Potions is a dreadfully tricky and time consuming subject, and here I’ve put together some tips and tricks to help you master the art of potion making. Now if only I could figure out how to brew glory …
Quick Navigation
- Collectible Ingredient Table
- Apothecary Ingredient Costs Table
- Potion Costs/Time/Point Table
- Getting Started with Potions
- Advanced Potions Tips
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Now, before I get started, I want to tell you something very important about Pottermore that you might not realize.
ANYTHING YOU FIND IN THE CHAPTERS THROUGH OUT POTTERMORE REGENERATES IF YOUR INVENTORY OF THAT ITEM IS AT ZERO.
I’m gonna let that sink in for a second.
Now what does this mean? Well, lets say you have one prefect badge you found on Platform 9 3/4 and you decide you want to give it to someone as a gift. Bet you wouldn’t have considered doing that, because how would you get it back? Turns out, you’d return to the scene you found it in originally to find that it has respawned for you to discover.
Awesome news right? I thought so. So here is a list of potion ingredients that you should DO NOT NEED TO PURCHASE because you can get them for free and where to find them. (UPDATED 7/13/2012 to add Horklump and links)
| Regenerating Ingredients Found In The Story | |||
| Ingredient | Book | Chapter | Moment |
| Dried Billywig Stings | 1 | 8 | Hagrid’s Wooden House |
| Wolfsbane | 1 | 8 | Hagrid’s Wooden House |
| Horned Slugs | 1 | 10 | The Mountain Troll |
| Mistletoe Berries | 1 | 12 | Christmas at Hogwarts |
| Bezoar | 1 | 17 | The Hospital Wing |
| Horklump Juice | 2 | 3 | The Weasleys’ |
There are other things classified as potion ingredients in the chapters, but currently aren’t used in any of the potions, so I left them off of this list for now.
Any other ingredients for a potion will have to be purchased from Diagon Alley in order for you to use them in a potion. Here is a list of the ingredients, how much they cost, and how many you get when you buy them. (UPDATED 7/13/2012 now includes ALL ingredient costs for ingredients currently usable in potions. In case you want to maybe buy a collectible ingredient to save you time.)
|
Ingredient Costs |
|||
|
Ingredient |
Overall Cost |
Units |
Cost per Unit |
| Bezoar | 10 g | 1 | 10 g |
| Dried Billywig Stings | 7 g | 39 | .18 g |
| Flobberworm Mucus | 1 g | 8 | .13 g |
| Horklump Juice | 3 g | 8 | .38 g |
| Horned Slugs | 1 g | 24 | .04 g |
| Lavender | 1 g | 22 | .05 g |
| Lethe River Water | 4 g | 16 | .25 g |
| Mistletoe Berries | 1 g | 20 | .05 g |
| Porcupine Quills | 2 g | 36 | .06 g |
| Snake Fangs | 2 g | 36 | .06 g |
| Spines of Lionfish | 2 g | 16 | .13 g |
| Unicorn Horn | 21 g | 55 | .38 g |
| Valerian Sprigs | 1 g | 19 | .05 g |
| Wolfsbane | 1 g | 39 | .03 g |
Head spinning with information yet? Sorry about that, mine was too at first. And not that I want to cause more spinning, but this next table will show how much each potion costs (assuming you aren’t paying for ingredients you could find) , how long they take, and how many points you get for each. In the latest Potions update they finally made it so that different cauldrons really do brew at different rates, making the higher cost cauldron finally worth the investment. (Unless you still blow up cauldrons, in which case WAIT until you are no longer destroying them.)
The below table shows the cost and time requirements for each potion and how many points you will earn for completing it. This costs assumes you are not paying for ingredients you can collect for free. (UPDATED 7/13/2012 to adjust cost of Herbicide now that Horklump Juice is collectible.)
|
Potions Cost, Time (by cauldron), and Points |
|||||
|
Potion |
Cost |
Pewter |
Brass |
Copper |
Points |
| Antidote to Common Poisons | .38 g | 40 min | 34 min | 30 min | 7 |
| Cure for Boils | .12 g | 45 min | 39 min | 34 min | 3 |
| Forgetfulness Potion | .30 g | 60 min | 51 min | 45 min | 9 |
| Herbicide | .26 g | 60 min | 51 min | 46 min | 9 |
| Sleeping Draught | .23 g | 70 min | 60 min | 53 min | 11 |
| Wideye or Awakening Potion | .06 g | 55 min | 47 min | 42 min | 9 |
Now, you can use this information to decide for yourself which potions you think is most worth while to brew.
Personally, I stick with Wideye or Awakening potion for a couple reasons. First, it is the cheapest potion to brew provided you are gathering your wolfsbane and billywig stings instead of purchasing them. Second, it takes less time to brew than the other high point potions. Finally, in my experience, Sleeping Draught is incredibly glitchy and often gives irrational container errors that cause failure of the potion.
Now that you have a rundown on ingredients and potions, lets talk about the actual brewing process.
Getting Started with Potions
- Practice! Brew that nice safe practice potion a bunch of times before you get started with the real ones. In the practice potion you can blow up your cauldron and never lose it, or lose house points for it. Do this until you can do it three times in a row with out boffing it up.
- Read the instructions! When you fist enter a potion, the potion book pops up showing you your ingredients and instructions. The timer does not start until you put down the book for the first time, so feel free to sit there with the book up and really read what you are about to do.
- Refer to the instructions! As you go step by step the instructions will cross themselves off of the book, so check it if you aren’t sure if you’ve done all the steps right.
- Use your back button! If you are brewing your potion, and you already know you’ve made a mistake, hit back. Then you can go back in and start from the beginning of that phase.
- Use your meters correctly! There are two different potion meters, one for crushing ingredients and one for cauldron temperature. Whenever these come up you will see two golden lines across to indicate the range you are aiming for. In crushing just crush till it reaches it and turns green. For heating you want to KEEP THE TEMPERATURE in between the two golden lines until the timer is done.
- Mind your temperature! Whenever you have to heat your potion, keep a close eye on your temperature gauge, if it turns red because you’ve gotten it too hot, hit back immediately or you’ll blow up your cauldron.
- Practice stirring! It works best with nice big mouse circles, and is easier with an actual mouse than on a laptop touch pad.
- Where’s the wand? The wand is laying on the counter in front of your potions book. To wave it all you have to do is click on it, the wand will do the rest.
It took me a while to really get the hang of potions, but I found mastering ONE before trying the others was a real help. I have brewed one of each even if they weren’t all the most cost effective. Now after you have the basics, lets talk about cauldrons.
Now, some advanced potion tips for you:
- How to use jugs: Anything in a jug is tricky to handle, they like to pour everywhere and can kill your time trying to get them to behave. Grab the jug from the very tippy top and take your time moving it around. I like to lift it up, catch the bottom on the edge of the cauldron, and use that to tip it sideways. Then I hold it there dripping in, and lift it right before it reaches the unit count I’m after. Then it’s easy to move it back up right and lower it back to the table. DO NOT LEAVE IT SIDEWAYS ON THE TABLE: for some reason this causes glitchiness and will fail the potion even though you’ve done nothing wrong.
- How to stir anti-clockwise: At first I simply couldn’t get it to stir any way but clockwise, then I figure out I should move the spoon to the other side of the cauldron first, and then pick it up and stir counter clockwise.
- How to use the heat settings: There are three settings under your cauldron when you need to heat it, the one on the left is NO HEAT, the one in the middle is MEDIUM, and the one on the right is HIGH. Now what I’ve found works is to hit high immediately, then right as it hits the bottom of the two golden bars and turns green, I hit medium. Then I will watch it rise, making sure not to let it go higher than the top bar. Just before it hits that top bar, I cut the heat off entirely and allow it to fall returning to medium heat before it breeches the bottom bar. Repeat as many times as necessary to reach the end of the time required for heating. HEATING A CAULDRON IS NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN DO WITH YOUR ATTENTION ON YOUR DINNER. You need to watch it and adjust throughout the time it is heating to make sure you don’t blow up your cauldron.
That’s all I have for now, but I’ll probably add things as I discover them or as people ask things I realize I haven’t included.
Hope this helps!!
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… I have issue stirring. I can’t stir clockwise nor counter, and it is frustrating – almost as frustrating as not being able to enter Gambol and Japes (I’m a major prankster, so it’s easy to understand why I find this frustrating) and I’m not sure if it’s my account glitching or my issue with doing as I’m told. (Honestly, I’m following the book. I don’t over nor under stir my potions – mainly because I want to see if they have any use at all in the storyline)
ScarletMarauder have you tried switching browsers? It seems every computer has a pottermore preference for a certain browser. Try switching to Chrome or Safari and see what happens.
Heya, I’m not sure if someone has already discussed this issue, but I am having EPIC problems with potion making, but it isn’t to do with measurement glitches. What is happening is I will click on an ingredient and the page won’t even register it. I had my original account glitch beyond repair – as in I couldn’t progress the storyline – because I couldn’t make the Swelling potion; it wouldn’t let me pick up any ingredients or anything. Now, I have made a new account, and am right at the start where it asks you to practice brewing a cure for boils, but I can’t even do that!! It eventually lets me pick up snake fangs, put them in the mortar, and crunch them up just fine, but it wont let me pick up any of the mortar mixture, or use anything else. I have google chrome, the required adobe reader, and have java script on…. so WTF is going on?! I’ve tried to find information on if my settings are wrong but can’t find anything, and I’ve even tried letting the page sit on the first potion book page for ages to allow it to load (if that is the problem), but it makes no difference. If anyone can help me figure this out, it would be GREAT!!
Hi CastleWillow,
I have found that changing browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc.) seems to clear up some of the glitches. If that doesn’t help, try asking Pottermore (yeah, right!) through the help menu at the bottom of the page:
Help/Other/What’s next/Need more help
That will bring you to a contact form.
Okay, my question isn’t about making the potions themselves, it’s about buying the ingredients. I’m trying to make the swelling solution, but every time I go to buy the pufferfish eyes in the apothacary, I can’t seem to buy them. The “Buy” button is dark, and I can’t click it. It’s seriously the most frustrating thing ever.
oops, double post
Do you have a pending school list? It would be a drop down list below and to the right of your House crest while you are in Diagon Alley.
let me try that
It worked! Thanks!
I’ve been having this problem where I’m trying to make potions, and I don’t have all the ingredients, right? So, when I do, I go to the apothacary in Diagon Alley, and try to buy them there, but I can’t click the buy button. Anyone know what that’s about?
In my experience, this happens when I haven’t purchased everything from my yearly shopping list. If there are any books for the term you haven’t purchased, that could be the culprit. Go back and purchase any term supplies and see if will allow you to make the purchase from the apothecary.
What shall I do if I used all the dried nettles without making the actual potion and now I am stuck
You can go back and recollect nettles.
I’ve been trying to brew the Forgetfulness Potion for some days, without luck so far…
When I come back and try to crush in the mortar, the pestle usually become stuck after a few clicks.
If I click the “previous” or “back” button of my browser, as soon as I return to brewing, I got a message saying I failed to brew because I ran out of time.
Is anybody able to click the “back” button and come back ? I wonder whether it’s still allowed, may be this feature was removed recently 😉
I’m using Safari 6.0.2 / OS X 10.8.2 / copper cauldron.
I don’t think clicking back is allowed anymore. But I had that problem too. What worked for me was clicking on “come back later”. Most of the time when I’m brewing a potion, I click on “come back later”, log off the site completely, and set a timer to tell me when to come back.
Thanks for your help.
There is a workaround for the stuck pestle, which I found out on the internet, it’s possible to click on the mortar’s front part instead of the pestle, and it woks well for me 😉
Warning to folks using AT&T DSL — I’ve had three copper cauldrons blow up when the display hits a hitch. (Happens with different browsers, so I don’t think it’s a processor issue.) At any rate, the bronze cauldron works much more reliably, and is only five minutes more “expensive.”
Welcome back! I’ve missed you–but appreciated your vacation update. I hope you had a great time. I just had an odd thing in potions–I wonder if you know what happened. I was brewing Herbicide and the Horklump and Lionfish spines were invisible. They were there–I know this because just on a whim I tried to pick up Lionfish where it should be and WAS ABLE TO PUT THE INVISIBLE INGREDIENTS IN THE CAULDRON. Really. I completely and correctly brewed the potion without ever actually SEEING the Horklump or Lionfish. Any idea what the deal was? Have you ever had this experience?
I’ve been having the same problem as FireboltErised1977. My favourite potion used to be Sleeping Draught, and now with the new potions update, whenever i hit the heat it tells me i’ve done it wrong. I have tried starting with low and high heat, and neither of them works. Anyone know what’s wrong?
Hi Elm, thankyou so much for all the information on here. Managed to succesfully brew Polyjuice by tipping those pesky lacewing flies onto the table first, failed miserably the first time! I have also managed swelling potion althought the second heating is very tricky, I am scared to blink! I thought things were going well but I have now managed to blow up two cauldrons in two days! I am not new to brewing and haven’t ruined a cauldron since my early days in BETA twelve months ago! In both cases the explosion happened when I started to heat my potion. I pressed the red heat button, the orange button disappeared and then boom!!! cauldron a sorry melted mess. I have also had problems with my screen freezing, not being able to stir and have had error messages. I don’t mind having to restart a potion so much, even when I haven’t made a mistake but I do object to spending my galleons on new cauldrons. I have informed PM of the problems hope they sort it soon. I feel very sorry for newcomers, enough to put them off brewing forever! Hope you manage to brew all potions succesfully soon and may your cauldron remain intact! 🙂
I had all the above problems and more, then someone suggested I switch from IE to Google Chrome, and most of the glitches have disappeared. You still need to keep a close eye on things of course, but the “freezing” and disappearing buttons seems to have gone
I am completely frustrated with the new Potions update. I never had a problem brewing Sleeping Draught until the recent update. Now when I get to the heating part (second part of potion not first) the moment I click the heat on I get an error failed temperature…….and I have tried many times and same thing always. Frustrating. It also happens with Swelling potion..I can’t brew either, so I have been doing Forgetful,Herbicide and Wide-Eye Awakening. Glitchy is right….wish they’d fix it!
Before the latest CoS chapters were released I had brewed over 130 potions (more than 20 of each type). Since they changed the potion screens I have succeeded on only 2 (Swelling Solution & Antidote). I can’t even get Cure for Boils correct now (except once as a practice) I even melted a cauldron last time I tried.
There must be serious problems with the potions screens on Pottermore at the moment and they don’t seem to be doing anything about it.
Your site was very helpful to me when I was learning to brew potions for the first time. I became able to consistently brew all the potions released at first DESPITE a deathly slow Internet connection and a not-top-quality laptop and out-of-date browsers. I probably brewed about 60-70 potions total. However… now with the new Potions interface that I am exploring with the release of COS chapters, I can’t even stir a practice Cure for Boils. I cannot even grab the stirrer. (And let’s not even get started on Fluxweed collection.) Same laptop, same brain, updated browsers and (supposedly) fast connection. I think I am not alone in experiencing new glitches. But for you all who are having no problems – am I missing something? I’ve tried IE and Chrome (both the newest versions), neither one. WTF??? Any new tips to keep me from going completely mad? Sincerely, a Frustrated Dungeon Dweller
You are not, by any means, going mad. When I first tried to brew Swelling Solution for the new chapters on the same laptop I have been using all along I failed miserably. As of right now the only successful potions I’ve brewed were on my parents computer. A desktop running windows 7 and IE9. I am now trying again on my home compute. I plan on writing a new potions tutorial for the current potions very soon.
Thanks for your commiseration! I’ve still had no luck even for the practise Cure for Boils so I’ll just have to wait until they fix the glitches or give up on Potions. Ah well!
One thing I’ve found, that I didn’t know before, is that you now have to click and drag your wand to wave it, rather than letting it wave itself. So far, I’ve managed swelling solution and polyjuice part one, with part two currently brewing, but I had many failures before I managed to get the heating right. And I’m quite a good potioneer, over 400 to my credit. I hope they sort out these glitches soon.
you said you’d need to make a potions 201 but this page has been very helpful as it is! i only dared to brew a proper potion after the chapters 5-11 were released (tried cure for boils before and learned it okay).
thank you so much for everything! especially the wideye rec, it’s working well for me. no glitches and no “wrong container” for spilling/dropping on the table
one thing *i* wish i had known is that you can practise with cure for boils anytime…even when brewing something else for points. as i’m still new to it i like brewing cure for boils shortly before the second part of the potion, just to get concentrated:)
have you been able to brew the swelling potion yet? kudos to them for having to make it before you steal more from snape xD exactly when you’ve gone through the new chapters and are all “blah, what next”. i’m sure i’m not the only one whom this finally encouraged to try potions!
and one thing i was really happy to discover – if you need to put something into the mortar from a bottle, you can then leave it on the left side of the table! no need to carry it TWICE over your cauldron 😀
also one EPIC FAIL i had… when the counter runs out, you should no longer be holding your wand!!! i was admiring the new effect and i thought it would count anyway and i ended up wasting some ingredients lol.
(i still have problems with the swelling solution:( don’t think i need anything better as my big laptop is my main comp and it’s more powerful than the previous desktop computers i had.)
Hi Elm. I keep trying to brew the Sleeping Draught but it never works. Now before you tell me about the whole wrong container thing, that’s stopped happening. Heck, I get to the last couple of steps on the second half and then the valerian sprigs move at a snails pace across the screen. If I manage to get past that, the counter dosen’t pick up most of my stirs and in the unlikely event that I do manage 7 stirs, by the time I’ve clicked on the wand, the timer has run out.
Now I know I shouldn’t complain because I have it better than most, but it’s just so frustrating. Please help!
You can put the valerian sprigs in the cauldron while it’s still heating – that way you don’t run out of time
Thanks! I got a new laptop on friday and everything works fine so I can brew a sleeping draught! 🙂
hi elm my pottermore name is rainpotion4887 if you would add me and also every time I try to make a draught of sleeping draught and it keeps popping up at the end with things like ‘you failed because you put the lavender in the wrong container’ I am really confused by this because it says put in mortar and I do and I still don’t understand why and would much appreciate your help thanks very much
You have to be really careful how you drop the lavender into the mortar – if any drops outside you will get the “wrong container” message. I find it easiest to hold the lavender upright before I drop it in
See, for me, it’s the wakening potion that I really want to make that is incredibly glichy for me. I’m not bragging when I say my time is perfect and often I get to the second phase, but even when I do the measurements exactly right and pay very close attention, etc…. it still won”t let me collect my damn potion. And I lose stuff in my inventory the whole 60 times I try to get it (because I’m persistent).
This would be a much more easily solved problem if pottermore would do the simple, and frankly expected task for a beta site of putting up a tech message center so that common gliches in the system that effect a lot of people can be FIXED. But I can’t even get that in a comment in my common room without the inoffensive, rational comment being “moderated”.
We begged and begged for at the wry least a “known glitches” list on Pottermore so we would at least KNOW what glitches they were aware of. Right now the best we can do is report glitches through the help section and hope for the best.
When you say it won’t let you collect your potion, is it giving you a specific reason for the potion failing repeatedly or a different one each time?
A good way to save time is to write the instructions down on real paper before you put the book down. Checking the book takes time so I find it advantageous to have your own notes. Using shorthand you have no trouble understanding helps too.
For exmaple my instructions for Sleeping Draught are:
4 -Lavender -mortar
2 -Standard Ingr. -mortar
->Crush
2 -Flobberworm Muc. -cauldron
2 -Standard Ingr. -cauldron
->Heat 30 sec.
3 -mixture/crushed stuff -cauldron
->Wand 70 min.
2 -Standard Ingr. -cauldron
->Heat 1 min.
4 -Valerian Springs -cauldron
7 -clockwise
->Wand
You just have to make sure you remember what you did last. And I personally find these quicker to follow than full sentences as in the book 😉
Looking at the kind of glitches that we encounter while brewing Potions, it makes me wonder PM deliberately made Potions glitchy so that we got a firsthand experience of the torture that Harry experienced with Snape’s potions lessons every time. Just before brewing the Potions, the instructions in the book seem quite straightforward. But, when you know you have added the correct amount of ingredients, and have also maintained the temperature properly, and yet you get a message saying that the incorrect ingredients were added or that the potion was brewed incorrectly (without letting you know where you had gone wrong), that’s just typical Snape torture, isn’t it? I only wish that each incorrectly brewed potion or an error in adding ingredients was also accompanied by a typical Snape snark (“Longbottom has more brains than you”), just to make it fun. I mean, even if we suck at potions, at least we would be having fun!!
That’s a really nice idea FangIce!
I too get frustrated when I know I have done everything right and I get back a message that says I have added the wrong amount of Bezoar, for example. I finally figured that if it says crush very fine, you have to take the green to the top of the meter. You also have to watch the counter. Don’t add the next ingredient until the counter fades off. I get fewer errors that way. Most importantly, don’t forget to go back and finish off your potion in a timely manner, after elapsed brewing time .
I so agree with you FangIce!
It’s me again… There is some kind of problem with the potion-making process and they just don’t want to admit it, or what?
1. I have stopped trying to brew the Awakening potion because it doesn’t matter what I do or how I do it that it will keep saying “the temperature wasn’t ok” (or smth like that) and I am 100% sure it was… It just doesn’t work and I have heard of more people having trouble with this same potion.
2. The new ‘trend’ now is telling me that I haven’t added the proper amount of Standard ingredient… and again, I am 100% sure that I have added the proper amount. I did every single step properly and it still shows that green ugly thing at the end… and “The amount of standard ingredient is not proper”… I started to check the ‘To do’ list every now and then and realised that sometimes it didn’t erase the step that I had just completed. I don’t know if that is important or not but it really p*sses me off (sorry, I’m not a native, I don’t know if ‘p*ss off’ is ok to say in the internet XD)
3. I have tried using Safari, Firefox, Google Chrome and even Explorer and none of the problems listed above have been solved. They are all up to date so I really don’t know what’s going on.
This is getting so tiring because I keep reading everywhere that people are having trouble and they don’t seem to fix it cuz it has been going on for a long while now… Urgh…
Potions are notoriously glitchy and have been for ages. They sent even glitchy in the same ways for the same people. For example I have never had Awakening glitch on me. In fact I have brewed 115 of that potion. Where as I can’t brew a Sleeping Draught to save my life.
The “wrong amount” or “wrong container” error usually happens when you drop some of the ingredient on the table. If I drop something I just hit refresh and try again.
In regards to the “temperature not in range” this seems to be a roaming error that will cling to one potion a while and then move to another. I usually log off and back in and find it will let me brew again for a bit without popping out this error.
I am hoping that upon release of new potions for CoS they will be less glitchy.
Do you think that PM will open up new potion recipes as we advance through the books. Seems to me there should be more potions available for the older students. the same is true for spells. What do you think
yes personally I do because in the half blood prince he makes a draught of living death and i believe they will as well as getting more spells.
if I need 2 of an ingrediënt in a potion, do I also loose 2 of it in my storage?
and does spilling something cost extra ingrediënts in my storage?
and if this is true, then are the costs per potion correct, or are they based on only needing 1 of everything?
You use one unit to brew a potion. No matter if you use too much or drop some on the counter. Only one unit is ever used.
thanks, your blog is really helpful!
I’m glad we have someone like you in Slyhterin!
SLYTHERIN PRIDE!
Elm – I asked you this on twitter but I just want to make sure that I understand. The last two nights I’ve received the message that they’ve taken away my cauldron and deducted five points because I’m trying to change the time on my brewing. Yes, my computer fell asleep and yes it was downloading updates. Do I understand you correctly that I should turn OFF my automatic updates and do them manually? Is that what I need to do? It’s never done it before and it’s only been the last two nights. I feel like my hand has been slapped and I’ve done nothing wrong. I’m no cheater. I’m not a techie and I have no idea how to do what it is accusing me of. I feel hurt because it has falsely accused me of cheating. Every point I’ve earned on PM is honest. Just wrote to clarify a bit what I think you’re telling me to do. Thanks Elm. I’m a disgruntled and hurt snake tonight. 😦
The trap you are tripping was designed to catch cheaters, not poor innocent potion brewers such as yourself. I have asked around. I have talked to a few people. And it seems to be connected to when the computer goes to sleep.
During beta, people were turning the time on their computer clock forward to cheat the brewing time to brew potions faster. In an effort to fix this they implemented a number of “fixes” to stop users from doing so. One of them is this problem that keeps robbing you of cauldrons and points.
When I suggested turning off automatic updates I don’t mean for your entire computer, I meant JUST for your COMPUTER TIME. Because when your computer comes out of sleep I think it might be updating the time when it comes online to match the time of the network you are on. This is probably tripping the “changed time” censor for the game.
I am wondering, is the last two nights the first time you’ve allowed your comptuer to go to sleep while you were waiting for a potion to brew? Can you deactivate sleep so that it does not go to sleep? All the others I’ve seen with this simply stopped the computer from sleeping while the potion brewed to avoid having this happen.
It isn’t the first time. When I first started on PM in April I used an old PC laptop because I was afraid to download flash on my Mac. I’m a recent Mac owner and I’m no techie so that is an interesting journey for which we don’t have time. In the last couple of months I’ve used only the Mac and had no problems. A couple of nights ago, it wanted to download a huge Word update so I let it and then it crashed my cauldron. Last night my Internet was sketchy and kep pt dropping out for some reason. Could that have caused it?
I’ve left my computer a lot to let the potions brew so I don’t think that is the issue. I don’t even now how to change the settings on my Mac to adjust the sleep time. I’ll look in settings and see…it shouldn’t be that hard. I’m afraid to brew. With our limited budget I don’t want to blow another cauldron. Updated? Sketchy Internet? If it dies it again, I’m going to report it to Pottermore. Thanks for your help!
I have one huge problem… I’m Hufflepuff (I don’t know does it matter) and everytime I try to leave a comment longer than three words in our common room or great hall the comment box turn red and it says ”the comment is under moderation” or something like that. Can you please help me?
btw, sorry for my english, ot sucks because I’m not from England (or America or whatever…)
The moderation screens words. It will trigger moderation if words are spelled incorrectly. You can not write numbers. And some words you would not expect will trigger it. Normally if I write something and it trips moderation I start changing words until it will go through. Can you give me an example of something you have tried to write that has tripped it?
I’ve had that too. I’m a Ravenclaw and I can’t seem to post anything onto the boards. I remembered one of my comments was about wondering why there were so little Ravenclaws compared to the other houses…like a significant amount less.
I have found that PM moderators doesn’t like the words “toss” or “toggle”. I work around it by typing my comment in a word document which I can edit, cut and paste into the comment until I get to say what I want so that PM will accept it.
mine goes like this as well but whatever I try to send it just logs me out and won’t send it and I am starting to get annoyed.
“Anything in a jug is tricky to handle, they like to pour everywhere and can kill your time trying to get them to behave.” This made me laugh because I’ve blown up my cauldron twice now and it was all because I wasted time trying to get the stupid jugs to stop spilling.
Great pointers, thanks for the help!
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Just got a “wrong container” glitch in potions. It’s so annoying!
(And I realy Hope Gryffindor wins the House Cup. Can’t wait untill July 5th!
My cauldron exploded because I added the wrong ammount of Valerian springs. I thought it only explodes if you overheat it.
Well it makes potions more realistic, I think
Just found a new “wrinkle” while brewing Wideye- I went to click on the Wolfsbane and the wand came up instead. Turns out the butt end of the wand protrudes just below the pile of Wolfsbane (and looks just like a piece of Wolfsbane) and if you aren’t careful, you can activate the wand. I was able to refresh the page in time and save the potion but it was a bit of a surprise!
Whoops! I accidentally clicked the wand the other day when picking up Porcupine Quill. So I know the feeling. By the way I see you dueling away in the recent activity feed all the time!
Yeah, I’ve been busy. I should break 100,000 points tonight. I’ve already brewed over 1000 potions (mostly Wideye- we should pool our resources and open up a wizard’s version of Starbucks!).
I have to thank you again for all your help and support. I wouldn’t be anywhere near these numbers without your guidance. You can expect some sort of trinket of appreciation when I pass 100K.
Filch
Filch! I was looking for you in the common room when you made the leader board! I was so excited to see you up there. 🙂
awesomm blog
Thanks for all the great tips Elm! I couldn’t brew a potion to save my life (or my cauldron’s which I kept blowing up) but now I have brewed 4!!! Another tip I find useful–I write down the directions from the recipe before I start brewing.
i cannot stir. ive done the same potion (the first one boils) and i do everything perfect and the stir count doesnt go above 1. i use firefox and downloaded it just for this reason cause i like explorer but it doesnt work on there. i have a laptop and i stir slow, fast, big, little, nothing works. extremely frustrated…
Amber, are you stirring in the correct direction? That’s the problem I had. If you are stirring in the wrong direction, the counter won’t move above 1. Try stirring the other direction and I bet it’ll work. 🙂
Thank you Laurie. This is normally my first question ever since my friend swore it wouldn’t stir past one and they were stirring the wrong way. 🙂
Thank you so much for this information! I found potion brewing really tough at first, and your hints helped!
I tried going back to Hagrid’s Wooden House to get more Billywig Stings, but they are no longer there, even though I no longer have any in my inventory. Should I be doing something to get them to regenerate, or do you think they’ve fixed it so you can no longer go back for them?
No I am still collecting things over and over so they haven’t changed it. Are you sure you are looking in the proper place at Hagrid’s for them? They are in what looks almost like a perfume bottle sitting in the window of the hut.
Thanks, ElmBlade, for your reply! I was looking in the right place, but it wasn’t there. However, when I refreshed the page, it showed up again. Apparently, I need to refresh when I go back. Thanks!
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Argh I have to change browser every now and then XD With Saffari I can’t post comments and with Firefox I can’t brew potions………… It’s really getting on my nerves haha
With Safari is it logging you out everytime you go to comment?
Yeah, exactly. But it’s like it doesn’t log me out completely, because if I close the page and open it again, I’m still logged-in. It’s just that it redirects me to the logging-in process everytime I try to comment.
I have tried two things:
1. Closing and opening page again: comment doesnt appear (im still logged in)
2. Doing the logging in process again: comment doesnt appear and sometimes it doesnt even accept the log in and it keeps asking for it. ((Even though I can just close and open to be logged in again))
I hope I explained myself, it sounds a bit messy.
Thanks.
Okay, I browse the common room on my iPhone a lot, so that is of course Safari and was having the same issue. The comments do appear but normally on a busy night after logging in again (sometimes twice) I would miss them. But I would get replied to sometimes.
My solution finally was to click the “keep me logged in” box on the log in screen. It hasn’t done it since. Now I can post comments just find in Safari.
Let me know if it works for you!
I clicked the “keep me logged in” from the beginning and it stopped doing that for a while but then it started again.
Now it’s like it does it every now and then, whenever it feels for being annoying XD Oh well…
And then Firefox doesn’t seem to like potion brewing… lol
Btw: I’m in Slytherin too 🙂
Yay for Slytherin! Have you considered using Google Chrome? I have tried all the browsers now and have settled on chrome. Firefox was at one point working nicely for me but recently has been laggy when I try to duel.
Uuh, I had completely forgotten about Chrome… XD Good idea! I’ll try it and see how it goes! 😀
Thank you so much for your help 🙂
See you in the common room!
I’ve been trying to make Wideye/Awakening Potion, but it always says that I didn’t keep the temperature in range. But I did. For 30 seconds. Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do? Or am I supposed to keep the temperature stable until that entire phase is done? I actually tried that too. Still didn’t work. So basically, after 30 seconds of heating is up, what do I do to the temperature?
This is a glitch. Log out, shut down your browser, and come back in and hopefully it has passed. If not, switch browsers.
Ok. I will try switching browsers. Thank you!
If logging out absolutely doesn’t work you would want to report that you are stuck through the help page.
But you should only have to keep it in range during the timer and not past. Lemme know how it goes!!
Logging out didn’t work. I reported it, and they emailed back saying, “I have reviewed the problems you are encountering and can confirm that there are no issues with the website functionality.” But I’ve talked to a lot of people who are having the same problem….
Meh. I’ll just switch browsers and see how that works out.
Sometimes I really hate how they handle e-mail queries. They seem to treat every situation as if it must be the users fault. Obviously we don’t know what we are doing and the site works perfectly.
I have exactly the same problem with the Awakening potion too. I have tried with three different browsers now (Saffari, Chrome and Firefox) and still doesn’t work. It also says that I haven’t kept the temperature in range and I am completely sure that I have.
I thought it was only me/my computer/my bad luck but it seems more people are experiencing this problem.
Okay. I’m having problems stirring. I can only use my laptop touch pad because I don’t have a mouse to use. When the book says to stir clockwise, I try it and the stirrer doesn’t count past one…but when I stir counterclock-wise (even when I’m not suppose to be stirring that way) it will count!! I don’t know what I am doing wrong! I’m good at everything else except for the stirring part and it’s frustrating me!
Have you tried a different browser?
Hi Elm,
I have 21 spells in my books, but only 10 I can practise and use. Is there something I need to do or will these come later.
You only get to use the ten. Not sure why you can practice more than you can use, maybe there are plans for the future in regards to this.
Do you know if you can pause the “game” if you are waiting for your potion to brew? Alot of times I will need to leave and my potion is halfway through, i leave Pottermore, come back and the time has expired. It would be nice if you logged out, it would “pause” for you.
There is no pause function. I wish! Once your potion is done with the alotted brew time, you have about that same amount of time to come back and finish it before it is ruined. So if it took thirty minutes to brew, you have a thirty minutes grace period after wards to finish it.
Thank you so much for all the tips and tricks you provide here! It helped me a lot in brewing potions. The only one I have not managed to brew is the Sleeping Draught. I don’t really know what my mistake is, I usually manage the first part, but after brewing I seem to always mess up. Anyways, I’m giving it another try right now…
I think someone else has already pointed it out, but you can also find Wolfsbane in chapter 15, moment 2.
Cheers,
SandSkull3056
I keep meaning to add that here. It is posted in my list of potion ingredients as being available both places. Truthfully though if you are brewing Wideye it is more convenient to get ten both at Hagrid’s hut.
I’m glad this was helpful to you. I have brewed sleeping far less than the others because I the glitchiness of it. Hope they fix that soon.
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I think I’ve got a problem with keeping the temperature. I mean, I know that when it’s green yada yada yada..But when the wand is waved, just like in the Awakening potion, the temperature goes down and I can’t make it go up again. And, I’m not certain what potions need the “keep the temperature in range” thing. Help, please?
You only have to keep the temperature in range while the heating time is up. Range meaning between the two gold bars on the meter.
Yes I know. What I’m saying is I got everything correct I kept the temperature in range but when I wave my wand, the temperature steadily goes down, and then, the green smoke would appear and the notification that the potion wasn’t brewed properly because I haven’t kept the temperature in range. I tried everything, even my brother tried it, but it always ends up with that. Think it’s a glitch?
Thanks by the way.:)
This is really helpful, thanks!:))
one of the main problems i’m having it that i can’t stir clockwise!! i can only stir anti-clockwise. I’ve tried everything
I finish all the steps and try and stir it wen the book says and it wont do it and it messes up my potion cuz ive ran out of time 
ive gone thru 3 cauldrons cuz i keep failing on the potion making and so they blow up .-.
Okay, first thing I would like to know is which potion are you brewing. And on which step it fails (before or after the brew period). When heating your cauldron does your meter ever turn red?
I too cannot stir clockwise. Only counter clockwise. I’ve even gone into the potions (I’m on the first potion -boil cure) and have attempted to just practice stirring. No luck. I think this is a glitch.
Every potion, i do everything correctly, the temperature stays green. Everything else goes well. Now the problem when stiring changes, either i can’t stir clockwise but it comes up with the arrow saying 1 OR it lets me do it but doesn’t cross off on the instructions list.
i’ve tried every potion but i’ve been practising on the boils one now and then to check if the glitch has been fixed. I follow the instructions in the book correctly, the steps have been crossed out as i’ve done them and then my next step would be to stir clockwise which then only pops up once and then doesn’t let me do anymore, no matter the ways i try to stir clockwise. I use to have no problem with this when i started pottermore but then it just stopped me from stiring clockwise out of nowhere. No the meter never goes red when I’m heating my cauldron. I do every step perfect exept for the stiring which messes up my potion. If this can’t be fixed, are there any potions that will only let you stir anti-clockwise? Because it only lets me stir anti-clockwise.
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I know everyone’s talking about the potion stirring but i’m still having no joy. So I try and stir the potion clockwise, and it does it once then stops. It doesn’t seem to look like the spoon is touching the back of the cauldron. I can stir anti-clockwise fine but when it comes to clockwise it stops, i have used a trackpad on a laptop and a computer mouse, nothing seems to working. help?
Normally when it counts to one and stops it’s because you aren’t supposed to be stirring that direction at that point in time.
I’m having major problems on the practice potion. I am heating it correctly, putting the right amount of snake fangs in and not over crushing it, but it still always fails when I wave my wand, and says I put too many snake fangs in!! I only crush 2 hand fulls and put 4 in the couldron once crushed. Are you only ment to wave your wand at a certain temperature? Does anyone know/ have any advice??
Your wan should be waved after every other step is crossed off. No certain temperature or anything. If you are adding two handfuls to the mortar then it should be the right amount of snake fangs.
I want you to look at this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-_2w7mNXFY
If you are doing everything just as they are in the video and still failing then it must be a glitch.
Thanks for the video link! I think I must have a glitch, because I did everything correctly.
I had the same problem, but i found the solution. When adding the ingridients to the cauldron, put one at a time and wait till the number in the counter adds up, and keep checking the book to see if the instructions have crossed off. To save time, go through the process thrice until you remember everything and then you don’t have to keep consulting the book. Best of luck!
I seem to always run out of time… And when I put in the 6 snake fangs for the ‘cure boils’ potion and then look at the book, it isnt crossed off. I hate making potions. I have given up making them for today…
I’m not sure on this one. If it is genuinely not registering the snake fangs when you put then in the pestle it must be a glitch.
Three possibilities: With Snake Fangs, each “handful” actually contains 3 Snake Fangs, not 1, so maybe you have put too many in. Alternatively, are you putting them into the Cauldron instead of the Mortar? The Mortar is the small bowl to the left of the Cauldron. The Final Possibility is simply that it is being buggy. Try closing your browser and reopening it.
Some great help you have here! I’m trying to perfect the practice potion before moving on to bigger and better potions, but I can’t for the life of me figure out how to wave my wand. Does it just happen once all criteria is met or what?
Your wand is laying on the counter behind your cauldron. You just have to click it once. I should add that.
I don’t see my wand on the counter. Is there a reason why it’s missing?
I’m sure it is there, a lot of people have problems spotting it, you should see the pointy end of it right in front of the book with the directions.
If you are sure it’s not there send me a screen shot and I can confirm and we can go from there.
Found it! Thanks! I just thought that was a crack in the table. lol
I get that a LOT, so you aren’t the only one having a problem spotting it.
Thank you! I will go and check just as soon as Pottermore comes back online 😦
This is STUPIDLY USEFUL, I wish I’d read it a couple of days ago…
It’s basically an entry on what I WISH I’d known before I started brewing potions.
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I tried to practise the potion for curing boils. But I don’t know how much I should crush the ingredients. How do I know that the crushing is complete? Also, how do I move the spoon placed next to the mortar (for adding 4 measures of the crushed ingredients in the cauldron)? I tried clicking on the spoon, and even dragging my cursor to move the spoon, but nothing seems to be working. Which is why, despite the fact that I’ve stocked up on all the ingredients required for making potions, I haven’t really made a single potion so far (I suck at duels too!!). I can only imagine what Snape must be thinking of his student right now. Thank goodness he doesn’t exist in real life!!
P.S. Some ‘kind-hearted’ Slytherins have taken pity on me, and have actually gifted me a few potion ingredients. But their generosity has made me feel so much worse about my pathetic potion-making skils!!
When the crushing meter turns green it is done. Also, you don’t need the spoon just grab the ingredient out of the container with your mouse. That spoon is for decoration only.
Hey 🙂
I hate the ‘stir your potion’ thing with a fiery passion. I have no eyebrows left and my robes are on fire. And I’m currently hiding from Snape, even if I am a Slytherin.
If someone could either respond on here with a solution, even if it is ‘lend me your account and i’ll do it’ i’d be incredibly grateful.
thanks 🙂
CrimsonFirebolt30401
Hey, are you able to get it to stir at all? Are you using a mouse or a touchpad?
I’ve been hearing a lot of stirring questions in the past couple of days, including from my own boyfriend.
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so I’m stuck on the first potion because i try to stir clockwise 5 times but it counts one stir and then stops. i’ve tried the potion over and over and it will only count one clockwise stir. please help 😦
Are you using a regular mouse or a touch pad of some variety?
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So is Awakening a glitch or not? The same thing about the temperature happened to me too.
I have brewed ten Awakenings since the post above about it and it has not done that to me once. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a glitch, just means I can not reproduce it myself.
Okay, thanks! I’ll try it again.
Okay, so I have successfully brewed at least one of each potion :D. Thank you for all of your help!!!
Yay! I’m glad it helped. For me the trickiest is the Sleeping Draught, of which I have on the boil right now. Only ever pulled that one off once I believe.
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I can’t stir my potion! I know it’s supposed to be harder on a laptop but I’ve tried so many times and I can’t do it!! 😦
I use a track pad and I found it’s easiest to use my left hand for the buttons and my right hand for the track pad and to make clear circles when stirring. I’ve only had an issue once with stirring when it wouldn’t count past 1.
I’m stuck with the awakening potion. Every time I tried the potion it says that I got the temperature wrong, but I’m really careful to always keep the temperature right. Is this a glitch or may I do something wrong? I would be really thankful if you or someone else could help me.
And another question, maybe a little off topic here, but how can I add pictures to the gallery?
PS: Already added you as friend 😀 and you truly brewed a nice amount of potions O.O
Ahaha. Actually another Beta user just sent me a tweet about this, I have not brewed one since the site opened and am about to brew Awakening now to see if it is a genuine glitch.
In regards to uploading drawings if you scroll all the way down on any page dedicated to a single person or object ( for example Professor Snape, or the Golden Snitch) you scroll all the way to the bottom and there is an “Add Drawing” button beneath comments and what not.
Thank you very much for your reply. Finally found the “Add drawings” button, now I just have to draw something…^^
ok im having a major stiring problem on every potion. i am using a wireless onn brand mouse. found out that it is not the mouse that is the problem bec i tried a corded mouse and another wireless and on my friends laptop touchpad. i have tried everything. i just cant get the darn thing to stir anti clockwise. help me please! the help is much appreciated. QuillIce3533 of slitherin.
ignore my misspells please
Does it count any stirs at all when you try to stir that way? Or does it count once and stop?
its like its stuck on 1 stir. no matter how i move the mouse it just stays at 1.
its stirs once and no matter what i do it will only stir once.
is there some sort of petch that u can make or update that u can do to make it so i can actually stir?? lol
Are you sure in that moment you are suppose to be stirring anti-clockwise? I ask because my boyfriend swore up ad down it wouldn’t let him stir left. Said it stopped counting at 1. Then I looked and he wasn’t suppose to be stirring anti-clockwise.
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Thanks for the tips. Just trying to brew Wideye or Awakening Potion. Can’t work out how to move ingredients from the cauldron once heated to the mortor. Or am I just reading the recipe wrong?!
Oh, whoops, looks like I did misread the potion instructions. All clear now!
Awesome! Sorry I’m answering things in order. And just saw you had figured it out AFTER answering your first question.
I think you are reading it wrong. Nothing ever comes back out of the cauldron. 🙂
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Reblogged this on Mobile Mighty.
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They changed the brewing times a lot since the last update so that even the different cauldrons need different times now.
An update would be very sweet.
Update is pending.
Hi, I’m having this issue where I sucessfully brew the first part of the potion and it says come back in so and so minutes, and I do and then can’t find the potion at all. Like I go to Cauldrons because I saw other people said that’s where the % of your potion will be and you can reopen it, but it’s not there. Then when I log in later it says “potion failed to brew” and sometimes costs me house points or awards me one for trying. I don’t want to keep losing house points but I also don’t want to have to stop brewing potions.
I’ve tried IE, Firefox and Chrome. Nada. Can’t find the potion to finish it!
-MirrorFirebolt104
Thank you very much for such a helpful guide. Thank you for putting the time and effort of putting it to paper/blog. You just saved me from wasting lots of galleons and ruining my cauldron.
Thank you for the wonderful help! Wondering if you can help me with what I think is a glitch… I keep successfully starting potions brewing, but then when I leave them they disappear. I’ve clicked the “come back later” button, as well as tried just clicking to my common room, (another tip I saw) but it always just disappears. Know anything else I could try… other than giving negative feedback? Thanks!
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Can you please do a Spell Casting 101????
I’ve brewed the Sleeping Draught ten times, but since yesterday I haven’t been able to brew it even once. I follow the instructions but I get the message that I “put the lavender in the wrong container” which is not true.
I sometimes get the lavender in the wrong container error when I accidentally let some of the lavender hit the counter. I try to hold the lavender straight up and down now so non of
It misses the mortar.
It worked. Thanks for the advice.
I can’t get the Bezoar once it has ran out!!!!
Are you sure you are looking in the right place? It is almost invisible to the eye, you zoom in twice and run your mouse over the book shelf on the far wall.
Got it thank Elm Blade 43!!!!
I am just curious where you have found Wolfsbane in the “Hagrid’s Wooden House” (1.8.3). I have always found it in “Into the Forbidden Forest” (1.15.2).
It’s on the ground to the left if the barrel. And I’ve never gotten it from the forbidden forest. It’s not there now but I have some in inventory. So I will have to go back and look when I have none left.
Hmm… i keep getting what I think is a glitch every once in a while: I do the first step of brewing a potion, waive my wand, then the times starts. I navigate to a few other pages and then, when I go back to potions–> cauldron, i see the little bar with what % time is left in the brew just fine but then, when i click the link that says “this potion is currently brewing” most of the time i send me to the brewing page with another timer that says the % of completeness… but, sometimes it just returns me to step 1 of brewing all over again! has anyone else had this problem?
Ohh! I just re-read the exchange above with Danielyt and it seems I have the exact same problem. Thanks for the tip with switching browsers! I’ll have to try that one out next time this happens. I too have had it happen at least 5 or 6 times.
I wish I could figure out why this happens more to some people than others. Heck, some people are stuck in a permanent loop.
I find it happens to me less when entering from the cauldron screen than the potion book.
Yesterday, I didn’t have this problem at all. I think it happens when you brew the same potion over and over again, so I switched between different potions and everything was fine.
Thanks Elm!
Cause i mostly brew at work and can’t really focus, i brew Cure for Boils. I prefer to have 3 points then keep blowing up cauldrons cause i lost my focus! I really need to concentrate when making Sleeping Draught for example.
First make sure you can do one properly, before moving on to a difficult one. At least thats what i think (and i think i read it in your blog as well haha)
Thanks for making this blog! Makes it easier and more clear!
On a certain potion you have to heat for 1 minute. Is it possible to add the ingredients whilst it is heating? I seem to run out of time. By the way I am your friend on Pottermore, WildLight63
Nope, the heat timer has to be down before you can add the ingredients for the next step. Having the fastest heating cauldron helps, but not a lot.
That is my most failed potion.
I know I came here for advice, but I went ahead and did it anyway, adding the ingredients whilst it was heating and it worked. I put it on a high temperature to the top of the heat measure thing, and then I put it on the second highest heat and let it fall whilst I did the other steps. Then I waited for the timer to make it to 1 minute before waving my wand. It worked fine this way and I have lots of time still when I am waving my wand. I hope this makes the potion a little easier, even if you are a Slytherin and me a Hufflepuff 🙂
Awesome tips, especially for Potions, where I have melted several cauldrons and may or may not have lost eyebrows.
HOWEVER….Am I the only one whose ingredients throughout the story AREN’T regenerating? When I click on Chapter 8/Hagrids Hut….I can see the clickable items that I collected my first time round, but only for a split second. Then the page loads and they’re gone.
They only regenerate if your inventory is empty of said ingredient. And make sure you are looking at the right ingredients on the page. Wolfsbane is on the ground to the left of the barrel and billywig stings are in a jug on the window sill.
I wonder if anyone has this problem. Sometimes when the potion is 100% ready and I click the “This potion requires your attention” button, I don’t continue to the second phase, but I start all over again. It usually happens after they’ve done some updating.
That happened to me as well, I ended up switching to a different browser and had no issues. That might help you.
It’s called the potions loop and it is something they are still working to fix. Are you still stuck?
I don’t get stuck. I just have to start all over again. The second attempt is usually successful, but I’ve had nine potions ruined by this issue. 9×90 minutes equals 810 minutes, which is 13 hours and a half.
Is it possible to brew multiple potions at the same time?
Currently you can only brew one potion at a time.
yep. i thought of that too and tried, still blows up =(
ok i have a question, the potions always blow up when i hit my wand? how can i get that to stop?
You say always. Normally a potion blows due to improper heating. But it waits till you wave the wand. If you were to go in and wave your wand immediately, does it still explode?
My potion has been brewing for 2 days and it says it’s 100% complete but when ever I try to get into it so I can cancel it just won’t load the page. Do you know if there is another way to cancel it?
Have you tried failing on purpose?
I can’t even load the potion 😐 I left it to brew and now I can’t get into it again even though it says it’s 100% brewed. eeek, I duno what to do
You need to report it. Click on the Ask Elm entry of this blog and it’s in there how to report it.
You are not alone in this glitch. Believe me.
Where do you go back to to find your potion while it is brewing?
Hit your potions icon and then cauldron. You will see the percentage it is ready and a link below it to re enter that potion.
TY!
Is the respawn thing still in place? I don’t have any Horned Slugs anymore but when I go to “Mountain Troll” I can’t see the bottle there. 😦
Slugs aren’t in a jar, they are in the far sink when you zoom in. Hover over it and a slug will climb up the wall so you can grab it.
Oooh! I was looking at the wrong area. OTL Thanks! Finally found it. 🙂
I don’t have anymore slugs and I’m looking in the bathroom for the slugs… I’ve looked in every sink and I can’t find them. I’ve zoomed in all the way too. Any suggestions?
Zoom once and hover your mouse over the furthest sink.
Thanks for this fantastic guide – although this may mean we’re going to have to start calling you “the half-blood prince” now!!
OMG I love this! I couldn’t make potions, but now I’ve made my first one! Thank you so much!
And what about spells? They’re problematic too…
Spell tutorial will come probably once dueling comes back up.
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Hey, pretty comprehensive guide you’ve got there- we should compile some sort of guidebook for slytherin newbies one day XD
just something I would like to comment on– you said “Now what I’ve found works is to hit high immediately, then right before it hits the top of the two golden bars, I hit medium. Then I will watch it slowly fall, making sure not to let it go lower than the bottom bar. ” I think it’s better to switch it off before hitting medium coz hitting medium will make the temperature go up still, but if you switch it off altogether it’ll actually fall and then you can alternate between medium and off for the rest of the time… just thought i’d suggest something yeah….
This is a valid point as on some potions
Medium drops and on others it kinda creeps up and down and I’d you aren’t paying attention you lose your cauldron.
Fanks! I finally managed to brew the Sleeping Draught thanks to your suggestion of alternating between switching off and hitting medium! Muchas gracias!
Glad it helped! Once you get the hang I it you will be able to whip up a potion in your sleep.
on some potions, i stir it, and the counter for stirring goes to the correct amount, but it doesn’t cross off out of the instructions. so then it causes me to fail my potion. could you help me out?
My first question is does this happen on all potions or only a specific one?
WOW Elm, thanks a lot. Especially about the recollecting! I mean, to buy a bezoar for 10G??!! Great tips!
thanks for the tips! i wonder if it’ll work the same for the books and the chocolate frogs and gain house points if you pick them up again.
You can only gain the point for a found object once. I thought of that actually, was the first thing I tested. I WISH!! LOL.
yeah, i just tested it myself too. oh well, we can wish! LoL!
Thanks for doing this!
If the cauldrons don’t effect the overall cooking time, what does? Under each potion name it has a range of time from 1-3 hours…
At the moment, nothing shortens the brew time. Perhaps a future development will.
Those tips will be a big help when I brew potions, thanks! 🙂
Im so confused about the whole respawn thing! So, you send your stuff to someone else/(use it up?) go to the chapter and it will be there? But if you send it to someone else..are you expecting them to send it back?
It is too early in the morning! xD
Thanks for the tut though 🙂
Your first sentence is correct. If you have zero of something you can re-collect it.
But surely just using something up would be best, then you can just recollect it? Or if you send it to someone do they send it back after? O.o Sorry XD
I never said you should give anything away, perhaps you should reread that bit. It was an example.
I use it and while the potion is brewing go collect it again.
Ah, Im so sorry, I get confused so easily, I understand now, thanks very much 🙂
Really useful in the costings, thank you. Have you noticed any difference in brewing time depending on what cauldron you use? I wondered because when purchasing a cauldron, in the description, it says certain potions are suited to certain cauldrons, like ones with Unicorn Horn in a copper, or forgetfulness in a brass. And yet I am trying it out and it seems to take the same amount of time no matter what cauldron I use. Also in the potions book it gie brewing time under each potion as 1-3 hours. I wondered why they have taken the time to tell you about these things, and it even says chose your cauldron wisely before brewing, and yet there seems to be no difference?
If you look back over tree is a small paragraph in here about cauldrons. Some HEAT faster.
Oops, thank you. Aww well there goes any hope of brewing more quickly!
These were SUCH helpful tips!!! THANKS!!! 😀
For me what helped me with the potions is just practice. Once you figure out how to manipulate all the ingredients, then you can start churning them out. I also find that it is easier to use a mouse rather then the pad on a Laptop.
These tips and tricks are great but for me, the problem is that Potions is glitchy at the moment. I can brew a poition PERFECTLY with NO MISTAKES and I will still get an error message saying I added the wrong measurement of crushed mixture to my cauldron even tho I KNOW I did not. This happens over and over again so I have given up completely. Also, my potions page has completly frozen and seems to think it is currently brewing the Potion of Forgetfulness (0% complete) for three days now. I’ve never even attempted that potion! Why is it brewing!!?? Unless… I brewed such an awesome Potion of Forgetfulness that I forgot I brewed it… wow, I think I just blew my own mind.
I’ve had the same problems on multiple occasions. For the first thing, watch the counter, not how many you actually put in. And make sure the counter registers one before you put in the next one. I’ve had something similar to the second problem. The only thing I could figure out to fix it was to purposely mess up the potion. This seems to reset it somehow and let’s me brew normally after that. If it will let you click to continue making the potion, do so but just let the hourglass run out of time. You’ll at least still get one house point. However, if it’s at 0% it may not let you click. You can click on the BETA feedback button in the lower left corner and put “Strongly Disagree” under This page loads correctly. Also, some people have suggested using a different browser. I’ve found Google Chrome works the best for me.
same here… even if it says that i successfully brewed my potion and trying to hit the “brew another potion” button, it’ll just regenerate a new one without getting what i brewed already.. DARN!!!!….. =(