All smithing styles in Dragon's Dogma 2 explained, from Elven to Dwarven

While upgrading your armour and weapons brings numerous benefits in Dragon's Dogma 2, understanding how the different smithing styles work in-game can take your tools to the next level.

Styles like Elven and Dwarven smithing each give priority to different stats, with some boosting physical enhancement, whereas others favour the side of Magick. The best Magick Archer build, for example, relies heavily on Elven Smithing to make the most of its parts - so understanding how each system works can really take you far.

All smithing styles in Dragon's Dogma 2

There are five different types of smithing styles that you'll come across in DD2:

• Battahli
• Elven
• Dwarven
• Vermundian
• Wyrmfire

For a full rundown of the smithing styles and details on how to get each one, keep reading for a full breakdown.

Vermundian smithing

The Vermundian smithing style is the most 'normal', as it upgrades all stats equally. This is great when you're not sure what path you want to go down, and is also the earliest that you'll have access to upgrades anyway.

As the name suggests, this smithing style is found in the Vermund region - and is best accessed through the armour or weapons merchants in Vernworth's central square. This style is great for a Vocation like the Mystic Spearhand, as you'll want a balance between Strength and Magick -  but it's also great for armour in general as it protects you across the board.

Elven smithing

While it does exist within the region of Vermund, Elven smithing exists solely within the Sacred Arbor, which is the somewhat hidden home of the Elves in the north of the region.

This smithing style gives a boost to Magick attack and defence but significantly reduces the benefits given to Strength and Defence, so you'll need to weigh up whether this suits your intended build or not.

Of course, this is incredibly beneficial for the Mage, Sorcerer, and Magick Archer Vocations, but you might want to think twice before dumping your Gold and hard-earned enhancement items into your equipment.

I'd recommend placing a Portcrystal in the Sacred Arbor if you intend to take advantage of Elven smithing, as it gives you the option to fast travel back and save you the lengthy trek up north.

Battahli smithing

On the flip side, the Battahli smithing style gives an increased enhancement to Strength and Defence, while lessening the benefits for Magick damage and armour. This is perfect for many of the melee-based Vocations in the game like the Warrior, Fighter, and even the Archer, as you'll want as much Strength as possible to enhance the power of your every attack.

I'd also say that in general, it's better to have enhancements to your armour's physical attributes as you're much more likely to encounter attacks of that nature than Magickal or elemental attacks - although those will, of course, hit harder now.

You can, as the name suggests, find this smithing style in the Battahl region - most easily at the armour and weapons stalls in Bakbattahl, the region's capital city. You'll again want to place a Portcrystal here too, as it'll not only be super helpful for the main quest, but it'll give you easy access to return and enhance any items.

Dwarven smithing

Unlike the other smithing styles, Dwarven smithing isn't unlocked by simply visiting an area and instead requires a completing quest to access. You'll want to head to the southern border of the Agamen Volcanic Island and find Gautstafr - a dwarf with significant back pain.

He'll initiate a quest where you'll take him to his house in a remote area of the island, but then he'll ask to be escorted to the Hot Springs in the Volcanic Island Camp. Returning back to his house after completing that task will unlock the art of Dwarven smithing, giving you arguably the best enhancements to your equipment in the game.

This particular smithing style gives reduced enhancements to both physical and Magick stats, but greatly increases the Knockback and Knockdown Res stats for your armour and weapons.

This is incredibly strong as it gives you a much higher chance of putting larger foes into their most vulnerable state, and also gives you stun protections to let you keep fighting. This is good for all Vocations, but especially strong when it comes to front-line options like the Warrior and Fighter.

Wyrmfire smithing

The Wyrmfire smithing style isn't strictly as expansive as the other four options, but it is still incredibly handy and can be a boon for any long adventures. Instead of boosting stats, Wyrmfire smithing instead significantly reduces the carry weight of the enhanced item.

The catch here is that you can only do this once an item has been fully enhanced, as it acts as an additional 'fourth enhancement' on top of the maxed-out item. It also requires you to use Wyrmfire Crystals to enhance your items, which can be tricky and potentially dangerous to come by.

You can unlock this first once you reach the Battahl region, as the Dragonforged is located in a cave to the east of Bakbattahl. Meeting him is a mandatory element of the main quest though, so it's impossible to miss. You'll also be able to easily access him from the Seafloor Shrine during the true ending, making things a lot easier at that point.

I'd recommend only using Wyrnfire smithing on endgame items that you'll likely not replace, as it's an expensive undertaking that will go to waste if you suddenly come across a better weapon.

Tips for smithing in Dragon's Dogma 2

Now that you understand the five different smithing styles, I'd recommend planning out the path you want your items to take. Unfortunately, there is no way to undo enhancements on your existing items, so if you've messed up the only way to get around this is to buy the item and start all over again.

Another thing to consider is to remember that you're not locked into one smithing style once you start out the enhancement, and it's often better to mix things up to cover weaknesses.

Obviously, for Vocations like Mage and Sorcerer, it's always best to go with Elven smithing, but if you're a Warrior it'd be good to take the path of Battahli -> Dwarven -> Dwarven -> Wyrmfire, with perhaps one of the Dwarven swapped out for a Battahli enhancement.

All of the different smithing styles often require slightly different items to enhance though, so sometimes you might be better off checking between them if you don't have an item for your preferred enhancement style.

Now that you've got the perfect weapon you can head over to our Dragon's Dogma 2 homepage, where we've got tips and tricks like the best Thief build, how to deal with Dragonsplague, and all of the best mods to use if you're on PC.