Open-World Games With The Best Blacksmith Systems, Ranked

Part and parcel of the draw of open-world games is that players are able to create their own narrative under the umbrella of the overall story arc of the game. What is more, the more complex and interesting the blacksmith mechanics are, regardless of the genre, the more enticing and potentially addictive a game can be.

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Quite rightly, these days game developers are placing an inordinate amount of importance on blacksmith systems, as they know players want to be able to take on the crafting, creating, and restoration of weapons, armor, and shields themselves and on their own terms. The following is a prime selection of impressive open-world games with fantastic scope for smithing and are ranked according to their groundbreaking blacksmith systems and relative levels of complexity.

7

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Best Weapon: Aerondight

Released

May 19, 2015

ESRB

M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a legendary open-world game with immense scope for smithing. Players take the role of Geralt of Rivia, an iconic monster slayer who seeks to improve the lives of every single citizen on the war-torn continent. The latest version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt provides players with even more armor, swords, and outfits.

The blacksmith mechanics of The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt are similarly impressive. Both armorers and blacksmiths are able to use ore from meteorites that the player brings them to forge new swords, as well as the creation of a wide variety of additional armor and other goods.

6

Gothic 2

Best Weapon: Wolf’s Tooth

Released

October 28, 2003

Developer(s)

Piranha Bytes

Publisher(s)

Atari, Infogrames

Set in an open world of medieval fantasy, Gothic 2 is an action RPG centered around the island of Khorinis. Khorinis’ trade revolves around magic ore, which has been battled over and won by the King. In Gothic 2, the King is currently fighting the humanoid race, the Orcs, on the mainland.

In version 1.2.4 of Gothic 2, the already sturdy blacksmith system of the game is improved tenfold, with the addition of around 600 new weapons, shields, armor, and staff recipes. Players are also able to adjust the damage scaling range of the crossbow, introduce special brands of ammunition, and control how the aiming mechanic behaves having crafted new weapons.

5

Fallout 4

Best Weapon: Splatter Canon

Systems

Released

November 10, 2015

ESRB

M FOR MATURE: BLOOD AND GORE, INTENSE VIOLENCE, STRONG LANGUAGE, USE OF DRUGS

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Absolutely ruined by nuclear war, the wastelands of Fallout 4 plunge the player, the only survivor, into the ultimate fight for survival. What does the sole survivor of destruction need? A whole armory of weapons.

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The blacksmith mechanics see the player having access to the different levels of weapons creation and modification and with greater perks comes greater power. The melee strength of a weapon makes a substantial difference in the success of the quest and, therefore, the chances of survival.

4

Dwarf Fortress (Adventure Mode)

Best Weapon: Steel Battle Axe

Roguelike

Strategy

Simulation

Released

August 8, 2006

ESRB

t

Platform(s)

Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

When gamers first think about Dwarf Fortress, they will not automatically consider it to be an open world. However, when Adventure Mode is enacted, this game immediately goes from great to spectacular. The details in the creation of the world and specifically, the fortresses in Dwarf Fortress are genuinely unparalleled, and, as such, so too are the options for smithing and the overall blacksmith system.

Players can build, upgrade, and restore crafted items from furniture and entire buildings to smaller and necessary day-to-day items such as anvils, pipes, barrels, and cages. There are two main workshops in Dwarf Fortress: Magma Forge and Metalsmith’s Forge.

3

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Best Weapon: Reforged Radzig Kobyla’s Sword

RPG

Action-Adventure

Open-World

Systems

Released

February 4, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ // Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 occurs immediately after the conclusion of Kingdom Come: Deliverance and follows the son of the Blacksmith, Henry, once again on his quest for revenge in Bohemia.

The blacksmith mechanics in Kingdom Come: Deliverance is genuinely impressive and far superior to the first edition of the game. Almost immediately after the prologue, the protagonist Henry is shown how to forge weapons, armor, and shields. Before a particular weapon can be forged, Henry needs to find blueprints of how to make them, Sketches, and a complete list of required materials. Once these items have been acquired, Henry can head to the anvil and begin forging.

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2

Outward

Best Weapon: Radiant Wolf Sword

Outward

Systems

Released

March 26, 2019

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Violence

OpenCritic Rating

Weak

Playable in both solo and co-op modes, Outward features a vast open world full of natural danger and unpredictable ‘acts of God’ around every mountain ridge. This game gives players a fascinating perspective on the power of nature and the power of man, when to hide and when to fight, and also the importance of loyalty and strength of mind.

There are six Blacksmiths in Outward, who will allow the player to craft two new weapons or forms of armor at a time and take a full-day cycle to complete. Any new items crafted by the Blacksmiths will create a new quest so players can track the progress. Additionally, Blacksmiths will also allow players to restore and/or repair weapons and armor, which can be done in a much shorter time.

Best Weapon: The Dwarven Black Bow Of Fate

Released

November 11, 2011

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol

Developer(s)

Bethesda Game Studios

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

The deserving winner of a whole host of incredible awards from the gaming world, The Elder Scrolls 3: Skyrim is one of the most immersive, epic, and truly incredible games ever to be released. What is more, the blacksmith mechanics within this particular installment of The Elder Scrolls are equally as impressive.

Smithing in The Elder Scrolls 3: Skyrim consists of multiple stages and requires the player to gather a range of different, often hard-to-find, materials before crafting weapons and armor. There are three different smithing skills in this game, with the expected weapons in Warrior, enchantments for Mages, and Alchemy for thieves.

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