The BazaarThe Bazaar Mak Guide and Overview

Transform is a new mechanic which turns one item into another random item. The new item keeps the same tier as the previous (Bronze, Silver, etc.) while also retaining its enchantment, as long as it's a legal host. It can even become an off-class item!

This effectively allows players to "reroll" their enchanted items in hopes of acquiring something better. However, it does come with a slight risk of losing the enchant if the newly-Transformed item can't support it.

Mandala is the new event which gives players a free Transform, and is available to be encountered by all Heroes.

However, as the master alchemist himself, Mak gets additional access to Transform effects in order to brew some particularly potent Potions!

Example Items

Mothmeal

Mothmeal is a serviceable item on its own during the early game, giving you quick access to Slow. However, its primary use case is to be Transformed. All Reagents (with the exception of Chunk of Lead) come with some type of enchantment property, granting them powerful effects once Transformed.

While there is RNG involved, thanks to Mak's additional alchemy methods, you'll have plenty of chances to reroll for a more optimal item. It's also good to be mindful of the item tier before Transforming as some items only exist at higher rarities.

Potion Distillery

Potion Distillery offers some powerful combat benefits by providing additional Ammo to your Potions and reducing their Cooldown. However, combat reasons aside, this is an extremely valuable item as it gives access to a reliable and repeatable Transform.

Being able to Transform a Small item into a Potion every time you visit a Merchant allows for up to four rerolls per day. With this, you can skip Mandala and get a similar benefit while still being able to shop (unless you need a Medium/Large Transform, or non-Potion).

Alembic is an additional item that provides the same effect but at a lesser rate. As a Medium item it's likely a bit easier to find, helping give you at least some access if you don't find Potion Distillery.

Calcinator

Calcinator is a cool item that scales its Burn whenever you Transform a Reagent. If acquired early enough alongside Potion Distillery or other Transform items, Calcinator can become a powerful threat.

Retort is more or less the same, except with Poison instead of Burn. Both items also provide a Chunk of Lead each day, giving you more Reagents to keep scaling as much as possible.

Disruption is an important part of many successful builds. Beyond simply "doing your own thing", it can be equally valuable to stop the opponent from doing their's.

Freeze and Slow are the most common forms of disruption, but Mak takes this a step further.

From enhancing the tried and true to breaking the core rules entirely, Mak's got you covered!

Example Items

Frost Potion

Frost Potion is too strong not to mention, despite its long existence prior to Mak's release. This item defined many of Vanessa's Port builds, so it's no surprise that it's a fundamental part of Mak's Freeze package.

However, what really brings it to life is having Sapphire within the same item pool. Going from a one second Freeze to a two second Freeze is a massive difference, especially when combined with other Freeze effects.

Library

Library is a brand new item that has a Cooldown increasing effect, which is generally rare to find. What makes Library unique is that it only shuts down Weapons, allowing you to build around it and mitigate its drawback.

Not only that, but it actually reduces your items' Cooldowns by a flat one second duration. All of this combined makes it a powerful item for controlling the pace of combat, often greatly in your favor.

Bottled Tornado

Bottled Tornado is by far the spiciest example with its incredibly unique effect that no other item and/or skill can provide. Instead of waiting 30 seconds, the Sandstorm begins when the Bottled Tornado goes off!

This will definitely hurt certain strategies over others, particularly those that need time to scale. While Mak himself can fall under this category, having better access to Regen can work in his favor, helping keep him alive during the chaos.

Mak may not have a comparable arsenal of Weapons at his disposal, but those that exist can be incredibly powerful.

In general, Mak's Weapons tend to be excellent hosts with huge scaling potential rather than boasting sheer raw Damage. They may require a bit more work, but the payoff is certainly worth the effort.

Example Items

Runic Daggers

Runic Daggers is a Medium Weapon that has built-in Multicast and Lifesteal, but a low base Damage value. However, it only takes a Damage skill or two to bring this up to respectable levels, and they're typically pretty common to come by.

If that's not enough already, Runic Daggers also has an additional self-Charging effect that triggers whenever you Crit with another item. It's essentially like a Critical Core except it doesn't count itself. With enough support, its seven second Cooldown won't feel long at all.

Strength Potion

Strength Potion isn't a Weapon, I know... but it offers a powerful effect that compliments Weapons really well. Most of the time Crit Chance needs to be earned, either by committing multiple slots worth of board space, or finding the right skills to enable it. Getting immediate 100% access across the board is crazy powerful!

Its obvious drawback is the temporary effect window and its limited Ammo. However, it's easy enough to find ways to expand its capacity (or Reload), and upgrading its tier lengthens the window a decent amount. Add in some Haste and you'll have more uptime than downtime, making Strength Potion well worth the single Small slot it requires.

Bottled Explosion

Bottled Explosion has a wild line of text ("Double this item's damage for the fight") given how accessible it is. Sure, Ammo is definitely a relevant factor, but Mak's item pool can easily support it.

There's also an easy way to take Bottled Explosion to the next level. By combining it with Boiling Flask you immediately grant it Multicast, creating a massive difference in Damage output. Not only does it deal more Damage, but its rate of scaling is substantially faster.

You do have to jump through an extra couple of hoops compared to other Weapons, but given the heights it's able to reach, you'll be greatly rewarded if you pull it off!