Alchemy Factory – Cauldron Guide: Values, Math, and Secret Recipes

The Cauldron is the heart of high-level play in Alchemy Factory. It allows you to combine three items to produce a new one, bypassing traditional production lines. To master it, you must move past guesswork and understand the hidden mathematics governing every reaction.

1. The Core Mechanics: Cauldron Math

Every item in the game has a Cauldron Value (CV), and every item you can produce in the cauldron has a Cauldron Target Value (CTV).

The Payout Formula

When you add three items, the game calculates the sum of their CVs. The output item is the one whose CTV is closest to your sum.

• The Tie-Breaker Rule: If your sum is exactly between two target values, the game defaults to the lower value output.
• Cauldron Distance: This is the difference between your input sum and the target value. Minimizing this distance ensures you aren’t “overpaying” for an item.

The Duplication Penalty

Using multiple of the same item is inefficient due to steep penalties:

• 2 of the same item: The total input value is reduced to 65%.
• 3 of the same item: The total input value is reduced to 50%.

Calculation Example 1: > * Inputs: Stone (CV 4) + Linen Thread (CV 9) + Linen Rope (CV 13) = Total 26.

• Targets: Clay (CTV 20) and Coke (CTV 30).
• Result: Since 26 is closer to 30, the output is Coke.

Calculation Example 2 (Penalty):

• Inputs: Two Linen Threads (CV 9 each) + one Linen Rope (CV 13).
• Math: (9 + 9 + 13) * 0.65 = 20.2.
• Result: The output becomes Clay instead of Coke because of the duplication penalty.

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2. Complete Ingredient Cauldron Values (CV)

Use these values to calculate your input sums:

Item	Value	Item	Value	Item	Value
Small Wood Gear	0.33	Copper Coin	0.68	Logs	0.8
Plank	1	Large Wood Gear	1.5	Flax	2
Charcoal	2	Charcoal Powder	2.5	Flax Fiber	2.5
Limestone	3	Sage	3	Sage Powder	3.5
Stone	4	Plant Ash	4	Sand	4.5
Iron Nails	5	Quicklime	6	Rotten Log	6.5
Quicklime Powder	7	Linen Thread	9	Iron Ore	10
Basic Fertilizer	10	Redcurrant	12	Linen Rope	13
Wooden Pulley	14	Iron Ingot	15	Iron Sand	15.5
Mortar	18	Clay	21	Clay Powder	22
Soap	23	Soap Powder	24	Brick	25
Gloom Fungus	26	Glass	27	Coke	29
Healing Potion	30	Coke Powder	31	Jupiter	34
Rock Salt	35	Coal Ore	37	Coal	40
Pyrite Ore	45	Bronze Rivet	51	Chamomile	55
Advanced Fert.	58	Linen	60	Salt	65
Yeast Powder	88	Turquoise	108	Flax Seeds	115
Bandage	120	Vitality Potion	125	Black Powder	145
Bronze Ingot	155	Steel Ingot	161	Sulfur	166
Steel Gear	170	Sage Seeds	175	Lavender	180
Gloom Spores	220	Quartz Ore	230	Trans. Potion	240
Copper Ingot	300	Malachite	367	Gentian	400
Growth Potion	500	Oblivion Ess.	600	Saturn	714
Meteorite	800	Vitality Ess.	900	Topaz	1,206
Venus	2,550	Star Dust	4,149	Silver Ingot	4,746
Panacea Potion	15,306	Lapis Lazuli	15,825	Gold Ingot	87,223
Philo. Stone	1,000,000	World Tree Seed	5,000,000	Sol	5,587,946

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3. Output Target Values (CTV)

Aim for these sums to produce the following items:

• Plank: 0.1
• Charcoal: 2
• Stone: 4
• Quicklime: 6
• Clay: 20
• Coke: 30
• Coal: 40
• Salt: 65
• Black Powder: 150
• Sulfur: 246
• Gloom Spores: 280
• Oblivion Essence: 600
• Vitality Essence: 900
• Fairy Dust: 3,760
• Obsidian: 5,290
• Philosopher’s Stone: 1,000,000

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4. Economic Strategy: Maximizing Profit

To save money, use ingredients with a high Cauldron Value to Production Cost ratio.

High Utility Item	CV / Cost Ratio (Copper)
Flax Fiber	2.5 / 1.4
Linen Thread	9 / 4.2
Soap Powder	24 / 13.3
Healing Potion	30 / 20.4
Linen	60 / 42
Salt	65 / 43.5
Fertile Catalyst	4,068 / 1,705
Sapphire	400,000 / 131,505
Philo. Stone	1,000,000 / 470,000

Expert Tip: You can “abuse” plant growth. By upgrading fertilizer efficiency and planter output, you can create massive quantities of plants. Since every item in the game can eventually be crafted from items derived from cheap plants, this is the ultimate path to infinite resources.

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5. Ghost’s Master Recipes

These are the most cost-efficient and build-simplifying recipes tested by the community:

• Impure Copper Powder: Flax Fiber + Flax + Lavender
• Quicklime: Flax + Flax Fiber + Plank
• Salt: Soap + Soap Powder + Linen Thread
• Black Powder: Flax + Linen Thread + Bandage
• Sulfur: Flax + Flax Fiber + Gloom Spore
• Topaz: Flax + Flax Fiber + Perfumed Soap
• Silver Powder: Flax + Unstable Catalyst + Fertile Catalyst
• Resonant Catalyst: Flax + Fertile Catalyst + Lapis Lazuli (Saves ~1 silver coin)
• Adamant: Resonant Catalyst + Resonant Catalyst + Fertile Catalyst
• Diamond: Resonant Catalyst + Silver Amulet + Lapis Lazuli
• Philosopher’s Stone: Sapphire + Plank + Moonlit Soap

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