Skyrim holds some incredibly powerful and cool armor and weapon that are locked until players can achieve Smithing skill level 100. Players that ask how to get to Smithing Level 100 in Skyrim will be happy to know that the process is fairly easy, but it may be somewhat time-consuming. However, it does pave the way to plenty of exploration within Dwarven ruins, and a bout of gold considering what players will end up crafting and selling to achieve Smithing rank 100.
Players can both make money fast and reach level 100 in Smithing in Skyrim rather easily with this tried and tested method. This is by far the most efficient way to maximize gold, as well as achieve the well-sought-after Dragon Armor and Daedric Armor and weapons that will have players make an easy meal out of Alduin.
Craft Iron Daggers To Unlock Dwarven Smithing Perk
The first step that players will want to take when it comes to the fastest way to get Smithing 100 in Skyrim is to craft a bout of iron daggers. These are the easiest thing for players to craft, and it can be done at level 1 Smithing. Iron daggers are easy to craft at any forge, as they only require a single iron ingot and a few leather straps. These supplies can be purchased from almost any vendor, but especially blacksmiths.
Considering Whiterun has 3 blacksmith vendors, it’s the best place to purchase supplies for the iron daggers needed to level up the Smithing skill. Players won’t need iron daggers forever, as they simply need to craft enough to unlock the Dwarven Smithing perk, which can be unlocked at Smithing level 30.
Head To Riften Docks And Find From-Deepest-Fathoms
Now that players can craft Dwarven weapons and armor, they are going to want to begin the process of obtaining greater XP bouts from said Dwarven armaments. To do so, players need to head over to the Riften Docks, where they will find the frantic and illusive Argonian, From-Deepest-Fathoms. This character will begin the Dragonborn to take the mysterious Lexicon. However, they must be Level 14 for this character and quest to appear.
After happily obliging and taking the Lexicon from the hands of From-Deepest-Fathoms, players will then be able to head off to complete the Unfathomable Depths quest. This is a vital component of how to get Smithing 100 fast in Skyrim due to the reward claimed at the end of the quest.
Complete The ‘Unfathomable Depths’ Quest
The quest that begins with the request of From-Deepest-Fathoms will take players through a Dwarven ruin known as Avanchnzel. This area is huge, filled with Dwarven metals and loot for players to pick up and enjoy as they seek out the receptacle that can house the Dwemer Lexicon quest item.
In completing this mysterious and lore-filled quest, players will obtain a permanently active effect reward known as Ancient Knowledge. The effect of Ancient Knowledge will give players a 25% bonus when wearing Dwarven Armor. Yet, the biggest bonus is the fact that Blacksmithing XP increases 15% faster, proving how essential the Unfathomable Depths quest reward is for smithing 100.
Equip The Warrior Guardian Stone
Another way to increase the XP gains from smithing is to find the Warrior Stone, which is one of the best standing stones in Skyrim. Players can find this rather easily from the moment they escape Alduin’s destruction of Helgen. The Warrior Stone is in the Southwest of Riverwood and will grant players some great bonuses if they activate this standing stone.
With the Warrior Guardian Stone active, players will see an improvement in combat-associated skills, including Block, Heavy Armor, One-Handed, Two-Handed, and most importantly, Smithing. This increase is 20%, meaning players will have a total of 35% XP gains for when they begin smithing the Dwarven items necessary to rank up fast in Skyrim.
Venture To Markarth And Explore Nchuand-Zel
Markarth is one of the most sprawling and bustling cities in Skyrim. The city is located in the far west of Skyrim, and its structure is a marvel due to its Dwemer design, and the fact that it is known as the City of Stone. Players can head to the Understone Keep and to the left where they will find Calcelmo, an Altmer Conjurer who the Dragonborn will want to speak to to obtain a key to Nchuand-Zel, and the reward of the key to his Dwemer Museum.
Once players enter Nchuand-Zel, they will find a bout of treasure waiting before them. This is one of the largest Dwemer ruins in Skyrim, and it houses the best loot that a smithing guru can find. Players are looking for these metals in particular as they venture through Nchuand-Zel: Bent Dwemer Scrap Metal, Large Dwemer Plate Meta, Small Dwemer Plate Metal, Solid Dwemer Metal, Large Dwemer Strut, and Large Decorative Dwemer Strut.
Picking up all these heavy items may be a burden due to the carry weight, but players can find a useful glitch with the carry system if they command their followers to pick it up, instead of manually giving it to them in their inventory. This allows their follower to take far more items than they possibly can, essentially reducing them into a backpack with legs to carry all the Dwarven metals that players will want.
Smelt The Dwarven Materials
Now that players have successfully raided the contents of Nchuand-Zel, the Dwemer Museum, and other Dwarven ruins that they might come across in their times in Skyrim, they will want to bring them to the nearest smelter. In doing so, players can exchange all of the useful Dwarven metals that they have found and scrapped to exchange them into Dwarven Ingots. The following table will explain the weight and ingots yielded for each Dwemer item.
Dwarven Item | Weight | Ingots Yielded |
Bent Dwemer Scrap Metal | 2 | 3 |
Large Dwemer Plate Metal | 2 | 3 |
Small Dwemer Plate Metal | 2 | 3 |
Solid Dwemer Metal | 25 | 5 |
Large Dwemer Strut | 20 | 3 |
Large Decorative Dwemer Strut | 15 | 2 |
Now that players have obtained a few hundred Dwarven ingots, it’s time to craft them into something useful. Players should have around 300 Dwarven ingots just from the Nchuand-Zel Dwarven ruins area alone, but there are plenty of more ways to obtain these ingots, such as the inventory or blacksmiths, or the other Dwarven ruins in Skyrim.
Craft Dwarven Bows
The only thing players should craft with their hundreds of Dwarven Ingots is Dwarven Bows. The price of a single Dwarven Bow is 2 Dwarven Metal Ingots and 1 Iron Ingot. This is the cheapest amount of materials and will provide a large bout of XP per bow crafted. Players can spam the craft button to make as many bows as they can, although they should be cautious of their carry weight, as they don’t want to be stuck with hundreds of Dwarven Bows with nowhere to sell them.
Players can purchase Iron Ingots from practically any blacksmith vendor, who will usually have a reasonable stack of Iron Ingots and Iron Ore. Although some players may find the process of crafting Dwarven Bows tedious, especially with the resources needed for them and the time to sell them to make a profit, it is worth it. With smithing 100, players will be able to craft the best armor and weapons in Skyrim with Daedric and Dragon supplies, and they will net a solid profit from selling all of their handcrafted Dwarven Bows.
It's almost impossible to run out of Iron Ingots, as players can just wait 2 in-game days for the vendors’ inventory to reset, meaning they can purchase the necessary Iron, as well as sell off more Dwarven Bows. However, there is a way to get more Dwarven Ingots, in case players eventually run out.
How To Get More Dwarven Ingots
If this still isn’t enough, players can wait 10 days outside of Markarth for any of these Dwarven ruins to reset, as long as the area has been cleared of enemies. In resetting the area due to time waiting, the enemies will respawn, but so will all of the loot, including the Dwemer scrap materials that players found on the floors and shelves of this great ruin.
If players have waited 10 days, and return only to find that nothing has respawned, then they will need to leave again, and instead wait 30 days. This may take longer than some players would like, but it truly is the best source of Dwarven ingots, and the best way to craft the necessary items to continue to build up the Smithing ranks. The advantage is that players will have so many Dwarven Bows to craft that they will bankrupt every vendor as they sell them off, and receive thousands of gold coins in the process.