Alchemy (Skyrim)

"An alchemist can create magical potions and deadly poisons."



Alchemy is one of the 18 skills in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and falls under The Thief play-style. As such, alchemy is The Thief's crafting skill as opposed to The Warrior's Smithing and The Mage's Enchanting.



Alchemy allows the Dragonborn to make potions and poisons. This is accomplished at an Alchemy Lab in various locations throughout Skyrim. Unlike previous games in the series, the player does not need to carry the alchemical equipment to make potions, but must visit a lab. Labs are generally located in alchemy supply shops, private studies and occasionally inns.

Governing Guadian Stone: The Thief & The Lover Stone

Alchemy Labs
Potions are brewed at Alchemy Labs which are found throughout Skyrim. When interacting with an Alchemy Lab, the Dragonborn sees a menu of all the ingredients, and a list of known potions for which the player has at least one of the ingredients with the effect revealed.

Ingredients
Ingredients are used to construct potions. Each possible ingredient in Skyrim has four effects that are unknown until they are discovered by the Dragonborn during play. Effects can be revealed by attempting to brew a potion with two or more ingredients that share an effect. The first effect is also revealed by 'eating' the ingredient, which immediately causes the effect on the player after consumption. With perks, all four effects can be found by eating a single ingredient. Many alchemy merchants sell recipes that will help uncover more effects and make better potions.

Potions
Potions are items produced as the result of brewing at an Alchemy Lab. Brewed potions always have a name describing the dominant effect given by the potion. Unlike found potions, which can have alternate names and usually only 1 effect, brewed potions always have one consistent name, regardless of the number of effects contained. This can lead to some confusion when finding a potion to consume from your inventory.

Effects
Alchemy effects are what give potions their usefulness. Effects can fill or increase stats like Magicka or Health, strengthen skills like One-Handed, Smithing, alter the player with Invisibility, or produce strong poisons like Slow, Paralyze or Lingering Damage Magicka.

Effects can be found by combining multiple ingredients to form a potion. Potions with multiple effects are created if ingredients used in the potion have multiple matches in their effects. Otherwise beneficial potions can have negative effects, as well as poisons having some positive effects.

Perks
The following are the perks that become available to select as the skill is leveled up:

Books
The following books provide a permanent increase to Alchemy Skill.

A Game at Dinner
 * In Windhelm (Gray Quarter), On a table on the second floor of New Gnisis Cornerclub.
 * In Honningbrew Meadery, Upstairs on a table behind an adept skill locked door.

De Rerum Dirennis
 * Found on an alchemy table (just past the pit of skeletons) in the basement of the mage college of Winterhold.

Herbalist's Guide to Skyrim
 * Found on a table in Arcadia's Cauldron (through the door straight ahead, to the right of the counter) in Whiterun.

Mannimarco, King of Worms
 * Found in a satchel by two skeletons and a beartrap on the way up from the water passing under the bridge between Winterhold and The College of Winterhold.
 * Found on the southern part of the little lake in Evergreen Grove.
 * Found on an alchemy table near the bridge south of Haafingar Stormcloak Camp

Song of the Alchemists
 * Found in Anise's cabin just north of the Guardian Stones.

Recipes
All alchemist merchants sell potion recipes from time to time. For example, Nurelion at The White Phial or Babette inside the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary. Recipes help limit the experimentation process required to find the effects of each ingredient. Once those recipes have been purchased, the Alchemy Lab acknowledges the player that they can make the new and unknown potion after all necessary ingredients are acquired.

Leveling
Alchemy can be leveled quickly by producing expensive potions. The rate at which the Alchemy Skill increases is directly proportional to the base cost of the potion.

Legendary Armor and Weapons
Extremely powerful armor and weapons can be produced with a combination of Alchemy, Enchanting and Smithing by enchanting armor with Fortify Alchemy, then producing stronger Fortify Enchanting potions while wearing the armor.

Making Money
Making money is similar to leveling. Producing high value potions with cheap ingredients.