Saturday, February 4, 2012

Skyrim Potions, Alchemy Ingredients, and Their Effects

Benefits of Improving Alchemy Skill

Powerful potions and potent poisons can be created with high alchemy skill.  In tight battles, health potions can make all the difference between victory or death. Potions can also help in game exploration and in building up one's character by temporarily enhancing skills. Creating potions aside from increasing alchemy skill also tends to improve speech if the potions are sold and can earn significant coin.  All-in-all alchemy is a recommended skill to prioritize and develop. 

Useful Potion Recipe List 

Examples of some useful potions:

Effect Ingredients
Fortify Health and Restore Health Blue Mountain Flower
Wheat
Regenerate Health and Regenerate Magicka Garlic
Juniper Berries
Salt Pile
Invisibility and Regenerate Health Luna Moth Wing
Vampire Dust
Damage Magicka and Damage Magicka Regeneration Glow Dust
Hanging Moss
Fortify Archery, Fortify Lockpicking, and Regenerate Health Juniper Berries
Namira's Rot
Spider Egg
Fortify Destruction and Resist Shock Glow Dust
Glowing Mushroom
Fortify Enchanting Blue Butterfly Wing
Snowberries
Fortify Smithing Blisterwort
Glowing Mushroom
Slow Deathbell
Salt Pile
Paralyze Canis Root
Imp Stool 

Potions for Money

With sufficient skill created potions can be sold for a high price greatly easing the burden of making money in the game. Creating powerful expensive potions also have the added benefit of increasing alchemy skill level faster.

Most Expensive Potions when Selling for Money

All other things being equal the potions one can create that command the highest prices all have Giant's Toe as a common ingredient.

Bear Claws + Giant's Toe + Hanging Moss
Blue Butterfly Wing + Blue Mountain Flower + Giant's Toe
Creep Cluster + Giant's Toe + Hanging Moss
Bear Claws + Creep Cluster + Giant's Toe
Blue Mountain Flower + Creep Cluster + Giant's Toe
Creep Cluster + Giant's Toe + Glowing Mushroom
Creep Cluster + Giant's Toe + Wheat
Giant's Toe + Wheat + Wisp Wrappings
Giant's Toe + Scaly Pholiota + Wheat
Giant's Toe + Glowing Mushroom + Wisp Wrappings

Expensive Potions for Lower Level Characters

Killing giants, however, to get a steady supply of giant's toes can be difficult if your character is not already leveled up and powerful. Early on in the game it may make more sense to avoid such confrontations and try making other potions which while not among the most profitable potions containing giant's toe can still help make money and just as important increase alchemy skill.

Potions with multiple high value effects tend to be the most valuable. The potion effects that command the highest price are paralysis, damage magicka regen, invisibility, slow, fortify carry weight and regenerate effects.  If creating potions with the sole intent to sell and make money, creating potions that combine both positive and negative effects may make more sense. Keep ingredients commonly found on farms like wheat for potion making; they probably have more value as potion ingredients than if sold directly.

Some high-value potions which can be created with more readily available ingredients are the following:

Blue Butterfly Wing + Blue Mountain Flower + Wheat
Creep Cluster + Deathbell + River Betty
Deathbell + Jazbay Grape + Salt Pile
Dragon's Tongue + Fly Amanita + Mora Tapinella or Scaly Pholiota
Glow Dust + Glowing Mushroom + Hanging Moss
Purple Mountain Flower + Frost Mirriam + Wheat 

Alchemy Effect and Ingredients Cheat Sheet

A quick Skyrim alchemy guide to the various alchemical effects and recipe of ingredients needed to make a potion to produce the effect.

EffectIngredients
Cure Disease     Charred Skeever Hide
    Hawk Feathers
    Mudcrab Chitin
    Vampire Dust
Damage Health     Crimson Nirnroot
    Deathbell
    Ectoplasm
    Falmer Ear
    Human Flesh
    Human Heart
    Imp Stool
    Jarrin Root
    Nightshade
    Nirnroot
    Red Mountain Flower
    River Betty
    Skeever Tail
    Small Antlers
    Troll Fat
    Void Salts
Damage Magicka     Butterfly Wing
    Chaurus Eggs
    Daedra Heart
    Eye of Sabre Cat
    Glow Dust
    Hagraven Feathers
    Hanging Moss
    Human Heart
    Jarrin Root
    Luna Moth Wing
    Namira's Rot
    Nordic Barnacle

Damage Magicka Regeneration
    Bear Claws
    Blue Butterfly Wing
    Blue Mountain Flower
    Chicken's Egg
    Glow Dust
    Hanging Moss
    Human Heart
    Jarrin Root
    Nightshade
    Spider Egg
    Spriggan Sap

Damage Stamina
    Berit's Ashes
    Blisterwort
    Blue Butterfly Wing
    Bone Meal
    Canis Root
    Crimson Nirnroot
    Cyrodilic Spadetail
    Giant's Toe
    Jarrin Root
    Nirnroot
    Rock Warbler Egg
    Spider Egg

Damage Stamina Regeneration
    Creep Cluster
    Daedra Heart
    Frost Mirriam
    Giant's Toe
    Histcarp
    Juniper Berries
    Large Antlers
    Silverside Perch
    Skeever Tail
    Wheat

Fear
    Blue Dartwing
    Cyrodilic Spadetail
    Daedra Heart
    Namira's Rot
    Powdered Mammoth Tusk

Frenzy
    Blisterwort
    Falmer Ear
    Fly Amanita
    Hagraven Feathers
    Human Heart
    Troll Fat

Fortify Alteration
    Grass Pod
    River Betty
    Spriggan Sap

Fortify Archery
    Canis Root
    Elves Ear
    Juniper Berries
    Spider Egg

Fortify Barter
    Butterfly Wing
    Dragon's Tongue
    Hagraven Claw
    Tundra Cotton

Fortify Block
    Bleeding Crown
    Briar Heart
    Honeycomb
    Pearl
    Slaughterfish Scales
    Tundra Cotton
Fortify Carry Weight     Creep Cluster
    Giant's Toe
    Hawk Beak
    River Betty
    Scaly Pholiota
    Wisp Wrappings
Fortify Conjuration     Berit's Ashes
    Blue Butterfly Wing
    Blue Mountain Flower
    Bone Meal
    Frost Salts
    Hagraven Feathers
    Lavender
Fortify Destruction     Beehive Husk
    Ectoplasm
    Glow Dust
    Glowing Mushroom
    Nightshade
    Wisp Wrappings
Fortify Enchanting     Blue Butterfly Wing
    Hagraven Claw
    Snowberries
    Spriggan Sap 

Fortify Health
    Bear Claws
    Blue Mountain Flower
    Giant's Toe
    Glowing Mushroom
    Hanging Moss
    Wheat
Fortify Heavy Armor     Ice Wraith Teeth
    Sabre Cat Tooth
    Slaughterfish Scales
    Thistle Branch
    White Cap
Fortify Illusion     Dragon's Tongue
    Dwarven Oil
    Mora Tapinella
    Scaly Pholiota
    Taproot
Fortify Light Armor     Beehive Husk
    Hawk Feathers
    Honeycomb
    Luna Moth Wing
    Skeever Tail
Fortify Lockpicking     Falmer Ear
    Namira's Rot
    Pine Thrush Egg
    Spider Egg
Fortify One-handed     Bear Claws
    Canis Root
    Hanging Moss
    Hawk Feathers
    Rock Warbler Egg
    Small Pearl
Fortify Pickpocket     Blue Dartwing
    Nordic Barnacle
    Orange Dartwing
    Slaughterfish Egg
Fortify Restoration     Abecean Longfin
    Cyrodilic Spadetail
    Salt Pile
    Small Antlers
    Small Pearl
Fortify Smithing     Blisterwort
    Glowing Mushroom
    Sabre Cat Tooth
    Spriggan Sap

Fortify Sneak
    Abecean Longfin
    Beehive Husk
    Frost Mirriam
    Hawk Feathers
    Human Flesh
    Powdered Mammoth Tusk
    Purple Mountain Flower
Fortify Two-handed     Dragon's Tongue
    Fly Amanita
    Troll Fat
Invisibility     Chaurus Eggs
    Crimson Nirnroot
    Ice Wraith Teeth
    Luna Moth Wing
    Nirnroot
    Vampire Dust
Lingering Damage Health     Imp Stool
    Mora Tapinella
    Orange Dartwing
    Slaughterfish Egg
    Slaughterfish Scales
Paralyze     Briar Heart
    Canis Root
    Human Flesh
    Imp Stool
    Swamp Fungal Pod

Regenerate Health
    Garlic
    Juniper Berries
    Luna Moth Wing
    Namira's Rot
    Nordic Barnacle
    Vampire Dust

Regenerate Magicka
    Dwarven Oil
    Fire Salts
    Garlic
    Jazbay Grapes
    Moon Sugar
    Salt Pile
    Taproot
Regenerate Stamina     Bee
    Fly Amanita
    Mora Tapinella
    Scaly Pholiota
Resist Fire     Berit's Ashes
    Bone Meal
    Dragon's Tongue
    Elves Ear
    Fire Salts
    Fly Amanita
    Mudcrab Chitin
    Snowberries
Resist Frost     Frost Mirriam
    Frost Salts
    Hawk Beak
    Moon Sugar
    Purple Mountain Flower
    Silverside Perch
    Slaughterfish Scales
    Small Pearl
    Snowberries
    Thistle Branch
Resist Magic     Bleeding Crown
    Chicken's Egg
    Crimson Nirnroot
    Hagraven Claw
    Lavender
    Nirnroot
    Tundra Cotton
    Void Salts
    Wisp Wrappings
Resist Shock     Blue Dartwing
    Glow Dust
    Glowing Mushroom
    Hawk Beak
    Pearl
    Pine Thrush Egg
    Snowberries
    Swamp Fungal Pod
Restore Health     Blisterwort
    Blue Dartwing
    Blue Mountain Flower
    Butterfly Wing
    Charred Skeever Hide
    Daedra Heart
    Eye of Sabre Cat
    Imp Stool
    Rock Warbler Egg
    Swamp Fungal Pod
    Wheat
Restore Magicka     Briar Heart
    Creep Cluster
    Dwarven Oil
    Ectoplasm
    Elves Ear
    Fire Salts
    Frost Salts
    Giant Lichen
    Grass Pod
    Human Flesh
    Moon Sugar
    Mora Tapinella
    Pearl
    Red Mountain Flower
    Taproot
    Vampire Dust
    White Cap
Restore Stamina     Bear Claws
    Bee
    Charred Skeever Hide
    Eye of Sabre Cat
    Hawk Beak
    Histcarp
    Honeycomb
    Large Antlers
    Mudcrab Chitin
    Orange Dartwing
    Pearl
    Pine Thrush Egg
    Powdered Mammoth Tusk
    Purple Mountain Flower
    Sabre Cat Tooth
    Silverside Perch
    Small Pearl
    Torchbug Thorax
    Wisp Wrappings
Slow     Deathbell
    Large Antlers
    River Betty
    Salt Pile
Waterbreathing     Chicken's Egg
    Histcarp
    Nordic Barnacle

Weakness to Fire
    Bleeding Crown
    Frost Salts
    Ice Wraith Teeth
    Juniper Berries
    Moon Sugar
    Powdered Mammoth Tusk

Weakness to Frost
    Abecean Longfin
    Elves Ear
    Fire Salts
    Ice Wraith Teeth
    White Cap
Weakness to Magic     Creep Cluster
    Dwarven Oil
    Jazbay Grapes
    Rock Warbler Egg
    Salt Pile
    Scaly Pholiota
    Taproot
    Torchbug Thorax

Weakness to Poison
    Abecean Longfin
    Bleeding Crown
    Chaurus Eggs
    Deathbell
    Giant Lichen
    Pine Thrush Egg
    Sabre Cat Tooth
    Small Antlers
Weakness to Shock     Bee
    Giant Lichen
    Hagraven Feathers
    Void Salts

General Location of Common Alchemy Ingredients 

Blackreach
Crimson Nirnroot

Eastmarch (area around Windhelm)
Creep Cluster
Dragon's Tongue
Jazbay Grapes
Wheat

Falkreath Hold
Snowberries
Thistle

Haafingar (area around Solitude)
Deathbell
Nightshade
Nordic Barnacles
Spiky Grass

Hjaalmarch (area around Morthal)
Canis Root
Deathbell
Giant Lichen
Swamp Fungal Pod

The Pale
Snowberries

The Reach (area around Markarth)
Hanging Moss
Juniper Berries

The Rift (area around Riften)
Blue Mountain Flower

Canis Root
Scaly Pholiota

Whiterun Hold
Blue Butterfly Wing
Blue Mountain Flower
Lavender
Tundra Cotton
Wheat