I've seen the debate kicking about a few forums/reddit over the last few days about how higher skill level didnt actualy seem to effect a number of the skills, they were more just a pre-requisite for the perks.
Forunatly, I know one of the devs quashed most of the rumours via his twitter account.... for example, higher 1-handed skill does infact increase sword damage, even without investing in the perks.

Unfortunatly though, it seems like Alchemy is still a grey area. I read that a number of people found that higher alchemy skill in no way effected the potions or poisons they made. Also higher skill doesnt seem to reveal more of an ingredients properties.

Is anyone able to confirm or deny this? Or have any other ideas what the skill itself does, if you dont want to invest your perks in the tree?

I'm 95% confident that the higher the skill the less failed potion attempts.

From what I've heard, the higher level doesn't reveal more ingredient properties (there is a perk that lets you find two, instead of one, property by eating ingredients). You need to find them by experimentation. I've not played so this is just a guess from all of the things I've heard 'bout Alchemy.

I'm pretty sure it'll increase the power of your potions and poisons, just like in any other TES

^^ This. Your potions and poisons will be, for sure, stronger the higher you go in the skill. In addition, if there's a miss rate, it will lower the higher you go for sure again.

As long as you are using 2 reagents that have at least 1 matching property, im pretty sure you cant "fail".



Im *hoping* that is the case. I remember reading yesterday though that someone claimed to of leveled Alchemy to 69, but found that it didnt effect any of his potions until he took the first perk as well.

I made a thread about this as well. I'm not sure what the skill levels do, I wish they would just come out and explain it. Such as what does a higher speech do? After all there are perks for increase persuasion, intimidation, better sell/buy rates so then what is the point of the skill?

It's likely that the skills have small effects, so speechcraft would give you a very small percentage boost to persuasion/intimidate success and influence to shop prices, it just won't be as noticeable as the perks.

Do the various parts of alchemical apparatus have any role in Skyrim?

I know there are stations now, but do the various equipment components (mortat and pestle, retort, amblec, calcinator, etc.) help at all with identifying alchemical ingredients?

Do these components still help in processing in Skyrim.

It seems like answers should be obvious, but there have been so many changes, and alchemy is one area that was changed quite a bit. I havent read much about this part of alchemy, mostly perk data.

In one of the streams I watched, I noticed then when using the alchemy table there were 3 slots to fill. Ingredient 1, ingredient 2 and optional. Its just a guess, but I would assume the optional slot woul be one of the apparatus (retort, abmblec etc).

Thanks for your reply. It appears that info in this is scarce for another day or two.

http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Alchemy_(Skyrim)

Any word on what the reward for max alchemy is? I'm sure there is one by the way. It just doesn't make sense that they wouldn't put a cherry on top.