Alchemy

What changed in Forever

Healing potions moved to First Aid. All the sources agree that the plain line, from Minor to Major Healing Potion, is now a First Aid recipe. Alchemy keeps a "Discolored" line instead. ForeverDB quotes the tooltip of the Minor Discolored Healing Potion: it heals more, but you then lose 75% of that amount over time as a poison or disease. Wowhead says these are taught by special trainers, Odd Child or Apothecary Renferrel depending on faction. Icy Veins warns returning players not to look for healing potions in their Alchemy list.

New recipe families. From Wowhead's recipe tables and ForeverDB:

• Mageblood and Cleric's elixirs: two new elixir lines from skill 25. The Minor Mageblood Elixir restores mana over 30 minutes.
• Mender's, Spellblasting and Frenzy potions: short boosts to healing, spell damage or Attack Power for a hard fight, from Minor up to Major. The Minor ones last 30 seconds (ForeverDB).
• Other new potions: Disorienting Smog, Caustic Smog, Dragonfire Potion, Potion of Venomous Blood and Potion of Elemental Purging.
• New elixirs for Friendly and Honored standing with the trade camps: Elixir of the Phalanx, Whale, Owl, Grizzly and Nature Power, among others.
• Reagents for other crafts: Cerulean, Magenta and Viridian Dye from Herbalism's new Scarce materials, and Sulfuric Acid from Mining's Pyrite (Icy Veins).
• Endgame: four new flasks at 300 (Natural Accuracy, Aggression, Precision and Swiftness), using the new herbs, and Transmute: Legionite, which turns Heavy Thorium Bars into Legionite Bars. Where these recipes come from isn't known yet.

Many of the new recipes are sold by Nina Surefire (Alliance, Three Corners in Redridge) or Apothecary Durelle (Horde, outside the Crossroads) for Merchant's Favor, and the better ones need Friendly or Honored standing (Wowhead). Some recipes can only be made next to a Fermenter or an Alchemy Laboratory. The Fermenter blueprint drops from Rath'mael in the new Ruins of Lordaeron dungeon; the Laboratory's source is still unknown (Wowhead, wow-professions.com).

Levelling, in brief

wow-professions.com says Alchemy's skill ranges are the same as Classic's, minus the healing potions. Its route, summarised:

wowtbc.gg, which prices its route from Auction House scans, takes a different path: Elixir of Minor Defense to 75, then Blackmouth Oil, Fire Oil and Free Action Potions, with Mana Potions to about 200. Both stop near the beta's 225 ceiling.

Ranks need skill 50 and level 10 (Journeyman), 125 and level 20 (Expert), and 200 and level 35 (Artisan), per Icy Veins and wow-professions.com. For Artisan, wow-professions.com sends Horde to Rogvar in Stonard and Alliance to Kylanna Windwhisper in Feathermoon Stronghold; Wowhead also lists Kylanna Windwhisper.

What's worth making

• Transmutes: Transmute: Arcanite and similar cooldowns can add value when output proceeds exceed all input and selling costs. Compare the value of competing uses of the cooldown; profit is not guaranteed.
• Consumables: Wowhead expects steady demand because so many players buy them, though the best sellers will shift with the market.
• Elixirs: Icy Veins notes that elixirs stack with each other, which makes them sought after at endgame.
• Reagents: Icy Veins calls the oils, dyes and other reagents a strong income, because other professions need them for their own gear.
• Scan prices: the site's price tables show the selected realm, faction and capture date. Before launch, Beta snapshots are historical examples; displayed margins are estimates from asking prices, not today's launch prices or completed sales.

Open questions

• The sources of the 300-skill flasks, the Legionite transmute and the Alchemy Laboratory blueprint.
• Whether the untested 225–300 route holds once players reach level 35.