Do We Really Need Smithing?

[Teralitha]

I kinda wish that blacksmithing wasnt in the game to be honest. I spend too much time refining metals, buying (TONS of) wood, making charcoal, and waiting in order to get the best weapons in the game when id rather be getting them from loot or a lucky find at the store, or even a quest reward.

The amount of time a player wastes on this feature is staggering. If you cut out blacksmithing, you eliminate a major money exploit, a huge time waster and you can fill the void with more adventure type content. (With rare equipment as rewards)

Content for KINGS. Make being a ruler great again.

EDIT:
How its curently implemented is not so good. But I do have a suggestion that wouldnt require a big change, and would remove a large part of the grind.

1. Remove the "make charcoal" option, and just have hardwood villages sell charcoal. That alone would cut out HOURS of boring dullass grinding.

Not only would this cut down on alot of time wasted, but its also historically accurate. You could go even go another step further, and allow players to buy processed metals from a smithy, so they dont have to make it themselves. Still allow us to make it, but give us a choice to make it, or buy it. Spend gold to avoid the grind.

I would also remove the lowest grade of metal to remove a step in the process. Instead of crude iron to iron, just make it from iron ore to iron. Cut out the crude iron (and wrought iron) step as its kind of unecessary.

Iron Ore -> Iron
Iron -> Steel
Steel -> Fine Steel (or tempered steel)
Fine Steel -> Thamaskian Steel.

This would mean removing the crude iron by product, which is not even realistic to actual smithing.

[AfLIcTeD]

The main thing I hate about smithing is the rng aspect. You can smith thousands of weapons and still not unlock most parts. Even when you are exploiting with high damage weapons.
How can you craft the weapons you want when you can't unlock them.

[Edmund Greyfox]

You may be right. I don't really enjoy smithing, it's just something i have to do to get the axe i want and to outfit my followers with good weapons. I dread the grind every time I start a new game, because i know It's going to take forever to unlock the parts i want.

The thing is, crafting was added to the game because people asked for it. Being able to make your own customized weapons and armor was a pretty common request in warband. There were also a lot of people asking to be able to make things to sell instead of being wandering traders in the early game. Smithing seems to be an attempt to give both groups what they wanted, so any replacement or change needs to do both things as well.

[Teralitha]

Messaggio originale di AfLIcTeD:

The main thing I hate about smithing is the rng aspect. You can smith thousands of weapons and still not unlock most parts. Even when you are exploiting with high damage weapons.
How can you craft the weapons you want when you can't unlock them.

Get the perks that increase unlocking parts by 100%, for both smithing and smelting. And then have your companions do the steelmaker perks.

[Teralitha]

Messaggio originale di Edmund Greyfox:

You may be right. I don't really enjoy smithing, it's just something i have to do to get the axe i want and to outfit my followers with good weapons. I dread the grind every time I start a new game, because i know It's going to take forever to unlock the parts i want.

The thing is, crafting was added to the game because people asked for it. Being able to make your own customized weapons and armor was a pretty common request in warband. There were also a lot of people asking to be able to make things to sell instead of being wandering traders in the early game. Smithing seems to be an attempt to give both groups what they wanted, so any replacement or change needs to do both things as well.

How its curently implemented is not so good. But I do have a suggestion that wouldnt require a big change, and would remove a large part of the grind.

1. Remove the "make charcoal" option, and just have hardwood villages sell charcoal. That alone would cut out HOURS of boring dullass grinding.

Not only would this cut down on alot of time wasted, but its also historically accurate. You could go even go another step further, and allow players to buy processed metals from a smithy, so they dont have to make it themselves. Still allow us to make it, but give us a choice to make it, or buy it. Spend gold to avoid the grind.

I would also remove the lowest grade of metal to remove a step in the process. Instead of crude iron to iron, just make it from iron ore to iron. Cut out the crude iron (and wrought iron) step as its kind of unecessary.

Iron Ore -> Iron
Iron -> Steel
Steel -> Fine Steel (or tempered steel)
Fine Steel -> Thamaskian Steel.

This would mean removing the crude iron by product, which is not even realistic to actual smithing.

[fg-rummeling]

Smithing makes you a mulltimillionaer in almost no time, It make you able to buy out every clanleader once you are king, it is the only way to devellop all members of your clan fast and yes it is time consuming. Once your chars are 30+ it takes some visits in the smithy to gain a level,
yet it is the fastest way to improve - by far.

[Teralitha]

Players can becomes millionaires just by being a king, and never giving control of any settlement to a vassal. They dont need to do smithing for this. Smithing just lets it happen faster, and only because of bugs.

[Makaveli]

yes blacksmithing is great .. its people that choose to cheese off it ... simple just scrap the items you craft if its not what you want or discard the item... no one tells you to abuse the black smithing mechanic

[Teralitha]

Messaggio originale di Makaveli:

yes blacksmithing is great .. its people that choose to cheese off it ... simple just scrap the items you craft if its not what you want or discard the item... no one tells you to abuse the black smithing mechanic

This topic is not about exploiting. Try reading it again. Or for the first time.

[Pistachio]

I'm on the same boat, I wouldn't mind if they removed Smithing altogether. Not only is it a grind, but it feels like to me there isn't all that many weapons that you "need" to craft.

You can buy most weapons you need already and what exists ingame is already sufficient for most of the time.
Maybe the only thing I need that I can get exclusively via crafting is a slightly longer than default Glaive.

Otherwise, Smithing is done for money and if it weren't for the overpriced Javs and Twohanders, I don't see what it adds to the game.

[AfLIcTeD]

They could also add the ability to upgrade gear with it. I'm sure people will use it a lot more then.
Maybe it would be the only way to to get the masterwork or lordly modifiers.

[Winter]

I think the thing TW needs to do is make it so you can only unlock specific weapon types by smelting & forging specific weapon types. Eg. Smelt a sword & you learn a bit about the way it was put together.

It would be logical for the character to buy or loot the specific weapon type they wish to eventually forge. Why would you learn about a sword by smelting a javelin?

Those of you saying smithing should be removed may aswell remove yourself from this thread because it's never going to happen. ;)

[JLMetaMix]

If they do this, Have the blacksmith be the same concept as the Shops.

1. Hire or put a Companion in blacksmith Shop.

2. Have a category for all Blacksmithing items.

3. Toss everything in the box where the blacksmith shop is.

4. Choose a weapon you want to craft from hired blacksmith or companion.

Everyday they would do the blacksmith for you if they have stamina, And will try to make the weapon that you chose, Whatever you put in the box is junk and basically is free rain for them to use.

[Edmund Greyfox]

Messaggio originale di WinterWolf:

I think the thing TW needs to do is make it so you can only unlock specific weapon types by smelting & forging specific weapon types. Eg. Smelt a sword & you learn a bit about the way it was put together.

It would be logical for the character to buy or loot the specific weapon type they wish to eventually forge. Why would you learn about a sword by smelting a javelin?

Those of you saying smithing should be removed may aswell remove yourself from this thread because it's never going to happen. ;)

For me that would solve the grind issue, since there are only about 20-30 axe parts total. A lot of the grind comes from all the 100's of parts you unlock that you'll never use.

I still say that any change to smithing would need to involve both the making of custom gear and the ability to make decent money by selling crafted items. When you consider that you can fight a couple of mid sized battles in one day and sell the loot/prisoners for 50K+ being able to craft 5 items a day that sell for 10k when your skill is 225+ doesn't seem out of line.

[Winter]

@Locklave
You have no patience. You have no place at a hammer & anvil. :D

[GutturalWail]

as far as the current system is, you are doing smithing wrong. dont refine, it is going to eat up all of your time and resources, simply smelt T3+ weapons and you will be fine. all you need to make is the charcoal. Smithing is OP, I have a smith that has made my entire team gamebreakingly good weapons, He also makes weapons worth so much money entire cities can only pay for a fraction of their worth before running out of money.
They also make incredible barter items for convincing other lords to join your nation.