Alchemy Factory Shop Recognition Guide
Understand shop recognition and how shop progression fits into the wider Version 1.0 progression loop.
Overview
Version 1.0 replaced Alchemy Factory's old Reputation system with Shop Recognition. It is now a deliberate shop-progression system tied to reputation and profit rather than a passive score driven directly by customer purchase feedback.
What changed in Version 1.0
Customer feedback when making purchases no longer directly affects Reputation. Instead, players obtain Shop Recognitions that increase shop reputation and profits. Shop sales upgrades were reworked and purchase-contract upgrades were removed, with those bonuses integrated into Recognition.
Recognition is part of normal progression
Post-release hotfix v1.0.4962 added an extra Shop Recognition application step to the new-player tutorial. Hotfix v1.0.4950 also added clearer indicators for the NPC who handles Recognition applications and updated the Shop Reputation section of the in-game Manual.
Do not look only in the research tree
Version 1.0 changed how unlocks are divided. Non-production devices were removed from the Tech Tree and must instead be unlocked at the Workbench. If an expected shop-related device is missing from research, check the Workbench progression rather than assuming the game has failed to unlock it.
Recognition and production should grow together
Recognition can improve the commercial side of the business, but higher shop potential still needs products to sell. Before pushing shop growth, make sure important production chains can maintain finished stock without exhausting shared ingredients.
Recognition and shop layout
The 1.0 customer-navigation rework allows customers to reach upper floors. You can also remove the original entrance and create multiple shop gates, giving recognised and expanding shops considerably more freedom in how customer areas are arranged.
Recognition and the Grand Portal
The Grand Portal adds another layer to the shop by allowing customers from distant cities to visit. Treat Recognition, customer access, production capacity and shop layout as connected systems rather than four separate progression checkboxes.
Current-version note
Because Recognition was substantially rebuilt for 1.0 and received tutorial and UI fixes immediately after release, older Early Access guides can describe an obsolete Reputation system. This guide follows the Version 1.0 model.
The five shop recognition paths
Each of the five shop-recognition tracks has five levels. The current community table reports +8 Shop Reputation per level and category-specific profit bonuses, but does not confirm exactly how successive profit bonuses combine. The first milestone in each track is:
| Recognition | Available | First requirement | Application fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sundries | Level II | Sell 6 Mortar | 400 copper |
| Apothecary | Level III | Sell 100 Healing Potions | 2 silver 400 copper |
| Tavern | Level IV | Sell 20 Whispering Fields | 4 silver 800 copper |
| Jeweller | Level V | Sell 40 Turquoise | 8 silver |
| Relic | Level V | Sell 5 Jupiter | 30 silver |
The first step in each track reports +10% category profit alongside +8 reputation. These are game-listed improvements, not a promise of a corresponding rise in real net income. The full five-level requirements are in the community Recognition table, source data labelled v1.1.5024 when checked on 27 October 2026.
Why shelves can be full and sales remain at zero
- Read the shelf's status. Some items are not authorised until a relevant Recognition or licence is granted; an unlicensed item may sit unsold even if customers can reach it.
- Check the shelf's type. Potions need the correct shelf; jewellery and relics need their own Workbench unlocks.
- Check customer access. Merchants, Monks and Nobles are the groups that buy jewellery and relics and require Shop Reputation to visit reliably. Citizens and Warriors buy beverages.
- Check physical access. Customers cannot buy from an inaccessible or blocked shelf, regardless of the stocked quantity.
- Check whether the shop's stock and sales are being measured over an appropriate period; do not infer demand from machine output.
Recognitions versus other licences
Shop Recognitions improve reputation and a shelf category's profit. Licensed Alchemist affects Grand Portal traffic and shop profit; its first reported requirement is producing 500 Soap, rather than selling a batch of shelf goods. Licensed Supplier opens a separate contract ladder. Coin Mint Licenses govern coin-related progression. These tracks overlap with commercial growth but do not all award the same Shop Reputation benefits. Use the application screen to confirm requirements before spending.
Useful progression order
Start with an affordable recognition that matches goods you can actually sell. As higher-tier customer types arrive, add Apothecary and Tavern sales; then develop Jewellery and Relic products as production and eligible customer traffic permit. Recognition is not a replacement for manufacturing capacity, but it may be the missing commercial prerequisite that makes a fully stocked line viable.
Source note: community making-money guide and research/licence data, source data labelled v1.1.5024, checked 27 October 2026. Exact customer visit thresholds and compounding of profit bonuses are not independently confirmed.