Glass Smithing Perk
| Glass Smithing | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Skill Requirement | 70 |
| Perk Requirement | Advanced Armors |
| Tempering Material | Refined Malachite |
| Improvement | Doubled |
| Perk ID | 000CB411 |
Glass Smithing is the top material perk on the light armour branch of the Smithing tree in Skyrim. It requires skill level 70 and the Advanced Armors perk, and it lets you forge glass armour and weapons while doubling their improvement.
Despite the name, glass equipment in Skyrim is made from Refined Malachite, smelted from malachite ore. It is the best light armour available before Dragonscale.
Reaching Dragon Armor Faster
Glass Smithing is the last perk before Dragon Armor at level 100, and this is where the light branch pays off. Counting from Steel Smithing, the route through Elven, Advanced Armors and Glass costs one perk point fewer than the heavy route through Dwarven, Orcish, Ebony and Daedric.
The trade is in weapons. Glass is the best the light branch offers, and ebony and Daedric weapons both beat it. At Legendary quality, though, the damage gap between a glass weapon and a Daedric one is under ten per cent, which is far less than the raw numbers suggest.
Malachite Supply
Malachite is one of the rarer ores, and the deposits worth knowing are in the eastern reaches, with Northwind Mine among the more reliable stops. Vendor stock scales with level, so by the time your Smithing skill is high enough for this perk, refined malachite starts appearing at general goods traders.
With Creation Club installed, this perk also covers Amber armour and weapons.
Smelting
Despite the name, glass equipment is made from refined malachite, one of the rarer ores in Skyrim. Each unit needs:
- Malachite Ore (2)
Smelting is not governed by the Smithing skill itself, so it grants no experience; only forging and tempering do.
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 |
Branch Comparison
| Branch | Perks to Dragon Armor |
|---|---|
| Light, via Glass | 4 |
| Heavy, via Daedric | 5 |
Smithing Perk Categories
