Alchemist
Once a respectable researcher, Alchemist's obsession with forbidden transmutations turned him into an abomination. He now wages war not just for treasure, but to perfect his grotesque art.
At a Glance
Core Principles
“Transmute everything: creeps, bounties, towers, and even your allies’ inventories.”
Zone with Chemistry
Acid Spray is your lever. Put it down first and turn every trade in your favor. Use it to soften waves, neutrals, and heroes alike.
Brew, Don’t Waste
Threaten the stun by charging it early, but respect the self-stun risk. Late brew is for picks; early brew is for space.
Turn Gold Into Team
Aghanim’s Scepter isn’t just yours—gift it at the right moment and watch your net worth multiply across your team.
Greed Is Discipline
Hit the cap constantly. That means consistent last hits, smart equilibrium, and never missing bounties—especially against Alchemist.
Regen as Tempo
Chemical Rage is your sustain and escape. Use it to disjoint, to dispel, and to extend fights on your terms.
From Lane to Towers
Your early lead must become plates. Convert spray pressure into fast objectives and Roshan control before the enemy stabilizes.
Hero Overview
Alchemist dominates the early game through incredible sustain and zone control, then transitions into a monster farmer who can accelerate not just his own net worth, but an ally’s via gifting Aghanim's Scepter. Unstable Concoction offers a powerful catch tool, while Chemical Rage provides both survivability and map mobility.
Start by zoning with Acid Spray to win trades and cs. Stack Greevil's Greed to hit cap consistently. Once you hit lvl 3, threaten Unstable Concoction to force enemies out of lane. After the lane, rapidly convert pressure into objectives, then pivot to mid-game fights with strong regen and pick potential. Your timing spikes when you complete Aghanim's Scepter—if you gift it to a carry, your team’s tempo can snowball out of control.
Pros
- Exceptional sustain in lane and during Chemical Rage
- Strong early zoning and mid-game pick potential
- Greevil's Greed accelerates farm massively
- Aghanim's Scepter gift turns gold into team power
Cons
- Relatively fragile early without items
- Unstable Concoction telegraph gives enemies time to react
- Vulnerable to heavy armor reduction and health regen debuffs
- Gifting Scepter can be hard when focused or low on space
Ability Analysis
Acid Spray
ActiveSprays acid over an area, damaging enemies and reducing their armor for a short duration.
Notes: Use before starting a fight or landing an Unstable Concoction. The armor reduction amplifies your team's physical damage.
Unstable Concoction
Active (Channel)After a brief brew time, throw a concoction that stuns and damages enemies in a small area. The longer you brew, the more damage and stun duration. If stunned or silenced while charging, Alchemist will self-detonate the concoction.
Notes: Brew while walking in to catch enemies by surprise. The projectile cannot be disjointed. Stay clear of teammates if you plan to self-detonate the brew.
Greevil's Greed
PassiveGains bonus gold from last hits and bounties. Can stack up to a cap; refreshing stacks resets the timer. Grants additional bonus gold per unit killed based on current stacks.
Notes: Prioritize last hits and bounty runes. You can farm stacks from wards and certain summons (but not illusions or buildings).
Chemical Rage
Toggle/ActiveAlchemist enters a rage, greatly increasing his health regeneration, attack speed, and movement speed. Applies a basic dispel on cast.
Notes: Use pre-emptively to survive bursts and remove slows/DoTs. It also disjoints projectiles on cast, helping dodge key shots.
Unstable Concoction (Aghanim's Scepter)
Active (Channel)When charged beyond the normal max brew time, the concoction becomes supercharged. On landing, it applies an additional damage over time and a strong slow for a brief period.
Notes: Use late brew to catch fleeing targets; the DoT and slow help secure kills and peel divers.
Chemical Rage (Aghanim's Scepter)
Toggle/ActiveAlchemist can gift his Aghanim's Scepter to an allied hero, granting them the Scepter and all its benefits.
Notes: Gift mid-fight or pre-fight to spike ally timings. Gifting refunds the price if they already have a Scepter or fully refunds Aghanim's Blessing if present.
Developer's Notes
Developer Insights
Alchemist is a scaling lane bully and late-game force multiplier. Acid Spray and Unstable Concoction define your lane presence, while Greevil's Greed accelerates your farm like no other passive.
Key Insights:
- Prep fights with Acid Spray before stunning; armor reduction boosts your physical follow-up
- Chemical Rage gives strong regen and a basic dispel—use it proactively
- Aghanim's Scepter becomes a team asset by gifting it to a core
Plan your tempo: dominate lane, take fast towers with Agh's push, then gift Scepter to spike a ally's item timing.
Game Strategy
Early Game
Timeframe: 0–10 minutes Objective: Dominate lane and stack Greed Key: Use Acid Spray to win trades and control the equilibrium; Threaten Unstable Concoction to zone supports and create space; Hit the cap on Greevil's Greed by consistently last hitting; Bounty rune priority is massive—deny Alchemist gold when possible Items: Quelling Blade and Iron Talon for farm efficiency; Tangos for lane sustain; Hand of Midas as soon as safe Tips: Lay Acid Spray before going for stuns to boost physical damage; Brew Unstable Concoction while rotating or TPing in to gank; Manage creep agro to safe-harass and secure denies
Mid Game
Timeframe: 10–25 minutes Objective: Farm fast and spike an ally via Aghanim's Scepter Key: Transition pressure into towers with Acid Spray + Radiance/Deso if picked; Secure Roshan around mid-game spikes; gift Scepter to your primary carry; Look for pick-offs with pre-charged Unstable Concoction Items: Boots of choice (Power Treads or Phase); Aghanim's Scepter (gift timing is key); Sustain items (e.g., Vlad's/Basi if helpful) Tips: Time Chemical Rage to disjoint key projectiles and to dispel slows/DoTs; Don't waste brew—make the enemy respect the timer and position accordingly; If silenced during brew, the self-detonation will stun you—play around that risk
Late Game
Timeframe: 25+ minutes Objective: Frontline with high regen and utility; keep Scepter gift value high Key: Maintain farming patterns to stay ahead in net worth; Use Greed to convert bounties and fights into further leads; Keep core survivability through Heart/Satanic to remain online Items: Satanic for lifesteal and self-sustain; Black King Bar for key fight windows; Assault Cuirass or situational DPS Tips: Watch for enemy regen-reducers (Spirit Vessel, Skadi, Shiva's) and play accordingly; Don't stand in enemy Acid Spray; the armor shred is lethal to your survivability; Time your engagements right after your Chemical Rage refreshes
Tips & Strategies
Combo and Lane Control
- Drop Acid Spray before you stun—armor reduction makes Unstable Concoction's physical damage hit much harder.
- Unstable Concoction self-detonates if you're stunned/silenced; avoid getting disabled mid-brew.
- The projectile cannot be disjointed—track the flight path to hit fleeing targets.
Farm and Greed Management
- Hit the Greed cap constantly in freefarm lanes; pull creeps to adjust equilibrium to keep last hits coming.
- In the jungle, manage creep aggro with Acid Spray or items to keep stacks refreshing.
- You can gain Greed stacks from wards and certain summons, but not from illusions or buildings.
Chemical Rage Usage
- Cast Chemical Rage proactively to disjoint incoming projectiles; no timing minigame needed.
- Chemical Rage applies a basic dispel—use it to remove slows, DoTs, blinds, or roots.
- Monitor its remaining duration; plan engages when the buff is about to expire or refresh.
Aghanim's Scepter Gifting
- Gift Scepter to a core who can immediately convert the power into map control or teamfight impact.
- If the ally already has Scepter, it’s removed and the gold is refunded immediately.
- If the ally has Aghanim's Blessing, gifting Scepter fully refunds the Blessing cost.
Item Guide
Starting Items
Sustain and early farming tools to secure last hits and accelerate stacks from neutrals.
Tangos, Quelling Blade, Iron Talon
Core Items
Accelerate levels and farm with Midas; choose Treads for consistent DPS or Phase Boots for mobility.
Hand of Midas, Power Treads, Phase Boots (flex)
Situational Items
Pick based on game state: Radiance for farm-and-merge; Desolator to amplify Acid Spray; BKB to fight during key windows; Satanic to 1vX; AC for team armor and push.
Radiance, Desolator, Black King Bar, Satanic, Assault Cuirass
Counter Guide
Good With
Alchemist thrives with team-mates who leverage space and control zones. Grimstroke can set up perfect Stun + Unstable Concoction lanes, and later amplify tower pressure with Ink Swell. Enigma turns Alchemist's Acid Spray armor shred into devastating Black Hole follow-up and fast push. Dark Seer synergizes with Spray through Ion Shell to bully supports and quickly take towers. Sven loves the armor reduction and benefits from Alchemist's ability to gift Scepter to spike teamfight uptime. The goal is to turn Alchemist's early lane control into mid-game towers and quick Roshan.
Bad Against
Alchemist struggles against heroes that shred armor, apply strong regen reduction, or invalidate his regen. Viper slows, kites, and reduces his effective HP with Corrosive Skin. Slark punifies low armor and burst windows, while maintaining sustain. Anti-Mage burns through Alchemist's limited mana, making rotations and brew timing awkward. Phantom Assassin capitalizes on Alchemist's poor armor profile. Heavy regen-reducers like Spirit Vessel, Skadi, and Shiva's Guard blunt Chemical Rage's sustain. Keep the Agh's Shard buff off you and respect Bounty Runes—Greed can otherwise blow the game open.
Good Against
Alchemist dominates fragile, stationary, or low-armor cores. Sven becomes squishier in spray and easy to catch with pre-charged brew; Medusa cannot reposition easily during brew windows; Phantom Lancer and other illusion heroes suffer under constant armor shred and teamwide physical damage amplification. Against towers, Acid Spray accelerates pushes, letting Alchemist turn farm into map control early. Enemies who rely on sustain also hate Spirit Vessel's role in slowing your regen, which invites aggressive timings.