I'd like to suggest throwing out the idea of "overall recommended ranks." Rank 1 is the ideal for all skills, and as such, it should inherently be the "overall recommended rank." A minimum is fine, but you are implying that there is a stopping point when that's not the case. Since AP is unlimited, everyone can and should take advantage of the potential to get r1 in every skill. What you should do instead is revise your priority listings (Flame Burst should not be a "4," Summon Golem is arguably higher than "8," and Alchemy Mastery should be higher priority than anything else) and sort skills that way.
Quote from Cynic;223594:
[FONT=Arial]I often get asked this a lot, and my answer is pretty simple; Elves and Alchemy just go together.
The main reason I prefer Elves to Humans when it comes to Alchemy is 1: Speed, and 2: less AP to rank up Combat skills. It is arguable if the second factor is worth it due to the fact that they are less efficient than Human Combat skills, I don't notice much of a difference at first. (In terms of a Human Alchemist vs. an Elfchemist, both Alchemy based) Alchemy events it out a lot.
Some may also argue that they have less Stamina and HP, but we'll address that later.
[/FONT]
I still don't understand how #2 is an advantage in favor of elves? You said it yourself: you don't rely much on melee skills when playing alchemy. And anyway, with your "overall recommended rank" for melee skills set so low, you actually end up paying MORE AP for elf melee - at least if you only rank CM and WM. This changes if you consider the sum of all three melee skills you mentioned, but Counterattack has little purpose in being there. You say that it's useful "if you don't have time to charge an alchemy skill," but it's a 1.5-second load time across all ranks. You can fulfill the same defensive purpose with r5+ Water Cannon, which you recommend anyway, with higher damage output to boot. The only time you would ever use Counterattack is to protect yourself during golem control, but the stamina drain can do more harm than good when you regain control of your character for whatever reason; Barrier Spikes, which is most certainly NOT a "questionable skill," eliminates the need to load Counter.
Quote from Cynic;223594:
[FONT=Arial][COLOR=DarkOrange]Production Mastery - Very, verrryyy useful! Not only does it add stamina, but it increases the success rate of gathering and production. Plus, it's very cost-friendly at only a total required amount of 67 AP!
Priority to rank: 5/10.
General AP cost: 10/10.
Minimum recommended rank: rA.
Overall recommended rank: r5.
Method of obtaining: Complete the 'Red Sand Scorpion Venom Sac' beginner quest. [/FONT][/COLOR]
Again, I'm not sure why the "overall recommended" is r5. As you even noted yourself, elves have low stamina, so there's no reason anything lower than r1 should be recommended since that's where you get the most stamina. Your mention of 67 AP does imply ranking it beyond 5, but you give a somewhat contradictory message with the recommendation below it - another reason why that section should be eliminated.
Quote from Cynic;223594:
[FONT=Arial]Which Cylinder? Depending on your main skills, some will work better than others;
Cylinder = works for all skills, but adds no extra elemental damage.
Water Cylinder = Water Cannon, Frozen blast, Rain casting.
Clay Cylinder = Barrier spikes, Sand Burst, Summon Golem.
Fire Cylinder = Flame burst, Heat buster,
Wind Cylinder = Wind blast, [/FONT]
Frozen Blast should also go under wind cylinder, as that is the only cylinder of the ones you listed that has upgrades for it.
Quote from Cynic;223594:
[FONT=Arial]Minimal spending: 2 pets - 2 fighters. ($15~20 average) [/FONT]
I'm not sure why you recommend two fighter pets as the minimum? The number one priority for one's first pet should always be a mount. It is essential given how much traveling is done in the game and how big the maps are, and it can be used for combative purposes at the same time. Sure, you might not get the same stat/skill growth, but you can still pet swipe and use it to set enemies up for your own attacks. A poison snake pet should also be recommended for combat, as it can do wonders on tough enemies in a matter of seconds, which is often more than you can say for any other standard combat pet.
Quote from Cynic;223594:
[FONT=Arial]The lovely thing about Alchemy is there is no passive skill to block it. [/FONT]
But... there is. It's called Mana Deflector. Heavy Stander also blocks the melee from golems.
And, as Kaeporo said, this would probably be better off as a general alchemy guide for all races as opposed to one for "elfchemists." You only cover alchemy/melee here, and similar hybrids among the other races can make this combination work just as well, if not much better. Contrary to what you have said, there IS a noticeable difference between the combined alchemy and melee of a human and that of an elf at "'equal' skills" because the melee is what sets them apart, unless you are using melee with a cylinder (why would you do that?).
Also, your advice on Chain Cylinder does need to be revised for reasons already mentioned.