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Most Expensive Potions in Skyrim: Profit & Recipes

Most Expensive Potions in Skyrim: Profit & Recipes

In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, players can craft and sell potions with ingredients they can find throughout the world by looting containers, buying from merchants, or finding resources in the wild. One of the most effective ways to earn gold in Skyrim is by crafting and selling potions. 

In Skyrim’s Anniversary Update, the Carry Weight, Illusion, Stamina, Health, and Waterbreathing potions are the most profitable concoctions the player can create for selling. These potions should be crafted with the ingredients added by the Rare Curios Creation. 

Potion/PoisonEffectsIngredientsValue in Gold
Potion of WaterbreathingWaterbreathing
Fortify Stamina
Fortify Health
Boar Tusk
Fungus Stalk
Salmon Roe
1891 gold
Poison of SlowSlow
Fear
Green Butterfly Wing
Rot Scale
1307 gold
Poison of ParalysisParalysis
Slow
Fear
Invisibility
Daedra Silk
Elytra Ichor
Rot Scale
1285 gold
Potion of WaterbreathingWaterbreathing
Resist Magic
Chicken’s Egg
Hawk’s Egg
Salmon Roe
1264 gold
Potion of WaterbreathingDamage Magicka Regeneration
Lingering Damage Stamina    
Resist Magic    
Waterbreathing
Hawk’s Egg
Nightshade
Salmon Roe
1231 gold
Potion of WaterbreathingWaterbreathing
Damage Magicka Regeneration
Restore Stamina
Bear Claws 
Hawk’s Egg
Salmon Roe
1229 gold
Potion of WaterbreathingWaterbreathing
Regenerate Magicka
Chicken’s Egg 
Salmon Roe 
Dwarven Oil
1197 gold
Potion of Fortify HealthFortify Health
Invisibility
Slow
Bloodgrass
Elytra Ichor
Heart of Order
1095 gold
Poison of Damage HealthDamage Health
Slow
Fortify Carry Weight
Jarrin Root
Poison Bloom
Worm’s Head Cap
958 gold
Poison of Damage Magicka RegenDamage Magicka Regeneration
Paralysis
Regenerate Health
Regenerate Magicka
Harrada
Minotaur Horn
Purple Butterfly Wing
878 gold

Read more: Best Builds in Skyrim

Skyrim Potion Crafting Menu

Most Expensive Craftable Potions in Skyrim

Potions will usually yield less gold compared to poisons, but they’re still a quick and efficient way to earn gold.

These prices are calculated when the player has level 15 in Alchemy with no perks or buffs included during its creation.

As a rule of thumb, any type of potion that includes the Waterbreathing effect will sell for more than 1,000 gold.

Potion of Waterbreathing – 1197 to 1891 Gold

Ingredients: Boar Tusk, Fungus Stalk, Salmon Roe

While any potion with a Waterbreathing effect will always yield a high-value potion, this ingredient combination yields the highest base price with these three effects:

  • Waterbreathing
  • Fortify Stamina
  • Fortify Health

Salmon Roe is an ingredient added by the Hearthfire DLC, and you’ll need to kill the salmon in rivers since you won’t get the Salmon Roe by just harvesting them.

Boar Tusk was added by the Dragonborn DLC and drops from Bristlebacks and Rieklings in Solstheim.

Fungus Stalk is a Rare Curios creation ingredient, so you can only purchase it from Khajit caravans.

Potion of Fortify Health – 1095 Gold

Ingredients: Heart of Order, Elytra Ichor, Bloodgrass

This variation for the Potion of Fortify Health will offer two positive effects and one negative:

  • Fortify Health
  • Invisibility
  • Slow

If the player has purchased Skyrim’s Anniversary Update, they can only buy the Heart of Order and Elytra Ichor from Khajit Merchants thanks to the Rare Curios creation.

Bloodgrass is available in the Deadlands area, added by The Cause Creation.

Potion of Fortify Stamina – 823 Gold

Ingredients: Boar Tusk, Giant’s Toe, Large Antlers

This Potion of Fortify Stamina yields two positive effects and one negative when crafted:

  • Fortify Stamina
  • Fortify Health
  • Damage Stamina Regen

You can harvest Boar Tusks when killing Bristlebacks or Rieklings in Solstheim.

Large Antlers can be found in Deers (not to be confused with Small Antlers since they have different effects).

Giant’s Toe can be looted from Giants or rarely found in merchant’s shops.

Skyrim Ingredient Effects Discovered Pop Up

Most Expensive Craftable Poisons in Skyrim

The player can increase the base value of their poisons by unlocking Alchemy perks. The Purist perk can variably affect the poison’s final price if they remove positive effects that raise the original value. 

Poison of Slow – 1307 Gold

Ingredients: Rot Scale, Green Butterfly Wing

The most profitable poison available in Skyrim: Anniversary Upgrade has two negative effects:

  • Slow
  • Fear

Rot Scale is only available for sale with Khajit Merchants, added by the Rare Curios creation.

Green Butterflies will yield Green Butterfly Wings, added by the Saints and Seducers’ creation.

Poison of Paralysis – 1285 Gold

Ingredients: Daedra Silk, Elytra Ichor, Rot Scale

This poison recipe has four effects:

  • Paralysis
  • Slow
  • Fear
  • Invisibility

Elytra Ichor and Daedra Silk can only be found with Khajit caravans thanks to the Rare Curios creation, whereas Rot Scale is added by the Santis and Seducers’ creation and found in the Solitude Sewers as harvestable nodes.

Poison of Damage Health – 958 Gold

Ingredients: Jarrin Root, Poison Bloom, Worm’s Head Cap

The following poison will have three effects:

  • Damage Health
  • Slow
  • Fortify Carry Weight

Worm’s Head Cap is only available at Khajit Merchants as part of the Rare Curios creation. You can harvest Poison Bloom inside the Darkfall Passage, added as part of the Dawnguard DLC.

Note that you can only obtain a single Jarrin Root during the Dark Brotherhood questline, making it a one-time craftable poison with this specific value.

Poison of Damage Magicka Regen – 878 Gold

Ingredients: Harrada, Minotaur Horns, Purple Butterfly Wing

This recipe for a Poison of Damage Magicka Regen will have two negative and two positive effects:

  • Damage Magicka Regen
  • Paralysis
  • Regenerate Health
  • Regenerate Magicka

These ingredients come from several creations added by the Anniversary Upgrade.

The player can purchase Minotaur Horns from Khajit Merchants as part of the Rare Curios creation.

The Saints and Seducers’ creations included new types of butterflies that yield colour-specific wings.

Harrada is found in the Deadlands area, added by The Cause creation. 

Poison of Damage Stamina Regen – 499 Gold

Ingredients: Creep Cluster, Marshmerrow, Saltrice

The player can craft a Poison of Damage Stamina Regen with the following effects:

  • Damage Stamina Regen
  • Weakness to Magic
  • Restore Health
  • Fortify Carry Weight

For this poison, the Dragonborn will have to purchase Marshmerrow and Saltrice with Khajit Merchants, since these ingredients are part of the Rare Curious creation.

The player will find Creep Cluster throughout Skyrim, with greater resource nodes concentrated around Windhelm and Solstheim.

Skyrim High Value Poison

How to Craft Potions in Skyrim

When interacting with an Alchemy Table, the player will have a list of possible potions and poisons they can create based on the available ingredients in their inventory. This list is based on the effects already known by the player.

You must choose at least two ingredients for crafting a potion and optionally add a third one. When creating a new potion, a window pop-up will appear if you’ve discovered new properties for an ingredient.

Enchanting effects will work alongside Alchemy effects when crafting potions, but if they’re targeting the same buff only the strongest effect will be active.

The concoction’s overall duration and price are based on your Alchemy skills. For example, each Alchemist perk rank increases the strength of the resulting potion by 20% up to 100%.

The yielding potion’s value also indicated the amount of experience you gain towards the skill tree.

Where Can I Get Lots of Ingredients in Skyrim?

Players will find ingredients throughout their standard playthrough by finding resource nodes in the wild, looting containers, or enemies’ corpses. The player can also unlock the Green Thumb perk to yield more than a single ingredient from any resource node. 

However, there are other methods to consider when obtaining common and rare ingredients in Skyrim.

Method 1: Apothecary

Alchemy stores in cities have a mortar and pestle sign at their entrances. The advantage of purchasing ingredients from apothecaries is that you can wait several in-game days for restocking.

VendorLocationNotes
Angeline MorrardAngeline’s Aromatics in Solitude
ArcadiaArcadia’s Cauldron in WhiterunExpert trainer in Alchemy
BabetteDark Brotherhood’s SanctuaryMaster trainer in Alchemy

Only available when joining the Dark Brotherhood
BolarNarzulbur Stronghold in Eastmarch
BothelaThe Hag’s Cure in Markarth
EdlaSkaal Village in Solstheim, added by Dragonborn DLC
Elgrim / HafjhorgElgrim’s Elixirs in Riften
Elynea MothrenTel Mithryn Apothecary in Tel Mithryn, added by Dragonborn DLC
Feran SadriVolkihar Keep from Dawnguard DLC
Florentius BaeniusFort Dawnguard from Dawnguard DLCMaster trainer in Restoration

Only available when siding with the Dawnguard and completing the quest Bolstering the Ranks
FridaThe Mortar and Pestle in Dawnstar
Herluin LothaireThe Ragged Flagon in RiftenOnly available when completing two Thieves Guild special reputation jobs from Delvin Mallory
LamiThaumaturgist’s Hut in MorthalCommon trainer in Alchemy
Milore IenthRaven Rock in Dragonborn DLCExpert trainer in Alchemy
MurbulDushnikh Yal Stronghold in Markarth
Nurelion / Quintus NavaleThe White Phial in Windhelm
ZariaGrave Concoctions in Falkreath

Method 2: Khajit Caravans

The majority of the new items found in the Rare Curios creation can be bought from Khajiit Caravans throughout Skyrim. Otherwise, they mostly sell general goods alongside Moong Sugar and Skooma.

There are three caravans across Skyrim:

  • Ri’saad’s Caravan: their trading route goes between Whiterun and Markarth
  • Ahkari’s Caravan: their trading route goes between Riften and Dawnstar
  • Ma’dran’s Caravan: their trading route goes between Windhelm and Solitude
Skyrim Alchemy Merchant

Method 3: Homestead Garden

Another way in which players can gather ingredients is by purchasing any homestead and building a Greenhouse in the West wing to grow plants and vegetables. This technique is particularly useful to have a supply of rare ingredients. The player can also build a garden in the exterior area to plant any plant and fungi on a smaller scale.

What is the Best Ingredient in Skyrim?

Before the Anniversary Update, the ingredient yielding the most profitable potions was the Giant’s Toe, since combining it with Creep Cluster or Wheat the resulting Potion of Fortify Health will always have a minimum value of 588 gold.

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