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Alchemy Boycott

  • Flagon Tamer
    • 24 posts
     
    December 4, 2013 6:01 PM EST
    Help me break my alchemy boycott. I haven't used it since first starting Skyrim. I find the collection of ingredients tedious and feel like I spend a lot of time making potions I don't want to use so I can level the skill. Any tips for helping me break my boycott.
  • Varik
    • 75 posts
     
    December 4, 2013 6:34 PM EST

    Me too. I've never used Alchemy ever.

  • Aging_phoenix
    • 4 posts
     
    December 4, 2013 7:41 PM EST
    Two suggestions:

    Use an app, or a website, that lets you calculate the most expensive potions for what is in your inventory.

    Don't seek out ingredients, just pick up the ones you run across as you quest. It adds just a little more time, and you wind up with a ton of ingredients to put into the app.

    With the app, I use potions as a huge moneymaker.
  • Tom
    • 624 posts
     
    December 4, 2013 10:48 PM EST

    Canis Root + Swamp Fungal Pods = Paralyze Potion

    Salt Pile + Deathbell = Slow Potion

    Boom. Useful and valuable potions that level you up pretty quick. Though, I leveled mine pretty quick using a mixture of Blue Butterfly Wing, Blue Mountain Flower, and whatever ingredient I had on me that boosted the value even more. I was making potions worth over 1k from the blue ingredients alone and the benefactor perk.

  • Lozhar
    • 185 posts
     
    December 4, 2013 11:11 PM EST

    Two potions to help you in your level up.

    Giant toe+blue butterfly wings+wheat

    And the best potion in the game (for levelling) Salmon roe + chicken egg + histcarp (Each Potion=one level of alchemy!)

  • Matt Walker
    • 89 posts
     
    December 4, 2013 11:42 PM EST

    For me it kills immersion to make recipes you heard about outside of the game. Buy recipes from alchemists, and change your mindset. You're not making useless potions, you're using your craft to make money, and experimenting with different ingredients to make yourself a better potion maker.

  • Paws
    • 1595 posts
     
    December 5, 2013 1:00 AM EST

    If you've got Hearthfire, just get some Salmon Roe + Garlic and Nordic Barnacle. Almost every potion you make will increase your skill.

    What I like to do is find a handful of recipes useful for that playthrough and use them exclusively. That way I don't need to memorise too much and only harvest what I need.

  • Harry
    • 70 posts
     
    December 5, 2013 2:26 AM EST

    Whenever I use Alchemy I find it helps to place perks into it early on, to get potions that can increase my damage output as well as healing potions. If you play a race that starts with Alchemy, and put the first 3 perk points you unlock into that skill, you can make potions that heal around 50 health. An abundance of these makes up for having less perks in your combat skills.

    You could play a sort of Hunter character who uses archery to take out monsters with rare ingredients (Trolls, Giants, Spriggans etc.) and makes potions that boost his skill. I find taking alchemy as a pure warrior isn't as fun. If it's you first time taking Alchemy I recommend a Light Armoured Ranger type character.

  • Balazs Krekacs
    • 95 posts
     
    December 5, 2013 5:00 AM EST

    Look for recipes on the web, e.g here on the blog. If you are pissed off of leveling the skill, level it with trainers for free. Simply pickpocket the gold back. You have 2 ways to do it:

    -Without any pickpocket skill: Paralyse the target with spell or with Ice form. As this does not deal any direct damage, they won't turn hostile. When they are getting back their conciousness, you can pickpocket them with maximum success rate. (Credit: Ponty)

    -Pickpocket skill. I, myself, have done it the following way: I had the very base thieves guild gear, 3 pts in light fingers, 1 night thief  and 1 cutpurse (pickpocketing gold 50% easier) Pickpocket is leveled very easily and gives a lot of XP to the character level.

    This way you can level alchemy without spending a lot of time leveling it, and it's free. (I recommend the same methode to all crafting skills as they are very boring to power level and it takes much time).

    I hope this can help