As most are probably aware a lot of the blacksmith items were removed from the beta, don't know if they will pop back up when it releases, but for now they are gone. I approved of this change because you should be out killing monsters instead of crafting all day.
I can see blacksmithing being good for transitions, crafting lvl 29 gear (which there is a lot of) to help adjust to nightmare etc., but for low levels it just seems more worthwhile to get items from mobs as you level up.
Would it be more worthwhile to skip the hassle of blacksmithing for low levels, using the money for only leveling blacksmithing or just saving it up and instead save the essences for the lvl 29 items to help transition into nightmare? (Remember there is also the jeweler to worry about leveling.)
You might even be able to cut out the task of crafting and buy an item from a vendor :P, might not be saving money, but you know what you are getting and don't have to spend time crafting for it!
Honestly... blacksmith gear isn't all that bad in the beta.
I've been able to roll 100+ STR on my barbarian with crafted gear alone.
being able to be level 13 with +100 armor and +100% damage isn't too bad :).
The problem with that is that you probably had to farm for those blues and craft ALOT, which consumes a lot of resources and gold. Since its beta you are held back at lvl 13, but when it releases that wont be the case and you will probably be moving onto the next area instead of sitting in town trying to maximize crafting gear XD!
The items I got from blacksmith were really good but it's a bit expensive to indulge in too often. Considering in like 2-3 hours it would become obselete. I guess as someone else said it's just a good way to "fill the gaps" if you're having a hard time finding something specific.
When the rollback happened and I had to relevel, I still found the Blacksmith to be useful. The gear he makes can't be used until level 4 or 5 and by then you've found a few blues to make 1 or 2 items. The items are of good quality and can help you fill in gaps that drops haven't filled or for drops that have bad stats. I think if you mix a little of crafting with item hunting you have a good balance that keeps either one from being monotonous.
There is the issue of getting levels beyond 2 get really really expensive... but it'll be worth it I think.
I can see blacksmithing being good for transitions, crafting lvl 29 gear (which there is a lot of) to help adjust to nightmare etc., but for low levels it just seems more worthwhile to get items from mobs as you level up.
Would it be more worthwhile to skip the hassle of blacksmithing for low levels, using the money for only leveling blacksmithing or just saving it up and instead save the essences for the lvl 29 items to help transition into nightmare? (Remember there is also the jeweler to worry about leveling.)
Level blacksmithing/ jewel-crafting XD
You might even be able to cut out the task of crafting and buy an item from a vendor :P, might not be saving money, but you know what you are getting and don't have to spend time crafting for it!
I intend on Saving the mats for the lvl 25-29 items to help adjust to nightmare, and using the money to level up the profession.
you can now see the list of all the crafting recipes on the site :D!
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/artisan/blacksmith/progression/#level=10
I've been able to roll 100+ STR on my barbarian with crafted gear alone.
being able to be level 13 with +100 armor and +100% damage isn't too bad :).
The problem with that is that you probably had to farm for those blues and craft ALOT, which consumes a lot of resources and gold. Since its beta you are held back at lvl 13, but when it releases that wont be the case and you will probably be moving onto the next area instead of sitting in town trying to maximize crafting gear XD!
There is the issue of getting levels beyond 2 get really really expensive... but it'll be worth it I think.