what is Alchemy skill in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim?

[HareRama]

Hello I was searching about this on internet yesterday and I found that many people don’t know about it like me. On every site people where discussing about how higher skill level didn’t actually seem to effect a number of the skills; they were more just a pre-requisite for the perks. For example; higher 1-handed skill does in fact increase sword damage, even without investing in the perks.

[Doshti]

Unfortunately though, it seems like Alchemy is still a grey area. I read that a number of people found that higher alchemy skill in no way affected the potions or poisons they made. Also higher skill doesn’t seem to reveal more of ingredients properties. Is anyone able to confirm or deny this? Or have any other ideas what the skill itself does, if you don’t want to invest your perks in the tree?

[LotusN]

From what I've heard, the higher level doesn't reveal more ingredient properties (there is a perk that lets you find two, instead of one, property by eating ingredients). You need to find them by experimentation. I've not played so this is just a guess from all of the things I've heard 'bout Alchemy.

[LeanneL]

I'm pretty sure it'll increase the power of your potions and poisons, just like in any other TES. I'm 95% confident that the higher the skill the less failed potion attempts.

[Robyn]

Your potions and poisons will be, for sure, stronger the higher you go in the skill. In addition, if there's a miss rate, it will lower the higher you go for sure again. I remember reading yesterday though that someone claimed to of leveled Alchemy to 69, but found that it didn’t affect any of his potions until he took the first perk as well. It's likely that the skills have small effects, so speechcraft would give you a very small percentage boost to persuasion/intimidate success and influence to shop prices, it just won't be as noticeable as the perks.

[maskat]

I'm not sure what the skill levels do, I wish they would just come out and explain it. Such as what does a higher speech do? After all there are perks for increase persuasion, intimidation, and better sell/buy rates so then what is the point of the skill?

[AlisaDsa]

Do the various parts of alchemical apparatus have any role in Skyrim? I know there are stations now, but do the various equipment components (mortat and pestle, retort, amblec, calcinator, etc.) help at all with identifying alchemical ingredients? Do these components still help in processing in Skyrim? It seems like answers should be obvious, but there have been so many changes, and alchemy is one area that was changed quite a bit. I haven’t read much about this part of alchemy, mostly perk data.

[MACALL]

In one of the streams I watched, I noticed then when using the alchemy table there were 3 slots to fill. Ingredient 1, ingredient 2 and optional. It’s just a guess, but I would assume the optional slot would be one of the apparatus (retort, abmblec etc). I'm sure there is one by the way. It just doesn't make sense that they wouldn't put a cherry on top.