I really like Alchemy in Skyrim. Also in Morrowind and Oblivion.

Perhaps oddly, I also love collecting ingredients.

I'm not really big on Alchemy. Like other people have mentioned, I usually find the potions in dungeons, caves, and other miscellaneous looting. Usually my characters are based on stealth so there ought to be an enchanting option for invisibility. It does get tiresome trying to level up illusion spells to an expert or master level and buying the invisibility spell.
I have yet to come across an inivisibility enchantment, yet you can find *on rare occasions* helmets, necklaces, rings, boots, etc... for waterbreathing. FTW?

I have managed to create smithing potions that increase your smithing by 130%, enchanting potions that increase enchanting by 32% and a single potion that increases fire, frost and shock resistance by 95% for 60 seconds.

Alchemy is crazy good.

i love to exploit all sorts of stuff in skyrim
all my skills range from 18 to 78
alchemy being at 78 illusion at 65 and alteration at 60 ( spamming detect lie and muffle like a boss ) but alchemy is one of my favorites no doubt about that
i just find others to be extremely boring to me like pickpocketing..
now alchemy is super fun!
i love collecting ingridients and making up potions so i can either use or sell them to improve my speech and gain some money.

This about sums up my opinion. Without investing a lot of perks into it it's too weak, and if you focus on it, it becomes too powerful.

But then, that's my complaint about all of the crafting skills. In my own opinion, mortals, even the Dovahkiin, shouldn't be able to make and enchant a better sword than the Daedric Artifacts.

But those potions are only a fraction of the potency that can be crafted. And as I posted earlier...You can ONLY get multiple effect potions from crafting them.

And there is no Invisibility enchantment in the game.

1.) Totally understand. Whatever gets the job done, right?

2.) Darn.

See there, you think it is a waste of time. Make it meaningful. Here is what I do:

-Anytime I decide to mess with alchemy (which is usually when I want to get a level up quickly) then I will throw a map marker in a certain, undiscovered area of the land. I will go in search of plants to bring back and train my alchemy.
-When I go to certain city, I will set a land marker in a certain area (close proximity) to the city and just go gather herbs from the area.

It's quite fun, you get to encounter enemies, discover new places, random encounters, a whole bunch of things. Try it.

There is only one thing that I want from alchemy. A multilevel perk that boost duration of potions and poisons, since a lot of the good potions have a fixed 60 second duration and that is just too damn short sometimes...

I really enjoy alchemy, though I wish it was more complex to master. Let's say when making potions, one fails and causes a lethal chemical reaction, resulting in possible death.

You should only know what an ingredient does, when you've thoroughly studied it or read about it in a book. Or actually tried it out. The properties shouldn't just be given away when eating them. How do you know, you've become more fire resistant in example? You don't, unless you drink a potion and go into battle with the effects still active. If you take less fire damage. Then you've figured out what it does. In my opinion that would be a nice way of working with alchemy.

Some people already think alchemy is too hard to learn,this would totally put those people against useing it at all.
All though I wouldn't mind a little more study required to learn the skill.

Alchemy is way too easy. Try using a fully fortify alchemy set and combine blue mountain flowers and blue butterfly wings. You'll be up there in no time. All the effects can easily be learned when you take the right perks.

I died once crafting in EQII. Getting killed making jewelry at a bench was the most wtf? moment I've ever had playing a game.

Even though it gave you a wtf moment, it was fun though, right ?

Its a good way to get a lot of gold very fast, just takes a bit of traveling to get ingredients.

I was so embarrassed, since I was in a crafting area full of other players.

I would like to see more complexity, and maybe some risk with Alchemy. If you read this thread, though, a lot of players don't even explore the Alchemy that's in the game. It needs a questline with Knight's Templars and an insidious plot to turn all of the lead in the game into gold. Or since there is no lead in the game, maybe an insidious plot to build a lot of buildings with secret, hidden messages that requires training in symbology, and the end reward is to learn how to turn the player.additem F into gold.

You kidding, alchemy is my favorite skill, every character I create masters alchemy(or die trying)... I love to brew poisons and get some nasty damage with ravage health, slow and weakness to poison. I don't exploit with the restoration glitch so, Its slow yes, but it fits my gameplay style perfectly.

For roleplaying purposes its great. I basically saved every ingedient until I reached level 35. Then I leveled mu alchemy skill to 100 all at once and had 140,000 worth of gold in potions. It was sweet and now with the relevant perks its really strong. It goes great with the sneak skill. I have poisons that do 200 damage or more because I have alchemy fully leveled and with my crafting grear I have healing potions that are the same as ultimate. I can fortify my magicka,health, or stamina by the maximum amount. Its almost the best skill for any character. I'd say regardless of character that alchemy and enchanting are two of the best skills to max in the game. Though alchemy is only useful later. Your first 200 poitons are pretty much just to level.

Without using the restoration loop or the enchanting alchemy loop I can craft potions of marksmanship that make bows do 200% damage. If you're going to play through the game on master without any form of cheating this could be the most powerful tool in your arsenal. Though I suggest illusion magic to supplement it early on.


If you are going to use the restoration glitch I advise to only use it to level up since the more valuable the point the faster you level.

For my next character it will be the FIRST skill I max. Having poisons that do 200 damage can save you on master when weapons are still doing 35 damage.

I was working at Walmart at the time when that happened, not that paricular Walmart, but in the same state (Maryland). Two idiot women get in a fight in the chemical department, one flinging ammonia, the other flinging bleach.

Here's what happens when you do that:
http://chemistry.about.com/od/toxicchemicals/a/Mixing-Bleach-And-Ammonia.htm

Needless to say, I'm glad I stopped working for Walmart. Shame we can't make toxic gas vials in Skyrim though, would have been a nice addition.