Paralysis Poisons

Paralysis poisons freeze a target in place for 3 to 15 seconds, long enough to finish a dangerous foe or get away from one entirely.

Few things in Skyrim are as decisive as a Paralysis poison. A target struck by a coated weapon collapses and cannot act for several seconds, giving you free hits on a tough enemy or time to retreat. Assassins and archers prize them, and they are just as nasty when an enemy uses one on you. For a spell with a similar result, see Paralyze.

All tiers

Name Effect Value Weight Form ID
Weak Paralysis Poison Target is paralyzed for 3 seconds 132 0.5 00065a6a
Paralysis Poison Target is paralyzed for 5 seconds 233 0.5 00074a38
Potent Paralysis Poison Target is paralyzed for 7 seconds 337 0.5 00074a39
Virulent Paralysis Poison Target is paralyzed for 10 seconds 500 0.5 00074a3a
Deadly Paralysis Poison Target is paralyzed for 15 seconds 781 0.5 00074a3b

This is one of the few families with five tiers instead of four, topping out at a full 15 seconds of helplessness.

Where to find them

Paralysis poisons are leveled like other stock poisons, so stronger versions show up as you level. You can buy them from merchants who carry poisons, pick them up as loot, or make them at an alchemy lab.

Brewing your own

The Alchemy skill gives you this effect from a short list of ingredients: Briar Heart, Canis Root, Human Flesh, Imp Stool, Swamp Fungal Pod. Any two ingredients that share an effect will combine into a potion at an alchemy lab. If you are unsure what an ingredient does, eating one reveals one of its hidden effects, and the Experimenter perk reveals more per bite, so you can later pick the effect straight from the lab menu instead of guessing.

Apply the poison to your weapon from the inventory; it is spent on the next hit that connects, so make that first strike count.

Where to find it

  • Sold by merchants who stock poisons
  • Found as random loot, leveled to the player
  • Brewed at an alchemy lab

Crafting materials

Lore notes

Dropped by

Quest reward from

Where it appears

Characters connected to it

More items like this

Food
Value 4 gold
Leg of Goat Roast is a salted, roasted goat leg in Skyrim that restores 10 Health and is cooked at any pot or spit.
Ore, Smithing Material
Value 20 gold
A dark green ore found mostly in Orc stronghold mines, smelted two-to-one into Orichalcum Ingots for Orcish weapons and armor.
Ingot, Smithing Material
Value 7 gold
The humblest metal in Skyrim, Iron Ingots are smelted from iron ore and feed more forge recipes than any other material.
Food
Value 3 gold
A small Hearthfire pastry of two apples baked in flour that heals a little and briefly makes your arrows hit harder.
Food
Value 5 gold
Homecooked Meal is a base-game Skyrim dish that boosts the recovery of Health, Magicka and Stamina all at once when eaten.
Food
Value 5 gold
Vegetable Soup is a hearty cooked dish in Skyrim that slowly restores Health and Stamina for twelve minutes, made from four vegetables.
Sources checked: Skyrim/DLC game files (potion records: effects, weights, IDs); Elder Scrolls Fandom potion articles (prices, locations)