Blacksmithing Leveling Guide 1 450 – WotLK

Blacksmithing Leveling Guide 1-450 – WotLK

Table Of Contents
  1. Training Blacksmithing
  2. Required Materials
  3. Leveling Blacksmithing
  4. Endgame Blacksmithing

Blacksmithing can be one of the most useful and profitable professions in all of World of Warcraft. It gives plate and mail armor wearers as well as axe, mace, sword, and shield users all the opportunity to craft their own gear. In endgame content, like Ulduar and ToC, smithing patterns drop for some of the best BoE plate items available. Smiths are also able to craft useful — and profitable — additions to gear.

At the level cap tanks can craft items like the Titansteel Shield Wall, Indestructible Plate Girdle, and the Saronite Swordbreakers, which are vital to increasing item level. DPS can create Spiked Titansteel Treads and Titanium Razorplate while healers can make Brilliant Titansteel Treads or Treads of Destiny. All of these will enable you, regardless of spec, to get closer to tackling more difficult raids. All smiths can also craft Eternal Belt Buckle and Titanium Weapon Chain, both of which can be sold on the AH and are often in high demand.

Mining is the gathering profession usually paired with Blacksmithing, as it offers the opportunity to gather what could otherwise be costly materials. Despite sharing the same raw mats as Engineering, as you reach skill level 450, the cost of materials will often be quite high if you do not gather them yourself, but the price you can sell the crafted items for is almost always worth it.

As is standard with all professions, Blacksmithing can be leveled alongside your character. The mining nodes will appear in level appropriate areas, and the gear you craft along the way can often give better stats than items received from quest rewards or in dungeons. Doing so is a standard way to level, and Old World and Outland trainers are listed below.

This is, however, a Blacksmithing power leveling guide. All trainers in Northrend will be able to teach you the preceding recipes required to complete 1 – 450 as cheaply and as quickly as possible, unless otherwise noted. If you are leveling at the level cap, or when you have access to Dalaran, you’ll want to find Alard Schmied. Leveling with him will give you proximity to an Auction House should you choose to buy any materials or sell any of your crafted items.

To begin leveling, Alliance players should speak to Bengus Deepforge in Ironforge, and the Horde should find Saru Steelfury in the Valley of Honor in Orgrimmar. Both of these trainers can take players up to Expert (skill level 140). To reach Artisan, all smiths will need to find Brikk Keencraft in Booty Bay; both factions should receive a quest leading them to Brikk if they have not found him organically.

In Outland, the Master trainers will be in your faction respective starting area. For Alliance that means going to Honor Hold and speaking with Humphry, and for Horde, Rohok in Thrallmar will help you hone your skills. As you progress through TBC and work your way into Shattrath, Barien of The Scryers and Onodo of The Aldor will take you through 375. Unlike other professions, there is not a Blacksmithing trainer in Lower City.

Similar to Outland, trainers in the your first questing area will be able to teach you Grand Master Blacksmithing. In Valiance Keep, Alliance players must speak with Argo Strongstout, and Crog Steelspine will do the same for the Horde in Warsong Hold.

Once you reach Dalaran, Alard Schmied of the Kirin Tor will be your trainer. Given his proximity to the Auction House, he is your best bet for leveling quickly, efficiently, and with the best chance at profit.

Alternatively, either faction can find Rekka the Hammer at the Argent Tournament Grounds. She will be able to teach you the same recipes as Alard, and is a good alternative if you are already leveling in Icecrown.

Like other professions, Blacksmithing presents players with two options of specializing their crafting ability: Armorsmithing and Weaponsmithing. While choosing was essential in Vanilla and TBC, with the release of WotLK, Blizzard has greatly diminished the importance of specializing. The decision is most useful either while leveling, as each can make solid level 78 gear, or if you want to create gear for lower-level alts or twinks.

Armorsmithing, as the name implies, focuses on creating lower-level mail and higher-level plate armor. To start the chain, Horde smiths must find Aturk the Anvil in Orgrimmar and take The Old Ways. The Alliance counterpart, The Art of the Armorsmith, is taken from Grumnus Steelshaper in Ironforge.

In WotLK, Armorsmithing allows player to make Chestplate of Conquest and Legplates of Conquest.

Initially, Weaponsmithing was broken down even further into three sub-specialties: Axesmithing, Hammersmithing, and Swordsmithing. While these distinctions are still important if you’d like to craft vintage gear, similar the specializations more generally, they’ve become less important as time has gone on. All post-TBC gear that requires the Weaponsmithing specialization does not require that you’ve chosen between Axe, Hammer, and Sword.

To start the general Weaponsmithing chain, Horde players will need to find Borgosh Corebender in Orgrimmar and start The Way of the Weaponsmith. The Alliance version of The Way of the Weaponsmith begins by speaking with Ironus Coldsteel in Ironforge. In WotLK, Weaponsmithing lets players craft Corroded Saronite Edge, Corroded Saronite Woundbringer, and Saronite Mindcrusher.

Old World

Outland

Northrend

At least:

1 – 30: Rough Sharpening Stone

30 – 65: Rough Grinding Stone

Hold onto these! You’ll need to use them later. Many of the Grinding Stones you make will be useful in other recipes, so they’re usually worth holding onto until you train through the next tier or two of smithing. At 60, you can also learn Journeyman!

65 – 75: Copper Chain Belt

75 – 87: Coarse Grinding Stone

87  – 100: Runed Copper Belt

100 – 105: Silver Rod

105 – 125: Rough Bronze Leggings

125 – 150: Heavy Grinding Stone

Once again, you’ll want to hold onto these! At  some point while making these, you’ll also want to train up to Expert.

150 – 155: Golden Rod

All of the Rods (Silver, Golden, and later Truesilver and Arcanite) you craft are used by Enchanters, and they can either be sold directly to them or on the AH quite easily.

155 – 165: Green Iron Leggings

The Green Dye for this recipe and the next can be purchased from any Trade Supplies Vendors

165 – 190: Green Iron Bracers

190 – 200: Golden Scale Bracers

200 – 205: Truesilver Rod

205 – 210: Solid Grinding Stone

At this point, you should learn Artisan smithing. If you are training while leveling, this means you should find Brikk Keencraft in Booty Bay. The Mageweave Cloth needed for the next few recipes is looted off of level appropriate (high 30s – mid 40s) mobs.

210 – 225: Heavy Mithril Gauntlet

225 – 235: Mithril Scale Bracers

For these bracers, you will need to purchase Plans: Mithril Scale Bracers from either Gharash in the Swamp of Sorrows (for Horde players), Harggan in the Hinterlands (for Alliance), or from the Auction House.

There is also a choice while leveling 235 – 250 between the Mithril Coif and Mithril Spurs. Plans: Mithril Spurs is a rare world drop which can either be farmed (though, it takes a lot of time), or it can be purchased from the AH. If it isn’t available, the materials the Spurs save vs. the Coif are not necessarily worth the time it would take to find the recipe.

235 – 250: Mithril Coif

OR

235 – 250: Mithril Spurs

250 – 260: Dense Sharpening Stone

260 – 275: Thorium Bracers

Plans: Thorium Bracers are necessary to learn how to make these, but unlike the Mithril Spurs, these are more often found on the AH for a relatively cheap price.

275 – 280: Arcanite Rod

280 – 290: Imperial Plate Bracers

To get the Plans: Imperial Plate Bracers bring 10 Thorium Bar to Derotain Mudsipper in Gadgetzan in Tanaris. After you finish crafting these, you should head through the Dark Portal and learn Master Blacksmithing.

For 290 – 300, the choice between Thorium Boots and Thorium Helm can be made by seeing which additional material (stacks of Rugged Leather or Star Ruby) are cheaper or more readily available to you.

290 – 300: Thorium Boots

OR

290 – 300: Thorium Helm

300 – 305: Fel Weightstone

305 – 315: Fel Iron Plate Belt

315 – 320: Fel Iron Chain Gloves

320 – 325: Fel Iron Plate Boots

325 – 330: Lesser Rune of Warding

330 – 335: Fel Iron Breastplate

To get plans for the next two recipes, players will have to venture across Outland. Plans: Adamantite Cleaver can be quickly purchased by both factions in Shattrath from any of the Blacksmithing Supplies vendors, but to get Plans: Lesser Ward of Shielding, Alliance players will need to find Mari Stonehand at Wildhammer Stronghold in Shadowmoon Valley. Horde players will need to return to Rohok at Thrallmar.

335 – 340: Adamantite Cleaver

340 – 350: Lesser Ward of Shielding

After you craft your last Ward of Shielding, it’s time to head to Northrend and learn Grand Master. Alliance will train at Valiance Keep with Argo Strongstout, and Crog Steelspine will do the same for the Horde at Warsong Hold. For 350 – 375, all the options require the same amount of materials, so if you are leveling, it could be worthwhile to create a full set of armor and then to sell the more valuable option at each stage with the extra Cobalt Bars.

350 – 360: Cobalt Boots or Cobalt Belt

  • Convert Cobalt Bar into either Cobalt Boots or Cobalt Belt.

360 – 370: Cobalt Triangle Shield or Cobalt Bracers

  • Use Cobalt Bar to make Cobalt Triangle Shield or Cobalt Bracers.

370 – 375: Cobalt Legplates or Cobalt Helm

  • Use Cobalt Bar to craft Cobalt Legplates or Cobalt Helm.

375 – 380: Cobalt Gauntlets

380 – 385: Spiked Cobalt Boots

385 – 390: Sure-fire Shuriken

390 – 395: Notched Cobalt War Axe

395 – 400: Brilliant Saronite Belt

400 – 405: Horned Cobalt Helm

405 – 415: Deadly Saronite Dirk

415 – 425: Eternal Belt Buckle

425 – 430: Titanium Weapon Chain

430 – 435: Savage Saronite Hauberk

435 – 440: Daunting Legplates

Once you reach skill level 440, there are a couple of paths you can take to cap. The first involves making Daunting Legplates until 445 and then crafting epic gear until you reach 445. While this may save some time and gold on materials, the potential profit from epic gear may make the alternative worth the investment.

The other option involves crafting a variety of epic items to reach 450. This is entirely possible to accomplish, and it can prove quite lucrative as long as you work intelligently. Some epic items require less materials to make than others, so focusing your energy and resources on the lower cost ones will allow you to cap faster.

In order of material costs, the epic gear goes: Boots = Shield < Helmet < Weapons (with the exception of Titansteel Spellblade). Below are the mats required to make the epic armor, shield, and the Titansteel Spellblade. From this point, it’s up to you to judge your server’s economy and to figure out which of these would have the biggest payoff or personal benefit when crafted.

440 – 450: Epic Armor (Variable Mats) or continue making Daunting Legplates and some epic gear

(In order of least to most mats required)

After you’ve reached 450, a new tier of epic armor is available to craft. While earlier pieces required the Frozen Orb that drops from Heroic dungeons, these sets require either Runed Orb, which drop in Ulduar, or Crusader Orb, which drop in ToC. Both sets of gear are BoE, and all of it can be sold on the AH to plate wearers who want to upgrade their item level and stats before more serious raiding.

All gear that requires a Runed Orb is learned from recipes dropped in Ulduar. All the plans have a small chance of dropping directly from bosses or in Large Sack of Ulduar Spoils, and all the gear they create is BoE. Each gear crafting profession will be able to learn recipes for belts and boots, and for Blacksmiths, the Ulduar patterns create:

The other set of BoE epic gear that Blacksmiths can learn comes from Trial of the Crusader. They require both Crusader Orb, which have the chance to be dropped by bosses and are contained in Crusader or Champion’s chests, and the plans which can either drop from bosses or from the Champions’ Cache. ToC patterns are for chest pieces and bracers; for Blacksmiths, these are:

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