Combat Skills: The Path of Might – Smithing

Smithing is the art of creating and improving weapons and armor. Smithing workstations include the blacksmith forge, grindstone (for weapons), and workbench (for armor). Any improvements made at any of these stations count toward your Smithing skill; the amount of increase is based on the value of the item you craft or improve. To increase this skill as quickly as possible, forge your own items and then improve them. You can make hide and iron items without taking any perks. You can improve any item without taking any perks. However, you need perks to create any advanced items, such as dwarven or ebony weapons and armor.

Mining, smelting, and tanning provide raw materials for smithing, although they do not count toward this skill. Smithing synergizes well with Enchanting, since it guarantees you a ready supply of items to enchant. For more information on all of these activities, see the Crafting section.

The main choice presented by your Smithing perks is obvious: Are you interested in making and improving Light Armor, like Elven, Scale, Glass, and Dragonscale? Or Heavy Armor, like Steel, Dwarven, Orcish, Ebony, Daedric, and Dragonplate? Focus on the side of the constellation that appeals most to you.

• Constellation: Path of Might
• Available Perks: 10

Available Smithing Perks

1. Steel Smithing

• You can create Steel and Bonemold armor and weapons at forges and improve them twice as much.
• Requires: Smithing 20

2. Arcane Blacksmith ★

• You can improve magical weapons and armor.
• Requires: Smithing 60

This is one of the most useful Smithing perks, especially if you plan to focus on Enchanting as well. If your Enchanting skill is low, you can improve a piece of gear that has a powerful enchantment but a weak armor rating to keep it viable for longer or you can make an already great item even better. If you’re a master artisan, you can make your own gear from scratch, enchant it, temper it, and then either use it or sell it for a considerable profit.

3. Elven Smithing

• You can create Elven armor and weapons (as well as Chitin and Heavy Chitin Armor) at forges and improve them twice as much.
• Requires: Smithing 40, Steel Smithing

4. Advanced Armors

• You can create Scaled and Steel Plate armor (as well as Nordic carved armor and weapons) at forges and improve them twice as much.
• Requires: Smithing 50, Elven Smithing

5. Glass Smithing

• You can create glass armor and weapons at forges and improve them twice as much.
• Requires: Smithing 70, Advanced Armors

6. Dwarven Smithing ★

• You can create dwarven armor and weapons at forges and improve them twice as much.
• Requires: Smithing 30, Steel Smithing

Once you begin exploring Dwarven Ruins, you’ll discover tons of scrap metal that you can smelt down into ingots. This is a great source of free, convenient crafting materials for your smithing practice. Taking this perk allows you to make better (and thus more valuable) dwarven items from these ingots, which improves your Smithing skill even more quickly and allows you to turn a nice profit too.

7. Orcish Smithing

• You can create Orcish armor and weapons at forges and improve them twice as much.
• Requires: Smithing 50, Dwarven Smithing

8. Ebony Smithing

• You can create ebony armor and weapons (as well as Stalhrim Armor, Light Stalhrim Armor, and Stalhrim Weapons*) at forges, and improve them twice as much.
• Requires: Smithing 80, Orcish Smithing

9. Daedric Smithing

• You can create Daedric armor and weapons at forges and improve them twice as much.
• Requires: Smithing 90, Ebony Smithing

Daedric weapons and armor are not available in shops, so the only way to get them is to find or make them.

10. Dragon Armor

• You can create Dragon Armor and Dragonbone Weapons at forges and improve them twice as much.
• Requires: Smithing 100, Glass Smithing, OR Daedric Smithing

Dragonplate and Dragonscale armors are not available in shops, so the only way to get them is to find or make them.

Racial Benefits

• +5 Smithing
• Nord
• Orc
• Redguard

Trainers

• Journeyman: Ghorza gra-Bagol, Blacksmith’s, in Markarth.
• Expert: Balumund, Blacksmith’s, in Riften.
• Master: Eorlund Gray-Mane, Skyforge, in Whiterun.
• Master: Gunmar, Blacksmith’s, in Fort Dawnguard.

Other Resources

• Use the guide search for a list of Smithing Skill Books, and where to look for them.
• You can find a list of Smithing Recipes later in this Training chapter.
• The following quests can also increase this skill:
• Other Factions Quest: Rjorn’s Drum.
• Daedric Quest: Discerning the Transmundane.
• Miscellaneous Objectives: The Reach: The Last Scabbard*.
• Favor: Item Retrieval (Cave)*.
• Favor: Rare Item Hunt*.