Why New Cauldron Recipes Need Testing
Cauldron recipes can change after updates, so a formerly stable factory can suddenly make the wrong product or stop working as expected. The safest way to use a new combination is to test it away from your main production line before committing resources.
Alchemy Factory’s cauldron uses three input slots to create one procedurally generated product. Inputs determine the product, while the product determines its production rate and heat requirement. That makes recipe discovery useful, but it also means an update can alter combinations that players previously relied on.
Current Version 1.0 guidance is deliberately cautious: the available official notes do not publish a full current recipe, rate, cost, capacity, or progression table. Use the in-game recipe panel and machine tooltip as the final authority for inputs, output, time, heat, and ratios.
A practical test sequence is:
- Save before changing an established factory.
- Build the cauldron in sandbox or on an isolated line.
- Supply all three slots continuously.
- Confirm the product, rate, heat use, and output routing in the current interface.
- Only then connect the recipe to the main factory.
If an input slot empties, the cauldron may fill it with something else and switch products. That is the core risk behind untested designs.
How Cauldron Production Works
A cauldron has three inputs and produces one output. Recorded Early Access examples show that different ingredient combinations for the same output could share the same rate and heat requirement.
For example, both recorded clay combinations produced clay at 16.7 per minute and used 4.6 P/s of heat. The difference was resource cost: the mixed recipe reportedly used about half the fertilizer of the three-red-currant version.
| Recorded output | Recorded inputs | Rate shown | Recorded note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay | 3 red currant | 16.7/min | Cannot switch products |
| Clay | Sage, sage powder, red currant | 16.7/min | About half the fertilizer |
| Salt | 1 copper coin, 2 chamomile | 49/min | Coins reportedly lock about 5,000 in the device |
| Impure copper powder | 2 chamomile, 1 lavender | 36.9/min | Listed as a bronze route |
| Copper powder | 2 chamomile, 1 gentian flower | 31.2/min | Used for copper ingots and bearings |
These figures were recorded in Early Access and should not be treated as guaranteed current values. They remain useful as starting points for experiments, especially when comparing possible ingredient routes.
Supply balancing matters as much as the recipe itself. Each slot needs to receive its item at least as quickly as the cauldron consumes it, multiplied by the number of cauldrons in the build. A recorded clay example says three cauldrons need 50.1 per minute of each input, so a nursery stack producing 60 per minute of each input leaves some margin.
Avoid assuming upgrades automatically make a line safe. A factory-efficiency increase can raise cauldron output, while logistics and plant supply may remain unchanged. The source specifically warns not to raise Factory Efficiency without also raising Logistics Efficiency, because nurseries ignore Factory Efficiency.
Recorded Cauldron Recipes and Outputs
The following combinations were reported in February and March 2026, across versions 0.4.3 and 0.4.4. They are historical reference material, not a Version 1.0 recipe list.
| Recorded output | Inputs shown | Rate shown | Notes from the source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gloom spores | 3 lavender | 33.3/min | Feeds malachite |
| Malachite | Copper coin, lavender, gloom spore | About 30/min | Two-stage stack |
| Topaz | Lavender, impure copper powder, silver coin | Not stated | Same layout as malachite |
| Obsidian | Fertile catalyst, chamomile, silver coin | 13.6/min | Byproduct changed to Marble in 1.0 |
| Lapis lazuli | 2 world tree leaves, 1 resonant catalyst | 9.9/min per cauldron | 28 cauldrons reportedly made 277/min |
| Plank | 3 copper coins | Trivial | Listed as a cauldron result |
The same source notes that early-game cauldron recipes such as clay and coke were described as mostly unaffected by a June rebalance, while late-game outputs such as Star Dust were reworked. It also says Version 1.0 changed the obsidian byproduct.
That history is why output verification comes before layout planning. A design based on an old output may still run, but the result, byproduct, economics, or required supporting machines may no longer match the old plan.
The Codex snapshot provides additional historical recipes specifically listed for the Cauldron. Its game version is 0.5.4471 in Early Access, so these are also reference-only until confirmed in-game.
| Output | Inputs | Time shown |
|---|---|---|
| Ruby | Diamond, pure gold dust, resonant catalyst | 30.9s |
| Sapphire | Perfect diamond, world tree core, unstable catalyst | 38.2s |
| Emerald | Moonlit soap, lapis lazuli, fertile catalyst | 45.5s |
| Philosopher’s Stone | Ruby, sapphire, emerald | 60s |
The Codex classifies ruby, sapphire, and emerald as jewelry recipes, and Philosopher’s Stone as magic. That final recipe illustrates a useful planning pattern: some cauldron outputs can become inputs for another cauldron recipe.
Update-Safe Recipe Planning
The best response to recipe changes is to treat a cauldron build as a controlled experiment. Community discussions show that players have returned after updates to find cauldron-heavy factories disrupted, including reports that specific unstable catalyst and lapis lazuli combinations no longer worked.
One discussion about unstable catalyst included two player-reported combinations. These are not official specifications and should be tested in the current game before use.
| Reported target | Player-reported combination | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Unstable catalyst | Silver coin + flaxseed | Reported in a June discussion |
| Unstable catalyst | Gloom spores + chamomile powder | Reported in the same discussion |
| Lapis lazuli | Panacea potion + resonant catalyst + flax | Player-reported July discovery |
| Lapis lazuli | Adamant + shattered crystal + world tree leaf | Player described it as their best available option |
The lapis discussion also includes an important warning: one player said a previously used combination of panacea, flax, and fertile catalyst no longer worked after an update. Another commenter explicitly stated that a recipe website was out of date.
Use these reports as leads, not promises. A recipe can be technically valid yet still be a poor factory choice if its inputs are scarce, expensive, or needed elsewhere.
Before scaling a recipe, check:
- Whether the cauldron creates the intended output with all three inputs present.
- Whether each input line can sustain the recorded consumption.
- Whether heating is adequate for continuous operation.
- Whether output handling is slower than production.
- Whether a byproduct changed after an update.
- Whether a conventional machine route is more practical for your available materials.
For lapis lazuli, one player preferred making ingredients in cauldrons and then crafting the final item in Advanced Athanors. That is not a universal recommendation, but it shows why comparing a cauldron route with a machine route can save a rebuild.
FAQ
What are alchemy factory new cauldron recipes?
Alchemy factory new cauldron recipes are newly discovered or newly changed three-input combinations for the Cauldron. Because recipes have changed during development and complete current tables are not published in the available official notes, verify every combination in the Version 1.0 interface.
Do different recipes for the same product run at different speeds?
The recorded clay examples say no: both combinations made clay at 16.7 per minute with 4.6 P/s heat. The source states that the product decides rate and heat, while inputs decide the output. Confirm this behavior in the current game before relying on it.
Why did my cauldron change products?
If an input slot runs empty, the cauldron can fill that slot with another available item and switch products. Keep inputs isolated, balance delivery rates, and test the build before connecting it to a shared main line.
Are community recipe lists current?
Not necessarily. Community discussions and Codex snapshots can help identify combinations to test, but both the available Version 1.0 guidance and player reports warn that older recipe sites may be out of date.