Want to make potions in Oblivion Remastered with five or more effects? Here are the top five potion crafting recipes you can use to help your character build with maximum power and effectiveness, whether to buff stealth, max magicka or melee! Includes the best spots to find rare ingredients such as Rot Scale, Void Essence and Smoked Baliwog Leg! Options for Invisibility, Chameleon, Paralyze, Shield, Dispel, and more
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, released on April 22, 2025, has drawn over four million players to its enhanced Cyrodiil, where alchemy remains a cornerstone of survival. With over 100 ingredients and countless potion combinations, the system offers game-changing buffs, yet many players stick to basic Restore Health or Fortify Attribute brews, overlooking potent recipes that can dominate combat, stealth, and exploration. Drawing from community insights and detailed mechanics, here are the five best underutilized alchemy recipes in Oblivion Remastered that you’re likely not using, each capable of turning daunting quests into victories and maximizing your adventurer’s potential.
1. Fortify Speed + Invisibility (Nightshade + Stinkhorn)
This stealth powerhouse combines Fortify Speed (10 points, 30 seconds) and Invisibility (10 seconds), perfect for Thieves Guild or Dark Brotherhood quests like “Whodunit?” Nightshade, found in the West Weald, and Stinkhorn, abundant in Blackwood’s swamps, are often ignored for their low value (1–2 gold), but their synergy is unmatched. At Alchemy 50, the potion boosts movement speed to evade guards or sprint through Oblivion Gates, while Invisibility lets you bypass enemies or set up sneak attacks. Reddit users praise its utility in “Scheduled for Execution,” where sneaking past prison guards is tricky without high Sneak. Crafting requires two effects unlocked (Journeyman Alchemy), but the ingredients’ abundance makes it accessible early, saving Magicka compared to Illusion spells. Overusing Invisibility potions risks detection if combat triggers, so timing is key, but this brew’s versatility for stealth builds is criminally underused.
2. Damage Health + Silence (Harrada + Vampire Dust)
A devastating combat potion, this recipe blends Damage Health (20 points instant) and Silence (15 seconds), ideal for crippling mages or necromancers in quests like “The Necromancer’s Moon.” Harrada, harvested from Oblivion Gates’ red roots, and Vampire Dust, looted from Fort Naso’s vampires, are overlooked due to their niche locations, but their combo is lethal. Silence disables enemy spellcasting, neutering threats like Liches, while Damage Health chips away at their health, as GameFAQs guides highlight. At Alchemy 25, this potion shines in Mages Guild battles, where enemies rely on Destruction or Conjuration. Its lightweight ingredients (0.1 each) allow mass crafting, and duplicating Vampire Dust via the container glitch, as seen in community tips, boosts supply. Players often favor Fire Damage potions, but this recipe’s dual effect offers superior control, especially on Expert difficulty.
3. Fortify Strength + Feather (Alkanet Flower + Flax Seeds)
This exploration-focused potion combines Fortify Strength (10 points, 30 seconds) and Feather (50 points, 60 seconds), perfect for looting heavy gear in dungeons like Vilverin without encumbrance. Alkanet Flower, common in Skingrad’s vineyards, and Flax Seeds, found in Bruma’s snowy fields, are often sold off for low gold (2–3 each), but their potion is a game-changer. Fortify Strength boosts melee damage and carry weight, while Feather lets you haul Daedric armor or Welkynd Stones without slowing, as Steam forums note. At Alchemy 50, it’s ideal for “The Wayward Knight,” where carrying Farwil Indarys’ loot is tempting but risky. Unlike Fortify Endurance, which only aids health, this brew enhances combat and mobility, yet players overlook it for basic Restore Fatigue potions, missing its utility in long dungeon crawls.
4. Shield + Fortify Health (Corn + Bog Beacon Asco Cap)
This defensive elixir mixes Shield (15% damage resistance, 30 seconds) and Fortify Health (30 points, 45 seconds), a lifesaver in high-level fights like “Paradise” against Mankar Camoran’s Dremora. Corn, abundant at farms like Odiil near Chorrol, and Bog Beacon Asco Cap, found in Blackwood’s caves, are dismissed as “fodder” ingredients (1 gold each), but their potion rivals enchanted armor. At Alchemy 50, it boosts survivability, letting low-Endurance builds tank hits from Minotaurs or Storm Atronachs, as UESP suggests. The extra health cushions against sudden spikes, like Daedroth fireballs, while Shield stacks with armor for near-invincibility. Players often prioritize Restore Health, but this proactive defense, craftable early, is underused, especially for non-mage builds facing scaling enemies on Adept.
5. Chameleon + Fortify Agility (Bloodgrass + Cairn Bolete)
This hybrid potion blends Chameleon (10%, 30 seconds) and Fortify Agility (10 points, 30 seconds), ideal for hybrid stealth-combat builds in quests like “Shadow over Hackdirt.” Bloodgrass, plentiful in Oblivion Gates, and Cairn Bolete, found in Skingrad’s graveyards, are often ignored due to their weak standalone effects, but together, they shine. Chameleon reduces enemy detection, aiding escapes or sneak attacks, while Fortify Agility boosts bow accuracy and dodge chance, per GameFAQs. At Alchemy 75 (Expert), crafting multiple potions stacks Chameleon to 50%+, rivaling the Mundane Ring’s stealth builds, as Reddit users note. It’s perfect for rescuing Dar-Ma without alerting cultists, yet players favor Invisibility, overlooking this recipe’s balanced offense and evasion for tricky encounters.
These recipes highlight alchemy’s depth, often overshadowed by basic potions like Restore Fatigue, which players mass-produce for gold, as seen in prior gold-farming exploits. Oblivion Remastered’s alchemy system, unchanged from 2006, rewards experimentation, but its complexity—requiring specific skill levels and effect unlocks—leads players to stick with familiar brews, as IGN notes. The remaster’s faster leveling, per PC Gamer, accelerates Alchemy skill gains, making these potions accessible by level 10 with training from Sinderion in Skingrad or the Arcane University’s altars, yet community threads on Reddit show most stick to health or Magicka potions, missing these strategic gems.
Each recipe counters specific challenges. The Fortify Speed + Invisibility potion mitigates the Dark Brotherhood’s stealth demands, avoiding cursed NPC deaths like Matilde Petit in “Whodunit?” The Damage Health + Silence brew neutralizes mage-heavy quests, preventing Erthor’s demise in “The Necromancer’s Moon.” Fortify Strength + Feather aids exploration, dodging inventory woes from prior gameplay mistakes, while Shield + Fortify Health bolsters survivability in main quest battles, saving Martin in “Paradise.” Chameleon + Fortify Agility enhances hybrid play, reducing risks in Chorrol’s cultist caves, aligning with community regrets over quest failures.
Crafting these requires a mortar and pestle (available in the tutorial sewers or shops like The Gilded Carafe) and ingredients farmable early. Nightshade and Stinkhorn grow wild, Harrada and Vampire Dust are dungeon staples, and Corn or Alkanet are near farms, per UESP. The container duplication glitch, still active as of May 13, 2025, per X posts, lets players amass ingredients like Vampire Dust, bypassing grind. Alchemy levels—25 for two effects, 50 for three, 75 for four—unlock stronger potions, and training with trainers like Ardaline in Bravil speeds progress, as GameFAQs advises. Unlike gold-farming potions, these prioritize combat and utility, offering more than the 500,000-gold-per-hour exploits’ economic focus.
Community sentiment, reflected on Steam and X, shows players underuse these recipes due to alchemy’s learning curve and preference for combat skills like Blade, echoing prior discussions on neglecting alchemy. Mods like “Alchemy Advanced” simplify crafting, but console players rely on vanilla systems, making these recipes vital. Eurogamer notes the remaster’s bugs, like inventory glitches, can disrupt crafting, but the system’s depth rewards persistence. Compared to Assassin’s Creed: Shadows’ streamlined mechanics, Oblivion’s alchemy demands experimentation, risking failure but yielding unmatched power.
The recipes’ strategic value shines in Oblivion’s scaling world, where enemies like Daedra grow tougher by level 15, per IGN. Unlike the unbreakable Repair Hammer exploit, which eases gear maintenance, these potions directly boost performance, countering high-level threats without altering immersion. Their lightweight ingredients (0.1–0.5 weight) fit any inventory, unlike heavy loot mistakes from prior discussions, and their effects stack with enchanted gear, like the Mundane Ring, for devastating builds.
Bethesda’s minimal patches, per GameFAQs, preserve alchemy’s quirks, but future updates may fix duplication glitches, limiting ingredient farming. For now, these recipes are accessible, enhancing the remaster’s 200+ hours across quests like “The Wayward Knight” or “Shivering Isles.” Players who embrace them, per Reddit, turn Cyrodiil’s trials into triumphs, avoiding the cursed quest failures of unprotected NPCs or underpowered builds.
In conclusion, these five underused alchemy recipes in Oblivion Remastered unlock Cyrodiil’s potential, offering stealth, combat, and exploration buffs that rival high-end gear. From evading guards to slaying Liches, they transform daunting quests, proving alchemy’s worth beyond gold farms. As players overlook these brews for basic potions, those who craft them wield a hidden edge, ensuring no Daedra or dungeon stands in their way.
