The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition/Alchemy ingredients and potions

Alchemy ingredients and potions

Gather Blue Mountain Flowers around Whiterun

A convenient early supply of common ingredients for useful potions, including recipes that can help build Alchemy and earn sale gold.

PC / Global, Special Edition with Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn

WHERE & HOW TO FARM

Where to farm

Roads between Riverwood and Whiterun and the Whiterun hold tundra.

Blue Mountain Flowers are common along Skyrim’s roads, and the Riverwood-to-Whiterun approach makes a practical gathering stretch while you travel. Pairing flowers with other compatible ingredients turns a simple sweep into potion stock for leveling, healing, or sale. This route does not depend on a quest or special DLC.

See farming steps ↓

GET STARTED

How to farm

Before you go

Reach Riverwood or Whiterun.
Bring inventory space for ingredients and finished potions.
Have access to an Alchemy Lab if you want to process the harvest.

Start from Riverwood or Whiterun and follow the road connecting the two settlements.
Pick Blue Mountain Flowers you encounter beside the road and across nearby open tundra.
Watch for Blue Butterflies in the same general travel area and collect their wings when convenient.
At an Alchemy Lab, use ingredient effects to identify a compatible recipe; Blue Mountain Flower, Blue Butterfly Wing and Wheat form a useful early potion combination.
Brew what you can, keeping potions that fill a current need and selling surplus valuable brews.
Use sale gold to buy a missing ingredient or save it for equipment and crafting supplies.

Farming tips

Treat this as a travel route: gathering flowers during ordinary trips avoids a dedicated detour.
Potion value contributes to Alchemy progress, so use compatible ingredients to brew rather than selling every raw ingredient.

Repeat, collect and use

Repeat the road sweep whenever you pass between the two towns. Harvested plants return after the game’s plant regrowth cycle; no fixed return time is promised here.

Common mistakes

Do not assume every flower combination makes a potion; check for a shared effect before committing ingredients.
Do not carry every low-value brew indefinitely; sell surplus to keep space for later ingredients and loot.
Do not chase butterflies far from your route if the extra travel outweighs the wings collected.

When to stop or switch

Switch to another ingredient route when you have enough flowers and wings for your planned brews, or when a different trip already covers your Alchemy needs.

Sources & fact checks

steamcommunity.com ↗ gamerguides.com ↗

REWARD DETAILS & CONDITIONS

Sources & rewards

Farming route