If you’re still grinding with basic tools and doing everything by hand, you are missing something valuable—life gets a lot easier when you hire a Chemist in Schedule 1. But you won’t unlock this luxury right away. To get the option to hire one, you need to progress to Hoodlum V rank and unlock the Illegal Warehouse. Once that’s open, go see Manny, the Fixer. He staffs up your criminal enterprise—whether it’s Cleaners, Botanists, Handlers, or Chemists.
Keep in mind, Chemists don’t come cheap. Their daily wages stack up fast, so make sure you bring a stable supply chain and a decent cash buffer before bringing one on board. They’re only worth the investment if you’re scaling into more serious product lines and dreaming of becoming a drug empire king in Hyland Point.
How to Set Up a Chemist Properly in Schedule 1
You’ll use the Management Clipboard (or “pad”) to assign your Chemist to mixing stations, chemistry tables, or cooking stations. Click on the worker, then use the clipboard to assign stations, input/output shelves, and routes. Every Chemist needs their own assigned bed. And on that bed is a little briefcase. You need to keep it stocked with their daily wage, or they will simply stand there looking useless.
You’ll also need to make sure they have access to shelves with ingredients—things like Cuke, Pseudo, Gas, whatever your recipe calls for. Assign those shelves as their supply source using the pad. No supplies = no mixing.
How Mixing Works in Schedule 1
Mixers in Schedule 1 don’t let you select a recipe the way Grow Pots do. Instead, you control the process through your setup, and that throws a lot of players off. Once you’ve hired a Chemist, you’ll need to assign them to a mixing station using the clipboard and connect that station to a shelf with the right ingredients. Then, set an output shelf where the finished product will land.
You assign the Chemist to a Mixer Mark 1 or Mark 2, then connect that mixer to an output shelf. The ingredients must be delivered by a Handler, unless you do it manually. You’ll also need to manage routes for every part of the chain:
- Shelf → Mixer
- Mixer → Next Mixer (for multi-step mixes)
- Final Mixer → Packaging or storage
This daisy-chaining is essential for multi-step drug recipes. Let’s say you’re making meth. You could have:
- Mixer 1: Acid + Pseudo → Base
- Mixer 2: Base + Banana → Meth
- Handler moves ingredients and results between each mixer.
- Final product goes to the Packager with jars/bags.
Use separate shelves for each ingredient, so Handlers don’t mess up your mixes by dragging the wrong item 10 times.
Once you’re deeper into the game and crafting multi-layered products, you’ll need more than a single mixer. Daisy-chaining becomes valuable in this case, which links multiple mixers and shelves to form a good assembly line. In this process, each mixer pulls from a shelf with specific ingredients, and the output goes directly into the next mixer’s shelf. Handlers are assigned routes to make the chain flow while the final result gets packaged and stored automatically.
Why Isn’t My Chemist Mixing?
First, check their briefcase to verify you have paid them, they won’t lift a finger without receiving money. Next, make sure you’ve assigned them to the mixer and that the mixer has both a supply shelf and an output shelf connected. If there are no valid recipe ingredients nearby, they won’t know what to do.
Another common mistake can be that your Handler isn’t doing their job; it’s either they weren’t assigned properly, or there is a routing error. Without ingredients in the mixer, your Chemist is useless. Remember, a Chemist can only handle three stations maximum, so don’t overload them. If all else fails and everything looks right, restart the game and check the issue. There are still a few bugs, especially with the Mixer Mk2. Happens to the best of us.
Is It Worth Getting a Chemist in Schedule 1?
It depends on your playing style and timing in the game, if you’re still handcrafting small batches and living paycheck to paycheck in Hyland Point, hiring a Chemist too early will only bleed your funds. But once you’re pushing volume and unlocking higher-tier drugs, the Chemist is a great time-saver and crucial to scaling. Treat your Chemist mixer like a VIP worker. Get their setup right, and they’ll mix nonstop, allowing you to focus on expanding your empire, managing logistics, or kicking back while the money rolls in.
For the best use of the Chemist mix feature in the game, plan ahead with storage placement. Route overlap or ingredient mix-ups can mess up production fast. Don’t skip paying your workers, even if you’re running low, because they don’t work without wages. Further, mixers don’t show recipes, but each number (1–10) usually correlates to a slot or output route, so you need to be careful when playing with settings. Automixing mods are also available for players who want to ditch micromanagement.
