alchemy
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GarageBand on iOS is now a more capable music production suite
Apple's GarageBand is a good place to get started with recording, but it's useful for more advanced skill levels as well. The company just revealed an update to the iOS version of the app that gives the software a few more tools for tracking on the go. First, the powerful Alchemy synthesizer from Apple's pro-grade Logic software is now available as an instrument in the mobile version of GarageBand. It includes over 150 patches capable of producing sounds for a range of genres.
Upcoming alchemy and jewelcrafting changes
Rygarius has just announced some upcoming changes to the alchemy and jewelcrafting professions. Based on player feedback, alchemy recipes will now require more herbs (and no meat or fish) and jewelcrafting recipes will require less herbs (and more ore). Rygarius We're giving a heads up on adjustments being made based on player feedback over the amount of herbs used in recipes by Alchemy and Jewelcrafting. The adjustment will increase the amount of herbs an Alchemist needs and decrease the herb costs for Jewelcrafters. Overview of Changes: Alchemy Combat potion recipes no longer requires Crescent Oil and meat/fish, and will require herbs instead. Flask recipes will use more herbs, increasing the number of herbs needed from one type of herb to two. Jewelcrafting Tier 1 gem recipes will require more ore and less herbs. Tier 2 gem recipes will no longer require herbs and instead require a tier 1 gem. In summary, these changes are not active yet. But once the change is active, Alchemists will need more herbs, and Jewelcrafting will need less. source
TUG introduces the magic of alchemy
An early version of TUG's alchemy system has made it into the game. "Sacrifice your energy for the love of magic and bring forth some new surprises," Nerd Kingdom teased. Players can now get their hands on recipes to help them whip up useful items, mine crystals in the world, and transmute items at a cost. The team also announced that it has made "a lot of progress" on better multiplayer network code and improved terrain generation.
David Attenborough's next 3D nature doc and new VR experiences are coming soon
The 3D hype may have died down from its peak a few years ago, but Sir David Attenborough is continuing to make use of the technology (check after the break for a video explaining some of the infatuation with it) for his critically acclaimed nature documentaries. The latest one is Conquest of the Skies 3D, and Sky has announced that the three 60-minute episodes will air around Christmas in the UK. In order to "tell the evolutionary story of flight" Attenborough and crew are using new 3D macroscopic and high-speed filming techniques, as well as 3D octocopters. What it won't have is the Oculus Rift or Project Morpheus-compatible virtual reality version that was bandied about earlier this year, but that doesn't mean the tech is on the shelf. Newly-expanding Sky has teamed up with Atlantic Productions, and Atlantic's new division Alchemy is planning to have VR experiences (that combine live action 3D footage, 360 degree video and CGI) available this fall.
Neverwinter to launch with alchemy profession
Neverwinter formally launches in just two days, but it appears as though the folks at Cryptic aren't quite done adding features to the game. The company has just announced that an entirely new profession, alchemy, will go live at the same time as the game's official launch. This brings the total number of professions in Neverwinter up to six. Alchemy works in the way you might expect: You use resources gathered from the environment to make potions that enhance your abilities or restore your health. There are also unstable concoctions that provide random buff or debuff effects depending on your luck. Alchemists will be able to create dyes that can be used for color customization. Alchemy joins endgame PvE and PvP dungeon Gauntlgrym as day-one new content for Neverwinter players. Neverwinter is set for officially official release on June 20th.
A beginner's guide to WoW's crafting professions
We've talked about WoW's gathering professions, but now that you know gathering, it's time to talk about what to do with the materials you've gathered: craft. World of Warcraft has eight different crafting professions -- alchemy, blacksmithing, enchanting, engineering, leatherworking, tailoring, jewelcrafting, and inscription -- which means that a wannabe crafter has plenty of options. So follow along as we walk you through your WoW crafting choices. Alchemy What does it do? Allows you to create a variety of potions, elixirs, and flasks, as well as transmuting certain items into other items. Most of an alchemist's skills involve providing buffs for anyone using their brews: potions provide an immediate benefit (like restoring your health), elixirs provide buffs for an extended period of time, and flasks provide buffs that last through death. Do I need any gear? Crafting potions will require herbs and different types of vials. Do I get any extras? Alchemists have access to the passive ability Mixology, which doubles the duration and increases the effect of flasks and elixirs they use. High level alchemists have access to a number of useful trinkets and, if they also study Archaeology, can learn to transform into a Sandstone Drake. Why take alchemy? It's definitely useful to be able to make your own potions: you'll find you're never lacking for them. And paired with herbalism to gather herbs, you'll be entirely self-sufficient. However, you might also take alchemy purely out of interest in high-level trinkets or the Sandstone Drake.
TUG makes first stretch goal, unlocks alchemy
TUG has officially achieved its first stretch goal! That goal is alchemy, and the nerds at Nerd Kingdom are pleased to announce that TUG's Paypal crowdfunding initiative is moving right along. You might recall that the firm's successful Kickstarter project pulled in over $293,000 for its fledgling sandbox, and now that Paypal donations have pushed the whole shebang over the $300,000 hump, it's time to start getting excited about stretch goals. Alchemy is "an intermediate to advanced process of creation that may lead to darker practices and unlock things you perhaps should not have," Nerd Kingdom says.
5 stupid-awesome uses for the Glyph of Disguise
Last year, we examined the curious possibilities of the remarkable Potion of Illusion, introduced in Cataclysm and hailed for its potential as a tool for amusement and mayhem. Potions of Illusion were my guild's go-to ingredient in what were otherwise boring waits for raiding to start, and my guild thoroughly enjoyed playing around and seeing what different kinds of effects we could mimic. Although the days of Cataclysm are over, the Potion of Illusion still has its uses. And in Mists of Pandaria, the possibilities have opened just a little wider due to the introduction of a glyph that works hand-in-hand with the Potion of Illusion. In Mists, rogues were given the Glyph of Disguise. This minor glyph allows rogues to copy the appearance of an enemy, simply by pickpocketing it. Sadly, the Glyph does have its limits -- rogues can no longer pickpocket Durn the Hungerer, a source of endless hours of amusement in beta -- but that doesn't mean the glyph is devoid of all fun. In fact, there are plenty of cool mobs out there in the world, waiting to be mimicked.
Lichborne: Level 90 primary professions for death knights
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Lichborne for blood, frost, and unholy death knights. In the post-Cataclysm era, death knights are no longer the new kids on the block. Let's show the other classes how a hero class gets things done. This week, we'll cover the personal benefits of the primary professions for death knights at level 90. Many of the perks and benefits are the same as they've been at levels 85 and 90, but there's stronger versions, of course, and a couple other changes that are worth covering. This guide will focus primarily on the self-buffs and bind on pickup rewards, though many professions will, of course, have its own BoE things that all death knights will want to make use of, so consider that when you pick your professions.
Gold Capped: Shuffling Ore in Mists of Pandaria
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Basil "Euripides" Berntsen and Fox Van Allen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Check out Basil's re-reboot of Call To Auction, and email Basil with your questions, comments, or hate mail! What's my favorite part of the expansion so far? The way that Blizzard has reworked the Jewelcrafting, Enchanting, and Alchemy professions to more efficiently support the "shuffle". That's a cute little name we auctioneers give to a fairly complicated business that takes ore and turns it into cut gems and enchanting scrolls. In every expansion where this has been possible, there's been a ton of waste. It's great to be able to make gold by combining profession synergy, but vendoring stacks of, for example, green quality gems feels like a waste. How to do the MoP shuffle While the business seems complicated to outsiders, it's actually a lot simpler than it looks. Let's break it down:
Allods Online releases Astral Storm update
Wakey wakey, Allods Online players -- the Astral Storm update is here! Patch 3.0.2 was released to North American and European servers today hosting a wide variety of anticipated additions and changes to the game. These include a mentor system, pets that can loot for you, more PvP content, and an overhaul of alchemy. GPotato also nerfed its own free-to-play penalties in the update, as it removed Tep's Curse and Holy Charms from the game in order to protect players' gear. Dying will no longer cause player items to be cursed, which means that the charms are no longer needed as well. To celebrate the release of Astral Storm, gPotato brought back the tropical Atoll for three weeks. Catch up on all of the 3.0.2 goodness on Allods' special minisite devoted to the patch. [Source: gPotato press release]
Allods Online prepares players for patch 3.0.2 with a new mini-site
Allods Online's mascots are back for another humorous video, as Troll and Crab try their hands (claws) at making potions. It doesn't quite go as expected, but it's hard to blame Crab for what happens (he's just an earnest little guy). This is all to promote the game's newest update, patch 3.0.2, which promises to be a savory concoction for players to quaff. Over the weekend, gPotato opened up a new mini-site to promote the update and has since posted several new articles highlighting the changes. Some of patch 3.0.2's big selling points include a revamp of the Alchemy profession, the ability for pets to do the looting, a neat-sounding mentor system, a new skirmish called The Deserted Farm, a free-for-all treasure hunting space, a new raid boss, and better questing. Before you head over to see all of the patch changes, make sure to catch up on the latest episode of Troll and Crab after the break! [Thanks to Alex for the tip!]
A first look at Mists of Pandaria professions: Alchemy
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Fox Van Allen and Basil "Euripides" Berntsen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Feed Fox's ego by emailing him, tweeting him at @foxvanallen, or sacrificing your first-born to him. One of the most common questions I get as WoW Insider's (other) resident Auction House guru is this: What professions are going to be the best in Mists of Pandaria? Arguably, there's no absolute right or wrong answer to the question -- after all, each profession is going to have its pros and cons. (I like to hedge my bets by giving different alts different professions to have a max level of each profession.) That said, one of my favorite professions for the early days of any expansion is alchemy. It's likely one of your favorites, too, and there's no mystery as to why -- transmutes. In the earlier days of Cataclysm, it wasn't rare to see Truegold sell for more than 1,000 gold apiece. That provided a small profit to any alchemist, but for those lucky enough to see bonus procs, a single transmute could turn a 4,000 gold profit or better. Not bad for about 20 seconds' worth of work. Of course, that was then; this is now. Will alchemy remain as stupidly profitable in the early days of Mists of Pandaria? Only one way to find out -- ladies and gentlemen, it's time to datamine! To the beta!
5 stupid-awesome uses for a Potion of Illusion
Look, I know we've gotten all kinds of amazing things in Cataclysm. Legendaries, new mounts, transmogrification, the Raid Finder -- but all of it pales in comparison to the one hidden gem that's been there since day one of this expansion. I'm speaking of course about the Potion of Illusion, an alchemy-created item that takes just one Azshara's Veil and three Volatile Life to create. It may not look like much, but contained in that bottle is two minutes of concentrated fun, if used correctly. While the tooltip for the potion simply states that it will transform the imbiber to look like someone else, it's far more complicated than that. The potion will actually transform you to look like whoever you happen to be standing closest to. And it's that delightful little fact that has turned waiting for raid time to start into a game of let's see what the Potion of Illusion is capable of, with entertaining results.
Final Fantasy XIV pushes patch 1.21 back to March 9th
Patience, they say, is a virtue -- and no one is more patient than the Final Fantasy XIV community. This patience will be tested once more as the imminent 1.21 patch has been delayed until March 9th to accommodate further work and testing. If someone is to blame, it's Producer Naoki Yoshida, who admits that "the sheer volume" of his suggestions prompted the delay. But it will be worth it, he promises. In a new producer's letter, Yoshida hypes the patch and in particular its changes to magic casting. These changes will be "almost identical" to what the game will see when it hits 2.0. He's extremely excited to announce that adjustments to alchemy and culinary professions -- the medicines and food, specifically -- are almost complete. Finally, he reports that the team is deep into testing the two new instanced raids that are coming with the patch. Yoshida also thanked the community for its feedback over the upcoming server merges.
The curious case of Cataclysm potions
Remember how amazing cogwheels were? The concept was an inherently cool one -- engineers, much like jewelcrafters, could get their hands on something that would enhance their gear purely through their craft. For jewelcrafters, it's the ability to cut amazing gems, limited to the number they can use in their gear. For engineers, cogwheels were purchasable with crafted engineering items and could be used in a helm with cogwheel slots. You may be wondering why I'm using the past tense here. It's for good reason -- cogwheels are, essentially, a dead item. Introduced at the beginning of Cataclysm, they could be used in engineering crafted goggles, but that was it. Once players started raiding, those goggles were quickly replaced ... and we never saw anything with a cogwheel in it again. For something that had me really excited about being an engineer, the cogwheel was a letdown of sorts. But that's not the only thing that's been a little off, professionally speaking, with Cataclysm.
5 iOS Apps for Skyrim
Skyrim is an action, role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios that's filled with magic, potions, and dragon shouts. The game follows the main character's quest to defeat Alduin and the other dragons that returned to Skyrim. It's the fifth installment in the Elder Scroll series and one of the best so far. If you're a Skyrim fan, here are five apps that'll improve your alchemy skills, level up your character and help you find all the powerful weapons you'll need to slay some dragons (as well as Storm Cloaks or Imperials, depending on how you view the war). All prices are USD. Dragon Shout (Free; universal) Dragon Shout is a simple Skyrim map application. It launches with a blank map and you get to fill it in as you travel and complete quests. You need a free account if you want to add markers, and you can sign up for one within the app. Once you have an account, you can start adding markers to the map and give them a name, description and custom icon. A journal feature keeps a running list of your markers for future reference. All your markers are stored in the cloud and shared across devices. You can choose to keep your markers private or share them publicly. It isn't implemented yet, but Dragon Shout will eventually let you share your public markers with the Skyrim community. You'll also be able to chat with other people who are using the app. Dragon Shout shows promise and will shine when the community features are enabled. It's available for free, so you have little reason not to download it. Guide for Elder Scrolls Skyrim: Fast Leveling, Money, Master Spells, Unique Weapons and Armor ($1.99; universal) Guide for Elder Scrolls Skyrim is a general guide to all things Skyrim. It has tips on how to level up spells, increase your smithing skills and master the art of enchanting. Instead of text-based instructions, the guide often shows a YouTube video within the app. You can literally watch and learn. The app also has a long list of unique weapons and unique armor (armor, rings, shoes, etc). The list will tell you where each item is located, what quest you must take to earn the item, and its effect. There's one small oversight with the effect attribute, though. The effect is listed for the armor, but not for the weapons. So if you look up the Sanguine Rose, the guide won't tell you the staff summons a Dremora Lord to fight on your behalf. I talked to the developer, and this is something that'll be added in a future version of the app. The app has a nice UI and is an excellent first effort. It works on the iPhone and the iPad, which is perfect for the video clips. Skyrim Alchemist ($0.99; iPhone only) Skyrim Alchemist does one thing and does it well. It helps you find the ingredients you need to mix up potions. The Alchemist app lets you find ingredients or find effects. It's broken up into 4 panes -- the top lets your browse ingredients and the bottom lets you browse effects. When you select an ingredient at the top of the app, it will show the effects of that ingredient on the top right. When you click on the effect the top, the bottom wheel will scroll and show you all the other ingredients that produce that effect. It's a fantastic resource for making potions and works exceptionally well on the small screen of the iPhone. You can also use it on the iPad at 2X view. Unofficial Guide for Skyrim ($1.99; iPhone only) If you could only afford one app, then you should spend your money on the Unofficial Guide for Skyrim. The app has a tabular UI that's somewhat plain, but the app makes up for it with information. The Unofficial Guide has detailed quest walk-throughs and information on races, skills, perks, locations, and achievements. There's also a FAQ for commonly asked questions. You should think of the app as a well-organized, information-packed Skyrim wiki on your iPhone. It's formatted for the iPhone's screen, but it works on the iPad, too. MAppZ- Skyrim edition ($1.99; universal) MAppZ- Skyrim edition is a map-based app that's similar to Dragon Shout. What sets MAppZ apart from its competition is its pre-filled information. When you launch MAppZ- Skyrim edition, you are greeted with a map filled with noteworthy locations. Each location has an icon and tapping on the icon will bring up its name. Unfortunately, there is no description. You will have to search outside the app if you want more information on that marker. Similar to Dragon Shout, you can add custom markers to the map and save them for future use. You can also submit them to the database for inclusion on the map. There's also a search feature that'll let you find both pre-filled locations and the custom markers you added. MAppZ also has a nice UI and an easy-to-use menu bar which makes it a pleasure to use. At $1.99, it's another must-have for the Skyrim player. %Gallery-141441%
Choose My Adventure: Getting crafty
All right, folks, it's that time again. No, not happy hour. That's not until later. It's Choose My Adventure time, so take a swig of the most potent nearby beverage and sit tight. Last week, you folks voted for me to give Final Fantasy XIV's dungeon-crawling a go so that I could have a sample of party mechanics and do something that wasn't a levequest. However, after standing around for a couple of hours on Sunday and a few more hours on Monday, screaming my lungs out in Ul'Dah asking for a group, I came up empty-handed. The vast majority of parties I saw being advertised were for higher-level content (mostly level 30 to 40+), and I'm still sitting pretty at level 10 and change. So what did I do with my playtime instead? Well, I took the first runner-up (botany and alchemy) and went with that. And what did I glean from choppin' trees and mixin' chemicals? Well, just follow along past the cut and I'll tell you.
Gold Capped: Alchemy specializations overhauled in patch 4.3
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Fox Van Allen and Basil "Euripides" Berntsen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Feed Fox's ego by emailing him, tweeting him at @foxvanallen, or sacrificing your first born to him. I love playing the alchemy market. It's proved profitable for me all expansion long. Part of the reason why its been so profitable is a general alchemy specialization imbalance; almost no one chooses Potion Master on my server. Why? Part of the reason is that a lot of people choose Transmutation Master. The other, more important part of the equation: Few casual players know that specializations even exist. Come patch 4.3, though, that's about to change -- new alchemy specialization quests are being added in your capital city.
