That being said, gear of equal or better value can just as easily be purchased from vendors or looted throughout Skyrim’s many dungeons.

No matter the play style, the weapons and armor a player chooses to wield and wear are an integral factor. If it doesn’t dramatically enhance the Dragonborn’s combat prowess or make it easier to survive Skyrim’s toughest boss encounters, it might be better to spec those hard-earned perk points into other skill trees. As is the case with leveling any of the crafting skills in Skyrim, the work and time that goes into improving Smithing has to feel worth it.

Smithing in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a long road of mining, hunting, buying, selling, and forging, one that comes with a number of pros and cons.