Soooooo I have been having trouble getting my hands on orbs of alchemy and I end having to result in buying energy to get them. So I was wondering if there was a good, solid, dependable way of getting them.
Orbs of Alchemy
You can get energy for crowns, you don't need real money. (You might have already known that though.)
If you only need 1 or 2, buy them in the auction house - If you need 3+, get energy.
Here's a quick guide to get you started:
1* - 3* Orbs of Alchemy: Buy them with Energy. Although Advanced Orbs of Alchemy seem expensive for starters, don't worry, just keep on grinding. You eventually get you 200 Energy for those orbs.
4* Orbs of Alchemy: Farm the first floor (Lichenous Lair) of the Mission, Sewer Stash on Elite difficulty.
5* Orbs of Alchemy: These are relatively easy to find. I don't think they are a problem. If they are, farm the mission Alone in the Dark, first floor (Candlestick Keep) only on Elite.
This is a frequently asked question. Here is my canned answer:
http://wiki.spiralknights.com/User:Jdavis/FAQs#How_do_I_get_Orbs_of_Alch...
Guide I wrote about farming- http://forums.spiralknights.com/en/node/108732
Short answer is buying them from the supply depot. Orbs are RNG dependent so it's likely that you'll just magically not get them for a few runs. The supply depot can be used to balance this out.