Any alchemist here? If so, how useful is it to level up alchemy to 100 and take all perks up to purity?

Its one of the few things I have never done in Skyrim and since I have quite a few perks available on my 2hand warrior, Im thinking of trying it out just to see how useful.

Im thinking of not only creating health potions for my guy, but also thinking of creating some strong and useful poisons to use on my bow.

I know that I can create more expensive potions without the purity perk (potions with both positive and negative effects), but Im thinking for combat purposes, purity is probably the better route.

Any alchemists out there who can help me with this?

Alchemy is really useful (just like the other two crafting skills). Fortify-potions can make you better at almost anything in the game, Invisibility-potions takes any difficulty out of stealth, and the ability to create your own supply of strong Restore-potions is great.

With perks in Alchemy and normal generic Fortify Alchemy-gear, I can make Fortify [Magic skill]-potions that doubles the effect or duration of spells (+130% in the case of Fortify Destruction!). And since my character has never put points in Magicka or magic perks, Alchemy really helps if I want to cast a few spells.

On a random note, I honestly don't get how Alchemy works out whether the ingredients will yield a potion or a poison. Mixing http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Bear_Claws and http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Hanging_Moss yields a poison that deals Damage Magicka Regen but has two good effects, Fortify Health and Fortify One-Handed. Purity removes those good effects from the poison, but why does it create a poison in the first place? Shouldn't the two good effects truimph over the single bad one?

Alchemy is my favorite thing! I love alchemy. I never get purity perk, but sometimes I wish I had it. It would open up some more options to use more common ingredients to make useful potions and poisons. Money is not an issue by the time you get to 100 in alchemy anyway. I can make any potion II want to make without taking that perk.

A potion is named a potion or a poison based on the most powerful (expensive) effect. In case of Bear Claws and Hanging Moss, it is classified as a poison because damage magicka regen is most powerful. Purity perk will remove all the beneficial effects, only leaving poison effects.

Alchemy 100, all perks, 4 items with fortify 20. Mora tapinella, imp stool, canis root. Paralyse 27 seconds, 27 damage for 10 seconds, sit back and laugh.

Wouldnt that have the exact same effect with just first few perks and benefactor? What benefit does Purity have to that? Would it be anything different with Purity?

I've never bothered with anything above Poisoner/Benefactor. You don't need Purity to get lethal poisons or life-saving potions. Concentrated Poison is cool in theory, but almost never comes into play in practice: any enemy against whom you would potentially benefit from the double poison, is almost certainly going to be immune to its effects. Snakeblood isn't worth taking; poison is quite rare, and it falls under the umbrella of "Magical Effects," meaning Magic Resist and Spell Absorption effects will also repel poisons. Green Thumb is cool, but ultimately also useless. If you have Hearthfire, just invest in the Greenhouse and Garden (also, pick up the Morthal/Hjaalmarch house, for the Fish Hatchery). You can grow a bunch of really useful ingredients in bulk that way: Blue Mountain Flower, Wheat, Deathbell, Imp Stool, Canis Root, Giant Lichen, River Betty, &c. Between those core ingredients, you're already more or less set with a bunch of sick combinations. I'd also pick up Blue Butterfly Wings when possible (combine with Blue Mtn. Flower + Wheat for massive experience), as well as Skeever Tails (combine with Deathbell + Giant Lichen for Dmg. Health + Ravage Health + Weakness to Poison).


Here are some of my go-to potions and poisons (none of which benefit from Purity, BTW):

Blue Mountain Flower + Wheat = Fortify Health + Restore Health

Deathbell + Giant Lichen + Skeever Tail = Damage Health + Ravage Health + Weakness to Poison

Deathbell + River Betty = Damage Health + Slow

Deathbell + Canis Root + Imp Stool = Damage Health + Paralyze

No, you are quite right. There is one better though, that has restore magicka. Doesn't matter as they will die, but for me at least, a poison this good needs to be pure. Human flesh, imp stool and mora tapinella, paralyse, lingering damage health and damage health.

A good potion for your two-handed warrior would be

Dragons tongue+Fly aminita+Bee=Fortify two-handed+resist fire+stamina regeneration.
You can stand in front of a dragon and power attack all you want the stamina regen will keep your stamina up and you get additional damage with each hit pluss the fire resistance.

I think fortifying your weapon skill is just as good as poisons because they work for 60 seconds where as poisons only work once.

Don't get me wrong poisons are awesome also

I've allways thought that alchemy is one of the best skills in the game as it can mimic other skills,invisibility,restorative potions and fortifying just about any skill in the game plus frenzy.

I think the perks all the way up to and includeing snake blood are all good perks.
Snakeblood gives you +50% resistance to poison wich is good when you are fighting Falmer as all there attacks are poisoned.

The purity perk can be usefull also but a lot of times there is a way to work around it.

Don't forget the fortify weapon effect potions, and the nice resist frost and fire, an combination who takes down dragons fast.
Not found poison as useful as in Oblivion as weapons do more damage while poisons are weaker.
However utility potions like slow and paralyze are useful.

Ah, I see. Thank you.

I'm an alchemist but I keep only a few types of potions because I don't want them to clog up my inventory. The only potions I carry with me are invisibility, restore health, poison of lingering damage health, frenzy, and fortify marksman. I keep fortify smithing and enchanting potions in my house. I stopped making lockpicking potions once I perked up the lockpicking tree.

I am not into the poisons except for some paralyze stuff for hairy situations. I don't see the need for purity. Most enemy poisons are quite weak, even on master level, so Snakeblood is not really needed. I go up to benefactor and take all 5 power perks. This last build I also have taken 2 experimenter perks.

My main use for potions is restoring health, magicka, stamina, and for enhancing smithing. With 100 skill in enchanting and alchemy I can fortify smithing 120% with a potion and another 100% with enchanted apparel. This is without using any fortify enchanting potions.

This is not true. The higher level Falmer, Forsworn, and Nighmaster vampires carry badass poisons that do a buttload of damage. All forsworn use poisons, its just not in their inventory.

Well, i've never had much of a problem with being poisoned. Or, perhaps better to say I can't tell if its the poison or the sword/arrows doing the damage. If their poisons are causing me damage, it is hard to distinguish from their other attacks since they are all happening at the same time.

Hmm. Maybe this is why those Nightprowlers and Warlords seem so tough.

It's the poisons they use...trust me,once you take the snakeblood perk it helps A LOT. Nightmaster and Nightlord vampires will kick your ass, no matter how tough you are, snakeblood helps, they carry virulent and deadly poisons.