Boeriemore: Surely there is a simpler way?
bengeddes: I don't know if it's simpler but there is another way. You can [url=http://res.cloudinary.com/lmn/image/upload/e_sharpen:150,f_auto,fl_lossy,q_80/v1/gameskinnyc/1/3/3/13340050-1353246584691511-3899326316820161832-c86a2.jpg]convert mutagens from one color to another[/url]. You need to upgrade your house at Corvo Bianco to have the alchemy lab, and you need the right formula. Check the herbalist in Toussaint.
I have not started Blood and Wine quest yet. I believe that in Toussaint you can get Winter Cherry which is needed to
make red mutagen (with other common ingredients.)
Boeriemore: To expand my researched mutations tree I need three greater red mutagens for each mutagen slot.
I farm lesser red mutagens and once I have three I can then make one red mutagen. I need three
to make one greater mutagen. So to end up with the three greater mutagens I need I have to farm
27 lesser mutagens. Surely there is a simpler way?
Hickory: No, it's the only way, and red mutagens are the rarest. A great place for farming them is on Skellige. Go to Redgill and head south west. You will encounter some dark drowners. Kill them, loot their bodies and meditate for a few hours and they should respawn. If meditating doesn't work, try saving then reloading.
I have been fast travelling back and forth to the Whale Graveyard near Redgill. Sometimes I simply stay there and meditate.
The ghouls just a bit north re spawn and do drop occasional lesser red mutagens.