So is Alchemy kind of useless?

[Pondera]

I finished leveling my Alchemist to 60 the other day, seeing as how I had an overabundance of levequests, and spent several hundred thousand gil on materials thinking that I could make it all back later on. But I've run into a problem. The potion I wanted to mass produce, max-ether, requires me to go to the Diadem and do my botanist thing there. I've got the class skill and the gear, but nobody goes to the diadem anymore, resulting in prices as high as 90,000 for a stack of 10. Then, I'll have to level my fishing to 60 (which I died a little inside when I discovered that), track down an ephemeral node, acquire the other 3 more mundane items and make sure I keep on top of my cluster farming.

It also occurred to me that I've never actually seen anyone using potions in a fight, or at least, not to any noticeable degree. While tricks of the trade and comfort zone are nice, I can't help but feel like I wasted a good chunk of personal resources on leveling a trade skill that really can't do anything for me because of the current state of the game.

TL'DR version, what good does alchemy actually do?

[Rawrz]

Potions are godly. They are your reward. They are like unlocking an additional skill on your characters! Just as Cul is like obtaining an extra accessory.

[Ksenia]

One word:
dissolvent

They are in everything.

[Pondera]

Potions are godly. They are your reward. They are like unlocking an additional skill on your characters! Just as Cul is like obtaining an extra accessory.

hm... alright then. I've gotten a great deal of mileage out of CUL. Even so, the ingredients bound to the Diadem is a major stumbling block. Any idea how I'm supposed to get in there? I've already got it unlocked, but the DF says the ETA is over 30 minutes, which means "a group MIGHT form"

[Heliantheae]

Can't you ask someone in your FC to take you? All they have to do is drop you off.

[Caitlinzulu]

Best way to et into diadem is with your fc and use one of the airships, at least if your fc has a house.

And like Ksenia said disolvents are in everything, its the reason i changed specialist from armorer to alchemist on my alt.

[MikeWW]

Alchemist has been quite profitable the last several months. They make luminous fibers that are required for every single ironworks crafter/gatherer gear and dissolvents used in combat gear. But right now most people already have ironworks gear since its been out for so long, and most people don't need the ilvl 250 crafted gear anymore after the release of 255 PotD weapons and ease of getting token gear, so much less profit than before for all crafters. I used to sell 250 weapons for like 5-8 mil each, now they seem to be down to ~750k-1500k, which of course is a lot more reasonable, but darn for a while I was really raking it in lol.

[ChiiSoSeriouz]

Raiders use potions in fights. Since pot timers reset along with cd's after wipes we use them more then ever.

[FoxyAreku]

Alchemy is arguably the most profitable and best crafter to have these days. Every craft uses stuff from it for their gear, and potions are constantly in demand for raiders. If you think alchemy is useless, you're doing something very wrong.

And yes, for diadem, use an FC airship with 1 other person.

[LineageRazor]

hm... alright then. I've gotten a great deal of mileage out of CUL. Even so, the ingredients bound to the Diadem is a major stumbling block. Any idea how I'm supposed to get in there? I've already got it unlocked, but the DF says the ETA is over 30 minutes, which means "a group MIGHT form"

Rather than using Duty Finder, you might have more luck creating a Party Finder advertising a Gathering party. You're not the only individual in need of Diadem gathering ingredients, after all! This also eliminates the possibility that you wind up in a Diadem group that actually wants to hunt mobs; you'd pretty much be sabotaging them, but running off and Gathering instead.