The Witcher alchemy

For more information regarding Alchemy, see the alchemy category. In the history of science, alchemy from Arabic (al-kimiya) refers to both an early form of the investigation of nature and an early philosophical and spiritual discipline, both combining elements of chemistry, metallurgy, physics, medicine, astrology, semiotics, mysticism, spiritualism, and art all as parts of one greater force. Alchemy has been practiced in Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Persia, India, Japan, Korea and China, in Classical Greece and Rome, in the Muslim civilization, and then in Europe up to the 19th century—in a complex network of schools and philosophical systems spanning at least 2500 years.

The Witcher is set chronologically in the year 1270, according to the narrator in the opening sequence, but this date is incorrect - the game is actually set in 1273, five years after the end of the Nilfgaard Wars, which ended in 1268 and during the second Catriona outbreak, which started in 1272. Europe is also definitely the model for the geographic setting.

The art is widely used in the game, not just by Geralt, but by other characters as well.

Formulae
All alchemical creations are based on formulae. These recipes are generally found in the form of scrolls, but some are acquired through word of mouth. Scrolls can be purchased, found or acquired as rewards for services rendered.

Ingredients
Mixtures are created by combining selected ingredients, which include herbs, monster parts and minerals, with a medium, referred to as a base. The base determines the type of mixture to be created. Alcohol is the base for potions, grease is used for oils, and black powder serves as the base for making bombs.


 * Plant Extracts:  petals, leaves and roots can be picked directly from plants, provided that Geralt has acquired the Herbalism skill and knows the alchemic use of a given plant (for example, from having read a book about it).
 * Monster Extracts:  after defeating a monster, Geralt can extract components from its corpse, provided he knows the alchemic uses of these body parts (having read a book about the beast in question) and possesses a carving knife.
 * Minerals/Liquids:  available in alchemy shops, they can be purchased without any special skills or knowledge, yet they can be expensive.

Basic substances
Alchemical ingredients all contain one of the six substances shown below. Just click on the icon for a more complete description of each substance:

Mixture formulae list the proportions of substances that need to be mixed rather than ingredient amounts. For instance, White Gull is obtained by mixing two measures of vitriol and a measure of rebis with concentrated alcohol.

Substances are present in various ingredients, consequently various combinations of the latter may be used as long as they contain the required substances. For example, vitriol is found in both sewant mushrooms and in ghoul blood, so either of these ingredients may be used to create White Gull.

Additional substances
There are three additional substances: albedo,  nigredo and  rubedo. A given ingredient may contain only one of these substances. If all ingredients selected to create a potion (and only a potion) contain the same additional substance, the resulting potion will provide additional benefits.

[[Image:Substances_Big_Special.png|16px|Special ingredient]] Special Ingredients
Items which can be obtained by slaying unique monsters, and occasionally, from plants. These can be used to create unique potions with powerful effects (often granting additional talents to be used to obtain skills, or granting special skills directly).

Mechanics

 * left-click on the vial icon to create potions
 * place the base (alcohol, grease or black powder) in the highlighted slot
 * place the remaining ingredients in the slots surrounding it
 * click Mix to create the mixture and add it to Geralt's Inventory

Known formulas appear on the left side of the Alchemy panel. A formula is available or "activated" when Geralt possesses all required ingredients and a base of appropriate potency. Clicking on a formula in the list will transfer the necessary ingredients and base to the mixing slots, but possibly not the exact ingredients you want. Any suboptimal choice of ingredient can be replaced by dragging the preferred item and dropping it onto the one to be replaced.

Mixture categories:
 * Potions - may be imbibed, most affect only Geralt, based on alcohol;
 * Oils - used to coat sword blades, they affect any opponents wounded with the sword, based on grease;
 * Bombs - affect creatures and beings in Geralt's immediate vicinity, based on black powder.

Mixtures are most often created based on formulae which list substances that must be mixed with a base. Substances are found in ingredients that include herbs, minerals and monster parts. A given substance, for instance vitriol, might be found in several different ingredients, meaning that potions based on vitriol can be composed in many different ways. Any formula the witcher learns is automatically added to the Alchemy section of the Journal.

Mixtures can be created without a formula by trial and error. Each such attempt results in the creation of an unknown mixture, the use of which is potentially hazardous, for unlucky mixtures can be harmful, possibly even fatal. However, if the ingredients are matched correctly, Geralt automatically receives the formula for the mixture he has discovered.

[[Image:Icon_Show_potions.png|32px|Potions]] Potions
The transformations witchers undergo as children enable their mutated bodies to use magic potions that would be deadly to an ordinary person. These potions increase witchers' fighting abilities, render them immune to venoms, enable them to see in the dark. Witchers usually drink magic decoctions in preparation for a fight, but do so less frequently in combat due to lack of time.

Mechanics:
 * To consume a potion, right-click on it in the Inventory.
 * Potions can also be placed on the witcher's belt (or quickslot), in which case they can be activated from the main game screen with a left-click of the mouse.
 * Potions vary in the amount of time they remain active. Some decoctions can produce effects that last a few minutes, some 8 hours, and still other effects are permanent.

Witchers' potions are toxic and slowly poison Geralt, though one of his features is a tolerance for toxins, represented by the green status bar (below the Endurance and Vitality bars) in the game screen. Each potion consumed increases the body's level of Toxicity, the yellow status bar. If this passes a certain point, Geralt becomes dizzy. If his tolerance level is exceeded, Geralt first loses consciousness, then dies.

Meditation completely rids the body of poisons. It also cancels the benefits of any recently consumed potions.

[[Image:Icon_Show_oils.png|32px|Oils]] Oils
From studying the weaknesses of various monster species, the witchers gained knowledge that allowed them to develop deadly blade coatings. These coatings, referred to as oils, employ simple magic and are adapted to take advantage of vulnerabilities in each beast's physiology.

For example, knowing that he may face a ghoul, the witcher prepares Necrophage Oil and coats his weapon with it before the battle. The oil will also be effective against other necrophages like graveirs.

Information on monsters' weaknesses, including their susceptibility to blade coatings, can be found in books that record the experiences of generations of witchers. When the witcher reads a book of this kind, the knowledge he acquires about a given beast appears in his Journal.

Oils are created much like other mixtures, the ingredients being mixed with a base, which in this case is grease.

Blades can be coated with oils from the Inventory at any time, but it does take time to do this, so the middle of a battle is not considered a "good" time.

Mechanics:
 * Click and drag the oil onto a weapon of choice.
 * Oils wear away over time, but they all have a duration of 24 hours.
 * Applying a new coating will replace any oil previously placed on a blade.

[[Image:Icon_Show_bombs.png|32px|Bombs]] Bombs
The formulae for explosives or bombs were brought by merchants from faraway Zerrikania. These devices are rare. Traditional witcher training does not include any schooling in bomb use, but thanks to their basic alchemy abilities, witchers are capable of making and using explosives.

Bombs are made much like other mixtures. Their ingredients are mixed with a base, namely black powder.

Mechanics:
 * Bombs can be used by right-clicking on them in the Inventory panel.
 * These objects can also be placed on the witcher's belt and used in the main game environment. * When detonated, bombs affect all opponents and neutral characters. They do not impact friendly characters (marked in green).

Books on alchemy

 * Ain Soph Aur
 * Basics of Alchemy
 * Experiment Notes
 * The Double Cross of Alzur
 * Tower Mage's Book
 * Transmutations and Metamorphoses