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What has happened to Smithing?


Xoranium

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I didn't know where else to post this, but seeing as I would like opinions/views and most importantly truths, I guess it is more of a debatable thread than a discussion one.

 

 

 

Anyway, here goes. I have just recently come back to Runescape after not playing it for 4-5, maybe even more - years. Everything is so different, it is so amazing to see it looking so much better, yet still keeping that Runescape feel heh. I was a runite miner back in the days of the no.1 spot smithing war between Musashi and Whitemagem - I made a lot of money from their free runite smithing campaigns as the miners pushed up their prices and took the profits that the smithers decided they didn't want/need. I am not ashamed to admit that I took advantage of the market and my fellow players, selling my ore for crazy prices. I mean, some one always has to profit - or at least that is how it use to be.

 

 

 

Having come back now though, and deciding to start again from scratch. Maybe this time I will be a smither I thought, but looking at it now.. Is there really any point? I look at the rune armour/ore/bar and so on prices, and there surely is none to very little profit to be made in smithing. Now, back in the days this wasn't an issue, as you still got to do free smithing, or I guess as it is today, assisting. Doing this made you popular, made you known. Is it the same today? To me it doesn't feel the same at all.

 

 

 

Bluerose13x held the market for a long time, only making items for a select few (her closest friends and such I believe - I think she kept the higher items to herself/friends such as Kite shields and Battleaxes) - Zezima I remember vowed to do free smithing and I believe he did, based probably on the fact that Bluerose was tight fisted with her well earned achievement. This is what forced Musashi and Whitemagem to do similar (free-smith), but they decided to make it a war for the no.1 spot - seeing as profitably of the skill was not available and only reputation was. I might not be exactly right, so forgive me as this was a long time ago. I think Zezima never did try to battle for no.1, he just sort of initiated the free smithing era on Runescape which I guess people will see as a good/bad thing. Although I do believe it was what lead to Dragon items being released.

 

 

 

It was so soon after the free smithing began that Dragon items came out that it seemed like Jagex had been waiting for the market to change. Waiting for a period where Rune wasn't rare any more and had to create something more elite. Taking the responsibility away from the smiths to keep items rare. I have no problem with this, it is a very similar way to how World of Warcraft works. Something had to change, but in doing so it seems Smithing has become almost pointless (or maybe I am wrong)?

 

 

 

I don't have much experience in the new world and how things work now. I am not sure either how, why, or when smithing truly died/began its descend and I was hoping someone could tell me when it became more of a skill than THE skill. Everyone wanted 99 smithing, I came back to Runescape still wanting 99 smithing lol - it is such a powerful thing that seeing it not as amazing or as lucrative as it once was makes me feel sad.

 

 

 

Do Jagex plan to change smithing? To me it still looks and feels the same just without any meaning. So many years later and seeing so many new skills, and so many changes.. Smithing being the most notorious skill to me, I thought it would still be or at least have the content to be one of the top skills to have. At the moment though, it seems to me that the only thing smithing is useful for is overall skill count/the cape. Is this true? Or am I wrong?

 

 

 

I guess maybe I am just stuck in the past, knowing what Runescape use to be and what it is now. It seems more like a cattle farm now where everyone can have everything if they have enough gold or time, whereas before it was more about who you knew. Possibly the way the new trading system works changed things? In the past I remember using these forums (tip.it) to advertise on - now it's all automated..

 

 

 

What I want to know is;

 

Is there a skill around like Smithing use to be?

 

Will Smithing ever be made into a useful skill again - even if its just for the smiths and not something they can profit from money wise?

 

How exactly did Smithing become the way it is today?

 

Is there any official information from Jagex on why Smithing was seemingly killed off so brutally?

 

 

 

I have looked at the rarest items in the game today and it seems like most, if not all are produced from killing creatures - meaning high combat level. Are the other skills really just side notes - is combat now the main skill(s)?

 

 

 

Runescape use to have a bunch of skills that all had serious rewards for 99 skills, but now it doesn't seem that way for quite a few skills. Smithing being one of them, and knowing its past so well, as I mentioned earlier - it is a real shame. I remember when nobody did woodcutting and firemaking because it was utterly pointless, now I look around and everyone is doing it hehe.

 

 

 

It's good to see old skills getting a new life, but surely the skills that had life shouldn't be ignored completely.

 

 

 

I hope some new school players will post here in reply and give me their views and such. I am hoping I can love Runescape once again, I just need a push in the right direction. Should I try the new skills, is there any that I are really hard but amazingly rewarding like Smithing/Mining once were?

 

 

 

Thanks for reading my post.

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What I want to know is;

 

Is there a skill around like Smithing use to be?

 

Will Smithing ever be made into a useful skill again - even if its just for the smiths and not something they can profit from money wise?

 

How exactly did Smithing become the way it is today?

 

Is there any official information from Jagex on why Smithing was seemingly killed off so brutally?

 

 

 

 

I quite agree with you. Although haven't shared similar 'smithing' eras, I too, have found smithing turning very much 'killed off'. The prices of smithable items would slowly decline as better non-smithable weapons are added into the game. This is inevitable. Demand for barrows armour, dragon armour and whips continually increase, all the while bringing an ill fate to the smithers.

 

 

 

To answer your question, I don't think there'll be a skill like what smithing used to be. Smithing can always be made into a useful skill. It's just how much effort the developers put in to revive it that's the limiting factor. As pointed out above, smithing became the way it is now because of the decline of the need (and want) for smithable items. The general population demands for armours and weapons that could only be obtained through monster drops. No longer is holding a rune scimmy something to be awed; people want to wield god swords and wear bandos.

 

 

 

And no, there is no official information from JaGeX on why the skill was seemingly killed off.

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I personally used to smith quite a lot back in the first years of RSC and eventually got 99 in Rs2. This is how I see the change.

 

 

 

At the very beginning, smithing was a way to gain money and get ahold of certain items. Of course as trading was really limited, this ended up to a monopolistic/oligopolic (Depending on Blue's role at certain times) competition where people intentionally or unintentionally supported certain smithers. Eventually it led into non-market based items floading in rs such as rune kites and 2handers which were only held by very few who either were close friends to Bluerose or had enough wealth to buy one from those few lucky ones.

 

 

 

By time the number of rune smiths (and same time miners) grew and people actually wanted to get some serious profit out of their abilities. This led into a situation where certain goods started to actually get markets. This increased supply of course started to drop the prices and eventually smithing got into a stage where items were hardly profitable anymore due free smithing and huge increasement in supply.

 

 

 

After easier trading methods (notes vs certs vs mules), smith-x and better armours and weapons the skill itself has become pretty dull. The removal of the first version of bh and ge have dropped rune prices below the breakevent point as there's really low demand: members got a lot better armours and weapons plus there's not same kind of armour loss anymore due safe clan related pk.

 

 

 

This has led into a case where rune smithing is a few week task to get if you have the money (which many do have), it's hard to even break even with rune smithing and where smithing is basically a bit like a bit more expensive version of fletching: buyable skill that is taken due the sake of having it at 99, not because of same motives why it was taken/planned to be taken some years ago.

 

 

 

Unless we get new smithables (hard to see this happening without a complete change in the smithing tables) that actually are worth wearing and are being lost in masses, I don't see how smithing would become something more than the "fletching of bourgeous".

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Having witnessed the early days of smithing, I can say that smithing really lost its value. Back in the days, when rune was still the best armour, it was considered extremely useful to be able to make full rune. Therefore there was profit to be gained there. Nowadays rune is more of a gimmick, mostly used in F2P.

 

 

 

Smithing isn't really of much use anymore. If you're in it for the money, you can leave it alone. In fact, it'll cost you lots and lots of money before you finally reach 99 smithing, and you won't be getting something useful in return.

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I understand somewhat why this is happened, what baffles me the most is that there has been nothing done to prevent these types of skills becoming ultimately useless.

 

 

 

It comes down to the age old battle of Pkers vs Non-Pkers - now as it seems - Skillers vs Combatants. The combatants seem to be getting the most out of Runescape by a far.

 

 

 

My question is;

 

Why are the Skillers best armour and weapons combat orientated, shouldn't we all have armour, weapons, jewellery and such that benefits us personally and not globally?

 

(This wasn't an option in the past, as any items you wore took up inventory space, so skillers often wore no armour. Now it seems to have changed, but people still seem to be wearing things that in the everyday skilling world, make no difference to them)

 

 

 

Why can't Magicians make items that increase Magic speed, power and such.

 

Why can't Smiths make items that increase experience gained from smithing/smelting (like the gloves for gold smelting).

 

Why can't Crafters make items that help them and other Crafters craft.

 

 

 

Basically, why is there no items that have no effect on the combatant world but yet still have appeal to the skilling world?

 

 

 

Every thread I read where people ask for Smithing to be updated (on Runescape Forums) ask for the option to make Dragon items and other such combat orientated weapons/armour. This will never happen as it will effect many things in many ways, ultimately making the game easier to play (probably). So why not separate the two people completely as it use to be and should be - items for combat and items for skilling.

 

 

 

It seems like this is the only way skills will become useful again, if the people push for themselves to be separated from combat related skills and items. There are two types of players who play Runescape, there always has been - I personally am a Skiller and love skilling - but I love(d) it because there was something to gain. It doesn't matter to me, and probably many other people if the gains are minimal, as long as there is something, anything - just a little attention.

 

 

 

Is this something that Jagex are planning? It really does seem to me the only way out of the current situation.

 

 

 

Of course there will always be some complaints to a change or addition like this. At the moment skills are a side-line, possibly for money making, the ultimate goal is to become a great combatant - this is wrong. Runescape was so good in the past because they knew the difference between the players of their game, they seem to have lost their way big time, but why?

 

 

 

If they implemented something where items made by high level smiths/crafters and such only effected their own economy, skill ease and such - maybe we could once again see a bit of responsibility added to the Runescape skills. Even if the items are like World of Warcrafts BOP (bind on pickup) so they cannot be sold or traded, it will still inject a bit of life into skills that have no real world advantage.

 

 

 

Thanks for the replies thus far.

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a good friend of mine made a topic on the RSOF About this, and it was very well supported...

 

 

 

his idea was basically to make two times of all smithable armour, normal, and (q)

 

 

 

all current armour would stay the same, but (q-standing for quality) would be only makeable by smiths

 

 

 

they would set out to make normal armour and based on thier smithing level had the possiblity or making (ex- rune platebody(q))

 

 

 

this would have slightly better stats, making these peices more in demand, which would therefore make smithing a viable source of income once again :)

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Welcome back :)

 

 

 

Some of the more "classic" skills have been neglected, I'm sure that given enough time Jagex will try to update and "modernise" these skills, as they have done with Firemaking.

 

 

 

I don't smith much anymore, for the simple reason that it's basically useless, and costs alot to train :|

 

 

 

If smithing made considerable money, I would of course value it as a skill, but it doesn't, therefore I don't.

 

 

 

Mining and Smithing, being the most common F2P skills, naturally have molded the market into what it is, mining doesn't make that much money, is slow to train, and smithing loses money yet is still required for many quests and sought after items such as the Varrok armour :|

 

 

 

 

 

I do hope that mining and smithing are updated, I'm thinking dragon pickaxe and dragon ores, bars etc. for the future :thumbsup:

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Nice to see someone bck.

 

 

 

However, due to new update(Godwars, DKS, KQ, CB)

 

 

 

EVERY skill is useless for money making. Too many raw material, too many levels. Consdering you could make a month's worth of cash doing skills in a single day at Godwars, its useless

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What I want to know is;

 

Is there a skill around like Smithing use to be?

 

 

 

A vast skill-related moneymaking skill? Yes, that's runecrafting. I think I've made about 500M from my total carrier in runecrafting. Slayer is arguably great as well, but that's more of a combat-related way since you're relying on monster drops. There are still ways in this game of making a fortune.

 

 

 

Will Smithing ever be made into a useful skill again - even if its just for the smiths and not something they can profit from money wise?

 

 

 

Considering rune armor is cheaper than dirt, no. You'd have to completely re-invent the skill. Change ALL the levels. Nobody wants rune armor anymore, all that good armor is from Barrows. Nobody wants R2H, godswords and whips are "in" and those will NEVER be obtainable by smithing. In a way monster hunting and monster drops replaced smithing as well, considering they brought out the better armor.

 

 

 

How exactly did Smithing become the way it is today?

 

 

 

It sort of happened as the game progressed, and of course as the demand for rune items plummeted. The status and value of smithing changed dramatically as players grew, money supply expanded and people were no longer satisfied with rune armor. Right now smithing is a thing of the past.

 

 

 

Is there any official information from Jagex on why Smithing was seemingly killed off so brutally?

 

 

 

I'd be surprised if they did.

 

 

 

EVERY skill is useless for money making. Too many raw material, too many levels. Consdering you could make a month's worth of cash doing skills in a single day at Godwars, its useless

 

 

 

Wrong, wrong and wrong.

 

 

 

Where to start? All gathering skills (like mining, wc) where you gather raw materials are still pure profit method (where time is the only factor). So hardly all skills are useless. Then you've got the mother of all ways to make money: Abyssal runecrafting which makes very reliable cash. Also, you're talking of Godwars dungeon as if you get drops every time you go there. Are you kidding me? Have you even attempted the place? Not all trips are guaranteed cash.

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What I want to know is;

 

Wrong, wrong and wrong.

 

 

 

Where to start? All gathering skills (like mining, wc) where you gather raw materials are still pure profit method (where time is the only factor). So hardly all skills are useless. Then you've got the mother of all ways to make money: Abyssal runecrafting which makes very reliable cash. Also, you're talking of Godwars dungeon as if you get drops every time you go there. Are you kidding me? Have you even attempted the place? Not all trips are guaranteed cash.

 

 

 

I can tell you've never been to GW. And thats fine.

 

 

 

I want to start off saying: No, you dont get a hilt every trip. But what about the elsser drops? Shards? Tassets?Boots? Those drops you DO get every tirp. I haven't ever gone on a trip where I have made -200k. I won't even mention the high value seeds or rune items. That ALONE is more than any of the gathering skills. IF you do get a hilt, ten you;ve covered baout a weeks worth of gathering.

 

 

 

Abyssal RCing? Great amount of money. But then again, nothing even close to GWD. Unless you are very low level'd (-100), GWD beats every skill, hands down.

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There are two reasons for the smithing skill becoming useless. One is the introduction of high level unsmithable armor. The other, which is often overlooked, is that its products aren't consumables; when you buy rune armor, you generally keep it untill you can buy granite, dragon, barrows, ecetera, where you sell it to the guy down the line. Runes, unlike armor and weapons, are consumed in combat, so the demand has stayed if not increased. Thus, runecrafting is the 'new' smithing. It's actually alot like smithing. Someone looking for some easy cash mines the ore pure ess, you buy it and bring it to the anvil ruins or abyss and smith runecraft it into armor runes.

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Don't worry. I have also been playing since the good ol' simple days of RSC. I'm completely certain that Jagex will eventually, perhaps not soon, give something to smithing to once again make it a purposeful skill. They recently added beacon-lighting to firemaking, an original skill, but obviously it is hard to to make a skill exciting if it is initially dull. It seems to me that an update to smithing will occur soon and more likely than not it will be awesome.

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Don't worry. I have also been playing since the good ol' simple days of RSC. I'm completely certain that Jagex will eventually, perhaps not soon, give something to smithing to once again make it a purposeful skill. They recently added beacon-lighting to firemaking, an original skill, but obviously it is hard to to make a skill exciting if it is initially dull. It seems to me that an update to smithing will occur soon and more likely than not it will be awesome.

 

 

 

I really hope so. I remember working forever on my smithing during the little time I played, trying to get it up so I could make awesome items that would otherwise need to be purchased for 50k+ (a fortune back then, I can assure you!) Now I don't even care about it. I don't even need it for smithing things like arrowheads or darts for fletching because they're so cheap to simply buy.

 

 

 

If they bring it back with new items, I might be willing to return to the crushing boredom of load after load of coal. \'

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Basically, is 2 things:

 

 

 

-items are not desirable

 

-most items are obtainable by drop and alched

 

 

 

The only way smithing is going to make money is by consumable, which recently has been hit by stupid buyable broad bolts and infinite shops that sells the consumable. Basically, only bolts and cannonballs have any market.

 

 

 

The only way smithing is going to be revived is by what is stated before, making high quality armour makeable only by high level smiths. You should include extend Barrows time as well on the list. Smithing only ally is combat.

 

 

 

Also, take away buyable arrows and knives (Leaving just bronze and iron), making us smithers the only reliable source for range projectiles, this itself would boost the desirability of the skill a lot.

 

--

 

Another reason for smithing demise is the number of rune smithers and miners. I'm a rune smither, but I'm one of many. Back in the day, there were few smithers. There are fewer access to Runite ore, fewer items obtainable by drops, so they are rare. But in modern RS, everything levels fast (and we still have people complaining is too slow!) so high level items are not that rare. More worlds, more rocks, means more runite ore in market, destroying the rarity.

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i shoveled out 2m and and all i got was the crappy smithing level.

 

 

 

actually more like 3m. from 70-71 (less than 10k till 72) addy axes used to be 3k each back in the good ol' days. now they're 600 each -.- what the hell.... i got back maybe.... 200k-300k of the money spent back from selling addy axes. i am at a deficit untill i can smith addy bolts and maybe get some cash flow going. otherwise- having the ability to get your smithing level up seems like a luxury, not a profitable buissiness. it's easier to get rune ore than it is to get addy ore. it's absolutely ridiculous :evil:

 

 

 

rune smithing stopped being profitable like 5 months before the ge was even mentioned. i remember paying 45k for rune legs and rune ore was approx. 12k each. the coal i'm not too sure about... maybe 200 each i suppose.

 

 

 

the only reason i see people training smithing is so they can either make their own arrows for convienience or to get 69 smithing for the rocking out quest. one of the most expensive skills to train. right up there with prayer.

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It seems to me like there are tons of ways smithing could be expanded upon for example different weapon types, different metals, minigames with smithing involved, or even an interaction between smithing and non-smithed items...like augmenting items to make them stronger

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It seems to me like there are tons of ways smithing could be expanded upon for example different weapon types, different metals, minigames with smithing involved, or even an interaction between smithing and non-smithed items...like augmenting items to make them stronger

 

 

 

 

 

I agree with this.Something like those red topaz machetes...

 

 

 

Also,I find irony in your RSN being Barbaric Man(Riverwind?Caramon?) when your TIF name is Raistlin.Or I may just be jumping into conclusions thinking you like DragonLance as much as I do. :?

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Having witnessed the early days of smithing, I can say that smithing really lost its value. Back in the days, when rune was still the best armour, it was considered extremely useful to be able to make full rune. Therefore there was profit to be gained there. Nowadays rune is more of a gimmick, mostly used in F2P.

 

 

 

Smithing isn't really of much use anymore. If you're in it for the money, you can leave it alone. In fact, it'll cost you lots and lots of money before you finally reach 99 smithing, and you won't be getting something useful in return.

 

 

 

You got a point there, in RSC my dream was to be able to smith my own rune items, they looked and were the best back then, look at it now... even with pvp...

 

I do have 90 smithing so I can make upto rune scimitar but it isn't worth it, you loose money.

 

Before the GE atleast I could make some little money by making rune axes (selling for 14k ea in large numbers while street price was around 18-20k ea) now smithing became even more money-draining.

 

 

 

Today's Ge price, 18.4k for a runite bar (mid price), 26.5k (max price) for a rune scimitar wich means in the best case you only loose 10.3k.... horrible!!!

 

With the higher level items, whom aren't dropped that frequently by monsters you're able to break even right now but I think that's gonne be over soon (f2p pvp hype cooled down a bit, less demand, lower price).

 

Ex. Rune platelegs = 55k <--- 3*18.4k=55,2

 

Ex. Rune Kiteshield = 55.4k

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