For Skyrim's combat-oriented players, Stamina is a vital resource. Whether power attacking with a greatsword or drawing a bow to line up a perfect shot, the Dragonborn may often find that the green bar drains too quickly for their liking. It can be inconvenient, to say the least, to run out of stamina while fighting a Dragon Priest.
To keep this annoyance from happening, players can turn to alchemy. With the right ingredients and a high enough skill level, the Dragonborn can increase their stamina resources to stay in the fight longer, dealing harder hits. Here's how to whip up the right brew.
The Fortify Stamina Effect
Like its counterparts for Health and Magicka, potions with the Fortify Stamina effect raise the drinker's maximum number of stamina points. The higher the player's Alchemy skill, the greater boost their potions will provide.
To level their Alchemy, players can make and sell brews to grind the skill. They can also read skill books, choose appropriate Standing Stone bonuses, or purchase training. Additionally, armor imbued with the Fortify Alchemy enchantment will increase the potency of potions crafted while worn.
Ingredients
Gathering the right reagents is always the first step to an effective potion. Most of the following ingredients are available in alchemist shops, such as Arcadia's Cauldron in Whiterun or the White Phial in Windhelm. Players can purchase (or steal) ingredients from vendors, but others may choose to venture out and gather them on their own.
- Boar Tusk: Exclusive to the Dragonborn DLC, players can find these on the Bristlebacks (and occasionally on Rieklings) that live on Solstheim.
- Chaurus Eggs: These are common wherever Chaurus live, particularly in Dwarven ruins and other Falmer dwellings.
- Garlic: Kitchens in homes and inns often have garlic hanging from braids. Players may also loot these from bandits and other random, humanoid enemies.
- Large Antlers: Looted from the carcasses of deer and elk.
- Lavender: Grows plentifully in grassy areas, such as Whiterun and The Rift.
- Slaughterfish Egg: Look for these along lake shorelines and riverbeds. With the Hearthfire DLC, players can breed Slaughterfish in a fish hatchery to collect their eggs.
- Torchbug Thorax: Torchbugs are nocturnal insects that spawn between 8pm – 11pm in-game. They're particularly common around Riften and Solitude. Catch them to get this ingredient.
Compatible Effects
The best potions in Skyrim are ones that provide the user with multiple buffs in one gulp. Thankfully, just like most cases, several of the Fortify Stamina ingredients have overlapping effects. For example, mixing Large Antlers and a Torchbug Thorax will restore stamina in addition to fortifying it. Similarly, a potion of Garlic and Slaughterfish Egg adds Resist Poison as a second effect, useful when fighting Chaurus or Falmer.
Alchemists don't have to stop at two ingredients, either. Adding Juniper Berries to the latter mixture will add Regenerate Health as a third effect in the potion, making the player even more harder for enemies to kill.