Conan Exiles Blacksmith Guide: Not the Best in Whiterun

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Emily Medlock

Emily has thousands of hours clocked in survival games, from ARK: Survival Evolved to 7 Days to Die; she loves the diversity of the genre. Initially skeptical about the theme of Conan Exiles, she quickly became addicted to the game and now recommends it to every survival fanatic she meets. Right now, she's probably in the Tundra on a seemingly endless quest to find a Baby Sabertooth.

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A Conan Exiles Blacksmith guide can clear up confusion involving the Blacksmith thrall and associated crafting stations. A special feature of Conan Exiles is that you can add thralls to the workbenches and stations for added benefits when crafting.

This didn’t take me long to understand, but it took me a while to find the right Blacksmiths for the job. After all, there are three different types of named Blacksmith thralls, each with different specialties.

That, besides the similarities with Armorer thralls, can confuse Blacksmiths. Not to mention the four different types of Blacksmith benches, which aren’t based solely on a tier system. Yes, let’s clear this up.

Conan Exiles Blacksmith Overview

• T3 and T4 thralls can both make Steel Reinforcements cheaper
• Only Tempersmiths can make Legendary Weapon Repair Kits
• Tempersmiths have the best durability bonus
• Bladesmiths have the best damage bonus
• Edgemsiths have the best armor penetration bonus
• Purge Blacksmith thralls no longer have added benefits
• Armor penetration bonuses don’t add armor penetration, only increase it
• Blacksmiths can improve any Blacksmith Bench, the Tinker’s Bench, and the Casting Table
• You can add Blacksmith to the Artisan Table, but they don’t do anything

Blacksmith Bench, First and Foremost

Before you can use a Blacksmith thrall, you need a bench for it to work at. There are five benches that Blacksmiths can improve, only three of them being blacksmith benches, which is good to note because you need the Tinker’s Bench for certain Blacksmith items.

Blacksmith’s Bench

• Materials – 250 Stone, 50 Iron Bars
• Crafting Speed Bonus – 0%
• Cost Reduction – 0%
• Slots – 20

This is the basic Blacksmith Bench that will last you a long time. However, I recommend upgrading to the Improved Blacksmith Bench as soon as you have the materials for it because you will need one.

Improved Blacksmith’s Bench

• Materials – 100 Bricks, 100 Iron Reinforcements
• Crafting Speed Bonus – 33%
• Cost Reduction – 25%
• Slots – 40

Some reinforced tools and weapons (such as select Star Metal ones) require an Improved Blacksmith Bench. Thankfully, anything you can make in a regular one can also be made in this one.

Garrison Blacksmith’s Bench

• Materials – 200 Hardened Brick, 100 Insulated Wood, 100 Steel Reinforcements, 100 Hardened Steel Bars
• Crafting Speed Bonus – 0%
• Cost Reduction – 50%
• Slots – 40

The Garrison Blacksmith’s Bench will save you a ton of material, which saves you time gathering. It uses half the amount of materials to craft what you need but doesn’t craft any faster than a normal bench.

This is the bench I keep 90% of the time. It takes a hot minute to make because of the Hardened ingredients, but after I make it, I’m always so thankful for the reduced materials. In short, it pays off in no time.

Campaign Blacksmith’s Bench

• Materials – 200 Hardened Brick, 100 Insulated Wood, 100 Steel Reinforcements, 100 Hardened Steel Bars
• Crafting Speed Bonus – 200%
• Cost Reduction – 0%
• Slots – 40

The Campaign Blacksmith’s Bench aims to craft faster than other benches. Like, a lot faster. This is handy if you are getting ready for a dungeon with friends and want to meet them there ASAP.

Otherwise, it’s not near as good as the Garrison’s bench, even though it costs the same to make them. This could be a preference, though, because I hate spending all of my time gathering materials but don’t mind waiting for stuff to craft.

Tinker’s Bench

• Materials – 100 Wood, 25 Iron Bars
• Slots – 40

The Tinker’s Bench can make a lot of items, but the Blacksmith can be placed at it so that you can make the Legendary Armor Patch Kit and Legendary Weapon Repair Kit. But you can only do so with certain T4s.

Casting Table

• Materials – 100 Wood, 25 Iron Bars
• Slots – 40

Blacksmiths will increase the stats of very few items you make in the Casting Table. So, adding them isn’t that useful, in my opinion, but if you are going to add one to the table anyway, a Blacksmith is a good choice.

Blacksmith Thrall T1

• Weapon Damage Bonus – 2%
• Armor Penetration Bonus – 2%
• Durability Bonus – 3%
• Weight Decrease – 4%

The basic Blacksmith thrall will add a small bonus to your armor and weapons, so getting them early is a good idea. Find them near the river to ensure you can isolate them. But if you wait too long to get a Blacksmith, I suggest skipping to at least T3.

Blacksmith Thrall T2

• Weapon Damage Bonus – 3.7%
• Armor Penetration Bonus – 3.7%
• Durability Bonus – 5.8%
• Weight Decrease – 8.3%

T2 Blacksmith thralls are fine if that’s what you run onto. But I never get them. They don’t unlock unique recipes, and they’re just not good compared to the next tier, which can last you forever.

Blacksmith Thrall T3

• Weapon Damage Bonus – 5.6%
• Armor Penetration Bonus – 6%
• Durability Bonus – 8.7%
• Weight Decrease – 12.5%

T3 Blacksmith thralls are good because you can still get the extra recipes and bonuses with them. But depending on your priorities, you may need to get a T4 thrall because there are three types, giving you a custom bonus.

If you’re unsure, then go ahead and get a T4. But don’t do so blindly, or else you may not gain the benefits you were looking for and would be just as happy with a T3 Blacksmith.

Blacksmith Thrall T4

There are three types of named Blacksmith thralls, each giving different bonuses, but all three are better than any T3 thrall. I recommend having them all and rotating them depending on your current priority.

Blacksmith Thrall T4 – Edgesmith

• Weapon Damage Bonus – 5.6%
• Armor Penetration Bonus – 22.2%
• Durability Bonus – 35%
• Weight Decrease – 12.5%

Edgemsiths have the best increase of armor penetration but also a pretty insane durability bonus. Their damage is the same as a T3 thrall so avoid making weapons you want to have great damage with it if you have other T4s to use.

My Edgesmith Pick – Merkel the Edgesmith

Merkel the Edgesmith is one of the easiest Edgesmiths to get if he’s there. The others are a pain because the area is either dangerous or a ton of other NPCs attack from afar whenever you attack the Edgemsith.

T4 Non-Purge Edgesmith Thralls (Exiled Lands)

Blacksmith Thrall T4 – Bladesmith

• Weapon Damage Bonus – 22.2%
• Armor Penetration Bonus – 6%
• Durability Bonus – 30.5%
• Weight Decrease – 12.5%

Bladesmiths have the best increase of damage and decent durability. However, its armor penetration is lacking, so if you want a weapon for fighting armored enemies, then use a different T4.

My Bladesmith Pick – Johann of Nordheim

Johann has a decent chance of spawning compared to other naped thralls at Meadowwatch. But this is a good camp to go to anyway because it has multiple great thralls you can capture even if Johann isn’t there, including Merkel the Edgesmith and Beri.

Non-Purge T4 Bladesmith (Exiled Lands)

Blacksmith Thrall T4 – Tempersmith

• Weapon Damage Bonus – 11.2%
• Armor Penetration Bonus – 11.2%
• Durability Bonus – 44%
• Weight Decrease – 12.5%

Tempersmiths have the best increase in durability. The other stats are lacking, but it’s still way better than a T3 Blacksmith thrall. As you can see, the weight decrease doesn’t change in any T4 or T3 Blacksmith thrall.

My Tempersmith Blacksmith Pick – Beri

Beri is my number-one pick for Tempersmiths because she’s always hanging out somewhere. I’ve had the most luck catching her at a good spot at Freya’s Hovel and Lian’s Watch, where you can also find Freya and Lian, two of my favorite thralls.

Non-Purge T4 Tempersmiths (Exiled Lands)

T4 Purge-Exclusive Blacksmith Thralls

Not long ago, making Steel Reinforcements for cheaper required a purge Blacksmith thrall. But now, you can do that with a T3 Blacksmith. So purge Blacksmiths have lost their magic, but you can still grab them if you’re lucky because their HP should be better than wild ones.

The Power of the Steel Reinforcement Bonus

The passive bonus of having any T3 or T4 Blacksmith at a bench is that they gain the Reinforce recipe. This makes Steel Reinforcements cost one Steelfire and one Iron Reinforcement instead of two Steel Bars.

This is easy to underestimate if you’re new to Conan Exiles, but it’s a good ability. It speeds up the time and removes a step (making Iron Bars.) Even if the Blacksmith does nothing, it’s worth it for Reinforce, especially in the Isle of Siptah where it seems everything uses Steel Reinforcements.

FAQs

Blacksmith Conclusion in Conan Exiles

Conan Exiles’ Blacksmiths are a good thrall at your base for better armor and weapons. It’s also a good idea to be able to craft Legendary Weapon Repair Kits so you won’t have to rely on finding them to repair your best weapons.

Overall, it’s best to have a thrall at every station at your base. But then again, the more thralls you have out in PvP, the more deadly an attack will be. As for me, I’m still a PvE fan, so I load up the thralls on my stations and let them do their jobs. Thank you, Beri, for giving me weapons that will withstand the test of time.

Related read

• Conan Exiles Godbreaker Armor Guide: Not Champion’s Armor, But Still Pretty Darn Good
• Conan Exiles Hardened Steel Guide
• Conan Exiles Star Metal Locations
• Conan Exiles Coins Guide: The Hyborian Market