That's a lot of negativity packed into one subject line, I know. Maybe it's the time of year (Survival's next on the calendar), but I've been Alchemically Transmuting lots of tokens to make the level-number go up. It's boring and it's making me grouchy (even when the number goes up). Alchemy feels like a lot of wasted potential as a concept, but not unsalvageable. What it is now is a gachapon just like the vending machines, but with restockable inputs rather than outputs.

Staff have (temporarily) reinvigorated interest in Alchemy so far by adding outputs -- that's great; more of that would be fine. What if they added inputs, too? Like, I get that the Philosopher's Store has (so far) had a monopoly on items that can go into the Alchemy table to make a new item. Supposing "higher level" alchemists "had a breakthrough" and could incorporate, say, the metals and minerals from Sable Smithy (more restockable inputs from an underused shop whose potential is also arguably unfulfilled) into either all-new items with the inputs from the Philosopher's Store, or (and this might be pushing it) could transmute previous Alchemy outputs into recolored/metallic/begemmed versions of themselves (essentially just adding more outputs, like above, but easier than totally new art)?

Obviously, adding a higher-level bonus that unlocks "alchemical smithing" is in a way more of the same -- more items to get, a run on Philosopher's Store and Sable Smithy stuff that inflates their prices for awhile (like a revamp does, or making something old wearable), and in practice this is barely different than saying that Staff should make Genetech Combo items from Alchemy outputs and Sable Smithy restockables. The difference, I believe, comes in restricting access to "alchemical smithing" (call it what you will; I'm sticking with that) to very high-level alchemists. Like, level 100. Maybe make an achievement for "mastering a new alchemical science." Everybody loves goal-setting. Give Alchemists a stretch goal and lots of sparkly recolors to collect from it. When that set of items gets devalued because heightened interest drove enough people to get to level 100 and make a dozen werepuppers with crowns, or bracers, or collars in various gem/metal combos or whatever, make things even MORE interesting.

This bit is more conceptual because it's not just literally just proposing a new set of inputs/outputs. What if a remnant of the Sable Smithy's original purpose (Genetech Combo weapons) were folded into this "Alchemical Smithing" idea and at an even higher level (like, 150...200 might be pushing it) inputting these o.g. smithed weapons in Alchemy with the Weapon Token created a new set of Alchemical Weapons (probably t1-5, but better than Bone Hooks, because c'mon the Weapon Token is good for exactly nothing now).

You could tweak Alchemical Weapon Smithing (call it what you will, etc.) in lots of directions to make either nifty new wearables (since most of the Sable Smithy weapons are already wearable) or actually functional weapons. Here're a few ideas:

• the wearables think again, but in a bullet point this time. Wearable/aesthetic changes only implies a different token than weapon, so I'm going with that. These changes could be small, like a recolor only (SSweapon+wearable token+tincture), or big like select redraws (SS sword+wearable token+ back layer card = same sword but sheathed on the HA's back, like that).
• Since it's Zombie Alchemy, redraws could go in a more Bone Hookish direction, and could even incorporate Bone Hooks as extra inputs.
• To make Actually Useful Weapons, inputs would have to be a little more complicated to prevent (early) overproduction/market saturation and devaluation. Maybe instead of having a sword mold be used up (again, since they're part of the GT Combo for SS weapons), require that one be in players' inventory while "reforging" SS blades through alchemy. That's not all that complicated, so require an anvil and anything with 'hammer' in the name while "reforging," too. Or instead of the sword mold again to make it feel fresh and to make sure the molds get used at a constant rate and don't get devalued. -If you want to make Alchemically Forged Weapons extra customizable, give them only 1 crystal slot (or none, though that's no fun), but have teardrop crystals included as inputs which affect both the stats and appearance of the reforged weapon (which may or may not be wearable, because this sounds like a heap of work/coding already). E.g. start with a SS Genetech Combo blade. Players can decide if they want to change its looks only (Wearable token + tincture or + layer card or + both (heap of work)), or want to change how it battles (which may break its wearability but should change its item image so if feels like something new) by using a Weapon Token + Teardrop Crystal. Classic Hero Sword is a t3 weapon that does 15-17 lightning damage and blocks 4 dark. It's limited to 1 equipped and has two mod slots. Reforge it with a weapon token and a tear crystal. The result would be a t4 weapon with one mod slot and the crystal bonus added as a permanent stat, with perhaps an Alchemical Blessing or Curse to justify increasing the tier. Maybe this could be done twice with the same weapon, for a stronger Blessing/Curse and the permanent addition of an "extra" mod slot at t5 (imagining that a re-re-forged weapon would keep one mod slot to make good use of that functionality but would have the stat boosts of two crystals already (for an "extra" t5 slot). Speaking of work, I understand that at one reforging this would require making new Alchemy combo weapons for [all of the SS GT Combo weapons]x[All possible tear drop crystals] and at two reforgings the number of possible new weapons gets crazy, so even if these were only recolors and the Blessing or Curse were the same stat boost across all Reforged Weapons, this crystals-inputs idea may be way over the line.

Even if my frenetic brainstorming didn't turn up a useable idea when it comes to modifying SS combos through Alchemy for tier-boosted reforgings, I hope somebody reads this and considers the latent potential within both Alchemy and smithing for whenever it's next time to reinvigorate interest in the former by adding gachapon prizes.

Thanks for reading my mad scribblings. Back to making the number go up.... :D

I agree that it is very boring. Even some new items to make would help.