User:Jasonmrc/Skyrim

Tips I've learned
Various tips and tricks I've learned through my time of playing Skyrim.

Useful Potions
Helpful recipes I've found and put together.

'Rejuvenation'

 * Charred Skeever Hide


 * Eye of Sabre Cat


 * Mudcrab Chitin


 * Effects: Restores Health and Stamina, Cures Disease, and gives Poison Resist.

Melee Boost + Restoration

 * Rock Warbler Egg


 * Small Pearl


 * Eye of Sabre Cat


 * Effects: Restores Health and Stamina, Fortifies One-Handed.

Melee & Ranged Boost

 * Rock Warbler Egg


 * Juniper Berries


 * Canis Root


 * Effects: Fortifies One-Handed & Archery.

Crafting Boost

 * Sabre Cat Tooth


 * Snowberries


 * Spriggan Sap


 * Effects: Fortifies Smithing and Enchanting.

Most Valuable Potion (MVP)

 * Salmon Roe


 * Garlic


 * Nordic Barnacle


 * Effects: Waterbreathing. Sells for several thosuand.

Alteration Leveling (or Grinding Perks)
The best skill to grind perk points and character levels is without a doubt Alteration.

You will need:

 * 1) 4 Pieces of 25% Alteration cost reduction (to allow infinite casting).


 * 1) The Detect Life and Telekinesis spells. Both of these are adept level spells and can be purchased at Tolfdir in the College of Winterhold after level 40.


 * 1) A densely populated city, such as Whiterun market (near Carlotta the merchant) or Riften market (south side, near the bridge).


 * 1) A random item that can be picked up (both locations I mentioned have a nearby bucket, but you can also drop an item and use that). Do not pick the item up.


 * 1) Optionally: Mage's Stone/Lover's Stone, Lover's Comfort, Well Rested, Rested.

How it works
Set Detect Life to your offhand and Telekinesis to your main hand. Now activate Detect Life, then aim at the item and activate Telekinesis. Both spells raise Alteration fast and together they raise it very fast. The 4 pieces of Alteration gear allow unlimited casting. Detect Life gives more experience the more 'bodies' it is highlighting, which is why you need to be in a densely populated area. You may be able to move around a little bit while casting to find a spot where there are more bodies highlighted.

Using this method you can go from 15-100 in approximately 10 minutes. This goes faster if you have experience boosting effects on.

Alchemy Leveling
It is possible to train Alchemy from level 15-100 and gain over 100k gold by simply shopping at Alchemy stores - no ingredient gathering in the wilds required!

What to do

 * 1) Have 500 or more cash. The amount you get from the Unbound Tutorial if you gather and sell all the Imperial/Stormcloak armor is enough to get you started. If starting a new character, also gather all the ingredients on your way to Riverwood - there are quite a few.


 * 1) Go to the Inn in Riverwood (if not a new character, skip this and go to Arcadia) and buy all ingredients that cost 15 gold or less.


 * 1) Then go to Arcadia in Whiterun and do the same.


 * 1) Once you run our of cash (or spent a few thousand, if not a new character), go to the alchemy station of the Alchemy shop you are in. Now use up all your ingredients crafting potions. You can make your money back creating almost any potion (avoid Damage Health if possible as they are pretty cheap), however it's best to make the most valuable potions that you can as they not only sell better bu also give more experience. See Ingredients to find a list of all ingredients and their effects. You  do not  need to eat an ingredient to first learn its effect, simply make a potion with it by going into the Ingredients menu of the Alchemy Lab.


 * 1) Once you've used all your ingredients (or as many as you can), sell the created potions to the Alchemist and buy any remaining ingredients that are 15 or less.


 * 1) Now move on to another Alchemist. A good way for new characters to get to other Alchemists is to use the carriage at Whiterun Stables. For 20-50 gold you can be transported to any major city. After doing this the first time you'll discover the location and be able to fast travel there directly.


 * 1) My preferred route is: Windhelm > Morthal > Falkreath > Repeat, ocassionally tossing Solitude or Dawnstar in there as well. Using these three you can generally continually go between them and by the time you get back to the first one they'll have restocked. A plus to using the one in Windhelm and Morthal is they seem to never be locked and their shop is generally available.


 * 1) Each time you get to a new Alchemist, buy all the ingredients you want, then sell any potions you have. After doing this a few times you'll start draining the merchant's cash AND have a nice pile of ingredients.


 * 1) Once you get to around 5k gold (or if you started with 5k+ gold) you should start buying any ingredient less than 100 gold. These generally make some good potions and the cost isn't too bad.


 * 1) Once you get to around 10k gold you can buy all the ingredients in the shop.


 * 1) Simply rinse and repeat until you reach the desired Alchemy level!


 * 1) Optionally: Thief's Stone/Lover's Stone, Lover's Comfort, Well Rested, Rested.

How it Works
Since many ingredients cost so little, even relatively cheap potions can return an investment. So long as you're breaking even with cash it's a win. Once you start buying the ~45 gold ingredients you'll be able to make the more expensive potions.

Using this method on a completely new character(Breton), I was able to go to 100 and have ~140k gold when I finished. I intentionally did not do any quests or combat aside(aside from the Farengar's Frost-salts to Arcadia). If you do some of the quests for the Alchemists then you can take some ingredients from their shops for free, which helps.