Too good to miss

[dkass]

Actually, guns and swords historically existed side by side for quite a while. The sword did not fall out of real use in combat until the mid 18th century (or even somewhat later, especially for "solo" type action), wheras guns were introduced in the 14th century. Until you get fast loading (or multishot) accurate guns (both rifles and pistols), the sword has its place (as do halberds, spears and the like, to a lesser extent). Loading a pistol just wasn't possible in close combat (and they were single shot and not all that accurate or lethal) so a sword (or cutlass or the like) was the preferred weapon after everyone had discharged their guns. The sword also had the advantage of working even when wet as well as providing defensive abilities (in the parry and skewer).

Guns did make armor obsolete (I hope guns in WoW completely ignore all armor).

The original poster was incorrect to put cast iron at the bottom of the tree. It is the worst type of iron for weapons and such, but it requires much more advanced technology than many of the other forms (since it requires temperatures sufficient to melt the iron, not just make it malleable). At least according to my (limited) metallurgical understanding.