Alright, I am not putting any time or effort into leveling my Smithing skill. But I'd still like to be able to have improved weapons/armor. Is there a way to pay smiths to do this for me, instead of having to sink points into Smithing? Seems stupid that you can't just pay somebody to improve your gear if they have the relevant skill.

Alright, I am not putting any time or effort into leveling my Smithing skill. But I'd still like to be able to have improved weapons/armor. Is there a way to pay smiths to do this for me, instead of having to sink points into Smithing? Seems stupid that you can't just pay somebody to improve your gear if they have the relevant skill.

No, but you should really get the skill up, it's kind of a huge difference. And not very hard. Just buy lots of ingots/ore and go to Markarth to farm Dwemer scrap to get like 50 Dwarven ingots in a run through the Dwemer ruins under the city (it's all right outside near the scholars and right inside before you ever get to any spiders, so its super to easy to get as long as you have an empty pack).

I will admit, it's odd that there isn't an option, but it'd likely be expensive and less effective than what you can do with a maxed smithing ability. Smithing is really goddamn good.

Smithing is almost essential if you wear heavy armour. I can't say for other builds.

Smithing and Enchanting are ridiculously good. You have to come up with a very good reason not to level both of them. The only reason not to use Smithing, that I can think of, is if you're a mage who doesn't use weapons or armor.

You don't need to, but that particular skill comes highly recommended.

It seems like the best builds are those that are high in both Smithing and Enchanting as well as Restoration, and then either one-handed and destruction magic or two handed.

@Dry_Carton said:

Smithing and Enchanting are ridiculously good. You have to come up with a very good reason not to level both of them.

It's a roleplaying game. You play a role. My thiefy assassin doesn't want to learn smithing. He will gladly pay some NPC to improve his armor for him, though, and there should be a way to do that. Just like the old school pencil-and-paper D&D or L5R. You want to visit a gunsmith, you tell your dungeon master "I want to go see a gunsmith" and if he tells you no, they exist but for some reason you and you alone cannot use them, then he's never allowed to DM again. But I guess it's only "roleplaying" to a certain extent.

My question's been answered, though, so this thread can be locked. TM guys.