As one of the 6 main skills in The Thief style of gameplay, Alchemy aptly requires cunning to be mastered. The most learned of alchemists understand that great products require great, and often elusive, components. With the resplendent diversity to be found in the cold, yet beautiful, land of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, there are many ingredients that one can simmer, boil, or fry into beneficial concoctions.
Some are quite rare, however, and can only be found in remote, and possibly dangerous, locales in Skyrim; guarded by hideous fiends, fierce warriors, or the terrain itself. Only the bravest and keenest alchemists will acquire the rarest goods.
Updated on November 19, 2021, by Reyadh Rahaman: To find the rarest ingredients in Skyrim, the Dragonborn can seek them out in specific locations. Furthermore, these locations can potentially respawn harvestable ingredients on occasion, so be sure to check them again after a few days of in-game time. Getting to know the best spots for looting ingredients is a must for any aspiring alchemist, as this will cut down on time spent searching the caves, woods, and dungeons of Tamriel's northernmost province by a great margin. Just be sure to have a relatively clear inventory, as getting over-encumbered can be a real drag when gathering ingredients.
10 Briar Heart
The Forsworn Briarhearts possess at least one artificial organ. The Briar Hearts that beat in their chests are not flesh. They are seeds of some sort implanted into men by Hagravens to make them stronger. They bear a strong similarity to the rosebud atop the Daedric Artifact Sanguine Rose, so they may have origins in another realm. If one needs some of these for alchemic purposes and does not wish to engage in combat, it is possible to pickpocket Briar Hearts directly out of the chests of these warped men.
Locations That Have Briar Hearts
- 4 inside Lost Valley Redoubt
- 2 inside Japhet's Folly Towers
- 2 inside Gallows Rock
- 1 inside Fellglow Keep
- Can be bought from some alchemy merchants
- Can be dropped by enemy mages
- Can be looted from apothecary's satchels
9 Ectoplasm
Ectoplasm is a useful ingredient that can be used to make particularly useful potions for mages like the Restore Magicka potion so that one does not run out of fuel for their fireballs. It can also be a component in those that benefit players who utilize weapons with the ever-useful Damage Health draught. The best place to find this valued goop is upon the remains of ghosts. Although not rare, specters are still not common, which makes acquiring this ingredient a challenge.
Locations That Have Ectoplasm
- 10 looted from Karstaag
- 4 in the College of Winterhold within the Hall of Countenance
- 2 to 4 inside the Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon
- 2 inside Wuunferth the Unliving's room in the Palace of the Kings within Windhelm
- 1 inside Anise's Cabin
- 1 inside the Abandoned Prison
- 1 inside Jorgen and Lami's House
- 1 inside the Alchemy room of certain buyable houses
- 1 inside Yngvild
- 1 dropped by Petra the Hagraven in Blind Cliff Bastion
- Can be looted from Dragon Cultists in Forelhost
- Can be looted from ghostly remains (defeated Ghosts)
- Can be purchased from Arcadia's Cauldron
8 Hagraven Claws
The claws of Hagravens can be most easily found on Hagravens themselves. Though getting them to relinquish parts of their body may not be easy at all. These feathered and foul witches inhabit the backwoods of all Skyrim, though never in the open. They lurk in lairs around mountain crags and stinking bogs; places very out of the way for most.
Locations That Have Hagraven Claws
- Dropped by Hagravens
- 4 in the Jarl of Dawnstar's house
- 1 inside the Arch-Mage's Quarters at the College of Winterhold
- 1 inside Orphan Rock
- Can be bought from certain alchemy merchants
7 Crimson Nirnroot
These loud plants are a variation of their equally sonorous, yet less vibrant, cousins above ground. This crimson variety only grows in Blackreach's dank gloom. There are 44 individual plants scattered about the area; most can be found on the ground or around houses, though there are a few tucked away in rocky crevices or across far ledges.
Though there is enough for quite a few Invisibility potions, it should be noted that they do not always grow back properly. Sometimes, after being harvested, the roots will grow back as normal Nirnroot as opposed to Crimson Nirnroot, meaning that the Dragonborn can make this plant go extinct if over-harvested.
Locations That Have Crimson Nirnroot
- The only place Crimson Nirnroot is found is in Blackreach (they respawn every 10 in-game days)
6 Fire Salts
These glowing embers can mostly be found from the remains of Flame Atronachs, extraplanar creatures who usually only appear when summoned by the player or another mage. Since Conjuration is their only entrance onto Nirn, Fire Salts can be hard to come across. A few can be found among alchemy shops or in locations where mages congregate. In addition to being used for fire and Magicka-related potions, they are a component in crafting explosive bolts for one's crossbow.
Locations That Have Fire Salts
- Can be dropped by Flame Atronachs
- 6 inside Severin Manor's alchemy lab.
- 4 inside Fellglow Keep
- 3 inside Hjerim's alchemy room
- 3 inside Septimus Signus' Outpost
- 3 inside Sunderstone Gorge
- 3 inside Nightcaller Temple
- 3 inside Cragwallow Slope
- 2 inside The Midden in the College of Winterhold
- 2 inside Honeyside
- Can be bought from some alchemy merchants
5 Frost Salts
The best place these salts can be found is upon the glacier-like behemoths known as Frost Atronachs. Like their fiery cousins, they can only be encountered through use of Conjuration, making them quite rare. On occasion, Frost Salts can also be found on the bodies of slain Falmer or enemy mages. If the Dragonborn wishes to have breath as fresh as winter, they can eat these salts as they can any ingredient. This may cause a slight chill, however.
Locations That Have Frost Salts
- Can be dropped by Frost Atonachs
- 5 inside Severin Manor
- 3 inside Mistveil Keep in Riften
- 2 inside Harmugstahl
- 2 inside Proudspire Manor in Solitude
- Can be dropped by Falmer
- Can be dropped by enemy mages.
- Can be bought from some alchemy merchants
- Can be looted from apothecary's satchels
4 Void Salts
Like Frost and Fire Salts, Void Salts are found usually upon Atronachs; this time the Storm variety. They are one of the few ingredients used for more than potions, as they are required for refining and crafting certain armor sets.
Void Salts can increase the might of the Nightingale set and are also used in the creation of the Bonemold armor set. Shockingly, their effect actually produces a weakness to electrical damage as opposed to resistance.
Locations That Have Void Salts
- Can be dropped by Storm Atronachs
- Can be dropped by Falmer
- Can be bought from some alchemy merchants
- Can be looted from apothecary's satchels
- 1 inside Valerica's Study in Castle Volkihar
- 1 inside Proudspire Manor
- 1 inside Honeyside
- 1 inside Hjerim
- 1 inside the Arch-Mage's Quarters in the College of Winterhold
- 1 inside Arcadia's Cauldron in Whiterun
- 1 inside Fletcher in Solitude
3 Daedra Heart
The hearts of Daedra, like that of the various Dremora enemies that can be encountered via Conjuration-related incidents, are very powerful ingredients. Used in the creation of the strongest armor in the game, the Daedric set, they are understandably as hard to come by as those who possess them. Some can be found along the various legs of Daedric quests and occasionally upon the bodies of necromancers.
Locations That Have Daedra Hearts
- 4 inside Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon (respawns every 10 in-game days)
- 2 can be bought from Enthir at the College of Winterhold (restocks every 2 in-game days)
- 1 inside Jorrvaskr within Kodlak's quarters
- 1 inside the Hall of the Vigilant
- 1 inside Valerica's Study in Castle Volkihar
- 1 to 2 can be found on Babette in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary
2 Wisp Wrappings
These constantly wavering streams of ghostly fabric are found primarily upon the rare forms of Wispmothers, ethereal creatures who haunt only a few places in all of Skyrim. They are enemies that do not respawn, therefore farming them is impossible in most cases. Thankfully, a few bolts of this spectral cloth can be found elsewhere, like on the bodies of high-level Falmer, and rarely in apothecary satchels as well as the remains of hostile mages.
Locations That Have Wisp Wrappings
- Can be dropped from Wispmothers
- Can be bought from some alchemy merchants
- Can be dropped by high-level Falmer
- Can be looted from apothecary satchels
- Can be dropped by enemy mages
- 1 inside Frostmere Crypt
- 1 inside Labyrinthian
- 1 inside Blackreach
- 1 inside the Ruins of Rkund
- 1 southeast of Journeyman's Nook
- 1 a bit north of South Skybound Watch
- 1 inside Wispmother's Crevasse
1 Ancestor Moth Wing
This ingredient can only be found in the few secluded Ancestor Glades across Tamriel. In Skyrim, there is only one such glade. It is located in the Jerall Mountains upon the southeastern part of the northern province's border. Here reside the Ancestor Moths; creatures connected to the Elder Scrolls themselves. They are revered by some people as they grant men and mer the ability to read these ancient and powerful artifacts of space and time. Because of their scarcity, it seems wasteful to harvest the wings of these moths for mundane everyday potions. These are rare finds that may be better left in the wild.
Locations That Have Ancestor Moth Wings
- 2 can be looted from each captured moth in Ancestor Glade
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.