Dwarven Oil can also be found as regular loot placed inside these ruins – one such example being Mzinchaleft. But if you don’t want to delve inside the dwarven ruins, you can also check merchants for Dwarven Oil. All alchemy merchants like Arcadia in Whiterun have a 15% chance of carrying several pieces of Dwarven Oil in their supplies. That said, if you’re looking to farm for drops, let’s see what your best options are.
The Dwarven Automatons
All dwarven automatons found in the ruins have a chance to have one Dwarven Oil when killed. The easiest to kill are the Spiders, followed by the Dwarven Spheres, and then the Dwarven Centurion, which is one of the strongest enemies in Skyrim. If you have the Dragonborn expansion then the Dwarven Ballista found in Soltsheim also drops Dwarven Oil. Also, a Dwarven Centurion and its variants (the Centurion Guardians and Centurion Masters) will always have at least one flask of Dwarven Oil. They’re tough opponents, but this is one way to guarantee some oil for yourself.
Mzinchaleft
Mzinchaleft is a dwarven ruin with lots of Dwarven Automatons and Dwarven Oil located southwest of Dawnstar. Around here you’ll find bandits, falmer, and Dwarven Automatons like Spiders and Dwarven Spheres. So this makes an excellent spot to farm for drops. And a lot of dead automatons can also be looted for Dwarven Oil here too. Plus, you’ll find Dwarven Oil placed with other items on some tables here. Or you can also find them on several tables in the second area where you can encounter falmers. The last area in this location, called “Mzinchaleft Gatehouse”, has a few tables with Dwarven Oil and other dwarven items you can steal too.
Dwarven Oil Uses
Dwarven Oil can be used in alchemy to create potions that have Fortify Illusion, Regenerate Magicka, Restore Magicka, and Weakness to Magic effects. You can make a potion of Restore Magicka by combining Dwarven Oil and a Red Mountain Flower. Or add a Garlic to create a Regenerate Magicka potion that increases your magicka regeneration rate. Either way, magic casters will benefit from all these potions & will enjoy having some extra oil lying around.