Blacksmithing is one of the most material-intensive professions in WoW Forever, and reaching skill 300 can become incredibly expensive if you craft without a plan. The challenge isn't simply finding recipes that award skill points. It's knowing which materials to save, when to switch recipes, and which late-game plans are worth obtaining before spending hundreds of gold. This guide provides a complete leveling route with purchasing checkpoints and alternatives that can help reduce unnecessary crafting costs.
Best Blacksmithing Leveling Route
Blacksmithing 1-185
Blacksmithing 185-270
Blacksmithing 270-300
Complete Shopping List
Cheaper Recipes and Alternatives
Blacksmithing Trainer Locations
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Best WoW Forever Blacksmithing Leveling Route 1-300
To level Blacksmithing from 1 to 300 in WoW Forever, begin with inexpensive sharpening and grinding stones, move into bronze and iron equipment, and use mithril-based recipes for much of the middle progression. The final levels require more specialized materials, including thorium, Azerothium, and rare crafting components.
I recommend leveling Blacksmithing alongside Mining whenever possible. Gathering your own stone and ore can reduce how much you need to purchase from the Auction House.
Here's the overall progression:
| Skill Range | Main Materials | What to Prioritize |
|---|---|---|
| 1-75 | Rough Stone, Coarse Stone, Copper | Craft and save grinding stones. |
| 75-185 | Bronze, Iron, Steel | Reuse earlier components and avoid unnecessary purchases. |
| 185-225 | Mithril | Compare mithril prices against alternative recipes. |
| 225-270 | Mithril, gems, specialty metals | Secure required recipes before buying rare materials. |
| 270-300 | Thorium, Azerothium, Essence of Air | Evaluate the full cost of your final crafting route. |
This recommended progression combines an economical early crafting sequence with a later documented Forever route for higher skill levels. It's a practical starting plan, not a guarantee of the lowest possible cost on every realm.
Exact material needs can vary because yellow and green recipes don't always award skill points. Check your current recipe colors and buy additional materials as needed rather than assuming every estimated craft will provide an increase.
WoW Forever Blacksmithing 1-185: Build Your Foundation
The early stages are about more than gaining skill. Several inexpensive items crafted now become ingredients in later recipes, allowing you to get additional use from the same materials.
Before starting, buy a Blacksmith Hammer from a supply vendor. Most weapon and armor recipes require one, and many also need a nearby anvil.
Skill 1-75: Stone and Copper
| Skill | Recommended Craft | Estimated Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 1-25 | 30 Rough Sharpening Stones | 30 Rough Stone |
| 25-50 | 30 Rough Grinding Stones | 60 Rough Stone |
| 50-67 | 36 Coarse Grinding Stones | 72 Coarse Stone |
| 67-75 | 8 Runed Copper Gauntlets | 64 Copper Bar, 16 Rough Grinding Stone |
Don't sell your Coarse Grinding Stones after crafting them. The next stage uses all 36, meaning you won't need to buy additional Coarse Stone for those later recipes.
You should also have some Rough Grinding Stones remaining after crafting the gauntlets. These can be useful if you choose the Silver Rod alternative around skill 75.
Skill 75-125: Bronze Equipment and More Grinding Stones
Learn Journeyman Blacksmithing before continuing beyond your Apprentice skill cap.
| Skill | Recommended Craft | Estimated Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 75-80 | 5 Runed Copper Belts | 50 Copper Bar |
| 80-95 | 15 Rough Bronze Leggings | 90 Bronze Bar |
| 95-100 | 5 Patterned Bronze Bracers | 25 Bronze Bar, 10 Coarse Grinding Stone |
| 100-112 | 20 Heavy Grinding Stones | 60 Heavy Stone |
| 112-125 | 13 Patterned Bronze Bracers | 65 Bronze Bar, 26 Coarse Grinding Stone |
Keep the 20 Heavy Grinding Stones you make here. You'll use them for Golden Scale Bracers once your skill reaches 175.
This is a useful example of why storing crafting components matters. You gain skill while making them, then reuse those items in another recipe that can increase your skill again.
Skill 125-185: Bronze Warhammers, Iron, and Steel
| Skill | Recommended Craft | Estimated Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 125-140 | 24 Bronze Shortswords | 120 Bronze Bar, 96 Weak Flux, 48 Medium Leather |
| 140-165 | 29 Bronze Warhammers | 232 Bronze Bar, 29 Strong Flux, 29 Medium Leather |
| 165-175 | 15 Green Iron Bracers | 90 Iron Bar, 15 Green Dye |
| 175-185 | 10 Golden Scale Bracers | 50 Steel Bar, 20 Heavy Grinding Stone |
You'll need Expert Blacksmithing to continue past skill 150. Saru Steelfury in Orgrimmar and Bengus Deepforge in Ironforge teach the rank.
Green Dye can be purchased from Tamar in Orgrimmar or Bombus Finespindle in Ironforge. Flux is sold by Blacksmithing Supply vendors in capital cities.
If you also have Mining 165, you can make Steel Bars using Iron Bars and Coal rather than buying finished bars. Compare the cost of both approaches before purchasing your steel.
WoW Forever Blacksmithing 185-270: The Expensive Middle Levels
Mithril becomes the main expense during this part of the profession. It's also where comparing recipes can make a meaningful difference to your total costs.
Skill 185-225: The Mithril Decision
The straightforward progression uses Mithril Plate Pants followed by Heavy Mithril Breastplates.
| Skill | Craft | Estimated Cost in Materials |
|---|---|---|
| 185-215 | 36 Mithril Plate Pants | 432 Mithril Bar |
| 215-225 | 10 Heavy Mithril Breastplates | 160 Mithril Bar |
This stage consumes approximately 592 Mithril Bars if you follow the estimated crafting counts.
However, you can potentially reduce your mithril requirements using alternative recipes. Those comparisons are covered in the cheaper crafting section below.
Skill 225-270: Mithril and Specialty Materials
Learn Artisan Blacksmithing before continuing beyond 225.
The later documented Forever route uses a mixture of stone recipes, mithril equipment, and specialized crafting materials rather than relying immediately on the Imperial Plate quest chain.
| Skill | Craft | Estimated Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 225-235 | 15 Dense Weightstones | 15 Dense Stone |
| 235-240 | 12 Mithril Coifs | 120 Mithril Bar, 72 Mageweave Cloth |
| 240-246 | 17 Heavy Mithril Boots | 238 Mithril Bar, 68 Thick Leather |
| 246-250 | 12 Big Black Maces | 192 Mithril Bar, 12 Black Pearl, 48 Shadowgem, 12 Solid Grinding Stone, 24 Thick Leather |
| 250-257 | 10 Arcanite Skeleton Keys | 10 Arcanite Bar, 10 Dense Grinding Stone |
| 257-270 | 20 Ebon Shivs | 240 Mithril Bar, 120 Truesilver Bar, 40 Star Ruby, 20 Solid Grinding Stone, 40 Thick Leather |
The Ebon Shiv plans are sold by Magnus Frostwake in Western Plaguelands. Make sure you can obtain them before purchasing the required Truesilver Bars and Star Rubies.
This stage alone requires roughly 790 Mithril Bars, alongside several other expensive materials. Buying everything at once isn't necessary if you're still deciding which alternative recipes to use.
WoW Forever Blacksmithing 270-300: Plan Your Final Crafts
The final 30 skill points deserve their own budget. Depending on the recipes you choose, this stretch can consume a significant amount of rare metal and other materials.
One documented route uses Bold Dirks and Ornate Thorium Handaxes.
| Skill | Craft | Estimated Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 270-275 | 5 Bold Dirks | 150 Thorium Bar, 50 Azerothium Bar, 20 Essence of Air, 20 Rugged Leather |
| 275-279 | 4 Ornate Thorium Handaxes | 80 Thorium Bar, 8 Large Opal, 8 Dense Grinding Stone, 16 Rugged Leather |
| 279-300 | Approximately 24 Bold Dirks | 720 Thorium Bar, 240 Azerothium Bar, 96 Essence of Air, 96 Rugged Leather |
Bold Dirk plans are sold by Pexmit in Mount Hyjal. Ornate Thorium Handaxe plans are sold by Magnus Frostwake in Western Plaguelands.
Why Skill 279-300 Is the Biggest Material Checkpoint
The last 21 skill points account for a disproportionate share of the materials in this 270-300 route.
Based on the estimated crafting quantities:
- Approximately 76% of the route's Thorium Bars are used from 279-300.
- Approximately 83% of its Azerothium Bars are used during that same stretch.
- Approximately 83% of its Essence of Air is also consumed there.
That's why I recommend stopping at skill 279 and reviewing your remaining material costs before committing to the final batch of Bold Dirks.
If Azerothium or Essence of Air is unusually expensive, alternative recipes may be worth investigating before you spend your gold.
Is Imperial Plate a Better Route to 300?
Imperial Plate recipes provide another potential route, but there's an important distinction between the available guides.
An earlier Forever beta-based progression proposed using Imperial Plate Belt, Bracers, Boots, and Leggings, with their plans obtained through Derotain Mudsipper in Tanaris.
That route estimated roughly 1,910 Thorium Bars for the 225-300 stage, including the bars needed for its associated quests.
However, the source couldn't verify whether all the Imperial Plate quests had been updated to match Forever's lower recipe skill requirements.
By comparison, the later documented route above uses approximately 950 Thorium Bars across its final 30 points, but also introduces expensive Azerothium Bars and Essence of Air.
These are different routes covering different skill ranges, so their thorium totals alone don't establish which is cheaper overall.
Before relying on Imperial Plate, confirm that the necessary quests and recipes are available at your current skill. Don't buy hundreds of extra Thorium Bars based solely on an unverified beta progression.
WoW Forever Blacksmithing Shopping List by Skill Range
Rather than buying everything for 1-300 at once, divide your purchases into smaller stages. This lets you adjust when material prices change or an alternative recipe becomes more attractive.
The following lists cover the recommended crafting path above. Quantities are estimates, and substitutions will change what you need.
First Purchase: Skill 1-75
- 90 Rough Stone
- 72 Coarse Stone
- 64 Copper Bar
- 1 Blacksmith Hammer
Keep the grinding stones you craft rather than selling them.
Second Purchase: Skill 75-185
- 50 Copper Bar
- 532 Bronze Bar
- 90 Iron Bar
- 50 Steel Bar
- 60 Heavy Stone
- 77 Medium Leather
- 96 Weak Flux
- 29 Strong Flux
- 15 Green Dye
This assumes you've kept the Coarse Grinding Stones from the previous stage and will reuse the Heavy Grinding Stones crafted during this one.
Third Purchase: Skill 185-225
- 592 Mithril Bar
This is the default mithril-heavy route. If steel is cheaper or you obtain Mithril Spurs plans, your total requirements may be substantially different.
Fourth Purchase: Skill 225-270
- 790 Mithril Bar
- 120 Truesilver Bar
- 10 Arcanite Bar
- 55 Dense Stone, including grinding stone ingredients
- 128 Solid Stone, for grinding stone ingredients
- 72 Mageweave Cloth
- 132 Thick Leather
- 40 Star Ruby
- 12 Black Pearl
- 48 Shadowgem
Check your recipe availability before buying the expensive specialty materials.
Final Purchase: Skill 270-300
- 950 Thorium Bar
- 290 Azerothium Bar
- 116 Essence of Air
- 132 Rugged Leather
- 8 Large Opal
- 32 Dense Stone, for Dense Grinding Stones
These amounts represent the documented Bold Dirk and Ornate Thorium Handaxe route, not the Imperial Plate alternative.
They also don't guarantee exactly 30 skill increases. Crafting outcomes can vary once a recipe is no longer guaranteed to award skill.
Which Blacksmithing Recipes Are Actually Cheaper?
There are several places where checking Auction House prices can save more gold than blindly following a fixed crafting list.
The most useful comparisons involve early copper purchases and the large mithril requirements around skill 185-225.
At Skill 75: Silver Rods vs Runed Copper Belts
The standard route calls for five Runed Copper Belts, consuming 50 Copper Bars.
Alternatively, five Silver Rods require five Silver Bars and 10 Rough Grinding Stones.
Since you may already have spare Rough Grinding Stones from earlier crafting, the alternative can be worthwhile when Silver Bars are inexpensive.
Compare the cost of 50 Copper Bars against five Silver Bars plus the value or replacement cost of 10 Rough Grinding Stones.
At Skill 185: Mithril Plate Pants vs Steel Equipment
This is one of the most meaningful material decisions in the entire guide.
The straightforward route from 185-215 uses approximately 432 Mithril Bars.
An alternative divides the progression between:
- 15 Steel Breastplates, consuming 240 Steel Bars and 45 Heavy Grinding Stones.
- 17 Steel Plate Helms, consuming 238 Steel Bars and 17 Solid Grinding Stones.
Combined, this alternative requires approximately 478 Steel Bars, 135 Heavy Stone, and 68 Solid Stone if you're making the grinding stones from scratch.
The steel route is cheaper when the total cost of those materials is lower than the cost of 432 Mithril Bars.
Because both routes use estimated craft counts, treat that comparison as a purchasing guide rather than an exact guaranteed total.
At Skill 215: Mithril Spurs vs Heavy Mithril Breastplates
If you obtain Plans: Mithril Spurs, you have another potentially significant saving opportunity.
For approximately 10 crafts, compare:
| Recipe | Estimated Materials |
|---|---|
| Heavy Mithril Breastplate | 160 Mithril Bar |
| Mithril Spurs | 40 Mithril Bar, 30 Solid Grinding Stone |
Choosing Spurs saves approximately 120 Mithril Bars but introduces a requirement for 30 Solid Grinding Stones, equivalent to 120 Solid Stone if crafted from raw stone.
It also requires a world-drop recipe that you may need to purchase from the Auction House.
For the substitution to save gold, the cost of the extra Solid Stone and the plans needs to be less than the value of the Mithril Bars saved.
That's a much more useful comparison than assuming Mithril Spurs are automatically cheaper for everyone.
WoW Forever Blacksmithing Trainers and Rank Requirements
Blacksmithing has four training ranks, and each one increases the maximum skill you can learn.
| Training Rank | Requirements | Skill Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | No character level requirement | 75 |
| Journeyman | Character level 10, Blacksmithing 50 | 150 |
| Expert | Character level 20, Blacksmithing 125 | 225 |
| Artisan | Character level 35, Blacksmithing 200 | 300 |
Horde Blacksmithing Trainers
- Dwukk: Razor Hill, Durotar.
- Angus Hammerhand: Bandarion Keep, Tirisfal Glades.
- Ug'thok: Orgrimmar.
- Basil Frye: Undercity.
- Thrag Stonehoof: Thunder Bluff.
- Snarl: Orgrimmar, Journeyman training.
- James Van Brunt: Undercity, Journeyman training.
- Karn Stonehoof: Thunder Bluff, Journeyman training.
- Saru Steelfury: Orgrimmar, Expert training.
There is no Blacksmithing trainer in Mulgore. Tauren players can instead visit Thrag Stonehoof on Thunder Bluff's lower rise.
If you're visiting Angus Hammerhand in Tirisfal Glades, purchase a Blacksmith Hammer beforehand. Walter Mason in Deathknell or Abigail Shiel in Brill can supply one.
Alliance and Skyborne Blacksmithing Trainers
- Therum Deepforge: Stormwind City, Journeyman training.
- Rotgath Stonebeard: Ironforge, Journeyman training.
- Bengus Deepforge: Ironforge, Expert training.
- Daeann Steelwind: Valanaar, Zephras Isle.
- Aedi Thriceforged: Shen'dar Village, Zephras Isle.
Darnassus doesn't have a Blacksmithing trainer, so you'll need to travel elsewhere if you're starting in that area.
Where to Learn Artisan Blacksmithing
Both factions learn Artisan Blacksmithing from Brikk Keencraft in Booty Bay, Stranglethorn Vale.
You need character level 35 and Blacksmithing 200 to train this rank. Visit him before reaching your Expert cap so you can continue progressing without another interruption.
Blacksmithing Mistakes That Can Waste Your Gold
Even a good recipe route becomes expensive when you're purchasing materials you don't need or crafting items that no longer increase your skill.
Buying Materials for All 300 Levels Immediately
The biggest risk is committing to a late-game recipe path before confirming you can obtain its plans.
Purchase materials in smaller batches, especially once you reach the mithril and thorium stages.
This gives you flexibility if you discover a cheaper recipe or one of your intended plans isn't available yet.
Ignoring Recipe Difficulty Colors
Blacksmithing recipes don't always provide skill points as you approach their upper skill limits.
Orange recipes provide guaranteed increases, while yellow and green recipes have progressively lower chances. Gray recipes won't increase your skill.
Before buying another large batch of materials, check whether your intended recipe is still a reasonable way to progress.
Following an Old Classic Route Without Checking Forever Changes
Some Blacksmithing recipe skill ranges have changed in WoW Forever.
That means a recipe that remained useful at a particular skill in Classic may stop awarding points earlier in Forever.
When your crafting results differ from an older guide, check the recipe's current color and skill requirements rather than assuming the older progression still applies.
Confusing Fewer Bars With Lower Total Cost
The final stages demonstrate why this matters.
A recipe using fewer Thorium Bars may still be significantly more expensive if it requires rare gems, Azerothium, or other costly components.
Compare the entire recipe rather than focusing on a single ingredient.
Forgetting to Train the Next Rank
You can learn higher Blacksmithing ranks before reaching your current maximum skill.
Make those trainer visits early enough to avoid reaching a cap and crafting items that can no longer increase your profession.
The most effective way to manage Blacksmithing in WoW Forever is to plan around your next material purchase, not just your next recipe. Save useful components, compare alternative crafts at the expensive breakpoints, and verify late-game plans before committing to their full material costs. That approach gives you a complete path toward 300 while leaving room to adjust when better crafting opportunities become available.
