Last updated: 6 July 2026
KCD2 Potion Recipes Interactive Brewing Helper
Eight of the most-used potions in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, with every ingredient and every hourglass step in one place. Select a potion below to see exactly what goes in the cauldron, what needs grinding first, and how many turns of the hourglass each stage requires — so you can brew accurately without pausing mid-session to re-read a recipe scroll. One rule applies to every recipe: always fill the cauldron with the base liquid (wine, water, spiritus, or oil) before adding any herbs.
01Potion Recipe Lookup
02Potion Quality — Weak, Regular, Strong
Every KCD2 brew resolves to one of three quality tiers. Quality depends on two things: how precisely you follow the timing steps, and whether your herbs are fresh or dried.
- Weak — one or more timing steps missed or significantly off. The potion still works but with reduced effect magnitude or shorter duration.
- Regular — all steps followed correctly, but only dried (stored) herbs used. This is the baseline from apothecary-bought stock and is perfectly adequate for most brews.
- Strong — all steps timed correctly and at least one ingredient used fresh (picked recently rather than stored). Strong quality unlocks each recipe's secondary effect listed in the recipe book. Examples: Saviour Schnapps at strong quality temporarily boosts Strength, Vitality, and Agility after saving; Bowman's Brew at strong quality reduces stamina drain while holding aim.
For routine brewing — Saviour Schnapps, Marigold Decoction — Regular quality is more than sufficient. Reserve the hunt for fresh ingredients for potions where the secondary effect matters, such as Artemisia before a hard fight or Fox before a dialogue-heavy questline. The Art of Preservation perk (Alchemy Level 6) slows herb decay and extends the freshness window after harvesting.
03Base Liquids — What to Keep in Stock
The four base liquids cannot be substituted — each recipe specifies exactly one. Check the tool before your next apothecary visit.
- Wine — the most important base to stockpile. Saviour Schnapps runs on wine and you will brew it very frequently. Keep 10 or more bottles in Henry's inventory at all times. Sold by innkeepers and some merchants.
- Water — the cheapest and most available base. Fill phials from wells, rivers, or buy from innkeepers. Used in Marigold Decoction, Quickfinger, and Aqua Vitalis.
- Spiritus (Spirits) — distilled spirits sold at apothecaries. Needed for Artemisia and Bowman's Brew. Less frequently consumed than wine; 3–5 bottles in reserve is typically sufficient.
- Oil — rendered plant or animal oil from apothecaries and some traders. Used in Fox and Lullaby. Buy on demand rather than stocking heavily, since these potions are brewed infrequently.
04Sourcing the Rarer Ingredients
Common herbs (Nettle, Marigold, Dandelion, Sage) accumulate naturally during travel. A handful of ingredients in this recipe set require more deliberate sourcing.
- Belladonna (Saviour Schnapps, Fox) — found only in shaded forest interiors. Look for dark glossy berries on dark foliage in woodland clearings, not open meadows. Every Saviour Schnapps batch needs 2×, so harvest whenever you enter forested areas.
- Cobweb (Quickfinger) — not a herb. Found in old buildings, caves, and abandoned ruins. Also sold by apothecaries and some general merchants in small quantities.
- Herb Paris (Lullaby) — a small forest-floor plant with a distinctive four-leaf whorl and a single dark berry. Uncommon in the wild; apothecaries reliably stock it.
- Wormwood (Artemisia) — a silver-grey aromatic shrub along dry roadsides and field edges. Artemisia uses 2× per batch, so harvest in bulk when you spot it.
- Eyebright (Quickfinger, Bowman's Brew) — small white-and-purple flowers in open meadows. Common in most regions; stock up freely during travel through open terrain.
- Charcoal (Fox) — not harvestable from plants. Purchase from blacksmiths or general merchants; can also be found near forges and hearths in settlements.
FAQ
What are the ingredients for Saviour Schnapps in KCD2?
Saviour Schnapps requires Wine (base), 1× Nettle, and 2× Belladonna. Brewing: add Nettle to cauldron, boil 2 hourglass turns; grind Belladonna and add it, boil 1 turn; pour into phial. Belladonna grows in shaded forest interiors — stock it consistently, as every batch needs two. At strong quality the potion also temporarily boosts Strength, Vitality, and Agility.
How do I brew Marigold Decoction in KCD2?
Marigold Decoction uses Water (base), 1× Nettle, and 2× Marigold. Steps: add Nettle, boil 2 turns; grind Marigold and add it (no further boil); pour into phial. It is one of the simplest recipes for building Alchemy skill early. The potion heals health gradually over time; strong quality also cures hangover.
What is the Artemisia potion recipe in KCD2?
Artemisia uses Spiritus (spirits) as base, plus 1× Sage and 2× Wormwood. Steps: add Sage, boil 1 turn; grind Wormwood and add, boil 2 more turns; distill. The finish is Distill, not Pour — use the distillation apparatus at the bench. Artemisia boosts Strength for 10 minutes; strong quality also reduces stamina cost of attacks and blocks.
What does Quickfinger do and how do I make it in KCD2?
Quickfinger temporarily boosts Thievery and Craftsmanship, making difficult locks easier and improving crafting checks. Recipe: Water (base), 2× Eyebright, 2× Valerian, 1× Cobweb. Steps: add Cobweb and both Eyebright, boil 3 turns; grind Valerian and add, boil 1 turn; pour. Cobweb is not a herb — buy it from apothecaries or loot it from old buildings.
What is Bowman's Brew and how do I make it in KCD2?
Bowman's Brew temporarily boosts Marksmanship, improving bow accuracy and damage per shot. At strong quality it also reduces stamina drain while holding aim. Recipe: Spiritus (base), 2× Eyebright, 1× St. John's Wort. Steps: add Eyebright, boil 3 turns; grind St. John's Wort and add, boil 1 turn; distill. Finish with Distill, not Pour.
What does the Lullaby potion do in KCD2 and how is it brewed?
Lullaby is a sleep-inducing agent that drains the target's energy to zero — it is administered by adding it to food or drink, not consumed by Henry. At strong quality it also reduces stamina regeneration. Recipe: Oil (base), 1× Poppy, 1× Thistle, 1× Herb Paris. Steps: add Poppy, boil 1 turn; add Thistle, boil 1 turn; grind Herb Paris and add; pour into phial.
What is the Fox potion recipe in KCD2?
Fox boosts the Speech skill for dialogue checks. At strong quality it speeds up reading; at best quality it also increases experience gained. Recipe: Oil (base), 1× Nettle, 1× St. John's Wort, 1× Belladonna, 1× Charcoal. Steps: grind St. John's Wort and Nettle, add both, boil 2 turns; grind Charcoal, add it, then add Belladonna (unground), boil 1 turn; pour. Charcoal must be purchased — it cannot be harvested.
What does Aqua Vitalis do and how do I brew it in KCD2?
Aqua Vitalis slows the rate Henry loses health and reduces active bleeding. It pairs well with Marigold Decoction — Aqua Vitalis slows the damage, Marigold Decoction restores the lost health. Recipe: Water (base), 2× Dandelion, 1× Marigold. Steps: add Dandelion, boil 1 turn; grind Marigold and add, boil 2 turns; distill.
Do all herbs need to be ground before going in the cauldron?
No — each recipe specifies which ingredients must be ground in the mortar first and which go in whole. The interactive tool above marks each ingredient's grind status. Adding an ingredient whole when the recipe calls for grinding (or grinding one that should go in whole) shifts the brew toward Weak quality. Always read the ingredient tags in the tool before you start.
What is the difference between pouring and distilling at the end of a brew in KCD2?
Both transfer the finished brew into phials, but they are distinct lab actions. Pouring uses the ladle to transfer directly. Distilling uses the distillation apparatus on the bench and concentrates the brew further — required by Artemisia, Bowman's Brew, and Aqua Vitalis. Using the wrong finish action produces a substandard result. The recipe tool above shows which action each potion requires at its last step.
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