Overview
The Alchemy Formula: Platinum is a rare crafting recipe in Crimson Desert that allows players to transmute base materials into Platinum, one of the most valuable high-tier resources in the game. The recipe is found inside the Scholastone Institute Library, tucked away on a bookshelf in the galleria section of the main building. Platinum stands out among alchemy products for its exceptional durability and oxidation resistance, making it a core ingredient in advanced catalysts and duration-enhancing items. It also sells for a high price, making it one of the best late-game silver generators.
Recipe Location
The Platinum recipe is located in the Scholastone Institute Library, a research hub that becomes accessible from Chapter 5 onward. Follow these steps to reach it:
Enter through the main Scholastone Institute gate and head into the main building.
Pass the reputation vendor on your left side.
Go up the stairs leading to the upper level.
Loop back on yourself toward the right-hand galleria (the elevated balcony section).
Examine the lower rows of the bookshelf on the right side. The recipe scroll sits on one of the bottom three shelves.
Pick up the "Alchemy Formula: Platinum" and open your inventory to read it. Reading the formula officially registers it in your recipe list.
Tip: You can use a triple jump to reach the galleria balcony more quickly rather than taking the stairs all the way around.
Crafting Requirements
Unlike most alchemy recipes, the Platinum formula is not crafted at an Alchemist's Cauldron. Instead, it requires a Witch station for transmutation. The nearest Witch station is located inside Shadow's Whisper Cave, right next to the Cauldron there.
Ingredient | Quantity | Where Found |
|---|---|---|
1 | ||
4 | Gathered at Brimstone Springs in the Hernand region | |
3 | Quicksilver deposits at Silver Wolf Mountain and Hexe Sanctuary | |
2 | Quest rewards and specialty merchants |
Crafting Station: Witch
The Platinum recipe specifically requires a Witch to process. Regular Cauldrons cannot produce Platinum. The first Witch station most players encounter is inside Shadow's Whisper Cave, located north of Hernand City, just west of Three Saints' Falls. To reach it, look for a narrow crack in the cliff face at the bottom of the bridge near a fast travel platform. Squeeze through the crack to enter the cave.
Inside Shadow's Whisper Cave you will find the Witch Sylvia, who is both a crafting station and quest NPC. The Cauldron is also present in the same chamber, so this cave functions as a one-stop crafting hub for both standard alchemy and Witch transmutation recipes.
Warning: Do not enter Shadow's Whisper Cave before receiving the letter from the White Crow. There is a known bug where Sylvia disappears from the cave if you visit too early, which locks you out of Witch crafting at that location.
What Platinum is Used For
Platinum is classified as a high-tier crafting material with two primary uses:
Advanced Catalysts and Equipment: Platinum's resistance to oxidation and its durability make it an essential component in crafting duration-enhancing items and high-end catalysts. These are used to improve the effectiveness and longevity of other crafted gear and consumables.
Silver Generation: Platinum has one of the highest sell values among craftable items. If you have a steady supply of Gold Bars and Brimstone in the late game, mass-producing Platinum and selling it to vendors is one of the most efficient ways to accumulate silver.
Ingredient Sourcing Tips
Gold Bars
Gold Bars are the bottleneck ingredient for Platinum production. You can find them in treasure chests scattered across the world, earn them from certain quests, or craft them through alchemy. The Gold Bar alchemy recipe itself requires 3 Brimstone, 3 Mercury, and 10 Silver Ore, also processed at a Witch station. Since both the Gold Bar and Platinum recipes share Brimstone and Mercury as ingredients, farming these materials in bulk is essential for sustained Platinum production.
Brimstone
Brimstone is gathered from Brimstone Springs in the Hernand region. This is a gathering node that respawns, so you can revisit the area to stock up. Since each Platinum craft requires 4 Brimstone (plus 3 more if you are also crafting your own Gold Bars), Brimstone Springs will become a regular farming destination.
Mercury
Mercury deposits appear as quicksilver pools that can be solidified and collected. The primary gathering locations are Silver Wolf Mountain and Hexe Sanctuary. You can also unlock all Mercury deposit locations on your map by completing Project 3A: Mercury Research at the Delesyia Castle research projects, which costs 7 Silver and takes 6 hours. Building trust with the Scholar NPC in Scholastone to 100 (by gifting 10 hides) can also yield Mercury as a reward.
Holy Water
Holy Water is obtained primarily through quest rewards and from specialty merchants. Keep an eye out for side quests that offer Holy Water as a completion reward, and check merchant inventories regularly as stock rotates.
Other Cauldron and Witch Locations
While Shadow's Whisper Cave is the most commonly used crafting hub, there are several other locations where you can access Cauldrons and Witch stations:
Location | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Cauldron + Witch | North of Hernand, west of Three Saints' Falls; contains both stations | |
Hernand Town (East Side) | Cauldron | Vacant building with a mortar and pestle sign; Cauldron only, no Witch |
Cauldron + Witch | Southwest Hernand region; progression-locked | |
Alchemy Lab | Unlocked through main story quest progression | |
Timberham Sawmill | Purchasable Cauldron | Buy a portable Cauldron for approximately 40 silver from the furniture salesman |
All discovered Cauldrons are permanently pinned to your map after your first interaction, making return visits straightforward. Remember that Platinum specifically needs a Witch station, so only locations with a Witch (Shadow's Whisper Cave, Witch's House) will work for this recipe.
Tips
Always read the recipe scroll from your inventory after picking it up. Simply collecting the scroll is not enough; you must open and read it to register the formula.
If you plan to farm Platinum for silver income, set up a route that hits Brimstone Springs, Silver Wolf Mountain, and any Holy Water merchants in sequence before returning to Shadow's Whisper Cave to craft.
The Platinum recipe becomes available in Chapter 5 when Scholastone opens. By that point you should have access to all the ingredient sources listed above.
Consider completing the Mercury Research project at Delesyia Castle early. Revealing all Mercury deposits on the map saves significant exploration time.
Since Gold Bars are also crafted at a Witch station with overlapping ingredients, batch your Witch crafting sessions to produce Gold Bars first, then convert some into Platinum in the same visit.