Skyrim:Steel Smithing Perk
| Steel Smithing | |
|---|---|
| Skill Requirement | None |
| Perk Requirement | None |
| Tempering Material | Steel Ingot |
| Improvement | Doubled |
| Perk ID | 000CB40D |
Steel Smithing is the entry perk of the Smithing tree in Skyrim and the only one with no skill requirement, so it can be taken the moment you spend your first perk point. It lets you forge steel armour and weapons, and it doubles the effect of tempering them at a grindstone or workbench.
Every other branch of the tree hangs off this perk. Both Elven Smithing and Dwarven Smithing list it as their prerequisite, as does Arcane Blacksmith, which means there is no route to the higher materials that skips it.
What Steel Smithing Unlocks
- Steel armour and weapons at any forge or anvil.
- Double improvement on steel gear, so a steel sword reaches a given quality tier at roughly half the skill a perkless smith would need.
- Bonemold armour, if you have the Dragonborn add-on installed.
- The Vigil armour sets from Creation Club, unlocked through the quest Unholy Vigil.
Steel gear is tempered with Steel Ingots, made at a smelter from one Iron Ingot and one piece of corundum ore. Iron and corundum are both common enough that steel stays cheap to work with all the way through the mid game, which is the main reason it is such a good levelling material.
Why the Doubling Matters
The improvement bonus is the real value of the perk, not the recipes. Without a material's perk you need skill 31 to reach Superior quality and 100 to reach Flawless. With the perk those thresholds drop to 22 and 57. The same pattern holds at every tier.
Tempering Quality
| Quality | No perk | With perk |
|---|---|---|
| Fine | 14 | 14 |
| Superior | 31 | 22 |
| Exquisite | 65 | 40 |
| Flawless | 100 | 57 |
| Epic | 134 | 74 |
| Legendary | 168 | 91 |
Counts As Steel
The perk covers more than the steel set itself. All of the following temper at the doubled rate once it is taken.
| Equipment |
|---|
| Steel |
| Imperial |
| Nord Hero |
| Ancient Nord |
| Wolf |
| Dawnguard |
Smithing Perk Categories
