So....
I said I would be doing a Blacksmithing guide, and I have done it. I want to thank everyone on the net who has done a blacksmithing guide before me, and I want to thank them for not keeping it up as time has progressed, and more recipes have become available at trainers, and more recipes are available in game. Without all of you, this guide would never have been written.
This guide was compiled, edited, designed as I took up mining and smithing on my DK. I hit 300 blacksmithing by mining all of it until late in the mithril stage. I was able to max out my mining along the way, and completed the 300 portion of both by the time I was lvl 63.
Keep in mind that this guide was written with the idea that you will be doing this on a higher level character, who has the ability to farm/buy ore in quantities. I have cut out as much of the old thorium grind as possible. Mainly because Thorium sucks to find. For this guide you will typically need more materials than what you see. You need to understand that to keep this inexpensive, and as low impact on mats as possible, you will sometimes be skilling up on green recipes (tried to keep that to just stone items)
This first post will be the 1-300 portion of the guide. I'm sure from there you can figure out 301-450, but that guide is coming with 350-450 coming after I see the changes to smithing recipes in 3.0.8, and I acutally get to 350 on my DK.
Sadly, to get to 300 quickly, without a lot of mats, you will not be making a lot of items that sell well, or DE into nice items. I normally vendored all of my craftable items until I hit 200's. I was able to sell some of the mithril pieces, and I have an enchanter who blew up all the thorium. I then sold all the enchanting mats.
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Apprentice Blacksmith: The Stone Age. You can get all the way to 75 on just stone. This cuts down the copper you need. The copper you mine (if a miner) will be used later to make bronze.
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1-25
Rough Sharpening Stones
1x Rough Stone
-> This is just to skill up. If you want to use the stones you can, but you can normally just vendor them.
25-65
Rough Grinding Stones
2x Rough Stone
-> You will be using these later. DO NOT VENDOR THEM until you have a blacksmithing skill of 125.
65-75
Coarse Sharpening Stones
1x Coarse Stone
-> Another vendor as you make thing. It's just here for the skill, you don't need to worry about keepgin them for anything.
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Journeyman Blacksmith: The I finally get to craft some gear age. This phase of Blacksmithing seems to fly by.
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75-100
Coarse Grinding Stones
2x Coarse Stones
-> You will need some of these stones later. Don't vendor them until you have a skill of 200.
100-105
Silver Rod
1x Silver Bar
2x Rough Grinding Stone
-> This is a great skill up for blacksmithing. If you are mining as you go, save all of your silver ore until you get here, and make ALL of the rods you can until they go grey or you are out of silver. You can easily cut down the next step by having extra silver on this step. I don't recommend it as a "you must make this until 110" because the skill ups can be shaky from 105-110, and we are trying to level quickly. Just make all that you have if you are a miner.
105-125
Rough Bronze Leggings
6x Bronze Bar
-> You finally get to make some gear! This at first seems like a lot of bars, but every copper/tin you smelt together to get bronze yields 2 bronze bars.
125-150
Heavy Grinding Stone
3x Heavy Stone
-> You will need these later on. Don't vendor them until you have a skill of 200
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Expert Blacksmithing: The "Yes, this does start to take a while doesn't it?" age.
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150-155
Golden Rod
1x Gold Bar
2x Course Grinding Stone
-> Reusing materials that you already skilled up on is great. I personally had a hard time getting the Gold as I was mining, so I stuck with the 5 skill points here. If you have more, make all that you have. Nothing like cheap skill ups.
155-165
Green Iron Leggings
8x Iron Bar
1x Heavy Grinding Stone
1x Green Dye
-> This is the first time that you have to buy something from a vendor to skill up. You normally will not find Green Dye at the smithing supplier, go check out the tailoring supplies or trade skill vendors for the dye.
165-190
Green Iron Bracers
6x Iron Bar
1x Green Dye
-> Again with the green iron. these are just skill points, and don't sell well. Vendor vendor vendor.
190 - 200
Golden Scale Bracers
5x Steel Bar
2x Coarse Grinding Stones.
-> Steel. Steel is the result of Iron and Coal being smelted. Coal can be purchased at vendors or looted from mobs.
200-210
Solid Grinding Stone
4x Solid Stone
-> More Stone. You get a lot of skillups from working with stone. Keep these until you hit 300 just to be safe, even though you really wont need them.
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Artisan Blacksmithing: The "I CAN'T BELIEVE I NEED ALMOST A STACK OF ORE FOR A SKILLUP!" age.
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210-230
Heavy Mithril Guantlet
6x Mithril Bar
4x Mageweave Cloth
-> Yes I know that these take mageweave. Yes I know that Mageweave is expensive. Do you want to know the alternative? It requires FAR MORE materials. This was the first time I looked at the old guides and said FORGET THAT!. Less ore, add in cloth. Remember, I said that this guide was for higher level characters? Go farm it. Easy places to get mageweave without much time: Jintha'Alor: Hinterlands Zul'Farak: Tanaris
230-250
Heavy Mithril Breastplate
16 x Mithril Bar
-> Other guides had you relying on getting a BoE pattern off the auction house at this point. After 2 weeks, I finally saw one, and it was up for 500 gold. Forget that. It's cheaper to go this way. Yes, it's a lot of mithril, but it's great smith to skill ratio. You could make mithril scale pants instead, but I warn you, it goes yellow a LOT faster. This is a great way to get the points, and the 320 mithril is a bargain compared to the alternatives. There is nothing like wasting 14 mithril on the pants over and over to not get a skill.
250-260
Dense Sharpening Stones
1x Dense Stone
-> You will need 20 - 30 stone to get to 260, but it's pretty easy.
260-280
Thorium Belt/bracers
8x Thorium
-> This was great. I'm so glad that they added these to the trainers. Skill up on them until you hit 280. These are easy skill points, but you will have a couple that don't skill you. It's not a horrid trade off to the alternative of starting imperial Plate sooner. If you can, get these DE'd and sell the mats.
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The imperial Plate way: Go to Gadgetzan in Tanaris. There will be a Dwarf who is afilliated with the THorium Brotherhood standing there. He will give you a quick quest to read and accept, and then offer you the plans at various costs. Just buy the bracer pattern for 10 thorium bars.
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280-300
Imperial Plate Bracers
12x Thorium Bar
-> You could actually sell this item and recoup some of your money, which makes it nice to skill on. Or, you can DE them and sell the mats as well.
And that's it. You now have 300 blacksmithing. If you notice, I didn't cover the specializations (armor/weapon - smith) That's because in WotLK, it's not a huge perk anymore, and the beginning quests really interfere with the powerleveling of the profession. If you want to do them,
Armorsmith:
4x Ornate Mithril Helm
2x Ornate Mithril Boots
1X Ornate Mithril Breastplate
If you want to get all the patterns along the way for yourself, You do quests for the NPC in STV to get the first round of patterns which you need to complete the quests in Gadgetzan to learn these patterns. or you can find an old school BS to make them for you. patterns. This will take another 250 or so mithril to get completed if you want to do it for yourself. Personal Opinion? Do it once you are 80.
Weaponsmith:
4x Moonsteel Broadsword: Pattern sold by a vendor in BB
4x Massive Iron Axe: Sold by multiple vendors in STV
2x Heavy Mithril Axe: Trainer taught
2x Big Black Mace: Trainer Taught.
This is the more "expensive" way to go, but the easier of the two.
I said I would be doing a Blacksmithing guide, and I have done it. I want to thank everyone on the net who has done a blacksmithing guide before me, and I want to thank them for not keeping it up as time has progressed, and more recipes have become available at trainers, and more recipes are available in game. Without all of you, this guide would never have been written.
This guide was compiled, edited, designed as I took up mining and smithing on my DK. I hit 300 blacksmithing by mining all of it until late in the mithril stage. I was able to max out my mining along the way, and completed the 300 portion of both by the time I was lvl 63.
Keep in mind that this guide was written with the idea that you will be doing this on a higher level character, who has the ability to farm/buy ore in quantities. I have cut out as much of the old thorium grind as possible. Mainly because Thorium sucks to find. For this guide you will typically need more materials than what you see. You need to understand that to keep this inexpensive, and as low impact on mats as possible, you will sometimes be skilling up on green recipes (tried to keep that to just stone items)
This first post will be the 1-300 portion of the guide. I'm sure from there you can figure out 301-450, but that guide is coming with 350-450 coming after I see the changes to smithing recipes in 3.0.8, and I acutally get to 350 on my DK.
Sadly, to get to 300 quickly, without a lot of mats, you will not be making a lot of items that sell well, or DE into nice items. I normally vendored all of my craftable items until I hit 200's. I was able to sell some of the mithril pieces, and I have an enchanter who blew up all the thorium. I then sold all the enchanting mats.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Apprentice Blacksmith: The Stone Age. You can get all the way to 75 on just stone. This cuts down the copper you need. The copper you mine (if a miner) will be used later to make bronze.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1-25
Rough Sharpening Stones
1x Rough Stone
-> This is just to skill up. If you want to use the stones you can, but you can normally just vendor them.
25-65
Rough Grinding Stones
2x Rough Stone
-> You will be using these later. DO NOT VENDOR THEM until you have a blacksmithing skill of 125.
65-75
Coarse Sharpening Stones
1x Coarse Stone
-> Another vendor as you make thing. It's just here for the skill, you don't need to worry about keepgin them for anything.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Journeyman Blacksmith: The I finally get to craft some gear age. This phase of Blacksmithing seems to fly by.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
75-100
Coarse Grinding Stones
2x Coarse Stones
-> You will need some of these stones later. Don't vendor them until you have a skill of 200.
100-105
Silver Rod
1x Silver Bar
2x Rough Grinding Stone
-> This is a great skill up for blacksmithing. If you are mining as you go, save all of your silver ore until you get here, and make ALL of the rods you can until they go grey or you are out of silver. You can easily cut down the next step by having extra silver on this step. I don't recommend it as a "you must make this until 110" because the skill ups can be shaky from 105-110, and we are trying to level quickly. Just make all that you have if you are a miner.
105-125
Rough Bronze Leggings
6x Bronze Bar
-> You finally get to make some gear! This at first seems like a lot of bars, but every copper/tin you smelt together to get bronze yields 2 bronze bars.
125-150
Heavy Grinding Stone
3x Heavy Stone
-> You will need these later on. Don't vendor them until you have a skill of 200
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Expert Blacksmithing: The "Yes, this does start to take a while doesn't it?" age.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
150-155
Golden Rod
1x Gold Bar
2x Course Grinding Stone
-> Reusing materials that you already skilled up on is great. I personally had a hard time getting the Gold as I was mining, so I stuck with the 5 skill points here. If you have more, make all that you have. Nothing like cheap skill ups.
155-165
Green Iron Leggings
8x Iron Bar
1x Heavy Grinding Stone
1x Green Dye
-> This is the first time that you have to buy something from a vendor to skill up. You normally will not find Green Dye at the smithing supplier, go check out the tailoring supplies or trade skill vendors for the dye.
165-190
Green Iron Bracers
6x Iron Bar
1x Green Dye
-> Again with the green iron. these are just skill points, and don't sell well. Vendor vendor vendor.
190 - 200
Golden Scale Bracers
5x Steel Bar
2x Coarse Grinding Stones.
-> Steel. Steel is the result of Iron and Coal being smelted. Coal can be purchased at vendors or looted from mobs.
200-210
Solid Grinding Stone
4x Solid Stone
-> More Stone. You get a lot of skillups from working with stone. Keep these until you hit 300 just to be safe, even though you really wont need them.
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Artisan Blacksmithing: The "I CAN'T BELIEVE I NEED ALMOST A STACK OF ORE FOR A SKILLUP!" age.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
210-230
Heavy Mithril Guantlet
6x Mithril Bar
4x Mageweave Cloth
-> Yes I know that these take mageweave. Yes I know that Mageweave is expensive. Do you want to know the alternative? It requires FAR MORE materials. This was the first time I looked at the old guides and said FORGET THAT!. Less ore, add in cloth. Remember, I said that this guide was for higher level characters? Go farm it. Easy places to get mageweave without much time: Jintha'Alor: Hinterlands Zul'Farak: Tanaris
230-250
Heavy Mithril Breastplate
16 x Mithril Bar
-> Other guides had you relying on getting a BoE pattern off the auction house at this point. After 2 weeks, I finally saw one, and it was up for 500 gold. Forget that. It's cheaper to go this way. Yes, it's a lot of mithril, but it's great smith to skill ratio. You could make mithril scale pants instead, but I warn you, it goes yellow a LOT faster. This is a great way to get the points, and the 320 mithril is a bargain compared to the alternatives. There is nothing like wasting 14 mithril on the pants over and over to not get a skill.
250-260
Dense Sharpening Stones
1x Dense Stone
-> You will need 20 - 30 stone to get to 260, but it's pretty easy.
260-280
Thorium Belt/bracers
8x Thorium
-> This was great. I'm so glad that they added these to the trainers. Skill up on them until you hit 280. These are easy skill points, but you will have a couple that don't skill you. It's not a horrid trade off to the alternative of starting imperial Plate sooner. If you can, get these DE'd and sell the mats.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The imperial Plate way: Go to Gadgetzan in Tanaris. There will be a Dwarf who is afilliated with the THorium Brotherhood standing there. He will give you a quick quest to read and accept, and then offer you the plans at various costs. Just buy the bracer pattern for 10 thorium bars.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
280-300
Imperial Plate Bracers
12x Thorium Bar
-> You could actually sell this item and recoup some of your money, which makes it nice to skill on. Or, you can DE them and sell the mats as well.
And that's it. You now have 300 blacksmithing. If you notice, I didn't cover the specializations (armor/weapon - smith) That's because in WotLK, it's not a huge perk anymore, and the beginning quests really interfere with the powerleveling of the profession. If you want to do them,
Armorsmith:
4x Ornate Mithril Helm
2x Ornate Mithril Boots
1X Ornate Mithril Breastplate
If you want to get all the patterns along the way for yourself, You do quests for the NPC in STV to get the first round of patterns which you need to complete the quests in Gadgetzan to learn these patterns. or you can find an old school BS to make them for you. patterns. This will take another 250 or so mithril to get completed if you want to do it for yourself. Personal Opinion? Do it once you are 80.
Weaponsmith:
4x Moonsteel Broadsword: Pattern sold by a vendor in BB
4x Massive Iron Axe: Sold by multiple vendors in STV
2x Heavy Mithril Axe: Trainer taught
2x Big Black Mace: Trainer Taught.
This is the more "expensive" way to go, but the easier of the two.
nobody ever slaughtered an entire school with a smart phone and a twitter account – they have, however, toppled governments. - Jim Wright