Direct answer
This GK2 embalming guide covers four bottles, each graded ★, ★★, and ★★★: Solution for Corpses (+1 / +2 / +3 white), Injection for Corpses (that white plus −1 / −2 / −3 red), Solution for Zombies (+1 / +2 / +3 red), and Injection for Zombies (that red, and the same amount of white removed). Craft them at the Formulation Bench and apply each bottle to a pocket at the Embalming Table; a body holds at most six pocket items, organs are not counted, and the job does not fail. Finish organ extraction first, use corpse mixes when the body is going in the ground, and use zombie mixes when you need red perk slots. Lye, Glue, Gold, and Silver are not item names.
GK2 Preservative is not one of those bottles. It is the 3-green laboratory formula unlocked by Embalming I. Solution for Corpses is Melted Fat + Preservative. You brew Preservative in the lab and spend it as an ingredient; you do not put it in a corpse pocket. Verified (public source)
Steps
- Extract organs first. The Graveyard Keeper 2 autopsy guide starts with Blood and Fat, then only an organ at or above its Anatomy floor — below that floor the cut is a Surgeon’s Error (organ Anatomy requirements).
- For a grave: remove Blood and Fat, then apply Solution for Corpses (white only) or Injection for Corpses (white and less red). Injection needs Embalming III, Anatomy 8, and a Comet’s Tail.
- For a zombie: skip corpse mixes. Solution for Zombies adds red. Injection for Zombies adds the same red and also removes white, which a zombie does not use, and it costs a Comet’s Tail (do white skulls affect zombies? No). The resurrection bottle is separate: Reanimation Liquid (Clay + Alcohol + Salt) adds no skulls. Preservative, the 3-green mix in these bottles, is not Third Eye Salt.
- Stop at six pocket items. A body can arrive with one to four already in the pockets (graveyardkeeper2.io). Count those before you craft. The calculator skips a seventh bottle. Higher tiers already carry more white and more red, so read the corpse before you mix (corpse types).
Embalming cheat sheet (★ to ★★★)
At Anatomy 6 every Solution is ★★★; at Anatomy 8 every Injection is ★★★. Below those scores the grade is a roll, and the calculator assumes you apply the grade you tick. Rules version 0.2.0 matches this table.
| Bottle | ★ | ★★ | ★★★ | Made from | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solution for Corpses | +1 White | +2 White | +3 White | Melted Fat + Preservative. Embalming I. | Burial. Adds white only. Does nothing for a zombie. |
| Injection for Corpses | −1 Red, +1 White | −2 Red, +2 White | −3 Red, +3 White | Melted Fat + Preservative + Comet’s Tail. Embalming III. | Burial when red is still cancelling wreaths. |
| Solution for Zombies | +1 Red | +2 Red | +3 Red | Alcohol + Preservative. Unlocks with Reanimation Liquid. | Add red perk slots. White unchanged. |
| Injection for Zombies | +1 Red, −1 White | +2 Red, −2 White | +3 Red, −3 White | Alcohol + Preservative + Comet’s Tail. Embalming III. | Same red as the zombie solution, and it removes white a zombie does not use. |
What GK2 Preservative is
Preservative is the shared ingredient, not a fifth embalming bottle. Wikily’s alchemy page lists it as a laboratory formula: 0 red, 3 green, 0 blue, brewed at Laboratory I, unlocked by Embalming I. Verified (public source) The four bottles on this page are mixed from it later, at the Formulation Bench, and those mixes are what go into a pocket. Preservative itself has no ★ grade and no white or red skull line on the bottle table.
Solution for Corpses uses Melted Fat + Preservative. That is the burial bottle: +1 / +2 / +3 white at ★ / ★★ / ★★★, with Anatomy 6 for a guaranteed ★★★ (graveyardkeeper2.io). Injection for Corpses is the same pair plus a Comet’s Tail, and it needs Embalming III. The zombie bottles swap Melted Fat for Alcohol: Solution for Zombies is Alcohol + Preservative, and Injection for Zombies adds a Comet’s Tail. Every bottle in the cheat sheet starts from Preservative. None of them is Preservative.
| Item | Where it is made | What it does to the corpse |
|---|---|---|
| Preservative | Laboratory I. 3 green. Embalming I. | Not applied to a pocket. No white or red of its own on this page. |
| Solution for Corpses | Formulation Bench. Melted Fat + Preservative. | +1 / +2 / +3 white. Burial. Does nothing for a zombie. |
| Injection for Corpses | Melted Fat + Preservative + Comet’s Tail. Embalming III. | The same white, and −1 / −2 / −3 red. |
| Solution for Zombies | Alcohol + Preservative. Unlocks with Reanimation Liquid. | +1 / +2 / +3 red. White unchanged. |
| Injection for Zombies | Alcohol + Preservative + Comet’s Tail. Embalming III. | The same red, and it removes white a zombie does not use. |
A raising does not spend Preservative. What a GK2 resurrection actually consumes is one Reanimation Liquid plus a collar (Bronze 5, Golden 10, Steel 99). That bottle adds no skulls. The 3-green rune line, beside the other laboratory formulas, is on the alchemy and bottle matrix.
Real bottles, not Lye / Glue / Gold / Silver
graveyardkeeper2.io and Wikily name four mixes, each in three grades (★ / ★★ / ★★★, sometimes written I–III). Lye, Glue, Gold and Silver are not items. Early launch articles used those names; the calculator no longer does. Rules version 0.2.0 matches the table below.
Mixes
| Mix | Δ Red | Δ White | Made from (wiki) | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solution for Corpses I–III | 0 | +1 / +2 / +3 | Melted Fat + Preservative | Burial White bump |
| Injection for Corpses I–III | −1 / −2 / −3 | +1 / +2 / +3 | Melted Fat + Preservative + Comet’s Tail | Burial cleanup + White |
| Solution for Zombies I–III | +1 / +2 / +3 | 0 | Alcohol + Preservative | Add Red perk slots |
| Injection for Zombies I–III | +1 / +2 / +3 | −1 / −2 / −3 | Alcohol + Preservative + Comet’s Tail | Trade White → Red |
How a bottle is applied
- Crafted at the Formulation Bench. Solution for Corpses needs Embalming I (Melted Fat + Preservative) and Anatomy 6 for a guaranteed ★★★. Injection for Corpses needs Embalming III, adds a Comet’s Tail, and wants Anatomy 8 (graveyardkeeper2.io).
- Solution for Zombies unlocks with the Reanimation Liquid technology — the same node as the resurrection recipe, Clay + Alcohol + Salt (Alcohol + Preservative, Anatomy 6). Injection for Zombies needs Embalming III and a Comet’s Tail (Anatomy 8).
- At the Embalming Table each bottle goes into a pocket and is used up. A body holds at most 6 pocket items; organs are not counted. The job does not fail.
- Solution for Corpses does nothing for a zombie. Zombies make no use of White skulls. Use Solution for Zombies when you need more Red.
Suggested order
- Finish organ extractions first (autopsy / organs). Stay at or above the Anatomy requirement so you don’t leave a Surgeon’s Error.
- For burial: remove Blood and Fat, then Solution for Corpses or Injection for Corpses.
- For zombies: skip corpse mixes. Solution for Zombies adds Red; Injection for Zombies adds the same Red and also removes White, which a zombie doesn’t use, and it costs a Comet’s Tail (zombie prep).
- Stop at six pocket items. The calculator skips a seventh bottle and warns.
Caveats
- Embalming Table I unlocks with Embalming I; Table II with Embalming III (Wikily stations). The point prices for those two technologies are on Anatomy and Alchemy tech costs. Where they sit among the organ, kit and table unlocks is the tech tree.
- The calculator counts selected bottles only. Pockets the corpse already arrived with are not modeled, so a full body may have fewer than six free slots.
- One checkbox is one bottle of that grade. Stacking two of the same grade means ticking isn’t enough — add the delta yourself or pick different grades.
- Zombies can be cremated from 1.011 (30 Oct 2026); the roadmap item is shipped. That is a disposal route for a body that is only good for Ash and Salt, not an embalming step, and it does not change skull values. Verified (public source)
Which bottle, given the ending
Grades and recipes are the graveyardkeeper2.io figures already in the table above. This section is only the choice. Each link uses the 3 White / 2 Red worked example and one bottle. A body holds six pocket items; the corpse’s own pockets count in game and do not count in the planner.
| Situation | Open this | Stop if |
|---|---|---|
| Burial, Red already 0, you need more White than your wreaths | Solution for Corpses after Blood and Fat | White would exceed the wreaths you can place. See the grave-score table. |
| Burial, Red is cancelling wreaths | Injection for Corpses | You do not have Embalming III, Anatomy 8, or a Comet’s Tail. Solution will not remove the Red. |
| Zombie short of the collar | Solution for Zombies | Red + the bottle would pass the collar (Bronze 5, Golden 10, Steel 99). |
| You want less White on a zombie | Injection for Zombies, same Red as the solution | White does not change perk slots. The injection is the expensive way to do the solution’s job. |
Work the pocket cap before you craft
- Count items already in the pockets. graveyardkeeper2.io: a body arrives with one to four, and holds six in total.
- Subtract from 6. That is how many bottles fit. Organs do not use these slots.
- In the calculator, tick only the bottles you still have room for. A seventh checked bottle is skipped and named in the warning. The skip follows the order on the page, not the order you clicked.
- The same grade twice is two bottles. The form has one checkbox per grade, so add the second delta yourself.
Common mistakes
- Solution for Corpses on a zombie because the word “solution” sounded useful. It does not change perk slots. Planner warning.
- Injection for Corpses on a zombie to “improve” it. That bottle removes Red, which removes perk slots.
- Crafting ★★★ before Anatomy 6 (solutions) or 8 (injections). At those scores every bottle is grade III. Below them the grade is a roll, and the calculator assumes you apply the grade you tick.
- Following a Lye → Glue → Gold note from a launch article. Those names are not in the embalming UI.
Related guides
Preservative’s rune target, and every other laboratory formula, is on the alchemy and bottle matrix. What the red on the zombie bottles does to a grave, versus perk slots, is on red skulls. The wider set of guides is the library.
FAQ
What does this GK2 embalming guide cover?
Four bottles, each graded ★, ★★, and ★★★: Solution for Corpses (+1 / +2 / +3 white), Injection for Corpses (that white plus −1 / −2 / −3 red), Solution for Zombies (+1 / +2 / +3 red), and Injection for Zombies (that red, and the same amount of white removed). Craft them at the Formulation Bench, apply each one to a pocket at the Embalming Table, and stop at six pocket items. Lye, Glue, Gold, and Silver are not item names.
Should I embalm before or after organ extraction?
After. Shape the corpse with organs first, then polish so you don’t waste reagents.
Are Lye / Glue / Gold / Silver real GK2 item names?
No. The bottles are Solution and Injection for Corpses or Zombies. The calculator uses those names.
Which mix for burial?
Wikily: Solution for Corpses (+White) or Injection for Corpses (−Red / +White). Higher grades do more.
Which mix for zombies?
Wikily: Solution for Zombies (+Red) or Injection for Zombies (+Red / −White). Match collar capacity.
Where do I toggle planner injections?
On the calculator, open the Embalming fieldset and check the grade you plan to apply. Six bottles is the pocket cap.
What is GK2 Preservative?
GK2 Preservative is not an embalming bottle and it is not applied to a corpse pocket. It is the 3-green laboratory formula unlocked by Embalming I and brewed at Laboratory I. Solution for Corpses is Melted Fat + Preservative at the Formulation Bench (+1 / +2 / +3 white). Injection for Corpses adds a Comet’s Tail. The zombie bottles use Alcohol + Preservative instead of Melted Fat. The four bottles are what you put in a pocket; Preservative is only the ingredient they share. The rune line is on the alchemy and bottle matrix.
Checked 2026-10-14: graveyardkeeper2.io — Solution for Corpses, Injection for Corpses, Solution for Zombies, Injection for Zombies; Wikily Corpses and autopsy. Lye / Glue / Gold / Silver are retired planner names, not items.