It's tough out there in the wilderness of Sanctuary, and no matter how great a player is, it's nice to have some help from a friendly NPC. The Alchemist in Diablo 4 isn't just a vendor of goods, but can also make helpful items and refine resources for a variety of other uses.
Diablo 4 follows the tradition of the franchise when it comes to health potions affixed to a convenient one-touch button or key for use during combat, and thanks to the new addition of the Alchemist, players can also craft special consumables to boost their power and experience gain.
Characters don't have professions in Diablo 4, so it's up to the player to gather the materials, head back to town, and make friends with the friendly neighborhood Alchemist.
Unlocking The Alchemist in Diablo 4
When a character reaches level 10, a priority quest will appear in their Quest Log. All they have to do is visit the Alchemist in Kyovashad with some gold and the proper ingredients to upgrade their healing potion.
What's needed at this point is some Gallowvine, which is easily found almost everywhere in Sanctuary, along with a small service charge, but potions at higher levels require more complex ingredients and are more expensive. The Alchemist is now unlocked and it's possible to see their complete list of services. They take up four tabs and fall into two major categories:
- Consumables. Alchemists can make elixirs for individuals and incense that will buff the whole group. These are only limited by the player's level, the resources they have, and the gold they can pay.
- Refining. Alchemists can refine the resources that players are carrying, and their talents aren't limited to plants. The Alchemist can also refine leather and ore into more advanced materials that can be used at the Blacksmith or Jeweler.
Unlocking the Alchemist has an account-wide effect, so once a character reaches level 10 and completes this simple task, all the other characters on the same account can also peruse the Alchemist's wares. However, what they can make, purchase and use is subject to their level.
The Alchemist's Products And Services
Alchemists are not found in every town, so be prepared to use their portal and hearthing powers should the character need their products. Consumables such as scrolls or keys are sold by other vendors and there are some rare potions found in the wild that are not on the Alchemist's menu.
The Alchemist doesn't refill the character's health potion or hit point supply; only the Healer can get that done, and a Healer is a much easier vendor to find. An Alchemist only has the power to upgrade the strength of the potion and how many of them the player can carry. Players can also increase their health potion-carrying capacity by gaining renown in certain zones.
Elixirs
The benefits of elixirs are measured by percentage and can be made in several grades similar to health potions. As the player explores more of Sanctuary and gathers more exotic plants and herbs, they can make stronger potions.
Each one includes an experience gain buff along with increasing the character's resistance to a certain kind of magical or elemental damage. Other elixirs buff the amount of damage done against certain kinds of enemies or improve defensive and offensive abilities.
Grades of elixirs begin at Weak, have a normal level of potency which is the name without an adjective, then move up to Strong, then Potent, with Heady as the strongest version available.
Elemental Resistance | Effect |
Elixir of Cold Resistance | Increases resistance to cold damage, including the slow or freezing DoT that would come from the same effect. |
Elixir of Poison Resistance | Increases resistance to poison damage, which is plentiful in the swampy wilderness or caves filled with spiders. |
Elixir of Fire Resistance | Increases resistance to fire damage, which is more common in dungeons or when fighting bosses and demons. |
Elixir of Lightning Resistance | Increases resistance to electrical damage, which is used by Sorcerers more than anyone, so a good choice for PvP. |
Elixir of Shadow Resistance | Increases resistance to cold damage, commonly used by cultists and other human and undead sites in the wilderness. |
Damage Boost | Effect |
Elixir of Beast Slaying | Increases damage to virtually any animal found in the wild along with critters in dungeons and cellars, so probably the most useful available. |
Elixir of Man Slaying | Ideal for fighting Cultists, Knights Penitent, Bandits, and Cannibals. However, it doesn't count when fighting other players for those interested in PvP. |
Elixir of Demon Slaying | Stockpile a few of these for the main story campaign that involves pursuing Lilith, fighting her minions, and following her into the Burning Hells. |
Elixir of Undead Slaying | Other than demons, the Undead make up most of the supernatural enemies in Sanctuary. Get a boost to damage against them using this elixir. |
Defensive, Offensive, or Mobility | Effect |
Acrobatics Elixir | Faster Evade reduction time. |
Iron Barb Elixir | Increases armor and the strength of the Thorns ability. |
Third Eye Elixir | Increases the character's chance to dodge an attack. |
Assault Elixir | Increases the speed at which a character can attack. |
Precision Elixir | Increases damage to all enemies and Critical Strike chance. |
Incense
Incense is a consumable, but its effects are extended to the whole party within a radius instead of a single character. It's used to fight bosses in dungeons and the open world and PvP situations. Each one lasts for a duration of 20 minutes.
Name | Effect |
Ancient Times | Increases Strength by 25. |
Blessed Guide | Increases Willpower by 25. |
Desert Escape | Increases Fire and Shadow damage resistance. |
Queen's Supreme | Increases Dexterity by 25. |
Reddamine Buzz | Increases the players' maximum hit point capacity. |
Sage's Whisper | Increases Intelligence by 25. |
Song of the Mountain | Increases the players' armor rating. |
Storm of the Wilds | Increases Cold, Lightning, and Poison damage resistance. |
Refining
If a character doesn't have the ingredients required for elixirs or upgrades, the Alchemist might be able to convert what they do have into the necessary item. The flat rate for this service is 200g.
Gallowvine is by far the most common resource and can be refined into almost every other herb, which is why it's important to always have a healthy supply of this common but useful plant.
Resource | Components Needed |
Biteberry | Convert 5 Gallowvine for every 1 Biteberry. |
Bightshade | Convert 5 Gallowvine for every 1 Blightshade. |
Howler Moss | Convert 5 Gallowvine for every 1 Howler Moss. |
Lifesbane | Convert 5 Gallowvine for every 1 Lifesbane. |
Gallowvine | Any other herb can be refined into Gallowvine at a rate of 1:1. |
Silver Ore | Convert 1 Silver Ore from every 10 Iron Chunks. |
Superior Leather | Convert 5 Rawhide into one piece of Superior Leather. |