outside. Like the bar's food and drink, a buff counts down in places with monsters, not on the casino floor.

Going further

From Alchemy 50, a brew can give one ingredient back: never the vial or the sand, always one of the crops, mushrooms or drops, picked at random. The chance starts tiny at 50 and climbs to 20% at 99, so your plots and beds go a fifth further at the top.
The Alchemist's cape: at Alchemy 99, Rashid the Caravaneer, in the Golden Sands sells it for 99,000 tickets. Your potions last twice as long, and 20% of brews make two.