Smithing

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The Smithing skill is used to create weapons and armor using metals and other materials available in the land of Skyrim, or to improve existing weapons and armor..

To begin improving the Smithing skill, talk to Alvor in Riverwood. The tasks he gives appear under "Miscellaneous" in your Quest log.

Description of Armors

• Leather Armor: created by using the pelts of animals that you have killed. By using the tanning rack at most blacksmith workstations, you can turn pelts into leather, or turn leather into leather strips. Leather is needed to smith or improve leather armor while leather strips are needed to create all types of armor.

• Iron Armor: created by using the previously mentioned leather strips in combination with Iron Ingots at the blacksmiths' forges. Iron Ore is required to create Iron Ingots. Iron ore can be mined from ore veins scattered throughout the rocky landscape of Skyrim through use of a pickaxe. Iron ore in your inventory can be refined at a smelter (such as the one at the Whiterun blacksmith) to be transformed into Iron Ingots.

• Steel Armor: Steel Armor requires Steel Ingots in addition to Iron Ingots and Leather Strips, In addition you will need to have invested in the base perk of the smithing skill tree. Steel ingots are created by smelting Iron Ore with Corundum Ore in a smelter.

• Elven Armor: Elven Armor requires the Elven Smithing perk in the smithing skill tree. The base material for all Elven armor is Refined Moonstone which is also used to improve existing weapons and armor. To craft the gilded armor you must also have Quicksilver Ingots.

• Dwarven Armor: Dwarven Armor requires the Dwarven Smithing perk in the smithing skill tree, which additionally requires at least 30 proficiency in smithing. In order to get the required materials, you will need to track down broken dwarven artifacts to smelt into Ingots; a good place to search for these are the various Dwemer Ruins scattered near the Morrowind border (eastern Skyrim).

• Orcish Armor: requires Orichalcum Ingots to smith and improve.

• Glass Armor: requires Refined Malachite, a green and blue ingot, to smith and improve.

• Ebony Armor: Ebony Armor requires Ebony Ingots and the Ebony Smithing perk (80). Ebony can be found in mines close to Orcish strongholds. Ebony is the only armor that requires only Ebony ingots to make.

• Deadric Armor: requiring ebony and a Daedra Heart, this armour can be crafted after the level 90 smithing perk is added.

• Dragon Armor: There are two types of dragon armor: Dragonplate and Dragonscale. Dragonplate is a heavy armor crafted from Dragon Bones and Dragon Scales. Dragonscale is a light armor crafted from dragon scales.

Tips

• You can pay Eorlund Gray-Mane at the Skyforge to train you in smithing after joining the Companions, assuming you have enough gold at your disposal.
• Having difficulty acquiring raw materials? Enemies occasionally carry metal ores or Ingots.
• Some areas such as the summit of the Throat of the World or various mines scattered about Skyrim contain large concentrations of ore veins.
• You can purchase a selection of Ingots and leather from any smith.
• Jewelry is another good way to quickly increase your Smithing skill. Combined with the Transmute spell to quickly obtain gold and silver and crafting rings for double the effect earns more experience per unit of iron ore than producing iron goods and requires no additional ingredients.
• You can buy a whole stock of iron ingots and leather strips, (or acquire them by other means) to make lots of iron daggers to quickly raise the smithing skill and grow a few levels at the same time. When you have finished, you can sell the daggers to get some of your money back.

Improving Armor and Weapons

• Grindstones are used to improve weapons - You can sharpen your weapons for extra damage. This requires Ingots and a maximum of two upgrades can be applied to a weapon with the applicable perk unlocked.
• Workbenches are used to improve armor - You can upgrade armor for extra armor rating. This requires ingots or leather. Armor can be upgraded to six levels of quality with the applicable perk unlocked. In order, these levels are: Fine, Superior, Exquisite, Flawless, Epic and Legendary.

Perks

Perks (Ranks)	Requirements	Description (Ranks)
Steel Smithing	Smithing 20	Can create Steel armor and weapons at forges, and improve them twice as much
Elven Smithing	Smithing 30, Steel Smithing	Can create Elven armor and weapons at forges, and improve them twice as much
Dwarven Smithing	Smithing 30, Steel Smithing	Can create Dwarven armor and weapons at forges, and improve them twice as much
Advanced Armors	Smithing 50, Elven Smithing	Can create Scaled and Plate armor at forges, and improve them twice as much
Orcish Smithing	Smithing 50, Dwarven Smithing	Can create Orcish armor and weapons at forges, and improve them twice as much
Arcane Blacksmith	Smithing 60, Steel Smithing	One can improve magical weapons and armor
Glass Smithing	Smithing 70, Advanced Armors	Can create Glass armor and weapons at forges, and improve them twice as much
Ebony Smithing	Smithing 80, Orcish Smithing	Can create Ebony armor and weapons at forges, and improve them twice as much
Daedric Smithing	Smithing 90, Ebony Smithing	Can create Daedric armor and weapons at forges, and improve them twice as much
Dragon Smithing	Smithing 100, Daedric Smithing or Glass Smithing	Can create Dragon armor and weapons at forges, and improve them twice as much

Trainers

• Ghorza gra-Bagol in Markarth
• Balimund in Riften
• Eorlund Gray-Mane at the Skyforge in Whiterun
• Gunmar at Fort Dawnguard, only in the Dawnguard DLC

Skillbooks

• The Armorer's Challenge
• Cherim's Heart
• Heavy Armor Forging
• Last Scabbard of Akrash
• Light Armor Forging

Apparel

Minor Smithing	Smithing	Major Smithing	Eminent Smithing	Exteme Smithing	Peerless Smithing
The Forgemaster's Fingers Hide Bracers Imperial Bracers Iron Gauntlets Leather Bracers Necklace Ring Steel Gauntlets	Dwarven Bracers Elven Bracers Hide Bracers Imperial Bracers Iron Gauntlets Leather Bracers Necklace Ring Scaled Bracers Silver-Blood Family Ring Steel Gauntlets Steel Plate Bracers	Dwarven Bracers Ebony Gauntlets Elven Bracers Glass Gauntlets Hide Bracers Imperial Bracers Iron Gauntlets Leather Bracers Necklace Orcish Gauntlets Ring Scaled Bracers Steel Gauntlets Steel Plate Bracers	Daedric Gauntlets Dragonplate Gauntlets Dragonscale Gauntlets Dwarven Bracers Ebony Gauntlets Elven Bracers Glass Gauntlets Necklace Orcish Gauntlets Ring Scaled Bracers Steel Plate Bracers	Daedric Gauntlets Dragonplate Gauntlets Dragonscale Gauntlets Ebony Gauntlets Glass Gauntlets Necklace Orcish Gauntlets Ring	Daedric Gauntlets Dragonplate Gauntlets Dragonscale Gauntlets Necklace Ring