The Healing Arts of Skyrim: A Guide to Cures and Potions

I don’t think I want to know how many hours I have sunk into Skyrim. Starting on the Xbox and later enjoyed it all over again on PC with the settings cranked up and mods turned on. The vast and immersive world with danger and adventure always seems to pull me back in. However, when exploring the frozen tundras and rugged mountains of Tamriel, I will inevitably face injuries and ailments that need to be cured. Thankfully, the game offers a variety of ways to heal oneself, from potions and remedies to magic and prayer. In this guide, we will explore the different ways to cure and heal oneself in Skyrim.

Potions and Lotions

One of the most basic and common ways to heal oneself in Skyrim is through the use of potions. Potions can be found throughout the game, purchased from alchemists, or found in the wild. They can also be crafted using ingredients found in the world, such as plants, mushrooms, and animal parts. Potions come in a variety of forms, from healing potions to potions that grant temporary bonuses to certain stats. To use a potion, simply open your inventory, select the potion, and press the corresponding button to drink it.

 

Ingredient	Effects (in order)	Source
Charred Skeever Hide	Restore Stamina Cure Disease Resist Poison Restore Health	Roasted Skeevers over a fire. Common loot in bandit lair and giant encampments
Chokeweed	Weakness to Frost Restore Stamina Cure Disease Damage Magicka	Bought from Khajiit caravans with the Rare Curios Creation
Felsaad Tern Feathers	Restore Health Fortify Light Armour Cure Disease Resist Magic	Random loot in Raven Rock, or looting Felsaad Terns in Solstheim
Hawk Feathers	Cure Disease Fortify Light Armour Fortify One-handed Fortify Sneak	Looting hawks, or dropped by hostile NPCs
Hunger Tongue	Weakness to Fire Cure Disease Cure Poison Fortify Magicka	Bought from Khajiit caravans with the Rare Curios Creation
Juvenile Mudcrab	Regenerate Stamina Fortify Carry Weight Cure Disease Fortify Two-handed	Fishing or looted near Mudcrab areas with the Fishing Creation
Mudcrab Chitin	Restore Stamina Cure Disease Resist Poison Resist Fire	Dropped by mudcrabs
Red Kelp Gas Bladder	Regenerate Stamina Water Breathing Cure Disease Fortify Magicka	Bought from Khajiit caravans with the Rare Curios Creation
Scrib Jelly	Regenerate Magicka Cure Poison Cure Disease Regenerate Stamina	Bought from Khajiit caravans with the Rare Curios Creation
Spadefish	Restore Health Fortify Lockpicking Fortify Pickpocket Cure Disease	Fishing in temperate streams when raining with the Fishing Creation
Vampire Dust	Invisibility Restore Magicka Regenerate Health Cure Disease	Dropped by vampires
Withering Moon	Restore Magicka Spell Absorption Fortify Light Armour Cure Disease	Bought from Khajiit caravans with the Rare Curios Creation, or found in Solitude Sewers with the Saints & Seducers Creation

 

A Kind of Magic

Another way to heal oneself in Skyrim is through the use of Restoration magic. Restoration magic is one of the five schools of magic in the game, and it is focused on healing and restoring health, stamina, and magicka. Players can learn Restoration spells by reading spell tomes found throughout the game, or by training with certain NPCs. To cast a Restoration spell, the player must have the appropriate spell in their inventory and have enough magicka to cast it.

 

Ward Spells
Spell	Skill Level	Magicka	Description
Lesser Ward	Novice	34/sec	Increases armour by 40 and negates 40 points off any spell damage received from direct spells like dragon breath to flame-enchanted weapons.
Steadfast Ward	Apprentice	58/sec	Boosted to 60 armour and 60 spell absorption
Greater Ward	Adept	86/sec	Boosted to 80 armour and 80 spell absorption

 

Protection from Undead Spells
Spell	Skill Level	Magicka	Description
Turn Lesser Undead	Apprentice	84	Undead up to level 6 will flee from you for 30 seconds, with a slight stagger effect on impact.
Repel Lesser Undead	Adept	115	Effects Level 8 Undead.
Turn Undead	Adept	168	Effects Level 13 Undead
Repel Undead	Expert	353	Effects Level 16 Undead
Turn Greater Undead	Expert	267	Affects level 21 Undead
Circle of Protection	Expert	171	This spell makes a circle on the ground for 30 seconds. Level 20 or lower Undead crossing it will flee. Call it your safe zone. You can also call it a training mechanism as this spell can be spammed for experience once the mana cost is down.
Guardian Circle	Master	716	Like Circle of Protection, only affects level 35 Undead. It also heals you for 20 health per second inside. This lasts a full minute. (see notes below)
Bane of the Undead	Master	988	In a massive 80′ area undead take level 30 Turn Undead and are set on fire. This will also stagger them all. One of the most powerful spells in Skyrim, if very specialized.

Living on a Prayer

Prayer is also another way to heal oneself in Skyrim. Players can pray at any shrine in the game, which will give them a temporary boost to their health, magicka, or stamina. Each shrine is dedicated to a different god or goddess, and praying at the shrine of the god or goddess that corresponds to the player’s character’s race will give the biggest boost.

Blessing	Description	Effects
Blessing of Akatosh	Magicka regenerates 10% faster.	Regenerate Magicka, 10 pts for 8 hours Cure Disease, 25 pts
Blessing of Arkay	Increases your health by 25 points.	Fortify Health, 25 pts for 8 hours Cure Disease, 25 pts
Blessing of Auriel	You are 10% more effective with missile weapons.	Fortify Marksman, 10 pts for 12 hours Cure Disease, 25 pts
Blessing of Dibella	+10 Speechcraft.	Fortify Persuasion, 10 pts for 8 hours Cure Disease, 25 pts
Blessing of Julianos	Increases your Magicka by 25 points.	Fortify Magicka, 25 pts for 8 hours Cure Disease, 25 pts
Blessing of Kynareth	Increases your stamina by 25 points.	Fortify Stamina, 25 pts for 8 hours Cure Disease, 25 pts
Blessing of Mara	Healing spells restore 10% more.	Fortify Restoration, 10 pts for 8 hours Cure Disease, 25 pts
Blessing of Nocturnal	You are 10% harder to detect.	Fortify Sneak, 10 pts for 8 hours Cure Disease, 25 pts
Blessing of Stendarr	Block 10% more damage with your shield.	Fortify Blocking, 10 pts for 8 hours Cure Disease, 25 pts
Blessing of Talos	The time between shouts is reduced by 20%.	Fortify Shouts, 0.2 pts for 8 hours Cure Disease, 1 pt
Blessing of Zenithar	Prices are 10% better.	Fortify Barter, 10 pts for 8 hours Cure Disease, 25 pts

One of the most sought-after cures in the game is how to cure vampirism. Vampirism is a condition that can be acquired by the player through certain questlines or by being bitten by another vampire. Being a vampire grants the player certain bonuses to their abilities, but also makes them weak to sunlight and silver. To cure vampirism, players can seek out a Priest of Arkay, which can be found in various temples throughout the game. They will offer the quest “Rising at Dawn” and will cure the player of vampirism in exchange for a small fee.

Skyrim may be one of the longest video games ever but it is also one of the most fun. With every ailment, there are a variety of ways to cure and heal oneself in the game. From potions and remedies to magic and prayer, players have a wide range of options to choose from. And for those who seek to cure vampirism, the game offers a quest that will help players achieve that. With this guide, players will be able to explore the vast world of Skyrim without worrying about injuries and ailments getting in the way of their adventures.