You’re Upgrading Wrong! Blacksmith Guide For Dragon's Dogma 2! (Dragon's Dogma 2 Tips)

[@norzza]

Which smithing style are you using? 🔔 Social Media 🔔 ► ►Twitter: twitter.com/NorZZaTV ► ►Instagram: instagram.com/NorZZaTV/ ► ►Discord: discord.gg/S5ydpYm

[@geostigma369]

Dwarven cause knockdown op

[@RestrictedTWO]

Dwarven is just best overall due to only losing like 10% stats but gaining 70% knockdown power.

[@magus13131]

I believe someone mathed it out and you only lose out on 6% of physical/magical stats, whereas the knockdown power/resistance is a MASSIVE boost to both your DPS/survivability. Exceptions; the courtly/marcher's sets, best to use Vermundian to make them lighter since they're just disguises and you're not using them in combat anyways, and the Medusa bow, which is incredibly heavy, you should use Vermundian. tl;dr- only use Dwarven Forging if you can, all other styles are inferior.

[@Edbi18]

@@magus13131 nah just use dwarven + dragonforge it, if you have dragonforged your armor then your archer/warfarer should have no problem with weight

[@genexican9214]

Wouldn't Elven be better for magic infused weapons? Or does Dwarven still outclass it?

[@RestrictedTWO]

@@genexican9214 The low loss of a main stat is incomparable to the massive boost to knockdown you get

[@Camodeep7583]

🤌 mmm haven't reached that far yet but I'm learning , I'm absolutely really liking dragons dogma, base level love 🤙for sure with this game , 🎯

[@rickcasual]

You can reset upgrades in NG+ for 1 wyrm crystal at the dragondorged npc

[@JMT_24]

do we get the upgrade materials back or not?

[@leomonchet971]

@@JMT_24 you loose the mats

[@KKKuma]

Why would you want that though. Just get another copy of that armor in NG+ and beyond I think

[@captainp367]

Thanks for the info i almost bought a dupe coz I messed up the enhancement

[@extrashifty578]

​@@KKKumawhy waste 20 to 110WC or literally 100k for some armor when you can just reset for 1WC If your in NG+ I don't really get why you would need gear from the wild

[@JamesOpr]

I use dwarven for most everything. Knock down defence and attack is a massive bonus at the cost of loosing what ammounts to a little difference in magic/defence.

[@xoersummoner1336]

In my case I tend to work with their individual strengths or try to lessen their weaknesses. For example, I tend to use the Batahly smithing for the Trickster censors, since they tend to have more magick than strength and each stat does something different for the vocation (one controls the health pool of the copies, and the other the aggro you create). With the mystic spearhand I use either the elven smithing or the vermundian, depending of how big the difference between strength and magic is in each spear. Though for now I haven't encountered anything that beat me up so much to encourage this level of pre-plan. Maybe in the post-game but I haven't reached it yet.

[@MrDeathCell]

Dwarven is the most powerful, that is why it is locked to the late game at the volcanic ground, it is basically an op version of the Vermund smithing because it have the same base stat as Vermund but with way better knockdown resistence and knockdown attack. And knockdown is the most important stat in the game, because it stun the enemy, and let you deal way more damage.

[@bagzskie8486]

exactly plus you can use the 5th style of smithing to halve the weight of the item

[@arcanumelite4853]

@@MrDeathCell the best part of dwarven is shrugging off attacks as a sorc... i have been casting spells on sorc and with dwarven armor my knockdown resist sometimes prevents the spell from being stopped even when im hit so an enemy can hit me and i dont even flinch cus of knockdown resist so the spell keeps channeling making it superior to all other styles.

[@warrgoddess8029]

You forgot about the last blacksmith, the one who improves with drsgon crystals and improves your weapon and armor by 4 spaces and takes 50% or so off the weight of your weapon and armor, you shouldn't worry about the weight at the end of the day

[@INYOSERATO]

I thought it just upgrades it one more time after you have 3 upgrades?

[@TrexxWind]

@@INYOSERATO if you upgrading it 3times with a smithing style and than dragonforge it you get also bonus stats and lower weight :)

[@JackSpackProductions]

@@INYOSERATOIt upgrades the stats and also cuts the weight in half.

[@ratandjmt]

So for my sorcerer I should be upgrading everything with the eleven forge then visiting the dragonforge for the last upgrade?

[@JackSpackProductions]

@@ratandjmt Yeah you can. You can't make a mistake for the final upgrade. You can't get Dragonforged until the fourth upgrade, and no other forging style can give you a fourth upgrade.

[@Wonderpickl3]

Very informative, thank you for breaking the numbers down. I was confused about the dwarven style.

[@RedneckSith]

I like Elven style for armor on ranged classes, because chances are the only thing you're going to be hit by are ranged magick attacks. I also like upgrading each piece of armor with Dwarven at lest once for knockdown resistance. Nothing is more annoying than reaching the end of a long cast, only to be knocked down / flinched and having to start over.

[@raphaell_.27]

Honestly it seems like Dwarven would be the best choice for anything. That knockdown power really changes a lot of things

[@BlankoBachinko]

Some weapons knockdown power just doesn’t matter as much so not really I think. Could be wrong coz I haven’t really confirmed it.

[@DragonKnightX12]

​@@BlankoBachinkoThe only ones that don't really benefit from it are Thief and the magic classes. The other physical classes benefit from it. It also greatly benefits Spearhand since you get both Str and Magic balanced on top of big knockdown gain.

[@JamesPickering-s2l]

Knockdown really does matter. Especially against enemies like Salurians that use stagger attacks.

[@ckwi2245]

Only spot I can think of where Dwarven isn't best, or at least competitive for it, is Trickster Weapons, since I don't think Trickster can really generate knockdown value effectively enough for it to be worth it.

[@duarteleonardo8352]

I mean, for armor it's a given, really no point in going other, you got balanced physical and magical def, and KD resistance. The extra weight increase is negligable later on.

[@spheality]

Dragonforge halves weight so dwarven is straight best for armor since you unlock the dragon forge guy before you get dwarven literally right outside bakbattahl

[@Edbi18]

I had dragonforged even before elven and battahli, I still dont understand why most videos show going to battahl around checkpoint town, when there si easy southern way through cave with one golem, few hob/goblins and harpies, oh and few lizards, also as you know dragonforged is very close to capital, so if you have around 40k you can have very strong weapon from battahl shops

[@native21rogue6]

Definitely helps out, had no idea they all had their different uses. Thought that they were more of a level based upgrade, Vermundian being level 1 and Dwarven being level 4 smithing.

[@drewskinator0076]

Basically if you have any type of staff you get elven smithing but any type of strike/slash weapon get dwarven smithing. Forget the rest of em. Your welcome 😁

[@Edbi18]

dwarven all the way, knockdown power/res > everything, weight is no problem there is golden beetle nearly on every corner, also if you are going to get medusas preserved head it is good to use dwarven, knockdown power ring and ring from sphinx which locks dmg to 1 but knock down power stays, so you knock her, unequip sphinx ring and cut her head :D

[@jamesvang4392]

Great info, simple and straight to the point. 👍

[@GrahamScottSmith]

Best summary and guide on which blacksmith style to use!

[@JamesPickering-s2l]

Great guide. Early on Vermundian style is best for lowering carry weight to harvest more metals and hides for enhancements. In my new game as a Fighter stepping up to Mystic Spearhand my gear was using Vermundian upgrades. Batthali style works very well with this vocation when bringing pawns with meteor and whirlwind abilities.

[@MarioHernandez-dp3lz]

By being heavy. You are harder to knock down, you can hold stronger enemies down, and you do more damage to foes when you slam them up against walls.

[@SM-McKraken]

Smort! 👍

[@bagzskie8486]

I chose Dwarven for my Mystic Spearhands weapon and armor the Knocback is game changing and also in lategame you can unlock the wyrmfire smithing which can halve the weight of the item.

[@christopherarocha92]

I wish pawns could use advanced vocations

[@rickcasual]

Right, i mean they already got a mystic spearhand npc who helps you kill a dragon later on, so it can be done

[@guanocrazy6802]

It's the lore. They have no "will" of their own and can't use the advanced vocations. But I was hoping maybe because of how the game ends (no spoilers) that they could in a NG+.

[@theobell2002]

They can. You mean hybrid vocations.

[@AstralWorks_unspoken411]

They can

[@DragonKnightX12]

​@@ytexeves The Advanced vocations are just Sorcerer and Warrior. The other 3 are hybrid.

[@itsTanchi]

You should've added the 5th one. Dragon forge Smithing. Which halfs the weight of whatever item you upgrade and increases stats. I just personally have not tested enough weapons since upgrading is expensive

[@SM-McKraken]

Forth, not 5th! 🤭😉

[@averywhitaker3513]

​@@SM-McKraken fourth*. Forth is old English for what is basically "onwards". Also it is definitely the fifth. Vermundian(1), Elven(2), Battahli(3), Dwarven(4), and very lastly, Wyrmfire(5)

[@Crimson_Sun2486]

In regards to weapons, what if you were to put in +2 Dwarven and +1 Vermundian/Elven (depending on the strength/magick scaling)? That way, you get big knockdown power while somewhat offsetting the damage lost from the dwarven smithing?

[@wumberbat2528]

This is great ty, I wish they would put Elven style in other towns instead of just Sacred Arbor. A lot of wasted time to travel up there or wasted ferry stones to just do an upgrade and leave. Also you better look ahead for upgrade materials to make sure you don't get there and cant even do it.

[@IDLExCAT]

I use dwarven for most things. But elven for 1 or 2 upgrades to weapons with elemental damage.

[@o.m.hayfields5757]

Having some stagger resistance is good for any Vocation, really. Saves you from being interrupted every time a light breeze comes your way.

[@ChaosUnleashed265]

The way i do it is armor and shields get vermundian upgrades. Defense is spread out evenly. Weapons that do magic damage get elven upgrades and weapons that do physical damage get battahli upgrades.

[@idonegotold]

IMO... ranged classes = elf defense tank classes = dwarf defense thief/spearhand/inbetween classes = vermund of batt

[@tripe2237]

Knockdown is going to be completely overlooked by a lot of people, while being the best choice in most situations. The damage difference is going to be negligible, but the more often something is knocked down, the more free time you have smashing on a crit spot and not taking any damage, not just you but your parns as well. It's a clear winner. Try running around with a couple of warriors and see how much time everything spends either on the ground or staggered. Play warrior, grab 2 warrior pawns and a mage. It's ridiculous. Every other class can benefit from the knockdown and stagger, but it's really noticeable when you play warrior or have one in the party. It's just as good on mages and magic archer.

[@Anilomu]

Dwarven so far seems to be the best overall. Knockout Res, and Knockout Pow is extremely powerful in this game, I would recommend it for rogues even, since dwarven still increases attack and def the difference is negligible for most physical based classes. The only thing I would advise is for mages to upgrade their weapons to elvish since they will get the most out of it.

[@BIGBOSSMAN23]

I think if you have access to the dragon forge the best one would be dwarven bc you can half all the weight of everything

[@GingerKid2k]

Which upgrade would you recommend for the frosted edges daggers

[@masonbeaver4196]

I'm using the dragon forge to cut the weight and half after I do the dwargon forging to make it a strong as I can with all the knocked down power for all of my mailay characters, because you may increase the weight for once you do the dragonford, it cuts the weight. In half, so you end up carrying one anyway in the long run.

[@ImmolationBloom]

Is it not best to do all 3 dwarven then dragon forge halves the weight which makes weight setback negligible?

[@arturosm6719]

thanks for this video man, had no idea

[@geostigma369]

Good video, it would take a long time for me to test this myself so thanks

[@animewatcha]

Isn't the increase in numbers based on the item itself? Like you get bigger increases in the endgame gear versus smithing 'beginner' gear?

[@Edbi18]

yeah, bigger stats=bigger bonuses but still dwarven vs batthali/elven loses from 5-10% max on strength/magic while getting huge amount of knock power and res. Someone made list where they compare clases with warfarer as base - what I was most interested was knockdown res and power fighter has same resist and power, meanwhile everyone except warrir and archer have half(meaning fighter/warfarer have 2x bigger), archer sits at around 2/3 of fighter, while warrior has 4x more. What I hated most on mysticspear was how much stagger mobs do to me, I mostly play solo or with my main only and for that you get quite quicly surronded by little mobs, so for any melee knock res is must, for boss fights it is welcome on anyone especialy with dragons who like to roar or fly up and knock down on ground. If you put full enha dwarven on warrior you can basicly stand under golem's feet

[@dero4378]

Weight on armor is actually good for knockdown resistence. on the other hand, if you're mainly playing fast classes that prefer dodging, like the thief, light armor would be better I guess. cuz you're just faster.

[@kingbaby210]

Just a neat fact that higher weight means more knockdown resistance. This, I believe but not certain, includes weight from your pack at least in my experience.

[@ratandjmt]

Great info. I evidently need to take my sorcerer north for some upgrades

[@lz25]

Thank you for your contribution. Great video

[@nizemee729]

Could have compacted it into 2 -3 min. video with side to side results comparison of an few times with each smithing style.

[@DeathKhan]

I just go all Dwarven then halve the weight with a Dragonforge upgrade. Win-win.

[@reaper4life66]

It really depends on the armor im using. Anything magic like staffs or robes get 2 of the elven and one vermund. Otherwise ill do 2 vermunds and 1 batahl for the extra strength and defense. So far im around mid 700s between strength defence magick and magick defense. I might mix in 1 dwarven for the chest armor now that i know it exists

[@camaramccoy9807]

The elven style is more staff and magic bows some weapons i get all hands on deck for the upgrade depending on the weapon.

[@julianoikawa]

So, for the archer class you should go for the Bakbattahl forge?

[@knihsvmk]

I think dwarven for armor and vermundian for weapons overall (except for magic based vocations) is a good call, for me personally at least

[@chrispysaid]

soooooooooooooooooooo it seems like the best bet is to go all blacksmith all the time, as long as you plan on dragonforged upgrades as well. more knockback resistance = more time on your feet = more damage output no matter what your stats are. LESS STUNLOCK = MORE DPS yeah, no brainer to me. the only real variance I would use is on weapons, for Mage/Sorcerer/Elvarch/Trickster I'd upgrade Elvish, for Warrior/Fighter go Dwarven, Thief/Archer go Battahli, and for Myspear I'd go Dwarven for the first 2 upgrades and Elvish for the third. Then dragonforged upgrade to half the weight and give an overall boost to everything.

[@Troy-y7d]

I wonder how this translates with end game stuff. Things that have a far higher cap and baseline. Amazing video though, thank you so much!!!!

[@zazoreal5536]

Just use Dwarven style for armor and melee or range. But magic weapons would be elven.

[@arcanumelite4853]

nah... ALL weapons and armor should be upgraded with dwarven... except maybe trickster? since it cant actually do damage or knockdown at all (outside of dragons delusion spell) everything besides trickster should 100% definitely use dwarven even magic classes... mage might also be an exception as well if your mage is mostly support and doesn't attack anyways... so mage and trickster can be exceptions since they dont attack much.

[@jeansampel545]

Want to Dragon Forge all the weapons and armor the weight does go down so if you do use warren smithing, then the weight will decrease tremendously

[@DennyDoRight]

Really wish I knew about different smithing types beforehand, since you can't reverse enhancements..

[@creaturecore13]

You can see the difference in values of every weapon with each style on the fextralife wiki

[@Gyuribacsik]

Thank you:) yesterday I noticed battali

[@MarioHernandez-dp3lz]

Hammers need that extra clout. Massive damage vs undead, jump attack damage increase, more guard breaks, more stagger, and more likely to send enemies flying after a big swing. 🤯

[@maroonytoons6552]

Very good Guide. Thy 4 you Work!❤

[@luminousparadox7529]

Dwarven is the only one you need. Knocking anything leaves it open for critical. Nuf said ✋️😌

[@calebfoley5872]

I feel like its reeeeeally hard to justify anything other than dwarven on armor. For your weapon its all gonna depend on how easily you’re achieving knockdowns. Dwarven is great for weapons yeah, but by the time I gained access to it everything was just toppling from dps anyways. I feel like itd be most useful for fast run throughs of the game where you’re underleveled. Give you options to lock things in place to make up the dps gap. For now I’m just using battahl for my hammers.

[@JackSpackProductions]

I use Dwarven even on my bow. It makes the up close archer playstyle pretty viable when you can stagger people so easily. Only downside is my dragonforged bow weights 8+ kg

[@DarkZed89]

Sounds like the medusa bow^^ but if it is the medusa bow i gladly take this weight for the +400% XP 😂

[@SM-McKraken]

8+kg bow even with the Dragonforge enhancement in the 4th slot, that also drops the item's weight by half? 😮

[@JackSpackProductions]

@@SM-McKraken Yeah. Medusa bow is chonky

[@DarkZed89]

@@JackSpackProductions but the 400% exp are worth it 😆

[@noelgarcia6884]

Use dwarven for robes on mages ... That plus arguments and a ring can basically give you uninterrupted casting opprtunities. If also use it some what for bows why it can make flying thing flich easier

[@ratandjmt]

I'd like to know more about this. My sorcerer keeps getting knocked down by the simplest things. I was thinking about upgrading my staff with the elven forge and heading down to the dwarven forge for my pants, robe and headgear.

[@noelgarcia6884]

@@ratandjmt nah two dwarves one on battahl and another on volcanic island they the only two dwarven smiths, hmm one you help the other one you need to talk to a guard hmm i think his name is rogan? He gives you dull steel quest

[@noelgarcia6884]

@@ratandjmt if you get a full gear of the smiths and the ring and the augment from the sorcerer's you'd be more unflinching you can also use this as warferer to tank hits and do a light tank type.

[@ratandjmt]

@@noelgarcia6884 good to know because I'll be heading that route down the road.

[@noelgarcia6884]

@@ratandjmt post the results eventually XD jeje im sure ppl would love to see em XD.

[@vexingking]

Vermundian for magickal bows is a bad call they have a 0 in strength so they don't gain anything - you could maybe make an argument for Dwarven but I think elven makes the most since for raw damage.

[@xavierdoesntmatter]

What is the point of strength on a staff at all? I've no clue why staffs have strength or knockback and such. Also, how much does 4 vs like 6 defense even matter when your starting # is like 200?

[@mokadelic4037]

For rods and staves always go elven, for everything else and armor go dwarven.

[@Archenemy95]

There is only one relevant style and that’s Dwarven. Even the magic classes want Dwarven. Very few exceptions to use Elven (censers and archistaves come to mind). But Dwarven should be used for every armor and weapon.

[@pacman5800]

I'm playing this game again after beating it for the 1st time since it released. While we wait for black myth wukong.

[@RaizuYT-vb5sv]

Cant you just abuse your the Inn Save for these demos?

[@yeepman5412]

What's best if upgrading a magic boon weapon like the frosted edges for example? Elf or Dwarf?

[@yeepman5412]

I was looking at both style differences and couldn't decide if I want more magic attack or knockdown power. Lol. But I just chose magic overall since it's a magic attack weapon. Lol XP

[@PenguinGamer75]

as a mystic spearhand my armour is the dwravin style my weapons the elvish

[@blackstar5867]

Theres 3 upgrade slots? Can you not mix and match styles?

[@guanocrazy6802]

Not sure but I think there is some randomness. I hired two end game sorcerer pawns and looked at their staves. Same level and staves for each and each stave was 3 elven forge and dragon forged. One had magic of 1205 and the other was 1188 and the 1205 had 1 more Knockdown power bonus.

[@andrewc.4279]

Are sure you were looking at their weapons and not character stats? Because if you were looking at stats they could've leveled up in different vocations and ended up with different values - stats don't even out until level 200. Some of them could also have different rings or Sagacity augment that boosts Magic damage. I might be wrong though

[@guanocrazy6802]

@@andrewc.4279 It was their weapons only. I only mentioned that they were the same level because I'm wondering if maybe forging affects weapons depending on your level at the time of the forge, or maybe affinity?

[@000claw]

I think to compare this you would have to put them on the same pawn. There are augment Magick rings and passives, and depending on how they were leveled on which vocations they could have gained higher base Magick attack. Leveling on different vocations gives different stats (I heard till about lvl 200 before it evens out the stats) so that could definitely be what youre seeing (if not the rings/passive)

[@cal5365]

@@andrewc.4279 thats not in the game anymore, your stats change when you change vocations now unlike the last game where you had to minmax different classes while levelling to get the stats you wanted

[@guanocrazy6802]

@@000claw You don't need to equip them, just go into items menu (which is what I did), It shows just their raw stats.

[@TheCrackinskullzx0]

I made the mistake of maxing out my armor in the Battahli style then realizing that I can’t run anymore

[@drewskinator0076]

With armor always get dwarven smithing. Your welcome 😁

[@Pittyas]

but : we can say : Best for armor = Dwarf upgrading or see i somthing wrong (i see the weight thing, but its to irrelevant to speak about)

[@shadow11221]

Whats the best blacksmith for magick archer?

[@norzza]

Arbor

[@Moonlight__vibes]

Is there a way to remove upgrades? In case it was upgraded by the wrong blacksmith :/

[@goldenghost2001]

Dragonforged guy can remove it, tho i believe only in ng+

[@Moonlight__vibes]

@@goldenghost2001 thank you!! 🙏🏼

[@goldenghost2001]

@@Moonlight__vibes you got it

[@iiiihunk8270]

Hope this game comes out with co-op down the line game would be even more fun running with friends

[@pauperslament3467]

Put the pilfer(steal) skill on your thief, immediately.

[@pauperslament3467]

That convalescent Dwarf took a header right into the drink just outside his door. I look back to witness the end of him then immediately the game saved. I rarely save at inns, so it scared the bejeezuz out of me. Thankfully he spawned back to his place. Carried him most the way after that...

[@SM-McKraken]

I carried his ass the whole way to the springs lol.

[@arcanumelite4853]

dwarven is by far the best upgrade path hands down... NONE of the others even come close to dwarven no matter what class your playing... with dwarven armor my sorc can keep casting spells and sometimes even when hit doesn't break concentration and can keep the spell casting even after being hit... not to mention the weight gain is completely irrelevant as once you dragonforge it the weight is cut in half meaning the weight will actually be lower than vermund/elven style after its dragonforged.

[@caravaneerkhed]

90 hours in have yet to upgrade a single piece of equipment…

[@gobro2688]

Always pick Dwarven for armor

[@nofear2193]

Does anybody know how to het makabrium?

[@casediedwell5094]

My Warrior Pawn is FULL Dwarven s WC finishers, my Thief Set and Sorc set are both 1 Elven then Dwarven.

[@JT--XL365]

simplified guide- staffs use elven and everything else use dwarven.

[@h347h]

If you aren't using dwarven you are wrong.

[@extrashifty578]

All pointless but dwarven for armor

[@robcampion9917]

I found the different smithing styles a bit confusing, so I didn't bother for my first playthrough.

[@rokudodamaza]

First playthrough isn't justified as a concept for this game

[@xleonhardt4416]

You're only hamstringing yourself by not upgrading your gear. This isn't like Mass Effect or Dragon Age where you can take different paths and make different choices to get more content which would justify multiple "playthroughs". There's only new game plus, which doesn't add anything. It just lets you play more of the same.

[@cuddlefloofer]

warrior go bonk

[@fluffyfeetbmf]

4 different kinds of blacksmiths, and it makes a difference…. Well I wish I knew this before I wasted hundreds of thousands of gold on gear I don’t even need or want🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@cal5365]

All dwarven style except magic weapons.

[@3rdEyeMangekyoRinnegan]

All these forgers not one increase a weapons slash strength

[@TraceOran]

Here me out, dwarven armor for casters

[@moomanchu608]

Wish I knew that it was different lol

[@thegmork3944]

Currently running a thief with heavens key and elven style. with the strength around 800 and magic around 1100, Blades of the pyre destroys

[@Ayrtist]

Fuck I never knew this

[@N0MoreZER0S]

40,000 gold is broke?

[@vxabyss5498]

Im at 2m lol

[@reyrey9752]

You missed wymforge

[@SnaikHead]

Dwarven ALL DAY EVERY DAY lol

[@Bob-jv4yf]

It really doesn’t matter at end game.

[@longjohn9751]

Why when I upgrade the weight increases???

[@ardynizunia9709]

Clickbaiting by saying people are upgrading wrong and acting like you habe some advanced info, only for you to give the basic information the game tells you about in a pop up when you first upgrade. Bro... this information is only missable if you spamm away all text without reading. Noone needs this.

[@jthig777]

There is a 5th style. Keep searching.

[@bruhbasis5269]

Battahli- extra phys dmg low magic Elven-extra magic dmg low phys Dwarven-extra def