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View Full Version : Blog #6 - A dog + a plan + a canal = Pagoda! (Alchemy Basics)


NullPointer
06-11-2009, 02:15 PM
http://www.atlus.com/classofheroes/images/blog/title.gif

Well, here it is: the final blog. The game is out so I don’t need to hype it anymore. From here on out, you are on your own.

This time I wanted to touch on Alchemy. Alchemy is really important. As some of you who have gotten the game have probably noticed, buying weapons is pretty impossible early on. So the easiest way to get new gear is to make it from the junk you pick up on the dungeons.

Before you use the junk, you’ll have to identify it. This costs money if you do it at the Campus Store. Then you have to synthesize it in the lab, and that costs money too. It definitely gets expensive, and early on, you simply won’t be able to afford it.

But you’re in school! Why do you think they make us do all those math problems in elementary school when we could just use a calculator!? It builds character, that’s why! Class of Heroes is no different. Throwing cash away on these things is too easy, and is a luxury afforded only to upperclassmen and advanced adventurers. You’re not ready for that. So get that alchemist and cleric out, and lock them in a room until they come out with some Yellow Pants or a Slingshot.

Basic alchemy is pretty straight forward. You will need a piece of Junk, and some Material to fix it with. Materials have various grades, so depending on the level of weapon you are trying to create, you may need a more valuable material to make it happen. Here’s some examples of some basic recipes :

Chipped Axe (Junk) + 5 Crude Irons (Material) = War Axe
Torn Undies (Junk?) + 4 Strings of Twine (Material) = Halfpants

This is all fine and dandy, but alchemy can also be used to improve your gear.

There’s two types of upgrades. The first one is kind of like leveling up your weapon. You’ll need 3 ingredients: 1 item (a piece of equipment, etc), some material (depends on the item), and an improvement item (depends on the item as well). The recipe ends up looking something like…

http://www.atlus.com/classofheroes/images/blog/06/1.jpg
War Axe + 5 Crude Irons + 1 Grindestone = War Axe+?

This makes your weapon a bit stronger than it was previously, and such improvements can be stacked. Sometimes a weapon created by synthesis will start out with a little bonus, but could also start out with a negative as well. If you don’t like the outcome, you can disassemble it and try synthing it again. Kind of like rolling for weapon levels! But it costs money to do this in the lab, so be careful.

The 3rd type of improvement is the adding of effects. You can add Elemental and Bane effects to any weapon or armor. Elemental effects target an enemy’s element, while Bane effects target the enemy’s species.

Elemental and Bane improvements are pretty straight forward. Simply take the Elemental or Bane material of the appropriate level, and combine it with piece of equipment.

http://www.atlus.com/classofheroes/images/blog/06/2.jpg

Like above, I get a Bolt War Axe from a War Axe and Bolt Powder. This will be effective against any Water enemies.

http://www.atlus.com/classofheroes/images/blog/06/3.jpg

This Blood War Axe, made from a War Axe and a Blood Clot, will be effective against humanoid enemies.

You can change equipment at anytime during battle, so taking advantage of this system can be very key to you success.

Well my students, that is all I have to teach you! At this point, there isn’t too much Q&A for me to do that you guys can’t sort out amongst yourselves. So I’ll now leave you to explore the labyrinths while I crawl back into the dungeon that is Atlus USA.

Thanks for playing everyone!

PS. For those of you who are wondering, when visiting Princple Feinman to switch alignments, your new alignment will be determined by the actions you take in and out of battle.

AbsyntheDelacroix
06-11-2009, 02:37 PM
I loved the title of this blog entry. Nice work, Null.

Locklear93
06-11-2009, 04:34 PM
How the heck DO you identify without paying at the shop? I've got an alchemist in the party, which a previous blog said could do it, but there's no Identify spell, no identify option in the items menu, and no identify option in the alchemy menu. The manual doesn't bother telling you how to do a student identification either.

NullPointer
06-11-2009, 04:41 PM
How the heck DO you identify without paying at the shop? I've got an alchemist in the party, which a previous blog said could do it, but there's no Identify spell, no identify option in the items menu, and no identify option in the alchemy menu. The manual doesn't bother telling you how to do a student identification either.

Select the unidentified item in the item menu, and choose 'Appraise'. I've probably confused everyone because I've been using the wrong terminology. >_<

Note that Alchemists can't appraise until they reach level 10. Clerics can appraise right out the door.

Locklear93
06-11-2009, 05:05 PM
Select the unidentified item in the item menu, and choose 'Appraise'. I've probably confused everyone because I've been using the wrong terminology. >_<

Note that Alchemists can't appraise until they reach level 10. Clerics can appraise right out the door.

That would explain it. I understood that identify and appraise are the same, but hadn't realized I had to be level 10. That presents a problem, as I went with a devout to heal, not a cleric, and last time I tried to swap people in and out of my party, everything in my item bag vanished. o_O

NullPointer
06-11-2009, 05:06 PM
Check the lockers in the Dorms.

Locklear93
06-11-2009, 05:20 PM
Check the lockers in the Dorms.

Thanks again!

Lirishae
06-12-2009, 12:27 AM
Thank you very much, NullPointer, for taking the time to write these blogs and answer questions ^^ I only registered today, but I've been following them from the beginning. Also thanks to Rednusander for filling in during E3 XD

getter77
06-12-2009, 03:19 AM
Yep, thanks for all the blogs. Looking forward to the game.

Nocturnwind
06-13-2009, 10:36 PM
From here on out, you are on your own.


:/ meanie.

any chance that you guys will publish guidebooks?
i guess its not right thread, but yeah..

sharinganerror
11-16-2009, 12:34 PM
I've got a question, if possible, can you actually buy all of the recipes for alchemy(excluding banes and other effects) in the game? Do you find some of them in dungeons, or do alchemist learn some? If not, does that mean we have to experiment with every single item constantly in the game? I've already gotten to the last post-game quest before reaching the last academy.