Some tips and tricks around making the most of your cauldron recipes Cauldron Basics The cauldron let's you add 3 items together to make a third item. The item produced is determined by an internal Cauldron Value score associated with each of the three inputs: Every item in the game has a Cauldron Value score and the items craftable in the cauldron have a Cauldron Target score The item Produced by the cauldron is determined by the sum of the input's Cauldron Values. The Cauldron selects the output with a Cauldron Target Value closest to the input sum. This means you can 'overpay' or 'underpay' for your recipe depending on whether your inputs are targeting down to the nearest or up to the nearest target item. In the Alchemy Factory Wiki, this payout difference is called the Cauldron Distance (https://alchemy-factory-codex.com/device/cauldron/) for your recipe. Important Takeaway: Not all recipes are equally valuable. The cauldron value of items and there target values are independent of their cost of production and complexity of production. You will want to find the right combination of ingredients to reach the target value of your output item that achieves the right balance of convenience, simplicity and production cost for your build, There are several key reasons for wanting to use this powerful mechanic in game: Space Savings and Simplification: Cauldrons save a ton of space for large complexity builds. Cost Savings: Though most recipes are more expensive than there standard production path, a few are huge cost savers. Alchemy is cool: We are playing an alchemy game after all! Mixing weird potions together to make magical outcomes is fun and ascetically pleasing in this game. Live your best life as a medieval witch or wizard and use that cauldron! Using the same item twice reduces the total cauldron value of your inputs to 65% of the total and using the same item 3 times reduces the total value to 50%. Therefore, it is usually best to diversify your inputs. Example Calculations: Let's add a stone (Cauldron Value 4), a linen thread (Cauldron Value 9) and a linen rope (Cauldron Value 13) to the cauldron. The total content value is 26. The two closest item target values are Clay (Target value of 20) and Coke (target value of 30). 26 is slightly closer to 30 than 20, so the output item becomes Coke. If I lowered the input value by switching the linen thread out for Redcurrant (Cauldron value of 12), then I would have a total value of 25 and the output become Clay as the game favors the lower value output in a tie. Now let's try a duplication of an item: We will mix two linen thread and a linen rope. Normally, we would expect a total value of 31 but we get a duplication penalty of 65% for using two of the same item. This leaves us with a total value of 20.2 so we end up making Clay instead of Coke. Finding the Cauldron Recipes There are a few ways to find recipes for the cauldron. The first and best way is to experiment! Be the alchemist you dreamed of when you brought this game and try out recipes for your own enjoyment. I promise this is the most fun option. Alternatively, if since you are reading this guide and looking for recipes because you, like real life alchemists, are determined to steal the best recipes from others you have some alternative options. The next option is to use the Alchemy Codex online with the Cauldron Calculator (https://alchemy-factory-codex.com/device/cauldron/) to find a recipe of your choosing searching for the output or the inputs of you choice. You still need to do the leg work on this tool to figure out which recipes are best for you. The combinations are truly astronomical and you may want to budget a day or two to sort through them all ! Finally, if you are determined to get the easiest answer to the best recipes to use, I have a spoiler section below of some of my favorite recipes. Also check the guide's comment section for recommendation from other players too! However, remember that the difference between being and alchemist and a chemist is that chemist share knowledge and educate each other like a bunch of wimps. True alchemists horde their knowledge and work in secrecy. I implore you not to be seduced by glittering promises of peer reviewed facts and documented experimental results. Guard your secrets and take them to the grave like a true alchemical genius. Ingredient Cauldron Values (Spoilers) Small Wooden Gear Value: 0.33 Copper Coin Value: 0.68 Logs Value: 0.8 Plank Value: 1 Large Wooden Gear Value: 1.5 Flax Value: 2 Charcoal Value: 2 Charcoal Powder Value: 2.5 Flax Fiber Value: 2.5 Limestone Value: 3 Sage Value: 3 Sage Powder Value: 3.5 Stone Value: 4 Plant Ash Value: 4 Sand Value: 4.5 Iron Nails Value: 5 Quicklime Value: 6 Rotten Log Value: 6.5 Quicklime Powder Value: 7 Linen Thread Value: 9 Iron Ore Value: 10 Basic Fertilizer Value: 10 Redcurrant Value: 12 Linen Rope Value: 13 Wooden Pulley Value: 14 Iron Ingot Value: 15 Iron Sand Value: 15.5 Mortar Value: 18 Clay Value: 21 Clay Powder Value: 22 Soap Value: 23 Soap Powder Value: 24 Brick Value: 25 Gloom Fungus Value: 26 Glass Value: 27 Coke Value: 29 Healing Potion Value: 30 Coke Powder Value: 31 Jupiter Value: 34 Rock Salt Value: 35 Coal Ore Value: 37 Coal Value: 40 Pyrite Ore Value: 45 Bronze Rivet Value: 51 Chamomile Value: 55 Chamomile Powder Value: 57 Advanced Fertilizer Value: 58 Linen Value: 60 Salt Value: 65 Yeast Powder Value: 88 Turquoise Value: 108 Flax Seeds Value: 115 Bandage Value: 120 Vitality Potion Value: 125 Copper Bearing Value: 137 Black Powder Value: 145 Impure Copper Powder Value: 150 Bronze Ingot Value: 155 Steel Ingot Value: 161 Sulfur Value: 166 Steel Gear Value: 170 Sage Seeds Value: 175 Lavender Value: 180 Sulfur Powder Value: 200 Gloom Spores Value: 220 Quartz Ore Value: 230 Transformation Potion Value: 240 Crude Shard Value: 272 Copper Powder Value: 290 Copper Ingot Value: 300 Malachite Value: 367 Gentian Value: 400 Gentian Nectar Value: 420 Gentian Powder Value: 430 Growth Potion Value: 500 Oblivion Essence Value: 600 Redcurrant Seeds Value: 650 Saturn Value: 714 Unstable Catalyst Value: 746 Pocket Watch Value: 789 Meteorite Value: 800 Broken Shard Value: 824 Vitality Essence Value: 900 Silver Coin Value: 949 Blast Potion Value: 1,197 Topaz Value: 1,206 Perfumed Soap Powder Value: 1,216 Perfumed Soap Value: 1,216 Crude Silver Powder Value: 1,274 Dull Shard Value: 1,548 Mars Value: 1,678 Chamomile Seeds Value: 2,300 World Tree Leaf Value: 2,500 Impure Silver Powder Value: 2,547 Venus Value: 2,550 Fairy Dust Value: 3,060 Shattered Crystal Value: 3,496 Fertile Catalyst Value: 4,068 Star Dust Value: 4,149 Silver Powder Value: 4,742 Silver Ingot Value: 4,746 Volcanic Ash Value: 5,290 Obsidian Value: 5,290 Lavender Seeds Value: 6,000 Crude Crystal Value: 6,692 Crude Gold Dust Value: 10,805 Polished Crystal Value: 14,384 Panacea Potion Value: 15,306 Lapis Lazuli Value: 15,825 Impure Gold Dust Value: 21,611 Resonant Catalyst Value: 23,869 Silver Amulet Value: 25,317 Mercury Value: 26,928 Gentian Seeds Value: 29,000 Adamant Value: 30,768 Gold Dust Value: 42,357 Diamond Value: 65,536 Pure Gold Dust Value: 84,715 Gold Ingot Value: 87,223 Gold Coin Value: 89,723 Perfect Diamond Value: 131,072 Luna Value: 187,168 Ruby Value: 200,000 World Tree Core Value: 250,000 Sapphire Value: 400,000 Moonlit Soap Value: 487,893 Emerald Value: 600,000 Crown Value: 854,168 Philosopher's Stone Value: 1,000,000 Eternal Catalyst Value: 1,193,042 World Tree Seed Value: 5,000,000 Sol Value: 5,587,946 Output Target Values (Spoilers) Plank Cauldron Target Value: 0.1 Charcoal Cauldron Target Value: 2 Stone Cauldron Target Value: 4 Quicklime Cauldron Target Value: 6 Iron Sand Cauldron Target Value: 15 Clay Cauldron Target Value: 20 Coke Cauldron Target Value: 30 Coal Cauldron Target Value: 40 Salt Cauldron Target Value: 65 Yeast Powder Cauldron Target Value: 88 Turquoise Cauldron Target Value: 108 Black Powder Cauldron Target Value: 150 Impure Copper Powder Cauldron Target Value: 180 Sulfur Cauldron Target Value: 246 Gloom Spores Cauldron Target Value: 280 Crude Shard Cauldron Target Value: 512 Copper Powder Cauldron Target Value: 350 Malachite Cauldron Target Value: 427 Oblivion Essence Cauldron Target Value: 600 Unstable Catalyst Cauldron Target Value: 746 Broken Shard Cauldron Target Value: 1,024 Vitality Essence Cauldron Target Value: 900 Topaz Cauldron Target Value: 1,406 Crude Silver Powder Cauldron Target Value: 1,674 Dull Shard Cauldron Target Value: 2,048 Impure Silver Powder Cauldron Target Value: 3,347 Fairy Dust Cauldron Target Value: 3,760 Shattered Crystal Cauldron Target Value: 4,096 Fertile Catalyst Cauldron Target Value: 3,568 Star Dust Cauldron Target Value: 6,149 Silver Powder Cauldron Target Value: 4,742 Obsidian Cauldron Target Value: 5,290 Crude Crystal Cauldron Target Value: 8,192 Crude Gold Dust Cauldron Target Value: 13,805 Polished Crystal Cauldron Target Value: 16,384 Lapis Lazuli Cauldron Target Value: 18,825 Impure Gold Dust Cauldron Target Value: 27,611 Resonant Catalyst Cauldron Target Value: 22,869 Adamant Cauldron Target Value: 32,768 Gold Dust Cauldron Target Value: 52,357 Diamond Cauldron Target Value: 65,536 Pure Gold Dust Cauldron Target Value: 99,715 Perfect Diamond Cauldron Target Value: 131,072 Ruby Cauldron Target Value: 200,000 Sapphire Cauldron Target Value: 400,000 Emerald Cauldron Target Value: 600,000 Philosopher's Stone Cauldron Target Value: 1,000,000 Cauldron Strategy [Spoilers] If you are still reading, then I take it you haven't heeded my warning to experiment for yourself. Be wary past this point, we leave the comfortable pseudoscience of the mystical alchemy behind and get down to actual mathematics and data. Here be scientists not magic. Cost Savings ApproachRemember how I said some recipes are more cost effective than others? Well let's start with a list of the most high utility ingredients in the game as a ratio of Cauldron Value to Production Cost (in copper coins): Flax Fiber = 2.5 Cauldron Value / 1.4 Copper Coins Sage Powder = 3.5/2 Linen Thread = 9/4.2 Soap = 23/13.3 Soap Powder = 24/13.3 Healing potion = 30/20.4 Linen = 60/42 Salt = 65/43.5 Yeast = 88/61.3 Bandage = 120/82.8 Lavender = 180/133 Gloom Spores = 220/153 Unstable Catalyst = 746/433 Perfumed Soup 1,216/889 Fertile Catalyst = 4,068/1,705 Lapis Lazuli = 15,825/8,705 Resonant Catalyst = 23,869/11,958 Silver Amulet = 25,317/16,951 Saphire = 400,000/131,505 Moonlit Soap = 487,893/140,222 Emerald = 600k/160k Philosopher Stone = 1,000k/470k Eternal Catalyst=1.193k/649k The above copper costs are the non-cauldron production cost to make the above items given no upgrades purchased. If you upgrade fuel or fertilizer in game, the costs will be cheaper for the items that use them. Many possible ingredients have a close to 1:1 cauldron value to production cost ratio with a few key items having a worse than 1:1 ratio. The list above targets items whose cauldron value is significantly better than 1:1. Therefore if you want to find the recipes that save you money, I would recommend focusing on the above list of items to combine to reach the total Target Cauldron Value of the output item you are seeking. You don't need to achieve the exact value of the output item just get closer to it than the next lowest item on the list (found below). Remember, using the same item twice reduces the total cauldron value to 65% of the total and using the same item 3 times reduces the total value to 50%. Some items in the most effective list above are no cost variants on existing items, such as soap and ground soap or flax and flax fiber. These are easy items to repeat on you recipe without altering the overall cost or complexity too badly. The best way to get a recipe that saves you significant production cost is to select three or more items from the best ingredients list above whose total Cauldron Value is below the item's Target Value but not so far below as to be closer to the value of the next lower value target (which would change the recipe's output). Reducing Complexity ApproachThis strategy is pretty straightforward. The most complex items in game tend to be the most expensive endgame items. You can plan ahead to produce large quantities of easy to make items in the game and then cauldron them into large amounts of the more complex items. Here are a few recommendations from my personal experience on easier living through cauldron abuse: Master plant growth and mix plants to make everything else: Make your fertilizer super efficient through upgrades and mass produce plants to cauldron together every other item in the game. There is no limit to the number of times you can make fertilizer more efficient and planter output is limited only by the conveyor belt speed and the fertilizer effectiveness. Everything else in the game can be made from items crafted by cheap plants! Use the Cauldron to make Bronze, Clay, and Gloom Powder: These items need to be made in huge quantities and take up significant space. I recommend using a cauldron to make them in bulk at the earliest convenience (also consider using the cauldron to make salt too). My Favorite Recipes [Spoilers] Too much effort to work out your own recipes from the above info? Well for the low cost of absolutely nothing, let me share some of my favorite recipes with you. Note, i mostly use the cauldron to reduce costs and increase profit over simplifying my build so I lean towards the most cost efficient approaches with my build: Ghost's Favorite All time Recipes: Favorite Recipes: Flax Fiber + Flax + Lavender = Impure Copper Powder (Great for mass bronze ignots) Combo Recipe: Chamomile + Chamomile Powder + Flax = Turquoise. Then Turquoise + Lavender + Chamomile = Copper Powder for easy copper production Flax + Flax Fiber + Plank = Quicklime Soap + Soap Powder + Linen Thread = Salt Flax + Linen Thread+ Bandage = Black Powder Flax + Flax Fiber + Gloom Spore = Sulfur Vitality + Bandage + Lavender = Malachite Flax + Flax Fiber + Perfumed Soap = Topaz Flax + Unstable Catalyst + Gloom Spore = Broken Shard Flax + Perf Soap Powder + Perfumed Soap = Dull Shard Salt + Linen + Unstable Catalyst = Vitality Essence Flax + Unstable Catalyst + Fertile Catalyst = Silver Powder Flax + Perfumed Soap + Fertile Catalyst = Obsidian Flax + Flax Fiber + Fertile Catalyst = Shattered Crystal Flax + Flax Fiber + Lapis Lazuli = Polished Crystal Flax + Fertile Catalyst + Lapis Lazuli = Resonant Catalyst (Saves about 1 silver coin) Resonant Catalyst + Perf Soap Powder + Perfumed Soap = Impure Gold Dust Resonant Catalyst + Resonant Catalyst + Fertile Catalyst = Adamant Resonant Catalyst + Fertile Catalyst + Lapis Lazuli = Gold Dust Resonant Catalyst + Silver Amulet + Lapis Lazuli = Diamond Resonant Catalyst + Silver Amulet + Adamant = Pure Gold Dust Sapphire + Plank + Moonlit Soap = Philosopher's Stone