Can't level weaponsmithing

[Pallmor]

Hi, I'm trying to level my weaponsmithing, but all the recipes at the forge require exotic materials like "Void Metal" "Shadowfur" and "Far Iron" instead of iron, steal, Starmetal, etc.

It used to not be this way. A steel sword used to require steel, not "Void Metal" to craft. But now I'm basically stuck at weaponsmithing level 85.

[Likabul]

A Steel sword still requires steel.
The exotic materials are mostly used in the named weapon crafting.

Is your crafting screen bugged?

[Percello]

I'm sure you probably already know, but try to change the metal. Maybe it'll let you select the correct metal.

[CirceTheSiren]

you need higher skill for farming tools and a pick that include luck and better skinning knife that also should include luck you can get this while raising engineering to craft better tools than the faction shop.

after a while you might get randomly more rare fur while skinning also higher level wolves,predator cats and scorpions or dear.bison etc also with better mining skill gold and platinum nodes may drop gems to later get cuted to put on armor and weapons for free and rare metals than just mining iron.

with increased skill mining starmetal and higher ore if grown to a large pile has also an increased chance for rare result in addition to the normal ore harvest.

everything is linked luck perks for tools and higher gathering skill will become more important as the quality of the node.

but sometimes you can change the material quality if a drop down menu is available.

valuable luck perk for tool should be hoarded until you can craft better tools by yourself at the workshop basicly just raise all tradesklling skill instead of wasting cash at the tradingpost

some rare recipes that are unlocked with higher crafting skill require specific rare materials also you need more refining skill later just a matter of a lot of time.

all of that also provide exp so crafting wont get you rich but will help to avoid getting broken,because you have lesser need to buy a lot of stuff from the tradingpost.

[lyonesse2]

Originally posted by Percello:

I'm sure you probably already know, but try to change the metal. Maybe it'll let you select the correct metal.

This is most likely the issue.

@OP: In case you don't know how to switch, click on the metal and it should let you select other suitable types (provided you have them).

[Foxglovez]

For some reason this game opts to use your best stuff, or that which you have enough of. So a steel sword may indeed show an exotic metal but don't do it unless you consciously make the choice. Any time you see a material in a long rectangular box - be careful. Click on it to check options.

Late at night, in a hurry, a few too many brews can really mess up your hoarded mat collection. Or be like me and accidently use Wyrdwood for charcoal. Sigh. Haste makes waste.

The other issue is when you start storing mats in a bunch of different towns. You may think you have steel in X town but it's really somewhere else. Crafting from all towns or at least the ability to check a few and not have to play storage management sim all the time would be a boon.

[GrailQuest]

If you are just levelling and not trying to make anything useful, then you can do town board missions to craft iron or crude iron weapons, occasionally steel weapons.
Also when you deconstruct gear sometimes you will get some scrap that can improve your skills through crafting "research" at a station.

[Shismar]

If you are buying the materials, it may actually be cheaper to use exotic materials. Also some of those named item crafts are great for leveling at higher tiers.

At 200+, purchasing fragments can be an option too.