A Misers Guide to Smithing to 188 - With Cost Analysis
This is merely one way to smith, if you're trying to be somewhat miserly. Before you begin, I suggest you buy the following:
- Smithy Hammer (10p5g)
- Geerlok Automated Hammer (Check Bazaar, I got mine for 100p)
- If you're a non-caster, as much STR gear as you can afford without being silly about it, eg Crusty Shell or Validus Custodus Plate. If you're a caster you should be trying to max your WIS/INT for the most part anyway. You may want to get a few WIS items to swap into slots that you have MANA items for instead.
- Enough CHA gear to get you above 110 CHA. Encrusted Opal Steins with get you a total of +50 cha and can be had relatively cheaply for as low as 60plat a pair. People skill up on these so despite their relative difficulty, the market is pretty saturated with them. This guide is going to assume you have indifferent or better faction and 110+ cha in order to get best merchant pricing. If you don't, you may find your buying costs higher and your sellbacks lower. This is *really* important, because once you hit banded, combines take a few plat per attempt, but sell back for almost as much as it costs to make them, saving you a large amount of plat in the long run, and that's what this guide is about.
For reference, I've never seen more than about 1.5k in my bank at the same time in my entire EQ career, my blacksmith is a Dark Elf Shadowknight and is only level 36, my STR is a mere 140ish, and some of the advice in this guide I haven't followed even for myself--most notably buying STR gear--and yet I've managed to get my smithing to a respectable 175 as well as make myself three pieces of Enchanted Adamantite Plate--Boots, Bracer, and Visor.
Section 1: The Cheap, Carpal Tunnel Years
Method 1: Bits'n'Banded
Pros: Everything is merchant sold.
Cons: You'll still burn a couple hundred plat at this stage, so if you're trying to be REALLY miserly scroll down to method 2.
Step 1: Metal Bits to 18
Since you're going to need a buttload of these things anyway, don't waste the training points and just make, oh, say, a backpack. Which means you'll need two backpacks worth of small pieces of ore (1.050 per stack) and a backpack of water flasks (0.210 per stack, if you buy with shift click). Combine two pieces of ore and a flask of water and pray the gods aren't laughing at you today. Repeat until you're out of ore.
Once you've broken your wrist making all of that make yourself a file and hope you get a skillup.
Metal Bits + File Mold + Water
Step 2: Field Point Arrowheads to 41
Field Point Arrowheads: Metal Bits + File + Water (Cost 0.114) (Sellback 0.100) (Success Cost 0.014)
Once you hit 41 make yourself a skinning knife, you're going to want it for padding. Dagger Blade Mold + Hilt Mold + Small Brick of Ore + Water Flask (Cost 1.070)
Step 3: Dairy Spoons to 74
Dairy Spoon: 2 Metal Bits + Scaler Mold + Water Flask (Cost 0.290) (Sellback 0.136) (Success Cost 0.154)
You'll probably lose a lot of the spoons here, but this is an "easy" and cheap way to get to 74. I ran out of metal bits at 72 when I was skilling up and just said screw it and moved on to Banded. I was sick of bits. Feel free to do the same.
Step 4: Banded Gorgets to 92
Banded Gorget: Sheet Metal + Gorget Mold + Water Flask (Cost 1.091)
Step 5: Banded Bracers to 95
Banded Bracer: Sheet Metal + Bracer Mold + Water Flask (Cost 1.375)
Step 6: Banded Gauntlets to 102
Banded Gauntlets: 2 Sheet Metal + Gauntlet Mold + Water Flask (Cost 2.425)
Step 7: Banded Helms to 106
Banded Helm: 2 Sheet Metal + Helm Mold + Water Flask (Cost 2.740) (Sellback 2.571) (Success Cost 0.169)
Step 8: Banded Leggings to 108
Banded Leggings: 3 Sheet Metal + Leggings Mold + Water Flask (Cost 4.210)
Step 9: Banded Mail to 115
Banded Mail: 3 Sheet Metal + Mail Mold + Water Flask (Cost 4.420) (Sellback 4.190) (Success Cost 0.230)
Method 2: Condensed Shadow Arrowheads
Pros: Cheap, cheap, cheap way to get smithing to 116 if you don't mind greenie farming.
Cons: Greenie farming. 'Nuff said.
Run over to Shadeweavers' Thicket and kill "shak dratha". They can drop multiple "Chunk of Condensed Shadows" at a time. Collect as many as you can stand. They stack.
Then run to a forge and use the following recipe:
Chunk of Condensed Shadow + File + Water: Condensed Shadow Arrowheads (yield 2) (Cost 0.010)
You can try to sell these in the bazaar, they're for making acrylia arrows which trivial above 250, so people trying to GM fletching will want a lot of these.
If you have a bit of money to burn, you can go merchant diving, the chunks sell for about 6 gold a piece of I recall correctly. Of course, even after that, selling the arrowheads at 5p a piece in bazaar you could make a nice little profit.
Section 2: The Painful Years
There are three ways you can go here. Which one you want to take is up to you, as they can all take a fair bit of farming.
If you haven't already, buy yourself a smithing hammer.
Method 1: Ornate Chain
Pros: Good chance at success.
Cons: Materials purchased at *three* different vendors scattered across PoK. The merchant has a *finite* supply of HQ ore and must be restocked periodically. HQ ore does not stack and is heavy as hell. The sellback rate on ornate chain sucks compared to what it costs to make if you buy the HQ ore off a vendor.
If you are a mid level (35+ probably more like 40+) you can alleviate some of the pains of Ornate Chain by farming Fine Steel in High Keep, so long as you don't mind trashing your guard faction in HK, W/E Freeport, and Corrupt Qeynos. There's an excellent and detailed post on the EQTraders forums which I shall link http://mboards.eqtraders.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=142here</a> for those interested.
However, for this guide, I am going to assume that you buy the HQ ore.
Note that for chain combines that take an odd number of rings I'm going to list the costs as split, because of the fact that to use up all the materials you'd have to buy, you need to do two combines. First one is for two combines, second one is for one combine. Yes, I will list half coppers. I'm trying to be thorugh here.
HQ Metal Rings (yields 2): Large Brick HQ Ore + File + Water (Cost 17.335)
Step 1: Ornate Chain Gorgets to 119 (Note: When I skilled up I skipped Gorgets as first, so I don't have the sellback rate handy. Anybody who does?)
Ornate Chain Gorget: 1 HQ Ring + Chainmail Gorget Pattern + Silver Bar + Water + Smithy Hammer (Cost 19.435/9.7175) (Sellback X/X) (Success Cost X/X)
Step 2: Ornate Chain Bracelets to 122
Ornate Chain Bracelet: 1 HQ Ring + Chainmail Bracelet Pattern + Silver Bar + Water + Smithy Hammer (Cost 20.485/10.2425) (Sellback 10.952/5.476) (Success Cost 9.533/4.7665)
Step 3: Ornate Electrum Chain Gorgets to 126
Ornate Electrum Chain Gorget: 1 HQ Ring + Chainmail Gorget Pattern + Electrum Bar + Water + Smithy Hammer (Cost 23.475/11.7375) (Sellback 12.876/6.438) (Success Cost 10.599/5.2995)
Step 4: Ornate Electrum Chain Bracelets to 128
Ornate Electrum Chain Bracelet: 1 HQ Ring + Chainmail Bracelet Pattern + Electrum Bar + Water + Smithy Hammer (Cost 26.805/13.4025) (Sellback 14.762/7.381) (Success Cost 12.043/6.0215)
Step 5: Ornate Gold Chain Gorgets to 132
Ornate Gold Chain Gorget: 1 HQ Ring + Chainmail Gorget Pattern + Gold Bar + Water + Smithy Hammer (Cost 39.385/19.6925) (Sellback 27.162/13.581) (Success Cost 12.223/6.1115)
Step 6: Ornate Gold Chain Bracelets to 135
Ornate Gold Chain Bracelet: 1 HQ Ring + Chainmail Bracelet Pattern + Gold Bar + Water + Smithy Hammer (Cost 42.545/21.2725) (Sellback 29.048/14.524) (Success Cost 13.497/6.7485)
Step 7: Ornate Electrum Chain Coifs to 139
Ornate Electrum Chain Coif: 2 HQ Rings + Chainmail Coif Pattern + Electrum Bar + Water + Smithy Hammer (Cost 24.170) (Sellback 12.381) (Success Cost 11.781)
Step 8: Ornate Gold Chain Sleeves to 142
Ornate Gold Chain Sleeves: 2 HQ Rings + Chainmail Sleeves Pattern + Gold Bar + Water + Smithy Hammer (Cost 32.045) (Sellback 19.524) (Success Cost 12.521)
Step 9: Ornate Gold Chain Coifs to 146
Ornate Gold Chain Coifs: 2 HQ Rings + Chainmail Coif Pattern + Gold Bar + Water + Smithy Hammer (Cost 32.045) (Sellback 19.524) (Success Cost 12.521)
At this point you *can* move to Electrum Mail to 148 and Gold Mail to 155, but I figured the cost would be too prohibitive and moved on to Fine Plate at this point. If anybody wants to submit the sellbacks for Electrum/Gold mail I'll update the guide.
I strongly suggest you skip Platinum altogether. 105 plat per attempt *just on the bar* is a lot to eat on a failure at this stage, and I have no idea what the sellback is like because I never bothered. Again, if somebody wants to submit the sellbacks, I'll update the guide.
Method 2: Fine Plate
Pros: Only one non-storebought component, better sellbacks than Ornate Chain. People might actually buy Fine Plate. Ornate Chain is an absolute bitch to sell to players.
Cons: EVERY combine takes a leather padding, which you either have to farm yourself or buy in the bazaar for whatever ungodly rate people sell it for. (I've seen somebody trying to sell it for 50 plat a piece... what's sad is that I think they sold it.) The ore is pretty heavy and doesn't stack. Going straight to Fine Plate from Banded is a good way to burn stacks and stacks of padding as well as lose quite a bit of plat on failures.
If you wish, you can skip Ornate Chain and jump straight to Fine Plate from Banded, but be aware that your success rate as first will be horrid and you'll probably lose a lot of plat. I worked up to 146 on Ornate Chain before I went to Fine Plate and had a fairly decent success rate with my geerlok.
If you need leather padding, I suggest going to Marus Seru and slaughtering Greyhoppers. They drop LQ rockhopper hides about 60-70% of the time (I'm not kidding) which can be used to make padding. They're only a low 20s mob, so pretty easy to kill for somebody who's this serious about smithing. If you're a tailor too, the greyhopper hides that they also drop are an easy way to get tailoring to 95. Look up the recipe yourself, this is a smithing guide!
After you've collected plenty of those hides, head for Shadeweaver's. In this zone, everything and it's mother drops shadeling silk. Two shadeling silks in a sewing kit makes a thread... combine the thread with the lq rockhopper hide and you get your padding. Regular silk threads also work for this. I have not tested if you can use shadeling silk with old world LQ pelts. Anybody know?
MQ Folded Sheet Metal: 1 Block MQ Ore + Smithy Hammer + Water (Cost: 20.537)
Step 1: Fine Plate Collars to 166
Fine Plate Collar: 1 MQ Folded Sheet Metal + Plate Collar Mold + Leather Padding + Smithy Hammer + Water (Cost 21.282) (Sellback 21.143) (Success Cost 0.139)
Step 2: Fine Plate Bracers to 168
Fine Plate Bracer: 1 MQ Folded Sheet Metal + Plate Bracelet Mold + Leather Padding + Smithy Hammer + Water (Cost 26.487) (Sellback 26.571) (Success *Profit* 0.084)
Step 3: Fine Plate Gauntlets to 175
Fine Plate Gauntlets: 2 MQ Folded Sheet Metal + Plate Gauntlet Mold + Leather Padding + Smithy Hammer + Water (Cost 44.234) (Sellback 42.857) (Success Cost 1.377)
Step 4: Fine Plate Helms to 179
Fine Plate Gauntlets: 2 MQ Folded Sheet Metal + Plate Helm Mold + Leather Padding + Smithy Hammer + Water (Cost 51.584) (Sellback 51.429) (Success Cost 0.155)
I have not yet reached 179, so I do not have the sellback on the BP. As soon as I get there I will update.
Step 5: Fine Plate Breastplates to 188
Fine Plate Gauntlets: 3 MQ Folded Sheet Metal + Plate Breastplate Mold + Leather Padding + Smithy Hammer + Water (Cost 82.621) (Sellback ?) (Success Cost ?)
Method 3: Humming Orbs
Pros: Cheapest way to get smithing to 168. When you hit 188 you're going to want these to make Shadowscream.
Cons: The components are no drop and farmed off lower-level mobs which means a lot of boring greenie camping if you're above 40 or so. Unless you head to Tenebrous, the Dire Sonic Wolves there are 35ish and drop shrieking about 1 in 4. (This is where I get my shrieking.) The orbs are slightly heavy (2.5 each, it adds up.) and most importantly DO NOT STACK, which eats up a ton of bank space. Plus you have to do a series of quests in Shar Vahl before you can even make the orbs.
Metal Ring (yield 2): 1 Large Brick of Ore + File + Water (Cost 1.585)
Humming Orb: 1 shrieking substance + 1 wailing substance + 1 (regular) metal rings + (Humming) Luclinite Mallet + Vah Shir Anvil (Cost 0.7925)
This is merely one way to smith, if you're trying to be somewhat miserly. Before you begin, I suggest you buy the following:
- Smithy Hammer (10p5g)
- Geerlok Automated Hammer (Check Bazaar, I got mine for 100p)
- If you're a non-caster, as much STR gear as you can afford without being silly about it, eg Crusty Shell or Validus Custodus Plate. If you're a caster you should be trying to max your WIS/INT for the most part anyway. You may want to get a few WIS items to swap into slots that you have MANA items for instead.
- Enough CHA gear to get you above 110 CHA. Encrusted Opal Steins with get you a total of +50 cha and can be had relatively cheaply for as low as 60plat a pair. People skill up on these so despite their relative difficulty, the market is pretty saturated with them. This guide is going to assume you have indifferent or better faction and 110+ cha in order to get best merchant pricing. If you don't, you may find your buying costs higher and your sellbacks lower. This is *really* important, because once you hit banded, combines take a few plat per attempt, but sell back for almost as much as it costs to make them, saving you a large amount of plat in the long run, and that's what this guide is about.
For reference, I've never seen more than about 1.5k in my bank at the same time in my entire EQ career, my blacksmith is a Dark Elf Shadowknight and is only level 36, my STR is a mere 140ish, and some of the advice in this guide I haven't followed even for myself--most notably buying STR gear--and yet I've managed to get my smithing to a respectable 175 as well as make myself three pieces of Enchanted Adamantite Plate--Boots, Bracer, and Visor.
Section 1: The Cheap, Carpal Tunnel Years
Method 1: Bits'n'Banded
Pros: Everything is merchant sold.
Cons: You'll still burn a couple hundred plat at this stage, so if you're trying to be REALLY miserly scroll down to method 2.
Step 1: Metal Bits to 18
Since you're going to need a buttload of these things anyway, don't waste the training points and just make, oh, say, a backpack. Which means you'll need two backpacks worth of small pieces of ore (1.050 per stack) and a backpack of water flasks (0.210 per stack, if you buy with shift click). Combine two pieces of ore and a flask of water and pray the gods aren't laughing at you today. Repeat until you're out of ore.
Once you've broken your wrist making all of that make yourself a file and hope you get a skillup.
Metal Bits + File Mold + Water
Step 2: Field Point Arrowheads to 41
Field Point Arrowheads: Metal Bits + File + Water (Cost 0.114) (Sellback 0.100) (Success Cost 0.014)
Once you hit 41 make yourself a skinning knife, you're going to want it for padding. Dagger Blade Mold + Hilt Mold + Small Brick of Ore + Water Flask (Cost 1.070)
Step 3: Dairy Spoons to 74
Dairy Spoon: 2 Metal Bits + Scaler Mold + Water Flask (Cost 0.290) (Sellback 0.136) (Success Cost 0.154)
You'll probably lose a lot of the spoons here, but this is an "easy" and cheap way to get to 74. I ran out of metal bits at 72 when I was skilling up and just said screw it and moved on to Banded. I was sick of bits. Feel free to do the same.
Step 4: Banded Gorgets to 92
Banded Gorget: Sheet Metal + Gorget Mold + Water Flask (Cost 1.091)
Step 5: Banded Bracers to 95
Banded Bracer: Sheet Metal + Bracer Mold + Water Flask (Cost 1.375)
Step 6: Banded Gauntlets to 102
Banded Gauntlets: 2 Sheet Metal + Gauntlet Mold + Water Flask (Cost 2.425)
Step 7: Banded Helms to 106
Banded Helm: 2 Sheet Metal + Helm Mold + Water Flask (Cost 2.740) (Sellback 2.571) (Success Cost 0.169)
Step 8: Banded Leggings to 108
Banded Leggings: 3 Sheet Metal + Leggings Mold + Water Flask (Cost 4.210)
Step 9: Banded Mail to 115
Banded Mail: 3 Sheet Metal + Mail Mold + Water Flask (Cost 4.420) (Sellback 4.190) (Success Cost 0.230)
Method 2: Condensed Shadow Arrowheads
Pros: Cheap, cheap, cheap way to get smithing to 116 if you don't mind greenie farming.
Cons: Greenie farming. 'Nuff said.
Run over to Shadeweavers' Thicket and kill "shak dratha". They can drop multiple "Chunk of Condensed Shadows" at a time. Collect as many as you can stand. They stack.
Then run to a forge and use the following recipe:
Chunk of Condensed Shadow + File + Water: Condensed Shadow Arrowheads (yield 2) (Cost 0.010)
You can try to sell these in the bazaar, they're for making acrylia arrows which trivial above 250, so people trying to GM fletching will want a lot of these.
If you have a bit of money to burn, you can go merchant diving, the chunks sell for about 6 gold a piece of I recall correctly. Of course, even after that, selling the arrowheads at 5p a piece in bazaar you could make a nice little profit.
Section 2: The Painful Years
There are three ways you can go here. Which one you want to take is up to you, as they can all take a fair bit of farming.
If you haven't already, buy yourself a smithing hammer.
Method 1: Ornate Chain
Pros: Good chance at success.
Cons: Materials purchased at *three* different vendors scattered across PoK. The merchant has a *finite* supply of HQ ore and must be restocked periodically. HQ ore does not stack and is heavy as hell. The sellback rate on ornate chain sucks compared to what it costs to make if you buy the HQ ore off a vendor.
If you are a mid level (35+ probably more like 40+) you can alleviate some of the pains of Ornate Chain by farming Fine Steel in High Keep, so long as you don't mind trashing your guard faction in HK, W/E Freeport, and Corrupt Qeynos. There's an excellent and detailed post on the EQTraders forums which I shall link http://mboards.eqtraders.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=142here</a> for those interested.
However, for this guide, I am going to assume that you buy the HQ ore.
Note that for chain combines that take an odd number of rings I'm going to list the costs as split, because of the fact that to use up all the materials you'd have to buy, you need to do two combines. First one is for two combines, second one is for one combine. Yes, I will list half coppers. I'm trying to be thorugh here.
HQ Metal Rings (yields 2): Large Brick HQ Ore + File + Water (Cost 17.335)
Step 1: Ornate Chain Gorgets to 119 (Note: When I skilled up I skipped Gorgets as first, so I don't have the sellback rate handy. Anybody who does?)
Ornate Chain Gorget: 1 HQ Ring + Chainmail Gorget Pattern + Silver Bar + Water + Smithy Hammer (Cost 19.435/9.7175) (Sellback X/X) (Success Cost X/X)
Step 2: Ornate Chain Bracelets to 122
Ornate Chain Bracelet: 1 HQ Ring + Chainmail Bracelet Pattern + Silver Bar + Water + Smithy Hammer (Cost 20.485/10.2425) (Sellback 10.952/5.476) (Success Cost 9.533/4.7665)
Step 3: Ornate Electrum Chain Gorgets to 126
Ornate Electrum Chain Gorget: 1 HQ Ring + Chainmail Gorget Pattern + Electrum Bar + Water + Smithy Hammer (Cost 23.475/11.7375) (Sellback 12.876/6.438) (Success Cost 10.599/5.2995)
Step 4: Ornate Electrum Chain Bracelets to 128
Ornate Electrum Chain Bracelet: 1 HQ Ring + Chainmail Bracelet Pattern + Electrum Bar + Water + Smithy Hammer (Cost 26.805/13.4025) (Sellback 14.762/7.381) (Success Cost 12.043/6.0215)
Step 5: Ornate Gold Chain Gorgets to 132
Ornate Gold Chain Gorget: 1 HQ Ring + Chainmail Gorget Pattern + Gold Bar + Water + Smithy Hammer (Cost 39.385/19.6925) (Sellback 27.162/13.581) (Success Cost 12.223/6.1115)
Step 6: Ornate Gold Chain Bracelets to 135
Ornate Gold Chain Bracelet: 1 HQ Ring + Chainmail Bracelet Pattern + Gold Bar + Water + Smithy Hammer (Cost 42.545/21.2725) (Sellback 29.048/14.524) (Success Cost 13.497/6.7485)
Step 7: Ornate Electrum Chain Coifs to 139
Ornate Electrum Chain Coif: 2 HQ Rings + Chainmail Coif Pattern + Electrum Bar + Water + Smithy Hammer (Cost 24.170) (Sellback 12.381) (Success Cost 11.781)
Step 8: Ornate Gold Chain Sleeves to 142
Ornate Gold Chain Sleeves: 2 HQ Rings + Chainmail Sleeves Pattern + Gold Bar + Water + Smithy Hammer (Cost 32.045) (Sellback 19.524) (Success Cost 12.521)
Step 9: Ornate Gold Chain Coifs to 146
Ornate Gold Chain Coifs: 2 HQ Rings + Chainmail Coif Pattern + Gold Bar + Water + Smithy Hammer (Cost 32.045) (Sellback 19.524) (Success Cost 12.521)
At this point you *can* move to Electrum Mail to 148 and Gold Mail to 155, but I figured the cost would be too prohibitive and moved on to Fine Plate at this point. If anybody wants to submit the sellbacks for Electrum/Gold mail I'll update the guide.
I strongly suggest you skip Platinum altogether. 105 plat per attempt *just on the bar* is a lot to eat on a failure at this stage, and I have no idea what the sellback is like because I never bothered. Again, if somebody wants to submit the sellbacks, I'll update the guide.
Method 2: Fine Plate
Pros: Only one non-storebought component, better sellbacks than Ornate Chain. People might actually buy Fine Plate. Ornate Chain is an absolute bitch to sell to players.
Cons: EVERY combine takes a leather padding, which you either have to farm yourself or buy in the bazaar for whatever ungodly rate people sell it for. (I've seen somebody trying to sell it for 50 plat a piece... what's sad is that I think they sold it.) The ore is pretty heavy and doesn't stack. Going straight to Fine Plate from Banded is a good way to burn stacks and stacks of padding as well as lose quite a bit of plat on failures.
If you wish, you can skip Ornate Chain and jump straight to Fine Plate from Banded, but be aware that your success rate as first will be horrid and you'll probably lose a lot of plat. I worked up to 146 on Ornate Chain before I went to Fine Plate and had a fairly decent success rate with my geerlok.
If you need leather padding, I suggest going to Marus Seru and slaughtering Greyhoppers. They drop LQ rockhopper hides about 60-70% of the time (I'm not kidding) which can be used to make padding. They're only a low 20s mob, so pretty easy to kill for somebody who's this serious about smithing. If you're a tailor too, the greyhopper hides that they also drop are an easy way to get tailoring to 95. Look up the recipe yourself, this is a smithing guide!
After you've collected plenty of those hides, head for Shadeweaver's. In this zone, everything and it's mother drops shadeling silk. Two shadeling silks in a sewing kit makes a thread... combine the thread with the lq rockhopper hide and you get your padding. Regular silk threads also work for this. I have not tested if you can use shadeling silk with old world LQ pelts. Anybody know?
MQ Folded Sheet Metal: 1 Block MQ Ore + Smithy Hammer + Water (Cost: 20.537)
Step 1: Fine Plate Collars to 166
Fine Plate Collar: 1 MQ Folded Sheet Metal + Plate Collar Mold + Leather Padding + Smithy Hammer + Water (Cost 21.282) (Sellback 21.143) (Success Cost 0.139)
Step 2: Fine Plate Bracers to 168
Fine Plate Bracer: 1 MQ Folded Sheet Metal + Plate Bracelet Mold + Leather Padding + Smithy Hammer + Water (Cost 26.487) (Sellback 26.571) (Success *Profit* 0.084)
Step 3: Fine Plate Gauntlets to 175
Fine Plate Gauntlets: 2 MQ Folded Sheet Metal + Plate Gauntlet Mold + Leather Padding + Smithy Hammer + Water (Cost 44.234) (Sellback 42.857) (Success Cost 1.377)
Step 4: Fine Plate Helms to 179
Fine Plate Gauntlets: 2 MQ Folded Sheet Metal + Plate Helm Mold + Leather Padding + Smithy Hammer + Water (Cost 51.584) (Sellback 51.429) (Success Cost 0.155)
I have not yet reached 179, so I do not have the sellback on the BP. As soon as I get there I will update.
Step 5: Fine Plate Breastplates to 188
Fine Plate Gauntlets: 3 MQ Folded Sheet Metal + Plate Breastplate Mold + Leather Padding + Smithy Hammer + Water (Cost 82.621) (Sellback ?) (Success Cost ?)
Method 3: Humming Orbs
Pros: Cheapest way to get smithing to 168. When you hit 188 you're going to want these to make Shadowscream.
Cons: The components are no drop and farmed off lower-level mobs which means a lot of boring greenie camping if you're above 40 or so. Unless you head to Tenebrous, the Dire Sonic Wolves there are 35ish and drop shrieking about 1 in 4. (This is where I get my shrieking.) The orbs are slightly heavy (2.5 each, it adds up.) and most importantly DO NOT STACK, which eats up a ton of bank space. Plus you have to do a series of quests in Shar Vahl before you can even make the orbs.
Metal Ring (yield 2): 1 Large Brick of Ore + File + Water (Cost 1.585)
Humming Orb: 1 shrieking substance + 1 wailing substance + 1 (regular) metal rings + (Humming) Luclinite Mallet + Vah Shir Anvil (Cost 0.7925)
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