Smithing is one of the most rewarding and empowering skills in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It allows you to craft and upgrade weapons, armor, and jewelry, ultimately giving you complete control over your gear. This guide walks you through everything you need to know—from tools and materials to leveling your skill and mastering the smithing perk tree.
Why Smithing Matters
Smithing enhances your gameplay by enabling you to:
- Craft some of the best weapons and armor in the game
- Upgrade items to significantly increase their stats
- Combine with Enchanting and Alchemy for top-tier, customized gear
Essential Smithing Equipment
To start smithing, you’ll need access to the following stations:
- Forge / Anvil – For crafting weapons, armor, and jewelry
- Grindstone – For improving weapons
- Workbench – For improving armor
- Smelter – For turning raw ores into usable ingots
- Tanning Rack – For converting animal hides into leather
Best Early-Game Smithing Location
The area outside Warmaiden’s in Whiterun provides nearly all necessary equipment for beginners. Missing stations include:
- Gunmar’s Forge – Required to craft crossbows (Dawnguard DLC)
- Skyforge – Required for Ancient Nord Armor and Nord Hero Weapons, unlocked by completing the Companions questline
How to Craft Items
Step 1: Use a Forge or Anvil
- Interact with the station to open the crafting menu
- Choose a category (Weapons, Armor, Jewelry, etc.)
- Select the item you want to craft
- Ensure you have the required materials (displayed at the bottom)
Common Crafting Materials
- Leather – Made from hides at a tanning rack
- Metal Ingots – Smelted from raw ore
- Gems – Found through mining, looting, or treasure chests
- Strips – Crafted from leather, needed for most armor/weapons
How to Improve Items
Upgrading boosts an item’s stats and overall effectiveness:
- Grindstones – Improve weapons
- Workbenches – Improve armor
Item Quality Levels (from lowest to highest):
- Fine
- Superior
- Exquisite
- Flawless
- Epic
- Legendary
Perk & Skill Requirements
- Without relevant smithing perks, improving an item beyond Flawless requires 100 Smithing.
- With the proper perk, you can reach the same quality at around 57 Smithing.
Smithing Materials Overview
| Material | Use |
|---|---|
| Iron | Basic weapons and armor |
| Steel | Mid-tier weapons and armor |
| Dwarven | Advanced heavy armor and gear |
| Elven/Glass | Light armor upgrades |
| Orichalcum | Orcish armor |
| Ebony | High-end heavy armor |
| Dragonbone | Endgame weapons & armor (DLC) |
| Gems/Gold/Silver | Jewelry crafting |
Understanding the Smithing Perk Tree
The smithing skill tree branches into two primary paths:
Right Side: Heavy Armor Path
- Focuses on crafting and improving heavy armor and weapons
- Unlocks: Dwarven, Orcish, Ebony, and Daedric Smithing
Left Side: Light Armor Path
- Focuses on light armor and some unique weapons
- Unlocks: Elven, Advanced Armors, Glass, and Dragonscale
Top of the Tree: Dragon Smithing
- Requires both Light and Heavy paths
- Allows crafting Dragonbone weapons and Dragonscale/Dragonplate armor
🛡 *Note: Dragonbone weapons require the Dawnguard DLC
How to Level Smithing Fast
1. Mass-Craft Inexpensive Items
- Popular example: spam Iron Daggers or Jewelry
- Use what’s available—rings, bracers, and arrows also work well
2. Improve Existing Gear
- Use grindstones and workbenches to upgrade found or crafted equipment
- Focus on higher-value items for more XP
3. Use Fortify Smithing Gear & Potions
- Equip items enchanted with Fortify Smithing
- Craft and drink Fortify Smithing Potions before upgrading for greater effect
Maximizing Smithing with Other Skills
- Enchanting: Apply Fortify Smithing to gear for long-term upgrades
- Alchemy: Craft Fortify Smithing potions to boost improvement power
- Speech: Sell your crafted gear for profit and Speech XP
Jewelry Crafting Notes
- Jewelry can be crafted using Gold, Silver, and Gems
- Jewelry cannot be improved at workbenches
- However, it’s valuable for quick Smithing XP and great for enchanting
Final Tips
- 🗡 Plan Your Perks: Focus on the side of the tree that matches your armor preference
- 🐉 Get Dawnguard: Access to Dragonbone weapons, some of the strongest in the game
- 🔨 Unlock the Skyforge: Complete the Companions questline for exclusive crafting options
- ⚙️ Use a Mod Manager (if modding) to organize enhancements to smithing visuals or features
Conclusion
Smithing is a cornerstone of power progression in Skyrim. Whether you want to outfit yourself with legendary Daedric gear or masterfully crafted Dragonscale armor, investing in smithing gives you the tools to dominate any challenge. Combine it with alchemy and enchanting, and you’ll become a one-person armory.
Now get forging, Dragonborn—and may your steel never dull.
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