User:LexisMikaya/Alchemy 101

The Basics

When becoming an alchemist, it is important to remember that you are not doing any character-based damage. All your damage comes from the skills from alchemy. Alchemy is one of the most well balanced destiny, but it does have it own flaws. It is often compared to magic due to the similarities it has. All Alchemy consists of Crystals, each with a unique property and element. Most skills require a specific crystal. There are many things to do with alchemy and all of it can be scientifically magical fun (or magical scientific @@...I dunno) :D!

Alchemical Elements

As magic has elements, alchemy also has elements. Each element corresponds to a magic element.

Wind Alchemy's magical counterpart is Lightning Magic.
Water Alchemy's magical counterpart is Ice Magic.
Fire Alchemy's magical counter part is Fire Magic.
Earth Alchemy Mastery has no magical counterpart, however clay corresponds to nature, or non-elemental magic.

Every type of alchemy has at least one skill that corresponds for each element. Some fall into multiple categories for have multiple elemental properties.

Water Based

• Water Cannon

Fire Based

• Flame Burst
• Heat Buster

Wind Based

• Wind Blast

Clay Based

• Sand Burst
• Summon Golem
• Barrier Spikes

Multiple Elements

• Shock (Fire and Wind)
• Rain Casting (Water and Wind)
• Life Drain (All four Elements)
• Frozen Blast (Water and Wind)

Alchemy vs Magic

Alchemy may be similar to magic but both are entirely different. However alchemy can mimic magic by means of mana crystallization. By focusing mana and crystallizing it, alchemy can harness the power of magic. However during the process of crystallization, some of the pure mana is lost during the transmutation, which results in a weaker form of magic.

Alchemy

Alchemy Advantages

• Keeps distances
• Can create barriers
• Has a similar form of Chain Casting
• Elemental cylinders can be used to increase efficiency
• Relatively Cheap cylinder repairs
• Stationary weapon that acts a turret of sorts
• Most Alchemy skills ignore Defense and/or Protection (for calculating Critical Hit) Stats, and in some cases, ignore them completely
• AP costs are generally the same from race to race
• Only a few skills requires the use of a book to learn
  • Also it is easier to obtain books.
• You can attempt to make weapons from old equipment though synthesis
• Several Spirit Weapon types.
  • This further increases alchemy in a more well rounded way while reducing negative effects.

Alchemy Disadvantages

• Heavily dependent on Stamina
• Require corresponding Alchemy Crystals
• Must make/find Alchemy Crystals
• Damage is based only on skill ranks, Alchemy Mastery, Elemental Alchemy, and Enchants
• Tower cylinder set-up time leaves you at vulnerabilities
• Must have some type of cylinder
• Can not be evaded when being fired at
• Some skills can only be obtained during the mainstream Quest chains from Generation 9 through Generation 12
• Tower Cylinder does not give Full benefits from the beginning until Generation 12's "All Out Attack!" is completed.

Magic

Magic Advantages

• Damage based on skill and Magic Attack (which is influenced Intelligence)
• Wide variety of skills in skill pool
• Can create elemental shields
• Wands can be used to boost efficiency
• Wands can be upgraded for Chain Casting, or Speed Casting
• Some wands can be turned into a spirit weapon
• You can fuse bolt spells with a friend or on your own
• Meditation greatly increases the user's Mana regeneration rate
• Can be used without wands (Except for a few magic skills)

Magic Disadvantages

• Largely dependent on Wands and their upgrades
• Most spells cannot be cast without a wand
• Heavily dependent on Mana, as well as Mana Potions and Meditation
• Meditation forces the user to a walk, unless equipped with a wand
  • Meditation drains the durability of wands and staffs faster than normal
• Wands have expensive repairs
• AP costs change from race to race
• Require a lot of books to learn/rank up a skill
  • Some can be obtained through shops, fishing, or through the destiny system of a new character, but the rest requires books
• Some skill can only be obtained after having certain ranks
• Quest may have easy to moderately difficult requirements and may require certain ranks of certain skills.
• MP Consumption varies from race to race

Race Benefits

As each race take on a different take of alchemy. Each race has unique aspects and can use different tactics to take on different foes. Since alchemy does not change stats from race to race, it gives a whole new world of possibilities.

Human

Human Advantages

• Can Play Dead
• High Stamina
• Can use Heavy Armors
• Average Build, All round
• Paladins have the highest Defense boost and highest Stamina

Human Disadvantages

• Slowest Running Speed
• Unable to outrun most creatures

Elf

Elf Advantages

• Fastest Running Speed
• Can Hide
• Can Play Dead
• High Mana (For MP consuming Alchemy Skills)
• Can outrun most creatures

Elf Disadvantages

• Low Defense
• Low Protection
• Only a few Heavy Armors
  • The armors that are heavy are: Dragon Rider Plate Armor, Chinese Dragon Armor (Elf), and Dragon Scale Armor.
    • Technically, Chinese Dragon Armor (Elf) is Light Armor. It has the benefits of allowing one Accessory to be equipped while providing a defensive stat similar to other Heavy Armors.
• Low HP Build

Giant

Giant Advantages

• High Defense
• High Protection
• High Stamina
• Can use Heavy Armors
• High HP build

Giant Disadvantages

• Slow Running Speed, but faster than human
• Unable to outrun some creatures
• Cannot Play Dead
• Low Mana (For MP consuming Alchemy Skills)

Road to becoming an Alchemist

People often see Alchemy as, the only real "gun," next to, the Crossbow. The sound bit used is similar to loading a gun. When becoming an alchemist, you must be aware that:

• Unlike magic, which require Mana, you need certain crystals to use certain alchemy skills.
• Having high Stamina is a requirement when using higher ranked skills.
• Some skills require having Mana. Try to have a moderate amount of Mana for some of the skills.
• Crystals almost always never dropped from mobs. Be sure to stock up ahead of time before going on long dungeon runs.
  • However, some mobs do drop alchemy crystals, but most of them are found in the Shadow Realm.

The first thing all alchemists should have is a Cylinder. Without this, you won't be able to use any alchemy crystal-based skills. You can find a Cylinder in either Taillteann or Tara. In Taillteann, cylinders are sold by Eabha. He is located near Dry Ovens at the Alchemist's House. In Tara, cylinders are sold by Heledd in her Alchemy Shop located south of the Bank. Buying or obtaining a Water Crystal will allow anyone to gain knowledge of Water Cannon. If you have the Water Cannon Skill, you can ask Eabha in Taillteann about skills for another skill known as Wind Blast. Eventually once you reach rank D on both Water Cannon and Wind Blast, Eabha will teach you Flame Burst through a quest. To learn the other basic Alchemy skills, you will have to play through Generation 9 for Barrier Spikes, Mana Crystallization, and Life Drain.

While you are in an Alchemy Shop in either Taillteann or Tara, you can purchase a book called Alchemy and Battling for the unique Alchemy Skill, Summon Golem. Summon Golem allows you to summon golems that are encased in an alchemy crystal. However they are only a fraction of the strength of real Golems and are a mere copy. They are also under your control and you can control its every movement. Be warned that the golem can only last a small duration and that the range of control is limited. When you are controlling a golem, you shift over to the golem'ss point of view and you will leave your self open to any attacks while controling the golem. It helps to hide behind something, such as barrier spikes, or load either Counterattack or Defense before shifting control of your character to the golem.

Another book you can purchase is called About Synthesis and Fragmentation in Alchemy, which allows you to learn the skill Fragmentation. This skill allows you = to fragment materials into the original material it came from. Once you know fragmentation, you can ask Dorren at the Alchemist's House to teach you a new skill called Synthesis. Synthesis allows you to combine items to make new items. You will need to use a Dry Oven to use Synthesis or Fragmentation. Using Synthesis, Fragmentation, or Mana Crystallization will allow you to learn a passive skill called Transmutation. It simply increases the success rate by a small amount.

The last skill in the line of Synthesis and Fragmentation is Metal Conversion. Heledd is the only one that can teach you this skill, and it is part of Generation 10 extra side quests. You can receive as early as Generation 9, right after the Temple Knights Quest. Metal Conversion allows you convert Unknown Ore Fragments found through the beaches and riverbeds of Iria, and convert them into usable ores.

Most people that start alchemy often use Water Cannon. Water Cannon is the most basic alchemy skill you can use to attack most mobs. It has a generally good range and good knockback distance. The power of Water Cannon can increase by inserting more than 1 Water Crystal. Some alchemists also use Wind Blast. This skill blows away the enemy and gives you time to use other skills right after blowing them away. However, there is a draw back to this skill. Using Wind blast 3 times in a short amount of time will "overload" the cylinder and the skill will rendered useless for a full minute. Use Wind Blast with caution. Eventually, all alchemists move on to Flame Burst or Water Cannon as a main force of attack. Flame Burst allows for multiple hits in seconds. Like Water Cannon, the damage is determined to the amount of Fire Crystals inserted into the cylinder. Flame Burst also ignores protection when calculating critical hits. Making critical hits is no problem with flame cylinder, provided you have a high critical percentage. As they continue to to learn alchemy, they learn a defensive move: Barrier Spikes. Barrier Spikes creates a wooden barrier from the ground. This can be used as a temporary skill. However, the barrier has HP and a time limit. If the Hp goes to zero, or the time limit ends, the spikes will fall apart. At Rank 9, Barrier Spikes will allow reflective damage, causing close range attackers to take damage proportional to the damage they make against the barrier spikes. Once you hit Rank 5, you can attack from behind your own barrier spikes. Any close range attackers well receive damage as you blast them away from the other side of the spikes.

As people continue to hone their skills into alchemy, they eventually learn Heat Buster, Sand Burst, and Frozen Blast. Heat Buster requires pressure in the cylinder, which is leftover from other alchemy attacks. As you continue to use other offensive alchemy skills, more pressure is builds inside the cylinder. When the pressure in the cylinder reaches its peak, it can be unleashed in a powerful blast. However, 5 Fire Crystals are requires to unleash the power of Heat Buster. Sand Burst allows you to "blind" enemies you encounter by throwing sand into their eyes. This renders them immobile momentarily, leaving them vulnerable to attacks. However, like Wind Blast, Sand burst is subject to cooldown when overused. The last skill is Frozen Blast. Frozen Blast is a skill that uses wind and water, focusing it to a mini blizzard. The mini blizzard freezes the enemy, leaving them to vulnerable to attacks. You can take this time to summon a pet and have them attack it repeatedly, pull out a weapon and hit it repeatedly, or do both. This causes massive amounts of damage, without knocking down the enemy. The only problem is the amount of cooldown. The cooldown time in between Frozen Blast is 15 seconds. Keep in mind that they will not be frozen forever.

The Tower Cylinder

The Tower Cylinder, the crown jewel of all Cylinders. This is the most powerful Cylinder available in the Alchemy shops. This stationary Cylinder has the power of a massive gun turret. It can almost hit anything from in its massive range, and can keep mobs almost twice as far away than using a cylinder. Alchemy effect have increased by what seems like an additional 50% more than it normally should and increases the range of all alchemy by additional 80%. However, this massive cylinder does have its drawbacks for being so powerful.

• When using this cylinder, you must set it up.
• Once it is done setting up, you will enter in what seems like Second-Person Mode.
  • While in this mode you have 2 aiming styles: Aiming Mode and Cursor Mode.
    • Aiming Mode must be aimed manually.
    • Cursor Mode can select a nearby targets with the left CTRL key.
    • You rotate the cylinder by rotating the screen.
  • Before you set up the cylinder, you can go to the menu and use the screenshot function.
    • This maintains the original view, only more zoomed out.
• The following skills/items can only be used:
  • Advanced Magic Crystals (No range boost. see Mana Crystallization)
  • Water Cannon
  • Wind Blast
  • Sand Burst
  • Flame Burst
  • Frozen Blast
  • Life Drain
  • Heat Buster
    • Do note that despite being stationary, you will be knocked backwards from the catastrophic pressure unleashed from the cylinder.

Do note that size is not always bigger. Even thought this massive cylinder is indeed powerful, there is one MAJOR drawback. In order to access the full potential of this massive turrent, you must have completed Generation 12's All Out Attack!. Without completing this mission, you will not be able to tap into the full potential of the Tower Cylinder. There is also a Tower Cylinder Only enchant called Refreshing. It is a Rank 5 Suffix and gives the following bonuses:

Name	Type, Rank	Enchants Onto	Effect(s)	Comes On/From

As good as this enchant is, it is obvious that it is hard to get. The cylinder is massive in both power and size, with the only drawback is being a stationary weapon, rather than a mobile weapon.