Im just curious if its something actually worth while doing, or if its the same old garbage we had to deal with in oblivion.

1. Find ingredients
2. Taste ingredients to determine effects
3. (optional) obtain regents
4. Mix ingredients in alchemy labs
5. Potions!

My confusion starts at step 2.

So if I find a rabbit leg do I have to taste it first because it won't let me make a potion out of it if I don't?

And if I do taste it how many of the 4 effects will it reveal?

If I taste it again will it reveal a different one?

Any help is appreciated.

If you taste an ingredient, only the first effect is applied (unless you have a specific perk which allows more, according to the poster below me). No, you don't need to taste an ingredient to use it in a potion. Potion-making is really the main way of finding out effects in ingredients, not tasting.

No you don't have to taste it to make a potion, tasting it only reveals it's properties so you know what ingredient combinations make what.

You reveal 1 effect at first, then it you put points in the respective alchemy perk you can taste an ingredient to find 2-4 of it's properties.

Thanks guys.

So if I make a rabbit leg potion [whatever potion it makes with one effect] do I automatically know the one effect every time I look at the rabbit leg?

Like if I am making more potions will it just tell me this is the one effect known so far if you use a rabbit leg or do I have to write it down somewhere?

Yeah, it's permanent. If you discovered rabbit leg has fatigue regeneration, you will see "restore fatigue" every time you look at a rabbit leg.

Not to be contrary, but alchemy rocked in oblivion. That one skill could do almost everything, you just needed to prep for it. It sounds like the process of making potions will be more interesting this time, but the end effect was always awesome.

it's pretty much the same as oblivion. Instead of using a mort and pestle or whatever you have to use an alchemy station.

I really don't see why you wouldn't. Doesn't make sense to not write it down or commit it to memory (which is what I image the player character does).

I've been wondering how essential those perks will be that reveal more ingredient effects. I'm guessing without them you'll have to experiment quite a bit to determine all the effects of everything...or look online I suppose once all that info gets added to the wiki.