Skyrim:Arcane Blacksmith Perk
| Arcane Blacksmith | |
|---|---|
| Skill Requirement | 60 |
| Perk Requirement | Steel Smithing |
| Tempering Material | Matches the item |
| Improvement | None of its own |
| Perk ID | 0005218E |
Arcane Blacksmith is the odd perk in the Smithing tree in Skyrim. It unlocks no new recipes and doubles nothing. What it does is remove a restriction: with it, enchanted weapons and armour can be tempered at all.
It requires skill level 60 and Steel Smithing, and it sits on its own short spur off the base of the tree, so you can take it without committing to either the light or the heavy branch.
Why It Matters More Than It Looks
Without this perk, every enchanted item in your inventory is stuck at the quality it was found. That includes the unique weapons the game hands out through quests, most of which arrive already enchanted and cannot be improved a single tier until Arcane Blacksmith is taken.
The Blade of Woe, for example, is one of the strongest daggers available early, but its damage stays where it is until you can put it to a grindstone. The same applies to anything you enchant yourself, which makes this perk effectively mandatory for a character who invests in enchanting.
Interaction With Material Perks
Arcane Blacksmith only grants permission; the doubling still comes from the material perk. Tempering an enchanted ebony sword to Legendary needs both this perk and Ebony Smithing, otherwise you get the improvement at the slower perkless rate. Players who plan to run a fully enchanted set usually take Arcane Blacksmith and the matching material perk together rather than one and not the other.
Tempering Quality
Skill needed to reach each tier, with and without the perk.
| Quality | No perk | With perk |
|---|---|---|
| Fine | 14 | 14 |
| Superior | 31 | 22 |
| Exquisite | 65 | 40 |
| Flawless | 100 | 57 |
| Epic | 134 | 74 |
| Legendary | 168 | 91 |
What It Enables
| Item type | Temperable |
|---|---|
| Unenchanted gear | Without the perk |
| Quest-given enchanted gear | Perk required |
| Player-enchanted gear | Perk required |
Smithing Perk Categories
