Alchemy is OK, as it's very easy to level if you research a few recipes online, and it's cool that you can use everything you brew to level it, but smithing and especially enchanting just make me want to gouge my eyes out. I bought hearthfire, and all I can say is, thank god for the small house option because I would die before I built and furnished the full blown estate.

I really love the look of the lower tier weapons and armor, and smithing and enchanting would be a great way to make that gear viable throughout a whole playthrough, but I just can't bring myself to level those two again. Once was enough.

Does anyone actually enjoy crafting?

Yes, because I don't grind, and I don't particularly care about having the top tier gear.

A high level alchemy skill means I don't require uber levels in anything else for most of the game, plus it brings in an extremely tidy income...and you don't require grinding to get it high, if you use it regularly. It's the one skill that boosts up everything else, and in fact actually takes away the need to grind or focus on things.

*raises hand*

I do.

Altho I would say I prefer smithing far above the other two. All of my characters smith, even the ones that were never supposed to when I created them. It is impossible for me to NOT smith in this game. I love it that much.

Enchanting I see as a way to enhance the benefits of making all my own gear.

Alchemy is probably the most tedious for me, I do it mostly for the challenge of (re)discovering effects and recipes, for storing up a decent supply of the few select potions I will actually use over the long haul, and as a source of income.

How can you possibly enjoy smithing? How do you level it?

I don't understand how people could possibly enjoy watching Two and a Half Men, and yet apparently many of them do.



Same way I level anything else - by doing it.

I save all gems and make jewelry.
I buy iron ore and transmute it to silver and gold.

I have Hearthfire and Dawnguard so in addition to the warrior stone bonus and lover's comfort I also have the apprentice stone bonus from the Aetherial crown, and I can do it all in my own house.

SImple and fast, really.

If you run out of gems you can always get Dwemer metal from ruins, buy iron bars and make Dwemer bows.

The trick to smithing, I've found, is to use it to boost up those extra few skill levels you need to level up to the next character level...

For example, you've been out adventuring, dungeon busting, killing thalmor etc, and you are nearly at the next level up...so, off to the forge and bash out a few whatever's and a couple of thingammy's to get the next couple of smithing skill levels to boost your character over the line for the level up. There's no real grinding needed, not much effort, and it keeps your smithing skill in line with your other skills. The same can be done with enchanting, by 'chanting the goodies you just made. Then you sell them off, get some decent coin, and potentially boost up your speech skill a bit.

This is simply one way to avoid the grind method, and it keeps your overall skill set roughly on par with each other.

Smithing is pretty easy to level, in the beginning use the transmute spell on iron to get gold and silver ore, melt it and combine with gems to jewelry you sell.
If you go heavy armor pick up all the dwemer metal items who can be melted down, make sure to bring an follower the clearing out the places.

If not make and improve leather armor and some odd elven stuff. Note as in alchemy level up depend on sale price so make sure to use gear and potions.
If you go light armor you make steel plate armor and improve, it only use steel, iron, cordium and leather straps and is expensive so you level fast.

Alchemy is pretty fun, don't just make the hyper expensive potions, find the best potions to make with common ingredients, making 10 potions worth 300 gold is better than one giant toe potions.

Enchanting is an core, has to make hundreds of enchants and no way to do it fast.
However you don't really need it that much you can buy of find most items, you might want to do some enchanting like an blacksmith apron with +10% smithing or weapon with soul trap.

After my 2nd playthrough I god mod my way through Skyrim.

Thats funny, I hear about a lot of people doing that.

For me the biggest fun of the game is getting there, much more than having it.
In fact, I often find myself eager to restart once I hit level 60 or so and all my skill goals have been met and all my desired perks attained.

Can you explain to me this other mindset? I suppose it involves not wanting to do anything until you have the levels and abilities to do it the way you want?

It's not like crafting is some long extensive process.

Usually I like going on sadistic rampages destroying every living being and playing "God" of the NPC. So I guess the mindset is a combination of boredom, anger, and craziness.

Its not.
From my stat screen (100 smithing and enchanting):

Weapons improved: 15
Weapons made: 12
Armour improved: 18
Armour made: 242

Magic items made: 186
(There is no stat for the levels I got de-enchanting)

As you can see, it really doesnt take all that much actual crafting.
This is of course with all the xp bonuses I detailed in my previous post.

That is an awful lot of armor.

I can't not go with all three crafting skills, I love gathering the materials and means to produce and create my own armour, weapons and potions for me and my followers or simply to sell for a profit. I find it much more rewarding than the random loot system. The only time it may frustrate me is when I have, say, 90 in Enchanting, because I want that final perk but dislike grinding, and those last 10 levels seem to take forever.

im currently playing morro. skyrim gave me a minor aneurysm. i like aneurysms, but they're dangerous. great game.

From start level (what is it, 10?) to 100?
Nah its peanuts. I just kept every gem I found and mined and bought iron ore.
Its also all jewelry in this playthrough and made me a lot of money.

1. Get loot in Dungeon
2. Improve loot (and buy materials if worth it)
3. Enchant loot
4. Sell loot

Doing it since first play-through and still enjoying it. Hell, I won't even use anything unless I made it, even if it is 10x better and I won't find something like that for 40 levels.
If you mean planned leveling... I don't do that. It grows as it grows.

On other hand, I myself am not fond of Alchemy

First, I try to limit my crafting. One or two skills max. Never all three. Next, craft raise money and Buy training. Training is better then grinding!