I've been playing MW for quite awhile but never thought much about some of the potions.

Why would one choose fortify magicka rather than fortify intelligence? Both of them increase magicka, but it seems to me that the fortify intelligence potions have additional beneficial effects, such as increasing your chance of successfully brewing potions and enchanting items.

Is there any significant benefit to fortify willpower potions? I see an increase in endurance but don't see if there are other benefits. Is it something that is best used under specific conditions, such as buffing before/during a fight?

Which would be more advantageous, a fortify agility potion or the sanctuary spell?

John

Use both!

MW does not have a stacking penalty or limit on the number of potions you can drink at once (one reason alchemy is considered so broken in it.. even the bonuses stack)

Depending on the ingredients at your disposal, you might make either or both. MW isn't one of those "only one way to do things" games.

I realize I can use both and that there isn't only "one" way to do things. My question is about why one would use one over the other.

Make it easier, make a potion with the combination of the two

Willpower also increases the "chance" to cast a spell successfully.

Dodge formula: 1.25(Agility/5 + Luck/10) + Sanctuary

Agility/5 is also in the Chance-to-Hit formula.

So then, hitting and dodging is improved using agility, sanctuary will improve dodging and willpower will improve spell casting. It seems from what I've seen in my game that I should probably stop brewing fortify willpower potions since it seems like they will have marginal benefit. Continuing to brew fortify agility potions, on the other hand, looks like that will provide significantly to my char's welfare in fights and lockpicking.

What about fortify magicka relative to fortify intelligence? In my game, it seems like fortifying intelligence adds more to my char's capabilities than fortify magicka does. All that I've noticed about the fortify magicka is that it increases the amount of magicka my char has whereas using the fortify intelligence not only increases his magicka but also improves chance to successfully enchant and to increase the strength of potions brewed.

Thanks,
John

There's not necessarily a lot of balance between the different spell effects. Some effects that seem fairly simple and straight-forward have been "nerfed" to avoid abuse, while others that are obviously fully capable of exploitation have not. In a few cases, the casting cost or the difficulty have been changed to make one preferable over the other, but it's "hit or miss". One may be an easier potion or enchantment to make than the other, but I wouldn't bet on there being any real reason to use Fortify Magicka instead of Fortify Intelligence.

"Balance" has never been one of Bethesda's strong points, as is evidenced by a host of things ranging from spell costs and effects in Morrowind to Smithing and Enchanting in Skyrim.

So true about the balancing. At least, my concern wasn't so much that as much as whether it made sense to carry around two different groups of potions in my inventory. I'd rather keep my inventory 'trim' as it were At present, I tote around home-made cure common and blight disease potions, tons of restore fatigue and health potions and never leave home without Nicalalyea's (sp?) potion of recall. Those are the main potions I rely on. From time to time I try the others. As an RP, I also sometimes carry potions of Fortify Luck, but that depends upon my char's RP.

usually the only pots i've had my chars carry depends on their restoration skill..

low restoration = cure common, cure blight, cure poison, standard restore health, standard restore fatigue
mid/high = cure common, cure blight, cure poison, standard restore health (but not as many, for emergencies), standard restore magicka

all tend to carry a few useful ones as well: Water breathing, Invisibility (for uhoh moments), levitation, etc Rarely more than 1 or 2 (and none when I get items that can replace them, enchanted goods > potions to me)

Different experience and preferences here. My chars are usually some type of cross between fighter and mage. I have a lot of fun with alchemy, but I limit my potions to single purpose potions - easier to find in my inventory.

Enchant isn't my cup of tea. I'm satisfied to pay an enchanter to make an item for me - usually just constant effect night vision and water breathing. That works quite well for how I like to play. I will of course use the items I find but the night vision and water breathing are ones I acquire every game. It's embarrassing, sometimes I'll end up with seven or eight gems filled with golden saint and ascended sleeper souls and realize I don't really have anything I want to make with them.

I use the potion of recall for those uhoh moments. Let's me regroup and rethink. Plus I can use it directly from inventory, when time may literally be a life and death affair