Alchemy ROI
Alchemy is not free gold. It is a way to keep 10x production from vanishing into a 5x box. The calculator is here. This page is when to open it.
Convert
- The warehouse will cap before the next window and you cannot spend or merchant the rest.
- You are early in the session, so the early-session bonus still has digits.
- You can make the pile balanced enough for the 15–20% extra.
- The village still has session cap left. Instant eats that cap too.
Do not convert
- You are about to train or build and the pile is the cost.
- You can NPC into the resource you are actually short.
- It is the last two minutes of the window and you have not queued fields yet.
- You are buying gold to instant-complete a Woodcutter. That is a panic, not a plan.
Scheduled versus instant
Scheduled pays full rate and lands at the next session start — good if you will be here. Instant costs ~30% more resources and is for “the warehouse is red and I am about to be raided”. Do not make instant the default.