Orchid Mod/Guide:Alchemist

This is the general progression and mechanics guide for the class introduced by the Orchid Mod. This guide will go in depth into the inner workings of the class and how to create an effective build.

Class Background
The Alchemist class has a good base defense (a slightly lower than the Melee class) and a decent range, heavily nerfed by liquids. It has its own specific damage type called chemical damage.

Chemical weapons are very versatile thanks to their Mixing mechanic. Alchemists can mix their weapons in order to add up the damage and unlock powerful synergies. Each chemical weapon or mixture launches a projectile first (a bottle) that, on impact with an enemy or a block, activates its effects, making it easy to miss distant enemies, considering also that the bottle is affected by gravity, like throwing weapons. Alchemists playstyle is different from other classes: they have to waste time and concentration to prepare their attacks, then to aim for the targets, preventing a reliable DPS and instead opting for bursts of damage, often against multiple enemies, thanks to some smart mixtures. Chemical weapons are divided in groups based on their elements. From the start you can mix 2 chemical weapons with different elements. Right now, Alchemist's Armor sets let the player mix 3 elements. The class has 6 elements: Fire, Water, Nature, Air, Light, and Dark but, since the class progression stops after the Wall of Flesh, there aren't Light or Dark weapons for now.

The NPC is essential for a Alchemist's progression, since he sells:
 * , a crafting material used for a group of chemical weapons.
 * , a good synergy weapon that attracts spores and similars to the enemies.
 * , an Accessory that increases alchemic main projectile (the bottle) velocity by 25%, often improving its range and making it easier to hit the target.
 * , the first Catalyst obtainable.
 * , a crafting material used for upgrading some chemical weapons. It's available after Queen Bee is defeated.
 * , an useful time that displays up to 18 chemical weapons in the inventory at the same time.

As metioned before, is an item that displays chemical weapons from the inventory and allows the player to mix and launch them, directly from 1 item, instead of switching weapon every time. Thanks to this item you can carry lots of weapons and use all their synergies without much effort.

There is also a Potency Meter that works like Mana, every chemical weapon uses some potency when mixed (if you attack with a chemical weapon it will still count as mixed) and prevents the player from spamming strong mixtures. Fortunately, it regenerates quickly and starts from 8 max potency. In addition, there are Armor sets and Accessories that improve it.

Alchemists have other useful tools at their disposal: Catalysts don't do direct damage, instead they trigger other catalytic elements spawned from some chemical weapons, like or. can also work as Catalyst.

Lastly, some mixtures can be used for Hidden Reactions: you must know precise weapon combination in order to use them. Their effects include potions buffs or spawing additional spores and bubbles, but also some unique effects like Propulsion! or Healing!

Progression
The following is a very simple progression guide for new alchemist. Many items lie behind boss and enemy kills, town NPCs, events, and crafting requirements, so your ability to get certain items is made easier or harder by RNG. The list is broken into sections of the game, where prominent or important sets of items become available to a alchemist. Note that Alchemist benefits al lot from exploration in all biomes, for example can be obtained with materials from the Jungle and can carry an Alchemist until the Wall of Flesh.

From the Start
Alchemists have access to some chemical weapons from the start. They need little to no exploration.

Pre-Boss
Alchemists have access to a number of items before encountering the first boss of Terraria, the Eye of Cthulhu. This guide assumes you have ventured into the dangerous Jungle. At this stage you can buy from the  NPC.

Pre-Skeletron
Before fighting Skeletron, a number of items are available to the player. This guide assumes you have defeated every previous boss, the Goblin Army, but not entered The Underworld.

Pre-Wall of Flesh
After defeating Skeletron, a couple more chemical weapons are available. This guide assumes you have defeated every boss accessible before the Wall of Flesh and have explored the world thoroughly.