Ballpark Smithing Cost

[Bennan]

So I do it in bulk to save time

And thats the key to doing Shadowscream, If you don't bulk farm when the mobs are up, you make it at least twice as hard to skill up on (hehe better add a IMO).

Of course the Swirling Shadows are still the absolute suck, I just wish all the time I invested in Windstone gathering was directed at SS instead.

Other real important part is to make sure you are MAXXED in str with a cheap str smithing gear set and sham buffs. Also, get a KEI to boost int and wis and get a charisma buff too for buying and sellbacks. Getting geared up and buffed is the real key to being successful.

Purchasing a Charisma set, is my preferred method. And I am skilling on Wisdom myself, so getting a Wis set is also important. KEI is a must.

The cost of all that is an extra 10 K(ish), considering multiple KEI's into that as well. I have no idea what a Str set would cost, and I am pretty sure a INT set, would cost even more than above. Obviously if you are a WIS or INT spell class, you might already be stocked up on most gear.

[Estuous Kneenibbler]

It cost me 4k so far

I may just be odd...but it has cost me about 4.5k so far and im 161....2 growths per 20 fine plate bracers last time i went on a smithy bender

Supposedly Humming orbs get you to 180....i havent really researched it...and the components are all dropped so it would be cheap...im guessing its part of shadowscream
I really should know more but i dont

Estuous

[Bennan]

Humming Orbs = 168.

I like your sig, clever and indifferent all in one.

[brildayr]

Imo, don't use humming orbs to skill up on. They are too hard to farm. Get to 188 using fine steel plate armor. Save those shrieking and wailing substances for doing the shadowscream steel armor. The stupid orbs do NOT stack, so you'll have to sell them or create a smithing mule army. It's not reasonable to save them up to use for SS armor later, because of the storage issue.