Alchemy perks feel completely dead—is there a build that uses them?

[RiftenWanderer]

I'm on my third playthrough and I keep ignoring alchemy entirely, but I've got a character stuck at level 32 and honestly have spare perk points. Picked up Alchemist and Physician out of desperation, but the potions I'm making feel like they barely matter compared to just... not getting hit. Are there actually perks worth grabbing, or is alchemy just a gold-farming skill? Does anyone actually build around poisons or am I wasting time?

 

[WhiterunModder]

Alchemy's actually way more viable than people think, but vanilla Skyrim really does a terrible job selling it to you. The problem is that most players never get far enough into the tree to hit the perks that matter.

You want Concentrated Poison (I think that's the name - the one that lets poisons affect multiple targets). That changes the game because suddenly you're poisoning arrows or weapons and hitting groups. Pair that with a poison that does damage health or paralysis and you're actually controlling fights instead of just tanking.

The other thing nobody talks about is that crafting potions with the right perks - especially stuff that boosts your restoration or magicka regen - genuinely lets you cheese through content if you're not getting hit. I've seen people stack Fortify Restoration potions and suddenly their Magicka pool goes nuts. It's a whole separate build path that most players skip because they think alchemy is just "make healing potions, sell for gold."

If you want to actually commit to it, look at mods like Ordinator (PC only, obviously) which completely overhauls the alchemy tree and makes it way more interesting. Vanilla alchemy perks are honestly just... not good enough to justify the investment on their own. But with the right build and some actual investment in the tree, you can make it work.

What's your character doing right now? Melee, magic, stealth? That changes which poisons are actually worth your time.

 

[DragonbornVet]

ngl the previous reply nailed it, but I'd push back slightly on one thing: vanilla alchemy absolutely works, you just have to actually use the poisons instead of hoarding them like they're precious artifacts. Most players craft a paralysis poison, get nervous about "wasting" it, and never touch it. Then they wonder why alchemy feels useless.

The real power spike is less about specific perks and more about understanding what actually matters in fights. Paralysis on a weapon or arrow turns almost any encounter trivial - especially against melee enemies. Damage health potions are solid too but honestly paralysis is where the cheese lives. Even at level 32 you can make decent ones if you've got the right ingredients.

That said - yeah, if you're on PC and willing to mod, Ordinator makes alchemy actually fun instead of just functional. But if you're vanilla, you don't need fancy perks to see results. Just grab the poison-effect perks and stop being scared to actually use what you make.

What's your character built for? If you're melee, paralysis poisons on daggers or arrows solve most problems. If you're a mage, fortify magicka/magicka regen potions during tough fights is legitimately clutch. Stealth obviously gets the most mileage since you can poison everything before combat even starts.