Note: This Alchemist's guide will focus on the group PvE aspect, where the latter is most useful. This guide will be updated as the class evolves. In the first part of this article, we will describe all the talents / skills of the Alchemist. If you want to get to the point, go directly to the "Build and rotation" part.
The Alchemist is Skyforge's second support class with the Lumancer. Where the latter will focus on protecting his allies, the Alchemist will focus on increasing their damage. With abilities to grant stat and damage bonuses to allies for a short period of time, this class requires good communication with other players in order for them to use their most powerful skills during this time. Like the Lumancer, the Alchemist has a passive aura offering his nearby allies (15m) a bonus of 15% health points as well as an increase in their Strength, Bravery, Luck and Spirit by 20% of his own values. The alchemist's resource is the catalyst, which recharges with basic attacks (left and right click).
Glossary
In order to facilitate understanding, you will find here a summary of the terms that I will use later (especially for the uninitiated). Reading this article may be helpful if you are new to the game.
DPS: Damage Per Second, represents the amount of damage done by your abilities. Also said of a class whose role is to cause damage.
Mono: Single target, qualifies skills that only hit one target.
AoE (or AE): Area Of Effect, qualifies skills affecting an area or a group of enemies.
Mob: Mobile Object, a small name given to enemies
Burst: Ability to do a lot of damage in a short time but not always usable, opposed to sustained damage. Also said of skills temporarily increasing your damage or that of one or more of your allies.
CD: CoolDown, a skill's “countdown” cooldown. Also qualifies for skills that temporarily increase damage dealt or reduce damage received. And a CD, it "slams".
Channeled: refers to a skill whose effect will last until you release the key or a maximum time. In general, you have to channel your skill to the end to get the most out of it.
SG, SD: Left Mouse and Right Mouse, the clicks corresponding to the main attacks
CtoC: Body to Body
Competence I, competence II…: defines the level of workload for the competences concerned.
DoT: Damage over Time, skill dealing damage over time.
Buff: Temporary improvement on your character, increasing his abilities (bonus damage, statistics, speed ...). Conversely, we have the Debuff.
skills
- Basic
- Location 1
- Location 2
- Location 3
- Location 4
Acid solution : SG (Possibility to keep pressing to use it continuously)
Inflicts mono damage and places a charge of acid solution on the target (8 charges max). Using SD will detonate these charges, dealing mono damage depending on their number on the target.
Solution combustible : SD (Possibility to keep pressing to use it continuously)
Inflicts AE damage and lays a charge of combustible solution on enemies around the target (5 charges max). Using the SG will detonate these charges, inflicting AE damage depending on the number of charges.
Protective shell
Places a shield on your target or yourself equivalent to 31% of the alchemist's health. 24s of CD.
Stimulant injection
Increases the damage of an ally. 30s of CD.
Alchemical Terminal
Has 2 charge levels, the first places the terminal in front of the Alchemist, the second in front of its target. Summons a terminal for 10s, which allies can use to gain 4s of invulnerability (which they can only receive once per 60s). 60s CD.
Energy rain
Increases damage of allies by 30% at 20m for 9s and removes negative effects. 1min30 of CD.
Vital essence
Ultimate skill. Heals allies around the alchemist. 8min16 of CD.
Predatory Ectoplasm
Summons 2 ectoplasms that will move towards the target and explode on contact, dealing damage. Costs 600 catalyst.
Creeping horror
Summons 2 ectoplasms that will move towards the target and explode on contact, dealing damage. In PvP, damage is increased and targets stunned for 3s. Costs 1200 catalyst.
Reviews
In PvE, the energy / damage ratio is in favor of Ectoplasm.
Toxic emissions
Deal damage around the Alchemist. If a target dies from this damage, it will inflict a reduced version of the damage of this skill to nearby enemies. Costs 1000 catalyst.
Disintegrate
Deal damage around the Alchemist and knock back targets. If a target dies from this damage, it will inflict a reduced version of the damage of this skill to nearby enemies. Costs 2000 catalyst.
Reviews
Toxic emissions cost less for the same damage.
Paralyzing Gas
Channeled skill that will stun enemies for 6s. Costs 2500 catalyst. 36s of CD
Essence of Janus
Places an area where enemies are greatly slowed down. 30s of CD
Protection membrane
Channeled skill creating a shield around the alchemist that will absorb and reflect damage received (max 33% of the Alchi's health)
Bonites
For 8s, the alchemist can jump at enemies 3 times, reducing their movement speed by 70% for 10s.
Reviews
These skills are very situational. Paralyzing Gas is very practical in anomalies, allowing to stun a group of enemies, relieving the tank (which will not take damage), while your allies destroy them but this skill is useless for boss fights (except s 'it spawns waves of enemies). Protective Membrane can be useful in fights where you risk taking non-avoidable damage, or as an emergency skill if your tank ever misses a few enemies.
Biopiege
The alchemist throws 3 vials at the target, the first one attracts nearby enemies and the other 2 will either inflict damage or increase the damage received by targets by 45% for 10s (50% chance to do either or the other). 2min30 of CD.
Transformation
Transforms you into a mutant, allowing you to deal heavy melee damage for 10s. 1min25 of CD.
Transformation massive
Grants the ability for your allies to transform into mutants, increasing their damage dealt and reducing their damage received by 50% for 10s. 5min of CD
Reviews
Biopiège is the best in a group. The bonus of the massive transformation is interesting but his CD is too important.
Talents
Improved Formula
Every second spent channeling the Membrane decreases its CD.
Only if you have to use the membrane a lot, but not very useful in a group and there is better to take.
Accelerated synthesis
Increases Catalyst Regeneration from Basic Attacks.
Allows you to use your special skills more often. In short, a must
doping
Energy Rain immunizes movement reductions, increases speed, and makes dodge free.
More mobility during bursts, very practical to avoid enemy attacks and make the burst as profitable as possible
Toxic mucus
Using Predatory Ectoplasm grants a buff that increases their damage by 11%. Stacks 2 times.
Increases the damage of your primary damage source. To take
Secret Concoction
Increases damage taken by target struck by Creeping Horror by 12% for 8s.
Useful in PvP
Loading dose
Allows you to use Stimulating Injection twice in a row, doubling its effects as well as its cooldown.
Mandatory, greatly increases your burst potential
Series of experiments
Your execution makes your next skill free and at 15% gift a second
Really not very useful
Reflection procedure
Membrane reflects 180% damage.
Only if you use this skill, but there are better things to take as a talent
Emergency evacuation
Allows you to take a big leap back for every 20% health lost.
Maybe useful in PvP?
Defense Algorithm
Protective Shell completely absorbs the 1st hit. If the latter destroys the shield, the skill is reusable immediately (1 time only)
To take, increases your protection potential
Side effect
Reduces damage taken by allies by 80% if the Alchemist is in monstrous form when using Massive Transformation.
Biopiège is much better than Massive Transformation
Intense reaction
Each critical hit inflicted on an enemy in the area of Essence of Janus will deal AE damage.
Mediocre damage and too situational, there is better to take as a talent
Substance Corrosive
Biopork increases damage done by 21% for 45s in PvP
Only PvP
Material Transformation
Increases Catalyst Reserve by 1000 and grants 100 regeneration every 2s.
More catalyst = more damage, to take
Stabilizing effect
The terminal also offers invulnerability to control effects. In addition, increases the range of the terminal by 40m.
Just the increased range (allowing players to activate it regardless of terminal position) makes this talent mandatory.
Improved Solutions
Bonito Roots enemies for 8s.
In PvP?
Acid Spray
Toxic Emissions deals 3 times more damage to shields.
Very very situational
Secondary Emission
Gives Toxic Emission 50% chance of being reusable for free
Pretty cool, but doing AE damage is not your priority or your strength in Alchemist
Mutation Stable
Increases the duration of Monstrous Form by 4s if you kill a target (stacking 10 times) and your attacks deal bonus damage for 8s
Only useful in solo if you use this form
Steroids
Heals the alchemist and negates control effects for 12s after using Healing Essence
Increase your survival, a living alchemist is always more useful to the group
Build et rotation
Group support
In this build, I favor the support skills and the talents associated with them. There is only location 3, where I can change depending on the situation.
In terms of rotation, there isn't much rotation like most support / healer classes in MMOs.
Generally speaking, when you attack a boss, SG up to 8 charges then SD to detonate and so on. As soon as you are at 4000 catalyst, send an army of ectoplasms on your enemy (empty your catalyst bar).
In terms of your bursts, it is much more profitable to use everything at the same time. When a boss engages, as soon as the boss is stationary, you send your Biopeat on it, followed by Rain of Energy to increase the damage of your allies. Then, launch a stimulating double injection on a previously defined player (in the current state of the game, rather a Berserker or a Kinetic). Then, re-use those skills as they become available, in agreement with whoever you throw them at so that they use their most powerful attacks.
For the Terminal, it is interesting to use in a preventive way if significant group damage is expected, or to offer a few seconds of respite to the tank while it goes to look for orbs of life. The same principle applies to the Protective Shell, which, given its large CD and its possibility of being relaunched if it is destroyed on the first shot, is more of a preventive than a reactive tool.
For the Essence of Healing, warn your group before so that the players regroup (range u heal of 7m).
Equipment and Statistics
For the primary weapon, use only the one that reduces the CD of Stimulant Injection (8s for a blue weapon, or 44s of CD for a double dose).
For the secondary weapon, choose the one that reduces the Terminal CD.
Regarding statistics, the Alchemist has an aura increasing Strength / Luck / Bravery / Spirit of his allies by a value of 20% of his own values. Since the Strength / Luck combo is the most common and the most effective for the majority of classes, it is best to choose Strength and Luck for your rings.
For chapels, there aren't any that really influence the work of a support in the game.
The same goes for symbols, so it will be better to promote survival and symbols of defense.
Video preview
To sum it all up, here's a little video preview of the Alchemist's game on the 1st boss of the Isabella raid:
Do not hesitate if you have any questions or doubts, and I am interested in your PvP reviews / guides.
