Skyrim: Beginner's Guide to Smithing, Enchanting & Alchemy

VGW: Continuing along our line of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim guides, I present to you our third entry, which will lead you through the basics and tips of smithing, enchanting and alchemy. I've received numerous questions through various outlets, and this guide attempts to answer most of them.

[Larry L]

Best tip I can give anyone in Skyrim, regardless of class, is to have smithing and enchanting maxed to 100 and the usefull perks for you in each tree taken. Then enchant a fortify smithing set of armor (well actually just hands chest rings and necklace. Then when you improve equipment it will improve even more powerfull (damage or defense wise) than it would just based on your 100 smithing skill. Then hey......why not even swigg a fortify smithing potion on top of your fortify smithing armor. Just sayin'........ lol

[Clayman]

Yeah I've heard you can create ridiculously powerfull armor that way, almost to the point of game-breaking.

[Larry L]

Well.....you can make them rediculously overpowered if you also have maxed alchemy to create the best fortify potions, and then game the system making more powerfull (beyond the max fortify levels in the game for both potions and armor. And then on top add overpowered enchants on the overpowerd equipment.

But just doing it with enchant and smithing maxed and normal leveled potions keeps everything within what would be the games "rules".

And @ DanSolo below. Like I said, doing it my way is well within the "rules" of the game. And while it's still VERY powerfull, it's really something you'd only need to do on the hardest difficulties. And at those harder difficulties it's still a challenge because you aren't beyond the armor caps. You can still die. On the easier setting, I admit, you're GOD (in game) doing this. But not on the hardest.

[Dovahkiin]

Getting smithing to 60 and using smithing enchanted jewelry is working amazingly well for me. Epic blade of woe and Shrouded armour.

[DanSolo]

I think I will pass on those ideas as it sounds like it would make the game too easy.... just cos it can be done, doesn't mean it makes the game better!

[BraveToaster]

Do people seriously need a guide for this? Iron daggers and hide bracers, then just enchant them with whatever crap you want and sell them.