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.
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 |
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
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.
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