This article is about the current version of DF.
Note that some content may still need to be updated.
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The blacksmith skill is used to make furniture (including placed tools such as bookcases), buckets, bins, blocks, cages, and anvils at a metalsmith's forge. It is also used for constructing metal buildings which use material-dependent labors, such as trade depots. Despite both being under the "furniture" menu of a forge, chains are made by metal crafters, and animal traps are made by trappers. Mechanisms can also be made at the metalsmith's forge out of metal bars but it uses the mechanic skill.
While not an essential skill for a new embark, as your fortress gets more established blacksmithing becomes extremely important. You will eventually want to start making furniture out of metal bars vs stone to increase room values for nobles and guildhalls. For example, a masterfully crafted throne made out of common stone has a value of 50 (10 base value * 1 for common stone * 2 for masterful + 30 bonus for masterful) while a masterfully crafted throne made out of platinum would have a value of 830 (10 base * 40 platinum * 2 + 30). Even items made out of mid-tier value metals such as brass with the lowest quality level will have much more value than any masterfully crafted items made out of stone (not including artifacts of course!) Similarly, if you want (some of) your dwarves to be extra happy, making their furniture out of their favorite metal (if their favorite stone is not easily available) will be desirable.
Skilling up your blacksmith is fairly straightforward. Get them to forge items that use the blacksmith skill over and over. The most optimal item to train on is metal buckets as a dwarf gets 60xp per bucket and then the bucket can be melted back down into bars to get 100% of your material back. If you have access to a magma forge you can do this repeatedly without using any fuel. Be careful not to melt any masterwork buckets your blacksmith might make as it can cause a negative thought, it's recommended to put your masterwork items in a separate stockpile so you don't accidentally melt them. A dwarf with no skill in blacksmithing needs to forge exactly 300 metal buckets to get to legendary skill level. You can also set up a blacksmith's guildhall which can increase the rate that your dwarves can learn the blacksmithing skill by watching demonstrations.
If only he knew how many goblin heads would be sliced with that thing.
Art by vertibirdo
- Buildings which are built using material-dependent labors (e.g. a trade depot) may require "any metalsmithing skill," but will only check and raise Blacksmithing, not any other qualifying skill (e.g. weaponsmithing). The quality of any such buildings is based off this skill alone. Bug:4899[Verify]
