Blacksmithing

Blacksmithing is the crafting profession that turns metal bars into plate and mail armor, weapons, sharpening stones and shield spikes. In Classic it produced some of the best-known items in the game, from the Arcanite Reaper to the [Lionheart Helm], and it was the only profession with a full tree of specializations: armorsmith or weaponsmith, and for weaponsmiths a further mastery of axes, hammers or swords.

What blacksmithing does

A blacksmith needs a [Blacksmith Hammer] in the bags and must stand next to an anvil for most recipes; anvils sit in every city's smithy and in many towns. The main material is metal bars, from [Copper Bar] at the start through [Bronze Bar], [Iron Bar], [Steel Bar], [Mithril Bar] and [Truesilver Bar] to [Thorium Bar] and [Arcanite Bar] at the top. Miners smelt the bars from ore, so Mining is the natural partner.

Blacksmiths make:

• Plate and mail armor for warriors, paladins, hunters and shamans.
• Weapons of every melee type: axes, maces, swords, daggers and polearms.
• Sharpening stones and weightstones, such as [Dense Sharpening Stone] and [Dense Weightstone], which add damage to a weapon for 30 minutes. The [Elemental Sharpening Stone] adds 2 percent critical strike chance and was a raid staple.
• Shield spikes and belt buckles, like [Thorium Shield Spike].
• Parts for other crafts, such as grinding stones for engineers and rods for enchanters ([Arcanite Rod]).

Trainers and skill ranks

Like every Classic profession, blacksmithing has four ranks: Apprentice (to 75, from level 5), Journeyman (to 150, level 10), Expert (to 225, level 20) and Artisan (to 300, level 35). Artisan training is offered only by Bengus Deepforge in Ironforge, Saru Steelfury in Orgrimmar, and the neutral master Brikk Keencraft in Booty Bay in Stranglethorn Vale.

Leveling route in outline

1. 1 to 75: Rough Sharpening Stones and Rough Grinding Stones, then the [Copper Chain Belt] and other copper pieces.
2. 75 to 150: Bronze bars from copper and tin, used for Rough Bronze Leggings, Coarse Grinding Stones and Bronze Mace style weapons.
3. 150 to 200: Iron and steel: Green Iron Bracers, Green Iron Leggings and Golden Scale pieces.
4. 200 to 250: Mithril: Heavy Mithril Gauntlets, Mithril Coifs and Mithril Scale Bracers.
5. 250 to 300: Thorium: [Thorium Belt], the Imperial Plate pieces such as [Imperial Plate Chest] and [Imperial Plate Helm], and finally [Dense Grinding Stone] and Dense Weightstones.

Mithril and thorium leveling eats hundreds of bars, so blacksmiths often leveled alongside a miner's route through the Burning Steppes, Un'Goro and Winterspring.

Armorsmiths and weaponsmiths

At level 40 and skill 200, a blacksmith can choose one of two specializations by talking to Myolor Sunderfury in Ironforge or Krathok Moltenfist in Orgrimmar. Each path ends with a quest that asks the smith to forge a set of items and hand them in.

Armorsmiths are trained by Grumnus Steelshaper in Ironforge and Okothos Ironrager in Orgrimmar. Their quest, "The Art of the Armorsmith", asks for Ornate Mithril armor: [Ornate Mithril Helm], [Ornate Mithril Boots] and [Ornate Mithril Breastplate]. The plans for that armor come from the Mithril Order quest chain, which sends smiths from their capital to McGavan in Booty Bay, to Galvan the Ancient in his camp in Stranglethorn, and then to Trenton Lighthammer in Gadgetzan.

Weaponsmiths are trained by Ironus Coldsteel in Ironforge and Borgosh Corebender in Orgrimmar. Their quest, "The Way of the Weaponsmith", asks for weapons including [Moonsteel Broadsword], [Massive Iron Axe], [Heavy Mithril Axe] and [Big Black Mace].

A smith could unlearn a specialization later and choose again, but it meant losing every specialized plan already learned.

Axesmith, Hammersmith and Swordsmith

Weaponsmiths at 250 skill can go further and master one weapon type. The three mastery trainers all live in Everlook in Winterspring, and each asks for a quest before teaching:

The mastery weapons were the best non-raid weapons of their type. The two-handed axe [Arcanite Reaper] became the most famous of them; its plans drop from Bannok Grimaxe in Blackrock Spire. The plans for the two-handed sword [Arcanite Champion] drop from Goraluk Anvilcrack in Upper Blackrock Spire, the hammer [Hammer of the Titans] from Maleki the Pallid in Stratholme, and the one-handed axe [Annihilator] from Quartermaster Zigris in Lower Blackrock Spire. Patch 2.0.3 removed the mastery requirements.

Best-known recipes

• [Lionheart Helm]: an epic plate helm with 2 percent critical strike and 2 percent hit, the best warrior helm before raid tier sets. [Plans: Lionheart Helm] is a rare world drop, and the helm needed Arcanite Bars and a large pile of other materials, so it cost a fortune.
• Arcanite Reaper: the slow two-handed axe that made Mortal Strike hit hard in player-versus-player combat.
• Thorium Brotherhood plans: the Dark Iron dwarves of Thorium Point sell plans for fire-resistant Dark Iron armor and for weapons like the sword [Dark Iron Reaver] and the sword [Blackguard]. Their quartermaster Lokhtos Darkbargainer sells them for reputation. The highest honor was the mace [Sulfuron Hammer], made from a [Sulfuron Ingot] dropped in Molten Core, the first step toward Sulfuras.
• Epic armor: [Invulnerable Mail] and [Stronghold Gauntlets], world-drop plans for raid-quality mail and plate.
• Fire resistance gear: [Fiery Plate Gauntlets] and [Dark Iron Plate], worn by tanks in Molten Core.

Blacksmithing and mining

Almost every blacksmith also mines, since metal bars are the main cost of every recipe and selling bars on the auction house is as profitable as using them. Mining also unlocks smelting, and only miners can smelt [Dark Iron Bar] at the Black Forge in Blackrock Depths. Blacksmiths without mining were common among raiders who bought their bars and wanted the profession only for its epic plans. A blacksmith also needs alchemists, because the best recipes call for Arcanite Bars made by transmutation.

Sources

• Blacksmithing on Warcraft Wiki
• Armorsmithing on Warcraft Wiki
• Weaponsmithing on Warcraft Wiki