Alchemy in Final Fantasy XIV is a practical, money-making craft that I’ve worked with for years. I’m a woman crafter who’s spent hundreds of hours making potions, tinctures, and raid consumables—and I’ll tell you plainly what works and what doesn’t.
- 🧪 First steps — get to the Alchemists’ Guild
- Tools, materials, and why they matter
- ⚗️ Basic recipes and a simple rotation
- Leveling efficiently
- How to make gil (and common mistakes)
- Advanced rotations, macros, and controversy
- Practical analogies, caveats, and a counterintuitive tip
- Quick checklist (two lines)
🧪 First steps — get to the Alchemists’ Guild
Go to Ul’dah, Steps of Thal, and speak with the guild receptionist to unlock Alchemist. You’ll get a Bronze Alembic and a few starter materials. Do the early class quests; they give useful recipes and gear. I’ve noticed players skip them and regret it later.
Tools, materials, and why they matter
Upgrade your alembic and mortar as you level. Better tools raise your control and craftsmanship, which makes HQ (high quality) much easier—HQ sells for far more. Don’t hoard gear; replace things when the stat boost is clear.
| Level | Tool | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 1–10 | Bronze Alembic | Starter stats, cheap |
| 11–30 | Iron / Steel | Better control → easier HQ |
| 31–50 | Mythril / Cobalt | Pre-endgame stability |
Material sources: NPC-purchased distilled water, drops from mobs, botany and mining nodes, retainers. Level Botanist or Miner if you can—free mats cut costs. This doesn’t always work if you hate gathering (depends on your niche), so buy what makes sense for you.
⚗️ Basic recipes and a simple rotation
Start with basic potions that teach the craft rotation. The three stats to watch are Craftsmanship (progress), Control (quality), and CP (action pool). Why care? Because quality determines HQ chance, and HQ consumables pay better.
Try this starter rotation (short, practical):
/ac "Inner Quiet"
/ac "Basic Touch"
/ac "Basic Touch"
/ac "Great Strides"
/ac "Byregot's Blessing"
/ac "Basic Synthesis"Practice until you can reliably get HQ on mid-level recipes. HQ tinctures and foods are where the market pays attention. Honestly, low-effort HQs are the biggest lie in crafting forums—practice matters.
Leveling efficiently
Craft first-time recipes for the XP bonus; then use leves between 15 and 50. Grand Company turn-ins are useful when you can deliver HQ items. Collectables and daily custom deliveries matter at higher levels.
| Range | Main method |
|---|---|
| 1–15 | Recipe completion |
| 15–50 | Levequests / GC turn-ins |
| 50–90 | Collectables & daily deliveries |
Question: Want fast levels or cheap levels? Pick one. Fast often costs more mats.
How to make gil (and common mistakes)
Observe your server’s market. I use Universalis and Teamcraft to check prices (they still work in 2025). Raid consumables spike around new patches and Tuesdays. Funny thing: many players chase the rare 10,000-gil flip and lose money—steady small profits beat that gamble.
Profitable categories I watch:
- Raid tinctures and high-stat foods
- Melding materials (alkahest, solvents)
- Leveling consumables
- Cosmetic materials and dyes
Tip: list consumables before reset windows—Sunday evening or Monday morning often sells better. If the market’s full of your item, switch recipes or hold stock; oversupply kills price.
Advanced rotations, macros, and controversy
Advanced craft uses skills like Innovation and Byregot’s Blessing plus careful durability use. Specialists get extra actions at higher levels—use them if you plan to mass-produce. Watch this: macros save time but they can’t react to RNG. Some players call macros lazy; others call them efficient. I’ll say this—macros work fine for predictable recipes, but they’ll fail on trickier, high-stakes crafts.
“Macros are a tool, not a shortcut to mastery.” — my real frustration after wasting materials
Example macro (simple):
/ac "Muscle Memory"
/ac "Inner Quiet"
/ac "Prudent Touch"
/ac "Great Strides"
/ac "Byregot's Blessing"
/echo DoneUse food buffs when pushing for 100% HQ. Tsai tou Vounou-style foods and tea give real, measurable gains (you’ll see the stat increase). If you craft your own food, costs drop and control rises—smart loop there.
Practical analogies, caveats, and a counterintuitive tip
Think of alchemy like baking: ingredients matter, timing matters, and sometimes the oven’s weird. (Yes, poor analogy, but you get it.)
Counterintuitive insight: making fewer, reliably sold items often earns more than chasing every hot flip. Surprise—diversifying too much burns time and gil.
Controversial point: I believe alchemy is overrated for solo play—many players expect huge passive income without market knowledge. That won’t work the way you expect. Also, some crafters hoard materials hoping for price spikes; usually you’d do better selling steadily.
Quick checklist (two lines)
Do class quests; upgrade tools; learn one HQ rotation. Repeat and watch prices.
There are exceptions, of course—patches change demand, and some servers behave oddly (between us, yours might too). But with steady practice, proper tools, and market attention, you’ll make reliable gil and enjoy crafting.
One last stumble: I keep saying “practice”—because it’s true. Get in there, mess up, learn, sell the good stuff, and trade the rest. You’ll be fine!
— From me, an alchemist who’s brewed way too many potions 😅
