Blacksmithing 1-375 is $79.38, or $36.68 for 300-375. It is the most material-hungry of the six, which is exactly why people buy it.
Why it has to be your character: in TBC every specialisation-locked blacksmithing item is Bind on Pickup. Unlike Classic, where most were tradeable, only a Swordsmith can wield the Swordsmith weapons and only an Armorsmith can wear the Armorsmith plate. Nobody can craft them for you.
What you are paying to skip:
- 265-300 — 504 Thorium Bars, the single largest material demand anywhere in the 1-375 run;
- 325-360 — roughly 130 Adamantite Bars plus 60 Netherweave;
- 360-375 — 51 Khorium Bars with 34 Primal Water and 34 Primal Mana. Khorium only comes from rare nodes, so this band is where the price spikes.
Specialisation is not a life sentence. Armorsmith or Weaponsmith, and Weaponsmith branches again into Axesmith, Hammersmith and Swordsmith. Switching costs 50 gold to your current specialisation trainer, and you do not have to redo the quests.
One correction worth having: a TBC blacksmith gets no extra gem sockets. Socket Bracer and Socket Gloves are Wrath of the Lich King abilities. Any page selling TBC blacksmithing on "two free sockets" is describing the wrong expansion.
Pair it with Mining for the bars, or with Enchanting to disenchant the mountain of throwaway crafts. Blacksmiths are also the only source of enchanting rods.
