That sums it up pretty well. I'm one of the people who motivated this thread. I said that I personally consider them cheats. I don't expect anyone else to agree with me, and I don't consider anyone else unworthy of Skyrim if they rely on potions. I like to avoid them because they feel so wrong to me, but I don't have the discipline to allow myself to die. I will use them if absolutely necessary to survival. Over time, you can develop your character to be uber-powerful and nearly impregnable, But there is a range of levels mid-way, as you're still ramping up your powers and survivability, where the world gets tougher than you. I was there with my first character, and I'm there again now with my second one. I'm using potions left and right at the moment, during the occasional hard fights. It's either that, or drop the difficulty below Adept, which I hate even more than instant potions during frozen time.

It's not elitist to play in the way you enjoy. It's elitist when you choose to patronize those who find it fun to play differently. And folks who refer to potion use as "cheats" are pretty patronizing.

More limited potion drinking might work, but there'd probably need to be some other changes to go along with it. I've been trying to use alchemy, buy perks in it, and wear fortifying gear, but I still end up making healing and magic potions that I need to drink a couple of at once to have a significant effect, and its similar for most of the ones I find. It'd probably change at higher levels, but it wouldn't be good to have a skill that only becomes useful at the end after you spend a lot of grinding time making stuff you can't use.

Out of curiosity, why doesn't your character carry a shield? If he's a one handed melee fighter it seems a must. I know for me it took a while to get in the habit of blocking, but once I did my use of restore health potions dropped by like 75%. The skill takes training though (Blocking). It's kind of ineffective until you get to around 40+ and have a couple of perks. But once you get it to that point, you'll wonder why you didn't take advantage of it sooner.

Give it a shot. You'll be be glad you did. And being able to shield bash an opponent is great.

At any rate, don't feel bad for carrying so many potions. When using Destruction Magic you have to carry around 30-40 restore magicka potions just to get through a single dungeon (if not more).

I don't like using potions in combat as an old D&D'r it violates so many initiative rules I get all queasy just thinking about it....

For the OP, I think you need to look at your strategy. Rangers are like hunters, or good assassins, and are actually almost synonomous with strategy.

I didn't see sneak mentioned in your post, and it is your best friend, sneak+bow+strategy = easy game.

Oh, and back to D&D rangers are subclass of fighter so they can and should be able to hold their own in hand to hand skirmishes. Get yourself a shield, hot key it. Take the first shieldwall perk, then take Quick Reflexes when you can as your only two perks on that tree, then you will be fine.

Or you can go dual wielding. If you have shout capability with dual power attack and elemental fury you can do insane damage, I mean like killing dragons and bandit chiefs in less than a second....

I like to walk around collect ingredients and make potions and poisons to use in combat.
I'm such a cheater because this is fun for me.

Oh and if you don't play my way you are a cheater.

I feel that stopping time to chug healing potions IS game breaking, but unfortunately there is no other alternative.

I really wish that it were possible to cast healing spells with the right hand while actively blocking. That would be a legitimate way to survive combat....

I don’t think of them as a cheat, but they surely are abused. I would prefer no fast health regeneration and that potion drinking is only allowed when there are no enemies present. At least have a limit of 5 potions per pause (like prior TES games).

Just the thought that my character has this ability to stop time, drink 12 minor healing potions, 4 cooked beefs and 17 rabbit hunches, and then start fighting again as if nothing happened is just insane.

But the problem is if I try to play this way I die way to easily. Just one surprise attack from a saber tiger and you are dead. So the only way this can work is to rework the amount of damage you take at give.

The real immersion killer is holding off on leveling up until you are about dead and then doing a level-up in the middle of battle. When Todd described this prior to Skyrim coming out as a Feature, I just couldn’t believe it. It like he threw role-playing and immersion out the window for the CoD crowd when making Skryim.

I don't understand where this is going.

The most commonly-used healing items in the game are considered cheats? Well if that were the case, I wouldn't have made it past Bleak Falls Barrow.

But you can, if you put a healing potion in your fav. list and put it to a quick pick key then it works just like switching weapons during the fight. I do this and during those rather difficult boss fights they can almost take the health just as fast as the potion gives it ( on master), the only problem I have with it is that I'm on 360 and can only assign 2 quick picks compared to PC that can do what 12 ( all the F keys) ? But I by no means see using potions as cheating ( unless you exploit the restoration loop etc..) what I do see as cheating is waiting 1 hour to heal when your out of potions, but I myself am guilty of that one when in a tight spot.

The game's too easy to need potions... Just use your healing spell and you'll be fine.

• That's what makes this game so good. Everyone's complaints can be answered on there own. You can do whatever you want. Slug potions, get smithing to 100 & get ultimate armor. Enchant to your hearts content. Carry no potions, eat food, chop wood. Do whatever you want. It is a no limits or all limits or anything in between game. Sure it has some bugs & quirks, but hey it is pretty damn good. Just like real life, this RPG can be played anyway you like it. Hunt, fish, sleep, walk, fast travel. Kill, steal, be good, help people Whatever path you want you can take. There is nothing else like this, other than your imagination.


• Keep up the banter, I am sure it is just fuel for further ideas of improvment.


• Enjoy it the way you want to. I sure am.

Chugging a potion or two during a battle is nothing. Well, almost nothing, seeing how much they weigh and are of size of a regular wine bottle each! Now, finishing a couple bowls of vegetable soup and a stew, a few huge venisons, raw dog meat and a few tons of apples, carrots and cabbages during a single dragon fight at low levels when you neither can craft or afford enough potions yet - now that's the true power of Dragonborn

So the consensus is: using heal potions in combat is not a cheat, but it's unrealistic.

All these replies have made me more aware of my potion abuse, making me try to improve my gameplay to reduce it. Perhaps I've been trained to pause during battles from playing Mass Effect 1 and 2, where I pause every few seconds to evaluate, strategize, command, and re-arm.


My battle strategy has evolved into: Throw destruction magic at enemies while they approach, hit them with two sword strikes before running away, repeat. I keep destruction in one hand and a sword in the other. Seems helpful to slow them with Ice Spike then slash, or set them on fire before slashing for extra damage.

My problem is that I get paniced in battle, not thinking to replace the destruction hand with a shield. Strategy devolves into "OMG, slash slash slash, run run run, potion potion potion".


You're right, I should have mentioned bow sneak attacks, which I do often. Still, sneaking is often not enough. I can land one sneak attack arrow on a bear, then it charges and tears me to shreds, forcing me to stop time and use heal potions. I can shoot it and run, but it runs as fast as I sprint, again forcing me to drink stamina potions.

I should post some videos of my battles and ask for coaching and constructive input. My lack of skill is the real problem here.

I agree with Avarae ( never even noticed that you didn't mention sneak), my ranger never uses a shield but his sneak and archery are through the roof. It's also smart to think of taking the high ground as a ranger/archer, if I'm clearing a fort I will try my best to situate myself higher then said fort so that if a stray shoot gives my position away I'm high enough that it's difficult for an NPC to get to me, which translates into time to run away or finish em off before they reach me. Try setting your healing potions to a quick key, you are then able to down potions while in combat without stopping it, they will do there job while you fight and it gives baddies the chance to end your life during the fight. That is if you want to add just a little difficulty to your combat.