New raid content for World of Warcraft‘s latest expansion Battle for Azeroth has finally dropped. For some, the endless cycle of gearing up and bashing your head against the closest approximation of a stone wall (read: a giant boss’ leg) begins now. However, for those who want to enjoy something a little less adrenaline-pumping, WoW BfA‘s new profession levels are a viable and calming option. Our WoW BfA Alchemy guide will tell you how to unlock alchemy, how to level it up, and much more.
WoW BfA Alchemy Guide: How to Unlock BfA Alchemy
For those who haven’t devoted their entire lives to profession leveling in previous expansions, there’s no need to despair. BfA is full of quality of life improvements, and one such improvement is the fact that you can leap right into brewing up a host of new Zandalari and Kul Tiran potions without having ever picked up a cauldron before. You can exclusively level either Zandalari or Kul Tiran Alchemy based on your faction up to 150 points.
Similar to how you learn other professions like Fishing, learning alchemy involves a different trainer for each faction. If you’re for the Alliance, your best bet at achieving alchemical success is to talk to Elric Whalgrene in Boralus – you can find him at the Tradewinds Market. If you’re for the Horde, then Dazar’alor is the place that you want to stop by first in order to find Clever Kumali. Choosing to level up alchemy in BfA will come with a small upfront cost, though; picking up the profession is going to cost you 50 gold, so don’t go to your trainers empty-handed.
WoW BfA Alchemy Guide: The Basics of BfA Alchemy
There are some things to remember about alchemy which set it apart from other professions. In particular, we’re talking about the Rank system that all crafting recipes for alchemy can be divided into. To make things simple, Ranks go from Rank 1 and up to 3, with each rank including recipes that become progressively more difficult to get.
Rank 1 recipes are similar to common recipes, and you can pick these up from your respective faction Alchemy trainer. Rank 2 recipes can also be picked up from your Alchemy trainer, but that will be dependent on you meeting specific skill level requirements. Rank 3 recipes are by far the hardest to attain, as they will most likely be gated by faction reputation thresholds. Basically, if you want to get your hands on the best stuff, you’re going to have to spend some time getting intimately acquainted with your respective allied factions in Zuldazar and the Tiragarde Sound.
In terms of the main alchemy ingredients that you’re going to require for leveling, we’ve helped you compile a handy list. The following ingredients are going to be essential to you maxing out BfA alchemy:
- Anchor Weed
- Akunda’s Bite
- Riverbud
- Sea Stalk
- Siren’s Pollen
- Star Moss
- Winter’s Kiss
WoW BfA Alchemy Guide: Leveling BfA Alchemy
If you’re wanting to level up alchemy, then you’re going to want to focus on the potion recipes that you can obtain after you’ve learned either Kul Tiran Alchemy or Zandalari Alchemy. You’ll be given a recipe for Coastal Healing Potions, Coastal Mana Potions and Coastal Rejuvenating potions. Your job will be to craft those potions until you level up enough to pick up Rank 2 of those recipes, and once you’re done with that, you’ll move on to Battle Potions.
As per usual, there’s also a few other potions that you can try on for size, including potions to increase your movement speed significantly (Lightfoot Potion) and potions that grant you invisibility (Demitri’s Draught of Deception). Once you’ve forced your way through a whole host of Rank 1 and Rank 2 potions, you’ll be smart to start looking at the rarer Rank 3 ones. We list the vendors who will be able to provide those to you based on your faction:
Alliance BfA Alchemy Recipe Provisioners
- Sister Lilyana (requires Storm’s Wake reputation)
- Provisioner Fray (requires Proudmoore Admiralty reputation)
- Quartermaster Alcorn (requires Order of Embers reputation)
- Vindicator Jaelaana (requires 7th Legion reputation)
Horde BfA Alchemy Recipe Provisioners
- Natal’hakata (requires Zandalari Empire reputation)
- Provisioner Lija (requires Talanji’s Expedition reputation)
- Hoarder Jena (requires Voldunai reputation)
- Ransa Greyfeather (requires Honorbound reputation)
WoW BfA Alchemy Guide: Alchemy Rewards and Important Craftables
While alchemy isn’t going to grant you a fancy mount this time (that we know of at the moment), it’s incredibly useful for netting you minions, some highly coveted trinkets, and a cauldron. Cauldrons allow you to provide your entire raid group with buff flasks to increase a primary stat, so alchemy will definitely be putting you ahead of the curve when it comes to prepping for big fights.
If you’ve ground out alchemy in anticipation of there being a high demand for raid flasks, then you’ll be making a fortune selling them off while the rest of the server catches up on the latest alchemical developments. As always, alchemy and herbalism are top money-makers at the start of expansions, and it’s no different this time. You will be able to make the usual flasks, and we list them below:
- Flask of the Currents (+238 agility)
- Flask of Endless Fathoms (+238 intellect)
- Flask of the Undertow (+238 strength)
- Flask of the Vast Horizon (+357 stamina)
If you’re looking for trinkets to get your item level up, you could do worse than the one that alchemy gives you. Specifically, the item level 300 Surging Alchemist Stone grants 114 versatility and the chance for the trinket to proc a 521 increase in your character’s highest primary stat. There are other item level 225 trinkets that can be obtained through alchemy, but the rate that the game passes on gear to you will ensure that those become redundant very quickly.
If you’ve got an eye for pets, then you’ll be happy to know that Alchemy has some of the most adorable pets this expansion. You obtain these pets through Transmutation, which can also be used to net you more alchemy ingredients if you’re running low by transforming existing raw materials into something else. If you decide to use Transmute to change some scraps of meat into a pet, then you could receive one of the following battle pets from the resulting Quivering Sacs:
- Baby Crawg
- Bloodfeaster Larva
- Gearspring Hopper
- Slippy
Now that we’ve gone and given you a brief overview of the skills it takes to pay your alchemy bills, it’s time to take our tips and tricks to heart and start being the best potion master that Azeroth has ever seen. Alchemy is a profession that’s perennially useful, whether you’re someone that’s playing the game alone or someone that’s part of the wider ecosystem of a progression raiding guild. While being hunched over a cauldron for hours on end may not be everyone’s cup of tea, BfA has done its best to make sure that you’re not left with a sore back and nothing to show for it. Now get out there and brew!
