Skyrim:Smithing Skill
| Smithing | |
|---|---|
| Specialisation | Combat |
| Perks | 10 |
| Racial Bonus | Nord, Redguard, Orc |
| Governing Stone | The Warrior Stone |
| Master Trainer | Eorlund Gray-Mane |
Smithing is the Combat crafting skill in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It covers creating weapons and armour from raw materials at a forge, and improving what you already carry at a grindstone or workbench. The skill tree holds ten perks, so filling it completely costs ten perk points.
The skill governs how far an item can be improved. The perks govern what you can make at all, and they double the improvement on their own material. Both halves matter: skill level alone will not let you forge a Daedric sword, and the Daedric Smithing perk alone will not push it to Legendary.
Where Smithing Happens
Five stations do the work, and only three of them are governed by this skill.
- Forge or anvil, to create weapons, armour and jewellery.
- Grindstone, to improve weapons.
- Workbench, to improve armour and shields.
- Smelter, to turn ore or Dwemer scrap into ingots. Not governed by Smithing.
- Tanning rack, to turn hides into leather and leather strips. Also not governed by Smithing.
Every hold capital has all five, and most villages have at least a forge. Warmaiden's in Whiterun and the yard outside Riverwood's trader are the two most players use early.
Raising the Skill
Skill gain from crafting scales with the value of the item produced, and gain from tempering scales with how large the improvement was. That makes cheap high-value items the efficient choice, which is why Dwarven bows are the traditional grind: Dwarven Metal Ingots cost nothing but a trip through a Dwemer ruin.
Nord, Redguard and Orc characters begin with a five point head start. Completing Unfathomable Depths grants Ancient Knowledge, which raises the rate of Smithing skill gain by fifteen per cent, and stacking that with the Warrior Stone raises it by thirty-five.
Six books give a permanent one point increase: Cherim's Heart of Anequina, Heavy Armor Forging, Light Armor Forging, The Armorer's Challenge, Last Scabbard of Akrash, and the Oghma Infinium if you choose the Path of Might.
Trainers
| Trainer | Level | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Ghorza gra-Bagol | Common | Markarth |
| Balimund | Expert | Riften |
| Eorlund Gray-Mane | Master | The Skyforge |
| Gunmar | Master | Fort Dawnguard |
Improvement Quality
| Quality | No perk | With perk |
|---|---|---|
| Fine | 14 | 14 |
| Superior | 31 | 22 |
| Exquisite | 65 | 40 |
| Flawless | 100 | 57 |
| Epic | 134 | 74 |
| Legendary | 168 | 91 |
Smithing Perk Categories
