You come across a variety of Medicines on your journey. Some of them provide temporary bonuses in battle and must be consumed. Others provide permanent stat increases which take effect as soon as you find or craft them. You unlock the ability to craft Medicines after encountering Xu Dog in Chapter 2 near Sandgate Village and bringing him his recipe. You get the recipe by defeating the nearby Frog Yaoguai, Lang-Li-Guhh-Baw.
Mortal Medicines
You can craft a variety of Medicines using recipes and materials found along your journey. These consumables are single use and take a bit of time to use, similar to drinking from your Gourd. After you help Xu Dog, you can craft any unlocked Medicines at the Shrines. Medicines drop off of enemies from time to time, and you can purchase them from the Shrine Vendors. But none of these methods are as reliable as just crafting them after you gather some materials.
Their effects range from the mundane, simple stat boosts, to the extraordinary, granting resurrection on death. Shock-Quelling Powder and Antimiasma Powder are both great for countering the Shock and Poison ailments inflicted by enemies. Some Medicines require rare materials usually obtained when an enemy pops out of the resource you're trying to harvest and attacks you. In exchange, they grant powerful effects! Loong Aura Amplification Pellets provide a huge damage boost and the Soul Remigration Pill returns the Destined One to life! Two other notable Medicines are the Septenary Heartfire Pill which resets your Spells and the Life-Saving Pill which provides a full heal and removes all negative statuses.
List of Mortal Medicines
| Medicine | Materials | Effect | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essence Decoction | Licorice, Withered Silkworm | Increases Maximum Mana | Long |
| Tonifying Decoction | Celestial Pear, Licorice | Increases Maximum Stamina | Long |
| Longevity Decoction | Licorice, Fragrant Jade Flower | Increases Maximum Health | Long |
| Ascension Powder | Nine-Capped Lingzhi, Celestial Pear, Fire Date | All Actions cost no Stamina | Short |
| Loong Aura Amplification Pellets | Monkey-Head Fungus, Purple Lingzhi, Aged Ginseng | Massively Increases Attack, Critical Hit Chance, and Critical Damage | Long |
| Enhanced Ginseng Pellets | Licorice, Millenium Ginseng, Tree Pearl | Grants a large amount of Focus | instant |
| Enhanced Tiger Subduing Pellets | Monkey-Head Fungus, Purple Lingzhi | Considerably Increases Damage | Long |
| Body-Fleeting Powder | Purple Lingzhi, Celestial Pear | Sprinting and Dodging cost no Stamina* | Short |
| Amplification Pellets | Snake-Head Mushroom, Aged Ginseng | Moderately Increases Critical Hit Chance | Long |
| Tiger Subduing Pellets | Snake-Head Mushroom, Purple Lingzhi | Moderately increases Damage | Long |
| Ginseng Pellets | Licorice, Aged Ginseng | Slowly grants Focus | Short |
| Body-Warming Powder | Fire Bellflower, Jade Lotus | Removes Chill and boosts Chill Resistance | Short |
| Antimiasma Powder | Tree Pearl, Jade Lotus | Removes Poison and boosts Poison Resistance | Short |
| Shock-Quelling Powder | Gentian, Jade Lotus | Removes Shock and boosts Shock Resistance | Short |
| Body-Cooling Powder | Fragrant Jade Flower, Jade Lotus | Removes Burning and boosts Burn Resistance | Short |
| Fortifying Medicant | Snake-Head Mushroom, Gentian | Your abilities are less likely to be interrupted by damage | Short |
| Evil Repelling Medicant | Licorice, Jade Lotus | Considerably increases Damage Reduction | Long |
| Soul Remigration Pill | Nine-Capped Lingzhi, Millennium Ginseng, Monkey Head Fungus | Grants Ressurection upon death** | Long |
| Septenary Heartfire Pill | Fire Bellflower, Flame Ore, Fire Date | Resets the Cooldown for all Spells | Instant |
| Mirage Pill | Golden Lotus, Withered Silkworm | Grants a considerable amount of Might | Instant |
| Life-Saving Pill | Fire Bellflower, Golden Lotus | Recovers full Health and removes all Four Banes*** | Instant |
*Note: In-game this says all actions, but it does not to apply to attacking currently.
**This effect takes precedence over the Spell Life Saving Strand.
***The Four Banes are Burning, Chill, Shock and Poison.
Celestial Medicines
Xu Dog can also craft Celestial Medicines if you defeat powerful Yaoguai and bring him Mind Cores. These are permanent stat bonuses! You can increase Health, Mana, Stamina, Defense, Stamina Recovery Rate, Chill, Burn, Poison, and Shock Resistance. If you change your mind you can respec using the Remake Celestial Medicines option.
List of Celestial Medicines
| Medicine Name | Effect | Cores | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jade Lotus Pill | +15 Maximum Health | 3 | 9 |
| Taiyi Pill | +10 Maximum Mana | 2 | 9 |
| Nonary Pill | +10 Maximum Stamina | 2 | 9 |
| No-Mind Medicant | +5 Defense | 1 | 18 |
| Iron Bull Pill | +3 Stamina Recovery Rate | 1 | 12 |
| Yang Supplementing Pill | +2 Chill Resistance | 1 | 36 |
| Water Jade Pill | +2 Burn Resistance | 1 | 36 |
| Bloom Seed Decoction | +2 Poison Resistance | 1 | 36 |
| Wujin Pill | +2 Shock Resistance | 1 | 36 |
Special Medicines
There are also several Celestial Medicines you can find throughout the world. These are more powerful versions of the Jade Lotus Pill, Taiyi Pill, and Nonary Pill. You typically find these hidden away in nooks and crannies along your Journey. The effects of these Medicines carry over into New Game+ but you cannot collect them additional times to stack the effect. Instead, when you collect one of these for a second time, it's converted into Will.
The last notable special Medicine is the 5 Skandhas Pill you get from completing the 5 Skandha's quest. This boosts your Maximum Health, Mana, and Stamina. Like the Celestial Medicines you find throughout the world you can only gain the benefits from this once.
Summary
Use Mortal Medicines to provide yourself with a boost in combat and seek out Celestial Medicines for permanent stat increases. After you meet Xu Dog you can gather resources on your journey to craft both Mortal and Celestial Medicines, increasing the Destined One's power.
Written by: Tenkiei
