

Also, the more effects you put into something, the better its market value. Ingredients that cause status effects are also very good, like Fear, Invisibility, Frenzy and Paralysis.

Whether it’s damaging the regeneration rate of something, or boosting it. Given how Alchemy levels, then, a more focused strategy than simply running around the map in search of alchemical components would be to venture to places with high concentrations of valuable ingredients, right? First up, let’s go over some of the more lucrative alchemical concoctions, which will reveal the ingredients you want to go after… then it’ll be time to talk geography.įirst, anything with “regen” in it does well. Of course, that’s a rather simplistic explanation, it’s a good rule of thumb to practice as you play - the more you pick, the easier the eventual Alchemy grind will be.Īll products of Alchemy aren’t created equal certain components are rarer than others, and some potions/poisons are better than others. You’ll find locations (which will make questing easier, when you get ‘round to it) and will undoubtedly stumble across a fair amount of ingredients. To that end, just be vigilant for things to pick on your travels, and explore the map. To get get these ingredients you have two options you can go around the world buying ingredients from merchants (this will negatively affect your purse, and isn’t all that fast) or you can roam about, picking flowers and killing beasts. The only problem with Alchemy is that to level it, you’ll need hundreds of ingredients, the harvesting of which is a comparatively slow process, making Alchemy a rather poor grinding skill. On that note, purchasing relevant perks while leveling up Alchemy will increase the speed at which you level, and also serve to line your purse. The best way to level up Alchemy is through creating potions - the more expensive the potion created, the more experience gained from the brewing. As an added benefit, many useful poisons can be made which consist of easy to obtain ingredients, which will expedite your leveling process. Then again, if you want poisons to be a viable addition to your repertoire, you’re going to want Poisoner and Concentrated Poison regardless.

If you plan to turn Alchemy legendary or just make potions and poisons for gold, Green Thumb is a worthy investment, although it requires you to expend two perks along the way. Poison itself is rather rare, but if you’re wanting to play on higher difficulties and make a nearly impervious character, it’s a hole in your defense that you can plug.Īs for perks that aren’t necessary for the Smithing/Enchanting grind, but are still nice to have for various reasons, Purity will help you make more money from potions. None of the other perks are strictly necessary, but getting Snake Blood will get you a heft 50% resistance to poison. Improving your skills is a beneficial effect, so the Benefactor perk should also be purchased, while Physician is just a necessary step along the way. To that end, improving the base potency of your potions is a good thing, so all five ranks of Alchemist are a worthwhile investment.
