Smithing is a skill where you transform ores into various metal equipment. That can be armor or weapons, as long as it is metal. It’s a handy skill to level up and a good source of serviceable gear. Here’s how to level up efficiently, whether F2P or a paid member. However, you should note that this is an expensive endeavor, and you don’t always get your investment back. This 1-99 Smithing Guide will get you there as efficiently as possible.
Recommended Items and Equipment
Before starting your training, here are some excellent boosters for your leveling journey. They are unnecessary but will make the process easier and more convenient. They’ll be categorized by what they boost:
Performance Boosts
- Augmented Crystal Hammer
- Powerburst of Masterstroke
- Perfect Juju Smithing Potion
- Superheat Form
- Smithing Autoheater or its advanced version
- Luminite Injector
- Scroll of Efficiency
- Varrock Armor
- Smelting Gauntlets
- Morytania Legs 2
- Brooch of the Gods
- Smithing Cape
- Superheat Item
Experience Boosts
- Smelting Urn
- Urn Enhancer
- Blacksmith’s Outfit
- Gofannon Amulet
- Torstol Incense Sticks
- Sacred Clay Hammer
- Volatile Clay Hammer
- Smithing Brawling Gloves
- Inspire Genius Relic Power
- Orthen Furnace Core
The Augmented Crystal Hammer can be further upgraded with perks. The best ones are Tinker 4 and Rapid 4, though it depends on your preference.
Meanwhile, there are five kinds of Smelting Urns, each with limits and requirements. As you smelt bars (any other smithing activity will not activate them), one slowly gets filled. Once it’s full, you can teleport it away and get around a fifth of the experience needed to be filled. Urns are loaded one at a time, and you have up to 10 full ones in your inventory. You can boost the XP from them with an Urn Enhancer, though it only lasts for 20 charges.
With your preparations over, you can start your skilling.
Members’ Only Methods
Members have a wider variety of options to choose from than F2P players. They all have varying profitability and leveling efficiency levels, so pick the method you prefer.
Forging Platebodies (1-99)
- 1-30: Steel (+1)
- 30-40: Mithril (+2)
- 40-50: Adamant (+2)
- 50-60: Rune (+3)
- 60-70: Orikalkum (+3)
- 70-80: Necronium (+4)
- 80-90: Bane (+4)
- 90-99: Elder Rune (+5)
You can do The Knight’s Sword quest (requires 10 Mining) to jump directly to level 29 if starting at level 1. Upgrading the platebodies to the specified values in parentheses provides additional experience. Starting from Rune Platebodies, you can buy +2 ones and level up by enhancing them to +3. It’s more expensive but faster than making your own to upgrade.
It’s a method that focuses on leveling the skill. You don’t profit much from it until you start making Bane Platebodies and Elder Rune ones. At those points, you can earn some of your gold back.
Alternative 89-99: Corrupted Ore
If you like Mining, you can mine this ore and smelt them for training. You also need to have unlocked Prifddinas to do this. However, you can use the buff of the Voice of Seren to speed up the process. It’s a time-consuming method, so consider the time needed to mine the ore (it’s untradeable) and then smelt it.
Forging Burial Armor
This is one of the fastest methods to level up Smithing, but it’s expensive. It doesn’t provide any returns on investment. It requires a complete set of armor you want to use, and the items will be destroyed afterward. Always use full sets, as it gives you a 5% bonus than when you bury each piece individually. Also, use the highest-level armor you can forge.
- 40: Adamant
- 50: Rune
- 60: Orikalkum
- 70: Necronium
- 80: Bane
- 90: Elder Rune
Smelting Bars
This is a slower process, but it’s AFK and highly profitable. If going for this method, the Smelting Gauntlets will come in handy.
- 1-10: Bronze
- 10-20: Iron
- 20-30: Steel
- 30-40: Mithril
- 40-50: Adamant
- 50-60: Rune
- 60-70: Orikalkum
- 70-80: Necronium
- 80-90: Bane
- 90-99: Elder Rune
Alternative (Cheaper/Free) Methods
Clan Citadels
Depending on your clan, its citadel can offer you a furnace to level up Smithing. It’s a source of free experience while trying to reach their cap. Also, there is a bonus you can get when skilling in the citadel. The downside to this method is the need for charcoal and ore for the furnace to function properly.
Protean Bars
These come from Treasure Hunter. While smelting them into bars is considerably slower, a huge chunk of XP is worth the wait. You can even smelt them in the Wilderness with the Smithing Brawling Gloves, giving you bonus XP (especially at 50 Wilderness).
Free-to-Play Methods
You can do The Knight’s Sword quest to jump to level 29. Otherwise, you’re going to be doing the usual smithing process. That is, you’ll smelt ores into bars and turn those bars into equipment. The amount of XP you get depends on the number of bars used.
- 1-10: Bronze and Bronze Platebodies
- 10-20: Iron and Iron Platebodies
- 20-30: Steel and Steel Platebodies
- 30-40: Mithril and Mithril Platebodies
- 40-50: Adamant and Adamant Platebodies
- 50: Rune and Rune Platebodies
If you have 55 Dungeoneering, you can buy Scrolls of Efficiency. With it, bars you use when Smithing outside of Daemonheim have a 2% chance of not being used. This slightly cuts down your expenses.
Forging Burial Armor
Free-to-play users can use this costly but fastest way to level up Smithing. However, they are stuck with Rune ore as the highest-level metal they can work with. However, they reach max efficiency at level 59. Use the methods that fit your preference the best.
Quests to Do for Smithing Experience
You can also do some quests to help you along your journey. Here are some other ones you can do, other than The Knight’s Sword:
Free-to-Play Quests
- Doric’s Task I
- What’s Mine is Yours
- Doric’s Task II-IV
Members Only Quests
- Recipe for Disaster: Freeing Pirate Pete
- Heroes’ Quest
- The Giant Dwarf
- Doric’s Task V-VIII
- Between a Rock…
- Elemental Workshop I-III
- Devious Minds
- Cabin Fever
- Hero’s Welcome
- Defender of Varrock
- A Clockwork Syringe
- The Void Stares Back
- Rocking Out
- Kindred Spirits
- Love Story
- King of the Dwarves
- Birthright of the Dwarves
Remember that Members can also do the F2P quests, and all the above totals 402,882 experience to Smithing. Meanwhile, F2P players only have access to 16,125 XP.
Have Fun Smithing!
Whether you’re a paid member or a F2P one, it’s not a reason to leave your Smithing skill level at 1. Don’t forget to enjoy the process, and be patient! Things might not go as fast as you want, but you are moving forward.
Enjoy playing RuneScape 3!
