Alchemy — The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind eGuide

Learn the art of combining ingredients in the form of reagents and solvents to create beneficial potions or debilitating poisons. Find your crafting station at apothecaries, usually where an Alchemist vendor resides.

If you value the thrill of arcane experimentation by mixing a variety of (sometimes foul-smelling) reagents and solvents to create elixirs or deadly poisons, seek out Alchemy as a pastime.

Alchemy is the creation of potions that grant enhancements to your stats for a short amount of time, and poisons that inflict detriments on an enemy’s stats. The potency of such liquids is usually higher than that of, say, drinks you would create in Provisioning crafting, but it doesn’t last nearly as long.

To craft a potion or poison, there are two important elements you need to combine. These are reagents and solvents, which are combined at an Alchemy Station. This sounds rather simple, and initially it is, but it becomes more complicated once you attempt to combine ingredients to learn their properties, or craft poisons.

The key to mastering this trade skill is experimentation. When you smith or enchant an item, you already know what the end result is going to be. Not so with Alchemy. You often have no idea what you’re making, which leads to excitement at the possibility of discovering a powerful new potion or effect.

Reagents are the base ingredients for a potion or poison, and are the by-products of certain animals, flowers, fungi, or herbs. They’re naturally occurring throughout Tamriel, and combining different reagents gives you a wide variety of results. Scour the lands, collecting every reagent you see, including those previously picked (found in scenery); the wider your variety of ingredients, the more quickly your skill advances. If you have the gold, you can also purchase ingredients from traders.

Solvents are a variety of waters and oils that combine with two or more reagents to create the potion or poison. Solvents have a level associated with them, which determines the potency of the end product. You’ll find solvents in waterlogged areas of Tamriel such as rivers and streams (denoted by a small splash disturbance), as well as in bottles and Water Skins, and sitting in or on scenery. Need higher-level solvents? Find them in higher-level zones. Solvents can also be bought from traders.

In summary, the process of Alchemy involves foraging for ingredients (reagents), learning their effects, combining them with solvents, and experimenting with combinations to make potions and poisons.

Reagents

The key to perfecting your potions and poisons is to learn the variety of effects each reagent grants you, both positive and negative. Since our guide lets you skip the trial and error of the experimentation process, you can (and should) start making potions that combine two or more reagents with the same effect. Potions are usually used on you or a friendly character, which means you need to minimize a reagent’s harmful effects. To start with, don’t combine reagents with two identical detrimental effects.

The following table lists all available reagents and their effects. Those marked with a “(+)” are positive effects. Those marked with a “(-)” are negative effects.

Alchemy: Reagents Effects

Reagent	Effect 1	Effect 2	Effect 3	Effect 4	General Location Found
Beetle Scuttle	(-) Lower Spell Resistance	(+) Protection	(+) Increase Armor	(+) Vitality	Looted from Assassin Beetles, Beetles, Shalks, and Thunderbugs
Blessed Thistle	(+) Restore Stamina	(+) Increase Weapon Power	(-) Ravage Health	(+) Speed	Harvested throughout the lands
Blue Entoloma	(-) Ravage Magicka	(-) Lower Spell Power	(+) Restore Health	(+) Invisible	Harvested throughout the lands
Bugloss	(+) Increase Spell Resistance	(+) Restore Health	(-) Lower Spell Power	(+) Restore Magicka	Harvested throughout the lands
Butterfly Wing	(+) Restore Health	(+) Sustained Restore Health	(-) Lower Spell Critical	(+) Vitality	Looted from Butterflies
Columbine	(+) Restore Health	(+) Restore Magicka	(+) Restore Stamina	(+) Unstoppable	Harvested throughout the lands
Corn flower	(+) Restore Magicka	(+) Increase Spell Power	(-) Ravage Health	(+) Detection	Harvested throughout the lands
Dragonthorn	(+) Increase Weapon Power	(+) Restore Stamina	(-) Lower Armor	(+) Weapon Critical	Harvested throughout the lands
Emetic Russula	(-) Ravage Health	(-) Ravage Magicka	(-) Ravage Stamina	(-) Stun	Harvested throughout the lands
Fleshfly Larva	(-) Ravage Stamina	(-) Creeping Ravage Health	(-) Vulnerability	(+) Vitality	Looted from Fleshflies and Zombies
Imp Stool	(-) Lower Weapon Power	(-) Ravage Stamina	(+) Increase Armor	(-) Lower Weapon Critical	Harvested throughout the lands
Lady’s Smock	(+) Increase Spell Power	(+) Restore Magicka	(-) Lower Spell Resistance	(+) Spell Critical	Harvested throughout the lands
Luminous Russula	(-) Ravage Stamina	(-) Lower Weapon Power	(+) Restore Health	(-) Reduced Speed	Harvested throughout the lands
Mountain Flower	(+) Increase Armor	(+) Restore Health	(-) Lower Weapon Power	(+) Restore Stamina	Harvested throughout the lands
Mudcrab Chitin	(+) Increase Spell Resistance	(+) Protection	(+) Increase Armor	(-) Defile	Looted from Mudcrabs
Namira’s Rot	(+) Spell Critical	(+) Speed	(+) Invisible	(+) Unstoppable	Harvested throughout the lands
Nightshade	(-) Ravage Health	(-) Creeping Ravage Health	(+) Protection	(-) Defile	Harvested throughout the lands
Nirnroot	(-) Ravage Health	(-) Lower Spell Critical	(-) Lower Weapon Critical	(+) Invisible	Harvested throughout the lands
Scrib Jelly	(-) Ravage Magicka	(-) Vulnerability	(+) Speed	(+) Sustained Restore Health	Looted from Kwamas and Scribs
Spider Egg	(-) Reduced Speed	(+) Sustained Restore Health	(+) Invisible	(-) Defile	Looted from Spiders
Stinkhorn	(-) Lower Armor	(-) Ravage Health	(+) Increase Weapon Power	(-) Ravage Stamina	Harvested throughout the lands
Torchbug Thorax	(-) Lower Armor	(-) Lower Weapon Critical	(+) Detection	(+) Vitality	Looted from Torchbugs
Violet Coprinus	(-) Lower Spell Resistance	(-) Ravage Health	(+) Increase Spell Power	(-) Ravage Magicka	Harvested throughout the lands
Water Hyacinth	(+) Restore Health	(+) Spell Critical	(+) Weapon Critical	(-) Stun	Harvested throughout the lands
White Cap	(-) Lower Spell Power	(-) Ravage Magicka	(+) Increase Spell Resistance	(+) Detection	Harvested throughout the lands
Wormwood	(+) Weapon Critical	(-) Reduced Speed	(+) Detection	(+) Unstoppable	Harvested throughout the lands

Knowing the effects of the available reagents, you can start to combine them to concoct appropriately potent potions and poisons. However, you still need to learn all the reagents’ effects in-game; indeed, doing so is recommended, as this adds to your Inspiration. Learn the first effect of each reagent by using it. Learn the subsequent effects by mixing it with other reagents and solvents. Also consider investing Skill Points into the Laboratory Use Alchemy Attribute, which enables you to combine more reagents to create more complex potions.

Solvents

Scoop out the contents of rivers and streams, or check barrels or Water Skins, and use the water types to make increasingly potent potions and poisons.

While reagents grant you the type of positive or negative effect(s) of a potion or poison, the solvent determines the potency. This liquid is combined with one or more reagents, and the level of the potion is given. The higher the level, the more potent the potion, and usually the more difficult it is to obtain the proper solvent. Find higher-level solvents in higher-level adventure zones.

It’s important to remember that the Solvent Proficiency Attribute, which has eight ranks to unlock, is the key to concocting higher-level potions and poisons. The following tables indicate the different waters (for potions) and oils (for poisons) you can obtain.

Alchemy: Solvents (Water-Based) for Potions

Solvent	Solvent Level*	Potion Level**
Natural Water	1	3
Clear Water	1	10
Pristine Water	2	20
Cleansed Water	3	30
Filtered Water	4	40
Purified Water	5	CP 10
Cloud Mist	6	CP 50
Star Dew	7	CP 100
Lorkhan’s Tears	8	CP 150

* Solvent level indicates the rank of Solvent Proficiency you need in order to make a potion or poison with this solvent.

** Potion level indicates the strength of the potion or poison; the higher, the better, and the more Inspiration you receive from making it. “CP” refers to Champion Point levels needed to make the concoction.

Alchemy: Solvents (Oil-Based) for Poisons

Solvent	Solvent Level*	Potion Level**
Grease	1	3
Ichor	1	10
Slime	2	20
Gall	3	30
Terebinthine	4	40
Pitch-Bile	5	CP 10
Tarblack	6	CP 50
Night Oil	7	CP 100
Alkahest	8	CP 150

* Solvent level indicates the rank of Solvent Proficiency you need in order to make a potion or poison with this solvent.

Passive Abilities

There are six Alchemy Passive Abilities:

Alchemy Passive Abilities

Name	Description	Prerequisite
Solvent Proficiency	This enables you to utilize higher-level waters and oils, which in turn give you more potent effects. Raise this to the general level you’re adventuring in; only raise it to Rank 8 if you’re easily able to obtain Lorkhan’s Tears and Alkhest, or the rank goes to waste.	Eight Ranks at Levels 1, 10, 20, 30, 40, 48, 49, and 50
Keen Eye	Only spend Skill Points on this luxury if you’re really “keen” to become an Alchemist as early as possible and you can afford to forgo skills in other areas, such as weapons and armor (which isn’t recommended when you’re just starting out).	Reagents (Three Ranks at Levels 2, 6, and 17
Medicinal Use	Spend Skill Points here to extend the benefits and bonuses your potions give you. This only applies to potions, and grants a lengthier effect (from 10-30%). If you use a potion with a cooldown period, which stops you from spamming and stacking the effects of potions, Medicinal Use helps your potion outlast the cooldown. This means you get the potion’s bonus without the threat of the potion running out before the cooldown period ends. Imagine, for example, the benefits of invisibility, immobility, or speed potions, without the worry that the potion will run out before you can use it again.	Three Ranks at Levels 3, 12, and 32
Chemistry	This allows you to create an additional one, two, or three potions and four, eight, or 12 poisons for each rank. No additional reagents or solvents are needed, making this an excellent choice if you have the additional Skill Points to hand, you’re selling potions or poisons, or you’ve found a potent potion you use constantly. You may wish to make use of this later into your adventure, when more helpful Alchemy skills allowing you to power-level up faster are available.	Three Ranks at Levels 12, 30, and 47
Laboratory Use	This must-have should be taken as soon as possible. It enables you to craft three-reagent potions and poisons instead of the normal two. As three-reagent creations are more potent, this proves extremely useful.	One Rank at Level 15
Snakeblood	The biggest downside of creating potions is the negative effects associated with some reagents. This skill reduces those effects by 50%, 80%, and 100%. If you’ve created a potion where the negative effects are already negligible, this isn’t as effective. Make use of this luxury if you’re not getting the benefits of a potion.	Three Ranks at Levels 23, 33, and 43

Initial Concoctions

The following table provides some two-reagent examples of potions and poisons you can craft, before you spend a Skill Point on Laboratory Use. The potions don’t have any major harmful effects. Start your Alchemy career with any of these concoctions:

Alchemy: Rudimentary Potions and Poisons

Primary Effect Bonus	Secondary Effect Bonus(es)	Reagent 1	Reagent 2
Detection	None	Cornflower	Wormwood
Health	None	Bugloss	Mountain Flower
Health	None	Columbine	Water Hyacinth
Health	None	Mountain Flower	Water Hyacinth
Health	Magicka Recovery	Bugloss	Columbine
Health	Stamina Recovery	Columbine	Mountain Flower
Invisibility	None	Nirnroot	Blue Entoloma
Magicka	None	Bugloss	Lady’s Smock
Magicka	None	Columbine	Cornflower
Magicka	None	Columbine	Lady’s Smock
Magicka	Spell Damage	Cornflower	Lady’s Smock
Magicka	Health Recovery	Bugloss	Columbine
Ravage Armor (Negative)	Weapon Damage	Dragonthorn	Stinkhorn
Speed	None	Blessed Thistle	Namira’s Rot
Spell Critical	None	Lady’s Smock	Water Hyacinth
Stamina	None	Blessed Thistle	Columbine
Stamina	None	Columbine	Dragonthorn
Stamina	None	Dragonthorn	Mountain Flower
Unstoppable	None	Columbine	Namira’s Rot
Unstoppable	None	Namira’s Rot	Wormwood
Weapon Critical	None	Dragonthorn	Water Hyacith
Weapon Critical	None Dragonthorn	Wormwood	Dragonthorn
Weapon Damage	Stamina Recovery	Blessed Thistle	Dragonthorn
Ravage Health (Poison)	None	Blessed Thistle	Nirnroot
Ravage Health (Poison)	None	Stinkhorn	Violet Coprinus
Ravage Health (Poison)	None	Cornflower	Nirnroot
Ravage Magicka (Poison)	None	Violet Coprinus	White Cap
Ravage Spell Critical (Poison)	None	Nirnroot	White Cap
Ravage Stamina (Poison)	None	Luminous Russula	Water Hyacinth
Ravage Weapon Critical (Poison)	None	Imp Stool	Nirnroot

The Most Potent Potions and Poisons

The following table provides some recommended reagents and solvents to mix together in order to create some particularly impressive potions. Note that the effects of the potion are bolstered by higher-level water (solvents), and the Laboratory Use Attribute allows three reagents to be combined.

Alchemy: The Best Potions

Potion Primary Effect Bonus	Secondary Effect Bonus(es)	Reagent 1	Reagent 2	Reagent 3
Armor (Weapon Damage Reduced)	None	Imp Stoll	Mountain Flower	White Cap
Detection Increase	Magicka Recovery, Spell Damage	Cornflower	Lady’s Smock	Wormwood
Invisibility	None	Blue Entoloma	Namira’s Rot	Nirnroot
Invisibility	Health Recovery	Blue Entoloma	Luminous Russula	Namira’s Rot
Health	None	Columbine	Imp Stool	Water Hyacinth
Health	Stamina, Magicka	Bugloss	Columbine	Mountain Flower
Magicka	None	Bugloss	Cornflower	Lady’s Smock
Ravage Spell Power (Negative)	Health Recovery, Spell Resistance	Bugloss	Columbine	White Cap
Speed	Stamina Recovery	Blessed Thistle	Mountain Flower	Namira’s Rot
Spells (Damage)	None	Columbine	Violet Coprinus	Water Hyacinth
Spells (Increases Critical Amount and Duration)	None	Lady’s Smock	Namira’s Rot	Water Hyacinth
Spells (Increases Critical Amount and Duration)	Health and Magicka Recovery	Bugloss	Lady’s Smock	Water Hyacinth
Spells (Increases Critical Amount and Damage)	Magicka Recovery	Cornflower	Lady’s Smock	Water Hyacinth
Spells (Protection fromSpell Protection)	None	Bugloss	Cornflower	White Cap
Stamina	None	Blessed Thistle	Columbine	Mountain Flower
Unstoppable (Immunity to Knockback)	Columbine	Namira’s Rot	Wormwood
Weapon (Increases Critical)	None	Dragonthorn	Stinkhorn	Wormwood
Weapon (Increases Critical)	Health and Stamina Recovery	Dragonthorn	Mountain Flower	Water Hyacinth

The following table provides some recommended concoctions to mix up to create some harmful poisons. These are not ingested by you, but applied to your weapon. When the weapon strikes, there’s a 20% chance of the poison’s effects being applied. Expect the effects to last no more than 10 seconds. Note that the effects of the poison are bolstered by higher-level oil (solvents), and the Laboratory Use Attribute allows three reagents to be mixed together. Note that with the changes in Morrowind that effect Magicka and Stamina recovery, poisons that give the player Magicka or Stamina with every hit are incredibly useful.

Alchemy: The Deadliest Poisons

Poison Primary Effect Bonus	Secondary Effect Bonus(es)	Reagent 1	Reagent 2	Reagent 3
Ravage Health	None	Blessed Thistle	Cornflower	Emetic Russula
Ravage Health	None	Cornflower	Nirnroot	Stinkhorn
Ravage Health	Ravage Magicka	Stinkhorn	Violet Coprinus	White Cap
Ravage Health	Ravage Stamina	Imp Stool	Stinkhorn	Violet Coprinus
Ravage Health	Ravage Stamina and Magicka	Emetic Russula	Stinkhorn	White Cap
Ravage Health	Ravage Stamina, Reduce Weapon Critical	Imp Stool	Nirnroot	Stinkhorn
Ravage Health	Reduce Weapon Critical	Imp Stool	Nirnroot	Violet Coprinus
Ravage Magicka	Ravage Stamina	Emetic Russula	Luminous Russula	Violet Coprinus
Ravage Magicka	Ravage Stamina	Emetic Russula	Luminous Russula	White Cap
Ravage Stamina	None	Imp Stool	Luminous Russula	Stinkhorn
Ravage Stamina	Reduce Weapon Damage	Emetic Russula	Imp Stool	Luminous Russula
Ravage Weapon Damage	None	Emetic Russula	Luminous Russula	Mountain Flower
Stun	Ravage Magicka	Emetic Russula	Water Hyacinth	White Cap
Stun	Ravage Stamina, Ravage Magicka	Emetic Russula	Imp Stool	Water Hyacinth