Warning, if you want to learn ingredients on your own, this guide contains
spoilers and also some of the potential combinations of reagents to make multi-potions. I will post where spoilers are and you will need to click show to reveal areas that contain spoilers. Enjoy!
General guide
Alchemy is a crafting profession, which allows the crafting of potions and also poisons. At this time there are no uses for poisons (negative effects) but I presume at some point we may be able to use them on our weapons or something of the such. With alchemy users can combine multiple reagents to make basic potions and also sometimes concoctions that have multiple beneficial effects. These can be used either during battle using quick slots or out of battle from inventory or quick slots.
What you will find from this guide:
- Alchemy 101 - What you need to know about Alchemy, Alchemy skills and how to equip potions in your quickslots as this is not very intuitive.
- Reagents and Solvents - The raw ingredients to make the potions, what they look like in the wild and guild store, and also the associated traits with each reagent (spoiler).
- Resource Tables - A list of known combinations of reagents and solvents that creates well sought after potions (Spoilers). This area will be focused more on reagents gatherers will be looking for as well as common potions used in game. There may not be every possible combination known listed.
- Economics - Which potions may be more marketable to other players.
Alchemy 101:
To make potions you need to find reagents in the wild and/or buy from another user/ guild store and have the appropriate solvent for your level to be able to make them. Solvents are found throughout the world either in bags, crates, boxes, water skins, etc and/or can be found in the water as "pure water." So far there are no known NPCs that sell solvents and/or reagents (February).
Reagents have 4 traits associated with them. In order to discover these traits you will have to successfully create a potion using two reagents with the same trait. Otherwise the potion will fail and no potion will be created. As a beginning rule of thumb just like in other TES games, eat the first reagent you find as it will unlock the first trait. Below in the spoilers section, as long as they do not change after release, you can find a list of the reagents and their associated 4 traits. When crafting and trying to unlock traits use a solvent and only two reagents, if you have the passive Laboratory Use (more on that later) and you use two reagents that create a potion and a third reagent that does not this will result in a failed potion.
Leveling tips on alchemy:
- Use the highest level solvent possible as this will greatly increase the experience gained, however if your current character level is not high enough you may not be able to use the potions crafted
- Make sure to always use reagents that will make a potion or poison.
- Discovering new traits results in slightly more experience gain.
- Crafting that results in a failed potion (no yield) gives little experience.
- Crafting with two reagents or three reagents yield the same amount of experience (beta v0.17)
Skill Points:
Just like every other crafting profession there are skill points that can be used to help enhance your alchemy potions. Below is a list and description of where you can place skill points:
Solvent Proficiency (1-8): Allows the Alchemist to use different solvents and make higher level potions.
Keen eye: reagents (1-3): Reagents in the world will be easier to see.
Medicinal use (1-3): Potions last longer.
Chemistry (1-3): Produces extra potions per crafting attempt.
Laboratory Use: Allows the use of up to three reagents while making potions. Unlocks at level 15.
Get this as soon as possible if you plan on being an alchemist.
Snakeblood (1-3): Reduces negative effects in potions.
Quick slots:
The game has designed a quick slot feature, which allows users to equip consumables to a key so that they may be used in the heat of the moment during battle. The default key for using a quick slot item is Q, however, first you must equip an item to the quick slot menu in order to be able to use it during battle. To do so open your inventory (Default i); in the upper right hand corner of your inventory there is a arrow, click the arrow to open your quick slot menu. Your quick slot menu will be composed of 8 empty slots that you can drag and drop consumable items only to the menu. Once equipped which ever item is initially at the 12 o'clock position will be the item equipped to the Q key. During game play (i.e. when not in a character menu/inventory) you can switch your quick slot item to one of the other 8 items by holding the Q key and moving your mouse right or left to the item of your choice, which will be highlighted. That item will now be the item equipped to the Q key and can be then used as long as no cool downs are active. So the three main take away points are: Equip your consumables before going to battle. To use a equipped item from your quick slot push the Q key. Then switch to the next item by holding Q and once the cool down is over you can use the next equipped item.
This concludes the introduction on Alchemy and Quick Slot items. If you have any questions or need further clarification please post below. Below you will find more on what each reagent/solvent looks like as well as spoilers, showing the traits for each reagent.
Enjoy!
As always please post comments, corrections, information and I will edit that into my guide.
-Atalle
If you liked this guide check out my other guides:
Alchemy101Enchanting 101Quickslots: A short pictorial guideRededication Shrine: How to Respec
Elder Moot Exemplar
Mara's Moxie and Psijic Order (Beta Tester)