Alchemy Guide by Ctownwoody

Category:Alchemy
Alchemy Guide 1.1 
0-100
By Ctownwoody
Asura Server, Sons of Valkrum Linkshell
Disclaimer: I did my research using ffxiah.com and have taken most of my crafts up to level 60+ and am in the process of taking an Alchemy mule up to 100. Prices and availability varies by server, but I tend to focus on easy-to-farm items or ones you can buy from NPCs for mass-producing.
== Alchemy Tips ==
1. Ingredients for Alchemy fall into 3 general categories--Farmable Items, Cheap Groceries/Herbs, and Fish.
*Farmable Items: Range from easy to difficult to farm (unless you have a good THF), but all can be bought at AH.
*Fish: Easy to catch or you can buy them at AHs or at various Fishing Guilds in Windy, Selbina or Bibiki Bay. Learn the price ranges for maximized value.
*Groceries/Herbs: Bought from Raimbroy’s Grocery in South Sandy or from Regional Vendors, so watch Conquest results.
2. One general formula is Ingredients -> Powder/Dust -> Potion -> Weapon or Boltheads. Most of your Guild Points will be made through the end-result weapons and getting up to 3 separate synths for one item is a great way to skill-up without busting your bank or clogging your inventory.
3. The first time I started Alchemy I had a Goldsmithing 41 and a Smithing 39, which made it a lot easier. There are some recipes that take Goldsmithing up to 24 and Smithing up to 15, and they make the process easier. The second time, I started from the ground up, but Smithing 14 and Goldsmithing 20 are your first benchmarks and are easy to get. (If you aren't a Bastok citizen, you should consider basing your operations out of Bastok for a bit anyway.)
4. Bullets and boltheads can make your life easier. Bullets can be “pouched” (quivered) for 36 synths in one stack and with boltheads, you can either make into tons of bolts for sale or stacks of 99 heads, or 16.5 synths per stack.
5. Boltheads are good, but bolts are better. Boltheads sell okay, but Bolts can be quivered (36 synths in one stack) and made cheaply and easily (Woodworking 16) and sell so much more quickly than the boltheads alone. However, be aware that 99 synths take a lot of time to do and require some forethought for supply issues.
== The Guide Itself ==
==== 0-10 ====
*Tsurara (6)-Ice Crystal, Distilled Water x2, Rock Salt--Get the salt at Raimbroy’s, mass-produce the Tsurara until you hit the cap, and either sell them cheaply at the AH (under Ninja Tools), use them with your NIN or NPC them. Quick and easy.
*Deodorizer (10)-Wind Crystal, Sage, Chamomile, Olive Oil--The sage is at Raimbroy’s or Valdeaunia RV or Guild Merchant, the Chamomile is either at the Jeuno Flowershop in Upper Jeuno or from Vollbow RV, and Olive Oil from Raimbroy's or Derfland RV. These are really cheap, and, between these and Poison Dust, you want to cap out with Poison Dust.
TEST ITEM: Animal Glue: Fire Crystal, Distilled Water, Rabbit Hide, Bone Chip x2: Get used to making this recipe, especially if you intend to take Alchemy beyond 70, because this is a crucial ingredient for applying various potions to weapons, which are the bulk of Guild Point requests. You will often make your own once you can reliably HQ these (51+ above cap). Hides can be cheaper at Leathercraft guild than AH, sometimes.
==== 11-20 ====
*Poison Dust (11/12)-Lightning Crystal, Giant Stinger/Yellow Globe x2--Giant Stingers are a somewhat rare drop from Bees and Yellow Globes are fish caught in various areas, especially in Port Jeuno while waiting for Kazham and San d'Oria airships, or in Mhaura. If you decide to fish Yellow Globes yourself, which I recommend if you are going for Fishing skill, Mhaura will allow you to isolate the Yellow Globes, but Port Jeuno will let you catch Cobalt Jellyfish as well, which are used in Mercury below. You want to make enough Poison Dust for Poison Potions later.
*Movalpolos Water (14)-Wind Crystal, Carbon Dioxide, Distilled Water x4--Not really for skill-up but part of the Trumpet Shell -> Baking Soda sequence. These NPC for around 200 each if you want to get off the bus early.
*Mercury (16)-Lightning Crystal, Cobalt Jellyfish x4--Caught in almost any saltwater area with no skill, they can be found at the AH, plus Alchemy and Fishing Guilds, including some remote ones. Make as many as you made Poison Dust or up to cap. If left alone for a RL day or so, Fishing Guildshops will sell Jellyfish for as low as 15 each and in gigantic quantities. This is common knowledge, though, and you'll rarely find the Windy guildshop selling below 100 each.
*Poison Potion (18)-Water Crystal, Mercury, Poison Dust--Combine the dust and mercury you just made. These are your TEST ITEM as well. They sell very well at the AH because 1 HP/tic Poison generally negates more powerful poison effects and can cancel out Sleepga spells and effects from mobs (Nightmare aside). I suggest capping on these, but at the very least, use up all the Poison Dust you made. This is a very profitable use for Yellow Globes caught for skill, but it takes too much fishing to be a major gil-earning activity.
*Echo Drops (20)-Water Crystal, Honey, Sage, Distilled Water--Prices of Honey have dropped enough, and sales are generally strong enough, for me to add this into the mix for skill. Honey is from bees, made with Cooking from Beehive Chips, or bought on AH.
==== 21-30 ====
*Carbon Dioxide (21)-Fire Crystal, Trumpet Shell--Part of a trinity of synths that will get you to 22 at a profit via NPCs if Trumpet Shells sell for 1.3k or less. Each Shell will make a total of 36 Baking Soda (cap of 22) by the end, so plan with that in mind (12 Shells = 156 synths, with 84 for skill).
*Baking Soda (22)-Lightning Crystal, Rock Salt, Movalpolos Water--To make the M. Water, take 1 Carbon Dioxide from above and synth with 4 Distilled Waters and a Wind Crystal. It caps at 14, so you can, in theory HQ, but don't rely on that. These sell for 68 to NPCs and 1 Trumpet Shell, in the end, can make 36 Baking Sodas, which is profitable after crystal costs. Not by much, so don't count on this to buy your Airship pass or Scorpion Harness +1, but it will get you from 18-22 for profit.
*Silent Oil (24)-Water Crystal, Beeswax x2, Slime Oil--If you gather your own Beehive Chips or Pephredo Hive Chips or have a high level crafter (60+) make the Beeswax for you, you can almost pull even on these. However, on most servers, high-level Alchemists HQ these for gil. A good bridge if you have to. Sells extremely fast, fortunately.
*Blinding Potion (27)-Water Crystal, Sleepshroom, Poison Flour, Crying Mustard--Crying Mustard at Raimbroy’s or a Cooking or Alchemy Guild, Poison Flour from the Gobbie shop in Jeuno (rare drop from Gigas, so check AH in case someone has dumped a few off there) and Sleepshrooms from the AH. Since the flour doesn’t stack, it is the limiting factor, so I made these in Jeuno. Make as many as you can and save them, with one as a TEST ITEM. It's a 9-level jump from Poison Potions, which is why I added both the CO2 and Silent Oil bridges, both of which can be done from Jeuno (if you are using an Alchy Mule, you can locate it in Jeuno and just return to Bastok for the Test Items and Guild Points).
*Blinding Potion (28)-Lightning Crystal, Nebimonite, Mercury--An alternate recipe for these Pots, more expensive but makes twice the potions per synth. Because both the Nebs and Mercury stacks, this can be done more easily in Bastok. However, Nebs aren't the most fun to fish up and are usually caught in either Sea Serpent Grotto or the Ferry.
*Sairui-Ran (28)-Earth Crystal, Bird Egg, Bomb Ash, Bast Parchment, Kazham Peppers--Cooking 11 as a sub-skill, which is so easy to get that I will fly to your house and slap you (ala Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) if you complain about it. These can be profitable without being able to HQ them, especially if you make your own Bast Parchment (see below) and get the Bomb Ash for cheap from the AH. As a NIN tool, you can combined 36 into one stack of Toolbags for easier sales. If you do a ton for skill, I'd suggest selling to friends/LS-mates in bulk; they sell okay on AH nowdays.
*Colored Cloth Dyes (29)-Water Crystal, Dye Source--There are 5 colored dyes used to make certain furniture items for Moghancements support for various elements. The furniture are either low 70's Clothcraft or upper 60's Woodworking and the Dyes NPC for 1 gil each, so this is a losing way to get to 29, but exists for those choosing not to do Blinding Potions -> Blind Bolt Heads. The dye sources are Turmeric, Baking Soda, Imperial Tea Leaves, Dyer's Woad, and Nopales.
*Bast Parchment (29)-Lightning Crystal, Distilled Water, Elm Log, Moko Grass--Actually, this is a Woodworking 45 recipe, with a sub of Alchemy 29, but profitable all the same and one of the most widely-used ingredients out there (I think Bronze Ingots and/or Mercury take that prize). At high levels of Woodworking and Alchemy, you'll make a ton of this for other profit-synths, or you can sell them if it is profitable that way. Just beware that the logs don't stack and each synth makes a full stack, so room can be an issue. Logs stack now
==== 31-40 ====
*Blind Bolt Heads (31)-Wind Crystal, Animal Glue, Blinding Potion, Bronze Ingot--This requires Smithing 14, which is easy enough to get. You can AH them or use them to make bolts with, do the math/research first as sales on bolts have slacked. Make sure you get to at least 30 with them because the next big recipe is at 40.
*Volant Serum (33)-Water Crystal, Bat Fang x2, Mercury-Sub of Bonecraft 27, makes 3 sera that sell for 77 gil. Supply of fangs could be an issue, but you should be able to easily make Mercury, maybe HQ a few. Decent bridge.
*Artificial Lens (34)-Fire Crystal, Glass Fiber x2--This doesn't stack and is only for people worried about the 9 level jump. Mixed with a Light Crystal and two more Glass Fiber at level 41, they make Prism Powder, a fast selling synth but again, they do not stack and making enough for 30->34 will clog even a mule's inventory. Make what you feel comfortable with, both skill and inventory-wise, and save for later.
*Bronze Bullet (38)-Fire Crystal, Firesand, Bronze Ingot--I've been back-and-forth about these as Firesand is an Alchemy 40 craft, and the profitability can be slim at best. However, if you can get the Firesand cheap or made some for skill and want to use it on these (as opposed to Bullets at 41), these take Smithing 13.
*Firesand (40)-Earth Crystal, Bomb Ash x2, Sulfur--Check the AHs for these items first, as they are usually cheaper there, but in a pinch: Bomb Ash in the Metalworks area of Bastok and Sulfur from the Gustaberg RV in Port Bastok. Tandem with Bullets to work your way closer to 35-36. Also a TEST ITEM. I'd advise selecting either this or the Artificial Lens/Prism Powder path and sticking to it as much as you can stand.
==== 41-50 ====
*Bullet (41)-Fire Crystal, Firesand, Brass Ingot--Goldsmithing 18 as a sub-craft. These sell pretty well in stacks or pouches (Bullet-equivalent of Quivers or Toolbags). If you made Firesand, this is a good way to use it. The bigger advantage is that a full stack of pouches is equal to 54 (54) synths in one AH sales slot: 36 for the Bullets themselves and 18 for the Firesand.
*Prism Powder (41)-Light Crystal, Artificial Lens, Glass Fiber x2--These are profitable, easy to make (4 glass fiber, 1 fire and 1 light crystal), and sell extremely rapidly. They are also made in by the ton for gil by higher-level Alchemists because of the profitability. You'll have to undercut prices a little, but even then, you should be able to make good profits.
*Vitriol (43)-Water Crystal, Treant Bulb x2--Make up to the cap of this stuff, especially if you want to make a ton of gil later on making Acid Bolts. Treant Bulbs are either very cheap or very farmable in starting cities. If you don't end up making Acid Bolts in the end, you'll still want to save a stack or two if you are taking your Alchemy beyond 60 and/or getting Key Items because a lot of GP items are made by adding Status-Potions to weapons.
*Acid Bolt Heads (45)-Wind Crystal, Animal Glue, Vitriol, Bronze Ingot--These sell so much better (as more gil-per-synth and as return on investment) as Bolts than as Boltheads, so I suggest making these into Bolts, Quiver them, and sell them while twirling your mustache in glee. I took this to cap because I made a lot of vitriol and because I had a Woodworking at 69+2 at the time. I recommend it as well.
*Iron Bullet (45)-Fire Crystal, Iron Ingot, Firesand--The sales of these are only average and the price can swing, and Iron Ingots cost 2700 each, but they are profitable and the ability to stack 36 synths into a single stack of pouches for sale is incredibly helpful. Smithing skill of 22 required.
*Shrimp Lure (48)-Fire Crystal, Silver Ingot, Crayfish, Glass Fiber--These are little profit-monkeys just sitting there, waiting to be mass-produced...except they don't stack. Extremely competitive to sell, so don't try to get more than a level or two of skill. Be careful of flooding the market and also, these require Goldsmithing 21 to make.
*Steel Bullets (48)-Fire Crystal, Firesand, Steel Ingot--Sub-craft of Smithing 30. These sell well and at a decent, if not at the fastest rate. Mostly, I'd use this as a way to level your Smithing if it's between 25 and 30.
TEST ITEM: Fire Sword: Earth Crystal, Iron Sword, Firesand, Slime Oil: These swords are popular because they have better DPS than the Iron Swords, but are often made for GP or the HQ version (best DPS Sword until Centurion's Sword for almost all Sword-using jobs). Buy one or make one depending on the cost of Slime Oil and Iron Swords at the AH. Don't make for skill because the market is too flooded and there aren't enough Iron Swords to support more than 1-2 of these at a time.
==== 51-60 ====
*Holy Water (51)-Light Crystal, Distilled Water--Light crystals crashed since the first time I was in this range (from 10k/stack to 4k/stack), making this a much better synth. Save some to make Holy Bolt Heads (recipe below) if you want. Used to NPC for 350 each but now down to 150 each. Depending on crystal prices, NPC'ing might still be a decent path but check the AH sales price and sales rate first.
*Silver Bullet (52)-Fire Crystal, Silver Ingot, Firesand--After a back-and-forth debate, I have re-added these. They take Goldsmithing 24, are profitable, and can be "pouched" to fit 36 synths into 1 big stack. My Goldsmithing Guide does suggest this as a way to level your Goldsmithing from 21 to 24.
*Holy Bolt Heads (53)-Wind Crystal, Bronze Ingot, Holy Water x2--These make incredibly profitable bolts, but don't sell well as simply Boltheads. It's one way to use up your Holy Water if you don't want to NPC them. 
*Sleeping Potion (56)-Water Crystal, Chamomile, Sleepshroom, Poison Flour--Just like Blinding Potions, only you can get everything for this synth in Jeuno (AH included). The Chamomile's in Upper Jeuno's Flowershop and the Poison Flour's in Lower Jeuno’s Gobbieshop. If you plan to go past 60, save for boltheads, otherwise sell them for a nice profit. 
*Quake Grenade (58)-Earth Crystal, Iron Ingot x2, Sulfur, Firesand x2, Bomb Ash x3 or Cluster Ash--After much debate, I'm adding these into the guide. They have a Smithing 29 sub-skill, sell decently well for only one reason: 4 are needed for a THF AF quest. Beware that the price may be very vulnerable if the market gets flooded; they really aren't used for much else.
*Cermet Chunk (59)/(60)-Fire Crystal, Golem Shard x2/Doll Shard x2--These are the best way to make Cermet Chunks. Alternatively, Magic Pot Shard x4 (56) works but is more expensive/synth. Save for several synths beyond 60 but don't be afraid to sell them at a profit, either.
TEST ITEM: Hi-Potion: Water Crystal, Sage x2, Distilled Water, Malboro Vine: Frankly, some guides recommend making these but the competition for Vines is incredibly fierce, the vines and the pots don't stack, and the profit-margin is incredibly slim. However, this is a good use for any randomly-dropped Malboro Vines. Just buy one off the AH.
==== 61-70 ====
*Glass Fiber (61)-Fire Crystal, Flint Stone x8--Prices on the fibers have risen to the point where this is profitable. Additionally, the guild is either getting bought out like clockwork or SE changed the re-stocking rate/prices. Realize that 2 stacks of Flint Stones makes only 3 synths worth, so this can be a huge space waster. Farming x8 items for one synth takes a long time but the mobs are very low level in a lot of zones.
*Porcelain Flowerpot (61)-Fire Crystal, Cermet Chunk--A standard way to get Alchemy to 61, especially if you made the Cermet Chunks, but prices/sales are unstable. I would recommend making these for yourself and your friends; be sure to get custom orders in advance. Otherwise, save the Chunks for Cermet Claws.
*Venom Dust (61/62)-Lightning Crystal, Scorpion Claw x2 (61) or Ogre Eel x2 (62) or Monke-Onke (62)--While you can fish for Eels in a variety of places, I've never had great success in any of them that I've tried. The Monke-Onke are only found in East Sarutabaruta's lake but aren't a lot of fun to catch. Scorpion Claws can be massed farmed but can clog your inventory fast. The dust is sold in Jeuno, in the goblin shop for 1k each, as well. For capping at 70, you might want a good ton of these for two different synths.
*Cermet Claws (63)-Fire Crystal, Beetle Jaw, Cermet Chunk--Bonecraft 16 sub and NPC for 5.4k. You're welcome. Also commonly used for Guild Points and/or Stun Claws which are also a Guild Point item.
*Sleep Bolt Heads (67)-Wind Crystal, Bronze Ingot, Animal Glue, Sleeping Potion--Smithing 14 as a sub-skill, same as the other boltheads you've made. Profitable to sell but don't expect to sell them as quickly as you can the bolts themselves. Because it is after 50, expect to make a few stacks (x99) of the boltheads. Find a WW friend to pawn them off on if possible, or do the several hundred synths yourself when the first place nation controls Norvallen at the same time (easy access to quivering and Ash Lumber).
*Venom Potion (68)-Water Crystal, Mercury, Venom Dust--By now, you should be regularly HQ1-3 on making Mercury, so it will probably be cheaper to make your own. That doesn't mean you shouldn't raid the Fishing Guilds, but it does mean that you don't have to raid the Guilds to break-even. Save these for bolt heads (74) or for Guild Point items. Goblin shop in Jeuno carries the dust if you didn't make it earlier for 1k a pinch.
*Hi-Ether (69)-Water Crystal, Bat Wing x4, Dried Marjoram x2, Dryad Root, Distilled Water--Doesn't stack but sells quickly. Tag-team these with Remedies for the best effect because the number of Bat Wings required is borderline obscene/insane, so plan in advance. Doesn't stack, so beware of inventory issues.
*Remedy (69)-Water Crystal, Chamomile, Sage, Wijnruit, Dried Marjoram, Distilled Water, Boyahda Moss, Mistletoe, Honey--The last three are the only things you can't buy from a vendor (crystals aside) and can be the limiting factors here. You can no longer sell them to NPCs for profit, but that's a good thing for lower-level crafters (who can't HQ them). Make as profitable (the Moss can vary too widely to give concrete advice).
TEST ITEM: Acid Kukri: Water Crystal, Vitriol, Animal Glue, Mythril Kukri: By now, the recipe should be so familiar you only need to know what base weapon to modify. Better to buy the Ritualistic-Beheading Knife on the AH, most likely, because Corrosive Kukri, the HQ version, is a THF favorite.
== POST 70 Recipes ==
This is for going past 70 in Alchemy. Only do this if you want to take Alchemy to 100. The jump from here is harder on the wallet and I spent a long time selling Shrimp Lures before starting it. Key Item: Anima Synthesis is a great pickup, but no longer required.
==== 71-80 ====
*Paralysis Dust (72)-Lightning Crystal, Puffball x2 or Three-eyed Fish--I am putting these into the guide only because I have Paralyze Potions below. I only had Three-eyed Fish because I was break-fishing with my main character on Qufim Island, which is the only place to catch these. Not for a mule to try (Aggro from Goblin Bounty Hunters until level 45-ish) and not for someone without a lot of Fishing skill (I wasn't 100% on reeling them in at 50). Oh, and Puffballs are expensive and/or hard to farm from Treants. 
*Halcyon Fishing Rod (72 & 76)-Light Crystal, Broken Halcyon Rod or Fire Crystal, Cermet Chunk, Glass Fiber x2, Carbon Fiber x4--This is the most profitable alternative to Animas I have found. Check here and here for where to break the rod if you have the levels and skill. It is profitable and you should be getting some HQs on the materials. However, this strategy doesn't work well with mules because really the only places to break rods are places hard-to-impossible to reach with a level 1 mule.
**Suggestion: Make 12, then break and repair until you run out of rods or you hit 72 and sell the rest. Sales are too slow to really for 4 levels of post-50 synthing.
*Anima Synthesis (75)-Elemental Crystal, Memory x4, Rock Salt, Sulfur, Mercury--These are a bulwark in Alchemy crafting because the Animas are used to craft certain Enchanted items in other crafts, most notably Reraise items for Bonecraft and Goldsmithing, and Warp Cudgels for Woodworking. There are a few more miscellaneous items that can be crafted from them, but are not mass-produced the same way. If you decide to make Animas, either decide in advance what Enchanted items you will be making or line up buyers for the Animas. Do this because Animas do not sell to NPCs, which can leave you holding the bag. In order to craft these, you need a Key Item from the Alchemy Guild called Anima Synthesis, which costs Guild Points. 
**Advice: The only Animas that sell directly and at any rate on the AH are those related to RR-items (Light, Lightning, and Water). Charge your friends a small premium for crafting them (but keep your price below AH so everyone wins). Otherwise, craft Animas on demand for other, non-RR-related synths (Warp Club and Blink Band, mostly). 
*Venom Bolt Heads (76)-Wind Crystal, Venom Potion, Bronze Ingot, Animal Glue--I accidentally left out these boltheads until recently, but only because I didn't craft these. All I do know is that if you made Venom Dust, then you made Venom Potions. If you made Venom Potions, then this appears to be a profitable way to get rid of them if you are willing to make the bolts. More so, this is the cheapest way to use up Venom Potions while capping your Alchemy at 70. Going just 2-3 levels will leave you with several stacks of 99, so beware making bolts in that regard.
*Paralyze Potion (78)-Water Crystal, Mercury, Paralysis Dust--Same recipe as all negative status potions, but these don't sell nearly as well. I had a supply of the Dust from break-fishing Three-eyed Fish, so I used this as a bridge and spent a decent bit of effort selling them off. Some people save these for making Mamushitos for level 91.
TEST ITEM: X-Potion: Water Crystal, Sage x2, Distilled Water, Hecteyes Eye, Reishi Mushroom: Buy on the AH. I tried making these to help bridge the gap but these aren't really profitable, the mushrooms are hard to get, and the potions don't sell quite fast enough to make up for not stacking.
==== 81-90 ====
*Bloody Bolt Heads (81)-Wind Crystal, Bronze Ingot, Beastman Blood, Revival Tree Root--Great synth for this high up. While the Beastman Blood and Tree Root are limiting factors, these bolts sell quickly and are very stackable for a Level 81 synth. This is especially nice if you've gotten your Woodworking up past 47, so you can reliably HQ. 
**WARNING: 6 levels (or 5 if you made Halcyon Rods) will take a lot of synths and leave you with tons of boltheads to synth. Also, I am biased because this is based on my Alchemy Mule when my main character had a Woodworking of 81+2.
**Update: See Discussion page for a note on this. 
*Stun Claws (82)-Water Crystal, Animal Glue, Paralyze Potion, Cermet Claws--The claws, as stated above, cost 4-5k to make, these Status Claws NPC for 6.4k and are a Guild Point item. An excellent counter-point to endlessly making those Bloody Bolts (pun intended), at best. Alternatively, a one-level bridge.
*Polyflan (83)-Lightning Crystal, Flan Meat, Chimera Blood--A bridge, not profitable, for those not making Holy Leathers. Considering that I have dropped Photoanima, I would seriously considering capping on these. before trying Gold Nuggets or Super Ethers.
*Dragon Blood (84)-Lightning Crystal, Dragon Heart--Newly opened up as a break-even synth, both hearts and blood have dropped in price. Each heart gives 4 blood (without HQs) but HQs are too rare for higher-level Alchemists to consider undercutting. The blood sells okay~ish for use in Cursed armors. Decent bridge, but not great.
*Holy Leather (87)-Light Crystal, Holy Water, Ram Leather--Given that Photoanimas now cost 20k each to make and don't sell, I have removed them. Which now leaves a hole between Bloody Bolt Heads at 81 and Gold Nuggets at 88. This, along with Polyflan, is a decent bridge that'll cost you minimal amounts per synth. You should be HQing the occasional Holy Water and Ram Leather is a standard skill-up synth. However, I will say that I am biased because I enjoy Ram-farming for drops and I have the Mad Leather-craft skills to turn the unstackable Ram Skins into stackable-leather, and plenty of other uses for Ram Horns, the other drop.
*Gold Nugget (88)-Fire Crystal, Gold Leaf, Panacea--Pretty good profit if you can get the ingredients. Vital for taking Goldsmithing from 51 to 54. If you don't level your Goldsmithing or have already past that point, try to find direct buyers because you'll make a ton of nuggets (x9 per synth) if you do these for skill.
*Super Ether (89)-Water Crystal, Ahriman Wing, Treant Bulb, Distilled Water, Dried Marjoram x3--These are also a bridge to consider using alongside Gold Nuggets as needed. As I tag-teamed on Urushi with my Woodworking main, I had a strong level 91 synth. I would go with Urushi or Mamushitos, as Ahriman Wings are best saved for Pro-Ethers.
TEST ITEM: Bloody Sword: Dark Crystal, Bastard Sword, Revival Tree Root, Beastman Blood: You might be able to make this cheaper, but there's a few floating around because HP Drain on a Great Sword helps reduce a DRK's need on healing...
==== 91-100 ====
*Urushi (91)-Fire Crystal, Lacquer Tree Sap x4, Iron Ore, Honey--This and Animas are what prompted me to make an Alchemy mule. These are essential for helping get Woodworking from 91 to 96 and above. The sub-crafts are Woodworking 59 and Smithing 21. Read that again, just to be sure.
**Update: Tenshodo buyers in Lower Jeuno, Norg, and Nashmau will buy up to 15 a time for 4595 each. That's almost 70k in sales per day. Not sure how fast they get back to that point, though, because I've only tried to sell once every Real-Life day. But it is a great way to get rid of the stuff.
*Mamushito (91)-Water Crystal, Paralyze Potion, Animal Glue, Shinobi-gatana--The standard formula for Status-effect Katanas, the highest level of them possible. Doing 4-5 levels of Icarus Wings might drive most people insane (if not already there), so a non-Woodworking-59 option might be desired, but these no longer sell at a profit, either NQ or HQ.
*Icarus Wing (93)-Wind Crystal, Giant Bird Feather x6, Beeswax x2--Giant Bird Feathers availability aside, these are incredibly cheap and easy for Level 93 synth (you should be able to kill at making Beeswax by now and you may have picked up Trituration from the Guild). Sold singly, they clear quickly and at a large profit. Stacks don't sell as well, though, so clearing all you've made to reach 93 will take a long time. Be warned that you will have fierce competition, but you should be learning the names of fellow crafters doing the same skill-up synths as you by now.
*Platinum Nugget (96)-Fire Crystal, Platinum Leaf, Panacea--Same as Gold Nuggets but for Platinum-level Goldsmithing at 60+. The Leaves come from failed attempts at Gardening Elemental Ores (Ice Ores. and that's it, so you'll either have to watch the AH like a hawk or grow your own. The good news is that your skill is now to the point where you can make your own Panacea (see below), which will ease supply issues. The nuggets should do well on AH since they are a key way to get Goldsmithing to 64, but again, you're better off finding direct buyers.
*Panacea (98)-Light Crystal, Philosopher's Stone, Mercury, Sulfur, Rock Salt--Great tandem synth with Platinum Nugget after you finish off Icarus Wings. Only 2 more levels after this. Getting the stones will be hard, as others snatch them up quickly from the AH (either really really fast as singles, or at a premium in stacks). 
*Cantarella (99)-Dark Crystal, Venom Dust, Mercury, Distilled Water, Paralysis Dust, Fresh Orc Liver--Like all crafts, this is the Level 99 Recipe for Relic Weapon Upgrades. Orc Offal drops from Dynamis zones, sells relatively cheaply at the AH, and this NPCs for a loss. On my server (Asura), the liver is 3k, total cost is about 5k, and these NPC for 2.7k. However, every point of skill is hard now and you should be making lower level items for profit to pay for your skill-ups.
*Pro-Ether (100)-Water Crystal, Ahriman Wing x2, Treant Bulb, Dried Marjoram x3, Distilled Water, Wyvern Wing--This or Sun Water will cap you, but both are losing propositions because there are better alternates for people to use than these. I'd suggest finding some major sources of profit (see end-section) and using that to dry your tears. Oh, and supplies and space will both be issues here, so getting to 98 if not 99 first will be a major help.
== Guild Point Items ==
After some consideration, I'm adding a section on the various Guild Point items that you can purchase for Alchemy. The item is followed by a (comment) with the minimum rank needed. If you are taking a craft to 100, sign up for Guild Points when you hit 28-30, because you will need them. Remember that (1) you can only sign up for one type of Guild Points at a time and (2) you lose ALL progress if you switch, so be 100% complete before moving on. Oh, and I'm not mentioning High Quality Crystals because they're a nice bonus but not something to worry about.
*Alchemist's Belt (Novice)--Personally, I disdain the belts. They offer you HQ Synth support in the field, but only have a limited number of charges. If you really really need the support, head to a Guild; it isn't worth 10k GPs.
*Trituration (Novice)--This Key Item lets you use 1 crystal + Triturator to perform what would cost 2-3 crystals. For some crafts, like Beeswax, this is helpful to squeeze more effect out of HQs and save you considerable time. For some, namely Prism Powder, this will waste your HQs. However, overall, this could be worth the cost if you routinely HQ basic items for profit or other crafts because time = money.
*Iatrochemistry (Novice)--This Key Item is for Automaton Attachments. Each synth makes 12, each PUP only ever needs to buy 1 attachment and many attachments are drops from mobs or battles. That being said, crafting these can be extremely profitable, if slow selling. As far as cost-benefit, I am agnostic.
*Alchemic Ensorcellment (Novice)/Alchemic Purification (Novice)--There are 5 items you can make between these two. Those 5 items can make around 20 items, or so. On Asura, aside from one that drops from a common Assault, there have been about 100 sales of these items in the last 5 years. Don't. It's that simple.
*Concoction (Novice)--An interesting idea for a Key Item, this lets you make some medicines in stackable form rather than non-stackable form. However, the 4 medicines made this way give you a 5 minute Medicated effect and Gobbiebag expansion has reached the point where this isn't worth bothering, even if people made/bought the items in question.
*Anima Synthesis (Novice)--At one point, this was the bomb. Animas were sky-high sellers in most categories. Not quite as much any more, but still profitable if you have other crafts' Key Items that use Animas. Also, making Animas is a fairly cheap way to get to 75. I got it, and, if you intend to go to 100, you'll most likely get it too in the end.
*Caduceus (Journeyman)--The first Skill+1 item for Alchemy. This raises your effective Skill by 1. It operates like Synth Support while equipped and is 100% golden. Get it. It will help at all stages, especially in large jumps. If not Anima Synthesis, this is the first thing you should be saving to get.
*Alchemist's Apron (Artisan)--The second Skill+1 item, the next thing to save for. Same applies down the line.
*Alchemist's Ring (Craftsman)--This is relatively new and offers an interesting trade. While equipped, you can no longer HQ, but you increase your chances of successfully synthing. For large jumps, for underlying Guild and Quest Items (where HQing can be bad), this sounds great. However, it costs 80k GP, which is a lot. I've reached no conclusions on the cost-benefit analysis for it as of yet. However, I should note that for Alchemy, you will not be making many Guild Point items that are ruined by HQing the base item; in such instances, the HQ base item usually sells well on the AH.
*Emeralda (Veteran)--The Skill+1 Furniture. Lightning Aura, so stack your Mog House with Consoles for Storage and Aura. With this, your skill is now 100+3, meaning you've reached (with Advanced Support) at least Tier 2 for items at 75 or below and Tier 3 for items under 55. Again, get it; no question that it is worth it.
*Alchemist's Signboard (Veteran)--A newer Furniture, this offers a stronger Aura effect (in some crafts, letting you use better furniture that won't overwhelm your Moghancement) and, when combined with the other Veteran-level Furnishing, grants Moglification: Alchemy, offering a combined Skill+1 with a reduced chance of losing items on failed synths. Best of all worlds. This should be the last item you get (aside from HQ Crystals and/or the other Key Items if you are going for completion).
== Restocking Gil ==
There are five (5) broad categories you can use for Restocking (aka getting back) your gil that may have been lost during the skill-up process. In my Cooking Guide, I used high-cost but high-profit items that weren't good for skill-ups. Here, however, you'll find that restocking gil depends more on your ability to HQ. Learn what you need to HQ to make a profit and learn what you don't need to HQ, and work accordingly. I won't be listing the recipes, check them yourself, but I will try to give tips or notes on each as needed.
==== Medicine ====
The truest consumables in Alchemy; so long as people play non-WHM jobs, these will be needed.
*Antidote: Grapes in Sandy, Winjiruits in Jeuno, cheap as anything and second-lowest Alchemy recipe, bar none.
*Echo Drops: Beware the price of Honey, but otherwise, these are golden.
*Silent Oil: HQ ONLY. Also, keep an eye out for cheap Beehive or Pephredo Hive Chips for HQing the required Beeswax (two chances to HQ will help).
*Eye Drops: NPC these. They don't sell well, but they do NPC at a profit. HQs are just whipped cream on top.
*Prism Powder: Watch for cheap Glass Fiber when visiting the Guild in Bastok (600 is lowest possible price and often below the going AH rate). Alternatively, desynthing Goblin or Moblin Masks is another common method but I find that desynth is tricky.
*Holy Water: Good use for cheap (3.5k or less) Light Clusters or stacks if you NPC them, but also generally profitable on AH as well.
*Remedy: SE nerfed Professional Remedy Crafters and their associates, Professional Mistletoe Farmers, and nerfed them hard. As a direct consequence, you can once again craft these for skill and profit. (If you can't tell, I don't have sympathy for people whining about that nerfing.)
==== Base Components ====
The building blocks for so many recipes in all crafts.
*Black Ink: A good way to use certain Cephalopods that you might fish up, but Black Ink is a key ingredient for certain Ninjitsu tools, so it sells well.
*Beeswax: Both Beehive Chips and Pephredo Hive Chips are common farming items and these take well to HQing. As a base ingredient to Silent Oil (noted above), these are popular for lower-level and higher-level crafters.
*Animal Glue: Both the Bone Chips and the Rabbit Hides are cheap and usually plentiful as a low-level drop and higher level Alchemists need them for Guild Point items. Enjoy playing middle-man.
*Mercury: One of the must ubiquitous components, used in well over 100+ recipes. Raiding the odd Fishing Guild may help or just keep them from random fishing trips.
*Bast Parchment: This is actually a Woodworking 45 synth, but a lot of Alchemy items, Fireworks and Ninja Tools, require these as the base component...
*Firesand: The sulfur and bomb ash is best bought on the AH, but enough people buy these for bullets and adding flames to weapons that there is a good market. Don't count on HQs unless you are truly leet, though.
**Note: Djinn Ash and Cluster Ash are more potent versions of Bomb Ash and may be used as a substitute, especially if you HQ this synth.
*Carbon Fiber: Bomb Ash from the AH again, but healthy profits if the sales rate isn't as stable as you'd like, but these are used in enough other recipes that there is at least a few stacks sold a day.
**Note: Same thing as Firesand above.
*Glass Fiber: Base component for a lot of synths but mostly for Prism Powder, comes mostly from desynthing Goblin/Moblin Masks.
==== Fishing Gear ====
Or, God Bless Fishing Bots. Seriously, they exist for a while, buying tons of your materials, sell fish cheap, then periodically get reset, only to repeat the cycle. Sucks if you are fishing for income, though.
*Shrimp Lure: The market for selling these gil-puppies is highly competitive, but if you can get cheap silver ingots and glass fibers, you can fight hard to sell lots of these at a profit of 2k+ each.
*Halcyon Rod: Alchemy 76 is up there for a restocking item but these sell around 5-10/day and are profitable in the extreme as the rod of choice for anyone not fishing up large fish or possessing Lu Shangs.
==== Ninjas ====
They used to your best friends. They have largely moved onto greener pastures but the underlying items still do decently.
*HQ Katanas: A variety of status-effect potions can be added to Katanas by the formula Water Crystal + Animal Glue + Shinobi-Gatana + Status Potion. The HQs do okay, but mostly these are Guild Point items now.
*Tsurara: Cheap and easy to make but for some reason, people will buy them from the AH instead of making them for themselves. When you take 300 worth of items and crystals and make a 2k stack in one synth, you'll be wowed.
*Kodoku: Not the best seller but highly-profitable if the frogs are for sale cheap (or at all). Taking 20k, making 12 stacks of tools that sell for 50k and selling them over the course of a week or two keeps the gil rolling in, if not quickly.
*Sairui-Ran: Bast Parchment, Bomb Ash and then a bunch of items sold cheaply by NPCs. Gotta love it, especially if you HQ these. Ninjas just love Blind when trying to tank.
*Jusatsu: Confession: These are incredible but the market is occasionally saturated and usually competitive with high-level crafters, but each HQ can make you a 1-2k+.
==== Miscellaneous ====
What the name implies; they don't fit in with the others
*HQ Guild Point Items: A major component of GP Items is weapons; see Tip #2 above. The HQ versions will often sell for a good profit and much more quickly than the NQ version, Katanas and Daggers especially.
*Poison Potion: You can HQ the two basic components, Poison Dust and Mercury (HQs have no effect on the # of potions), so these can be even cheaper to make for profit than they were for skill.
*Sleeping Potion: HQs will be rare for a 56-level synth, but they sell well and HQs create extra potions. A good use for cheap Sleepshrooms.
*Bullets: RNG and COR will use these in large quantities and HQing them will make you a lot of money. Brass, Iron, Steel, and Silver Bullets are usually profitable and popular, but your ability to HQ will depend as much on your Smithing or Goldsmithing skill as your Alchemy. Check your server for any others that do well.
*Cermet Chunk-based Weaponry: There are a number of weapons, knives/daggers/kukri especially, that are based on Cermet Chunks, which sell profitably or are used as the base weapon for status-effect weapons. Most are profitable, if not the best selling.
If you have any other suggestions or ideas, feel free to add to the Discussion Page or add into the above section (just make sure to sign your addition). Enjoy!