A Guide to Mastercraft.

The guide is based on personal experience and only on it, my dear =)

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In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, crafting skills play a significant role.

Namely:

"Blacksmithing" for Warriors,

"Alchemy" for Thieves,

"Enchanting" for Mages.

In Skyrim, there is no strict connection between skills and classes, as character classes, as such, do not exist. In Skyrim, you can develop all the skills that seem necessary to you, as long as you have the desire. And that is good!

Your character can be anyone and still know how to craft anything.

Essentially, to reach all the "heights" in Skyrim, it is necessary to level up all three of these skills because only handmade equipment in this game is considered "top-tier". I have not found better-made and enchanted items that are self-made in the game. (Well, maybe there are exceptions, but I haven't seen any so far)

The only "but"! To create Legendary items and be able to improve them to the maximum possible stat values, you will need to:

1. Level up all three aforementioned skills to 100.

2. Learn the necessary abilities of these skills.

3. Craft the "Blacksmith Set".

At first, I thought of detailing all three points separately, making several guides. But then the Daedric messed with me, and now I’m writing this lengthy text.

So, let's get started

Leveling the skill - "Alchemy"

Let’s start with Alchemy, and here’s why: in the game, leveling this skill seemed to me the most cost-effective due to a number of factors.

1. The first and main factor - You can’t level up efficiently with simple potions.

You can level up your skill with simple potions for a long time, as in the game mechanics, skill progression is affected not by quantity, but by quality. For example, the skill of wearing heavy or light armor depends not on how many times you were hit, but on how much damage that hit caused you.

A simple potion for Magic Regeneration (Salt + Garlic),

after creation, will increase your existing alchemy level by about 1-3% of the bar.

Whereas a complex potion, possessing several parameters (by the way, both negative and positive),

can raise your existing level by about 10-15% of the bar for just one potion.

Another shortcoming in the game is that side - unnecessary alchemical effects only increase the cost of the potion. Although logically a poison that simultaneously deals damage and heals itself is complete nonsense, this nonsense will cost more than a poison that deals damage and drains mana, for example.

I think you will immediately see that complex potions are significantly more expensive than simple ones.

Since leveling Alchemy directly depends on the quality of potions, I will immediately answer your question:

- Yes, if you wear items that provide a bonus to potion creation, the cost of created potions will significantly increase, but sadly this will hardly affect skill leveling.

Here’s the cost of a created potion without items that give a bonus to potion creation.

And here’s the cost of the created potion made while wearing items that give a bonus to potion creation.

2. The second factor stemming from the first - To make complex potions, you need to have a lot of diverse ingredients available.

Therefore, simply stockpile all the mushrooms you gather, all the giant fingers, all the eggs. Collect everything, anything you can gather, steal, buy! Yes, buy, so you need to earn septims. (Fortunately, this is not a problem in Skyrim)

3. The third factor - As you increase mastery in Alchemy, the leveling starts to slow down.

This is expressed in the following way: if with Alchemy skill 25 you make a potion - Magic Regeneration (Salt + Garlic) and to level from 25 to 26 you need to make 10 potions, then to level from 30 to 31 you will have to make 13 potions.

Consequently, I leveled Alchemy in three phases:

From 1 to 40, you can level by creating simple potions.

From 40 to 70-80, I learned the ropes from Arcadia in Whiterun. Meanwhile, I collected, bought, and stole tons of ingredients.

Where all the Alchemy teachers reside, I don’t recall, and it’s not needed; it’s enough to check here.

From 80 to 100, I leveled exclusively by creating complex poisons and potions.

A tip for those suffering from munchkinism

If you restart the game and suffer from munchkinism, go immediately to Whiterun at level two or three. Kill a dragon, gather and sell all the junk that turned "white," because the Jarl has been generous. Now you can take out 90% of the junk from Whiterun and sell it. With septims in hand, don’t forget to learn Alchemy with every LVL AP, so, without moving from the register, you can level your skill to 70 while leveling your character to level 20. (of course, if you have money, or if you are using the exploit to get back "septims" after training)

For those who do not understand Alchemy, I will hold a masterclass.

Look at everything here

As an example, I’ll show you what’s what.

Check the table here Ingredients or in the Alchemy Guide here Alchemy

Now look at what we have in our inventory and choose an ingredient, say Dragon Tongue. We select a desirable property from the table - Fire Resistance and Skill Increase: Two-Handed Weapons.

Now find an ingredient that shares these properties and has some additional positive properties. (negative properties work too) Let’s say Fly Amanita - our potion will have two properties. Next, we need to add an ingredient that will "unlock" a few more properties for the potion. Checking what properties does Fly Amanita have? - this is Frenzy and Stamina Regeneration.

Again consult the table for an ingredient that has these two properties... ah, that’s Mora Tapinella.

In the end, we get a potion like this:

The price of the potion, as well as its power, will depend on the abilities taken in the skill tree of Alchemy at the moment of the potion's creation and from the bonuses given by enchanted items.

Main Required Abilities in the "Alchemy" Skill

Alchemist 5/5 (Potions and poisons are 20% stronger (+20% for each additional skill level) - obviously, good potion - strong potion.

Healer (Your potions that restore health, mana, or stamina are 25% more effective) – this is a pre-requisite ability to take the next ability.

Provisioner (Can create potions that will have 25% more positive effect)

As you can see, I only took the most essential abilities to enhance the potions I create.

Leveling the skill - "Blacksmithing"

We know that the "Blacksmithing" skill can be leveled by creating something simple and easy to produce, requiring a minimum of the most common ingredients.

I think it will not be news to you that blacksmithing is the easiest skill to level in the game. (Well, if you have a lot of ingredients in stock)

Leveling is trivially simple - we craft iron daggers until we drop. Why daggers? Well, when leveling the skill, it doesn't matter what you’re making at the forge, be it ebony armor or a rawhide shield. Many choose the iron dagger -> one iron ingot + one strip of leather.

You can level it up in one go if you have a large quantity of the necessary ingredients.

The winter in Skyrim is harsh...

From 15 (racial starting bonus) to 100, I needed to make 567 daggers

I bought iron from blacksmiths/traders. In the area of Whiterun, all that roamed and brought fur didn’t run far from me.

Main Required Abilities in the "Blacksmithing" Skill

In choosing the abilities of this skill, guide yourself only by one question - what kind of armor do you want to equip your hero with?

For heavy armor - choose stars counter-clockwise.

For light armor - choose stars clockwise.

To make dragon armor, you'll need to level the skill to 100 anyway.

Leveling the skill - "Enchanting"

"Enchanting" is leveled in the same way as "Blacksmithing". The speed of leveling enchanting is not affected by what item we will enchant, what effect we are going to impose, and what soul gem we will use.

To level enchanting, we will need a lot of soul gems, which we will need to purchase from traders. But don’t be alarmed, enchanting is the most profitable "craft" in Skyrim.

Let's get started

First, we will need the Spell: Soul Trap.

The spell must be cast on our victim before they die, and you must kill them within 60 seconds. (I’ve seen videos of people casting spells on corpses)


Or weapon with this kind of effect.


This weapon should finish off our victim, delivering the last or second-to-last blow.

Then we go to the trader, buy soul gems from him, some will already be filled, others we will fill during gameplay.

If you don’t have several thousand septims yet, it will be enough to buy the smallest soul gems.

For meticulous players who do not want to catch tiny souls in large soul gems, I'll provide a reference list of the sizes of soul gems and creatures suitable for filling them.

**Petty Soul Gem** - creatures up to level 4.

Chicken

Deer

Dog

Fox

Goblin

Mudcrab

Rat

Sheep

Wolf

Skeleton

Horker

Draugr Thrall

Frostbite Spider

Draugr

Falmer

Slaughterfish

Lesser Soul Gem - creatures up to level 16.

Brown Bear

Chaurus

Boar

Ghost

Goblin Skirmisher

Imp

Snow Sabre Cat

Ice Wraith

Horse

Sabre Cat

Ice Wolf

Timber Wolf

Troll

Skeleton Guardian

Restless Draugr

Giant Frostbite Spider

Draugr Deathlord

Falmer Concealer

Zombie

Common Soul Gem - creatures up to level 28.

Ancient Ghost

Flame Atronach

Frost Atronach

Cave Bear

Clannfear

Draugr Scourge

Draugr Executioner

Reaper Chaurus

Mikrul Gauldurson (Draugr)

Mountain Lion

Faded Wraith

Frost Troll

Goblin Berserker

Will-o-the-Wisp

Minotaur

Headless Zombie

Black Bear

Spriggan

Stray Dog

Skeleton Hero

Greater Soul Gem - creatures up to level 38.

Daedroth

Wispmother

Draugr Death Overlord

Storm Atronach

Dread Zombie

Goblin Shaman

Frost Atronach

Nether Lich

Ogre

Skeleton Champion

Draugr General

Sigdis Gauldurson (Draugr)

Land Dreugh

Wraith

Giant

Grand Soul Gem - creatures from level 38.

Gloom Wraith

Lich

Minotaur Lord

Gatekeeper

Savage Ogre

Goblin Warlord

Xivilai

Falmer Master of Shadows

Mammoth

Black Soul Gem

Karga

Dremora Valkynaz

Blood Vampire

Brute

Marauder

After filling the soul gems, after several hours of clearing and gameplay, we need to find or buy from a trader a weapon with one of the following effects: Banish, Absorb Health, Turn Undead, Fear.

**Banish**

Absorb Health

Turn Undead

Fear

These are among the most profitable effects for weapons.

For items, the most profitable is "Skill Increase: Stealth".

The price of enchanted items depends on the effect imposed on it.

But! Here it is worth clarifying some nuances that you will encounter when enchanting items:

For items, the effect will depend primarily on the size of the gem! When using a petty gem, the effect will be 3%, while using a grand gem, it will be 30%

The price of such an item will fluctuate greatly since it significantly depends on the size of the soul gem you use.

For weapons, the strength of the effect depends only on our enchanting skill level and the abilities taken. The charge will depend on the size of the gem. Charge has a negligible impact on the final price of the item.

The effect will play the main role in determining the price of the weapon.

Above, I listed the four most profitable enchanting effects for weapons.

Enchanting weapons is the most profitable, even when using petty soul stones, as the item's value increases significantly.

Main Required Abilities in the "Enchanting" Skill

Enchanter 5/5 (New enchants are 20% stronger (+20% for each additional level))

Skill Enchants (Enchantments on armor are 25% stronger)

Life Enchantments (Enchantments of health, mana, and stamina on armor are 25% stronger)

Extra Effect (Can apply two enchants to one item)

Creating the "Blacksmith Set"

You leveled these three skills to one hundred! Hooray!

Now let’s proceed to creating the "Blacksmith Set".

What is this mysterious set? - you may ask. There’s no mystery here; it’s just a set of items with the effects of enchantments we need, which will allow us to maximize our skills in Alchemy, Enchanting, and Blacksmithing.

It is made in three stages.

Take any regular items (a hat, necklace, ring, and gloves), Grand Soul Gems, and go make a "basic" set, yes, a "basic set" for enchanting.


Wearing this, we make a potion "Skill Increase: Enchanting"

It is made from the following ingredients:

Spriggan Sap

Witch's Claw

Blue Butterfly Wing

Snowberries

To craft it, you only need two different ingredients.

You should get a 30% potion.

Now let’s move on to the second stage.

After making four potions of "Skill Increase: Enchanting", take another four simple items and head to enchant the second basic set...


Why did we need to make two basic sets? We need to maximize the possible % from the potions we prepared.

Now, wearing the second basic set, we make potions for

"Skill Increase: Enchanting" again, and now we get potions with 32%

Now, take the items we like (but preferably some cloth that weighs 1 or even less.) and go craft the "Blacksmith Set"

I ended up with the following set.


Creating Legendary Armor

Wearing the "Blacksmith Set", we go and brew potions for "Skill Increase: Blacksmithing"

It is made from the following ingredients:

Spriggan Sap

Saber Cat Tooth

Hawk Mushroom

Glowing Mushroom

To craft it, you only need two different ingredients.

Now, having the "Blacksmith Set" and Blacksmith potions with 130% improvement - You gain the title of

"Master Crafter" of Skyrim!

So, what are you standing there for? Run and make your legendary Dragon/Daedric armor, I’ve already made everything for myself.


I hope my instructions, tricks, and tips

will help you in your daily Skyrim life.

Enjoy your game, fellow Dragonborn =)

And remember, while we were struggling with crafting...

DRAUGR IS LEVELING UP!!!

Special thanks to Soth for proofreading, and ArDec for patience and sensitive guidance =)

UPD

Updated the list of soul gem sizes and creatures suitable for filling them.