In Mists of Pandaria, Blacksmithing caps at 600 and levels fastest when paired with Mining and fueled by Ghost Iron Bars. Ghost Iron Ore is the backbone material of the MoP tier: smelt it into bars, craft Ghost Iron items and Lightning Steel Ingots for the 500-600 stretch, and train at the Blacksmithing trainer in the Shrine of Seven Stars (Alliance) or Shrine of Two Moons (Horde) in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.

Quick facts

  • Max skill: 600 (Zen Master Blacksmith).
  • Best gathering partner: Mining — you mine the same Ghost Iron Ore you'll craft with.
  • Key MoP material: Ghost Iron Ore, smelted into Ghost Iron Bars.
  • MoP trainers: the Shrine hubs in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms; Aturk and other Pandaren smiths teach the new recipes.
  • Endgame payoff: craftable weapons and gear using Trillium Bars, Living Steel, and Lightning Steel Ingots (daily cooldown transmutes matter).

The leveling route in brief

  1. 1-500: level through the older expansions' recipes (Copper, Bronze, Iron, Steel, then Cobalt, Saronite, and Obsidium/Elementium items). Trainers in your capital city cover these tiers.
  2. 500-525: transition into Cataclysm gear like Folded Obsidium items to bridge into Pandaria content.
  3. 525-600: switch fully to Ghost Iron Bars. Craft Ghost Iron items, then Lightning Steel Ingots and higher recipes as they turn yellow, restocking bars in bulk before you start.

How much Ghost Iron Ore do I need?

Plan for hundreds of bars for the 525-600 push, so gather or buy Ghost Iron Ore in bulk first. Smelting everything into Ghost Iron Bars before you sit at the anvil saves trips and lets you power through the yellow-to-green recipes without stopping.

What can MoP Blacksmithing actually make?

At max level you can craft armor and weapons that were relevant for gearing at 90, plus useful reagents like Lightning Steel Ingots and belt buckles. The strongest pieces lean on rare materials — Trillium Bars and Living Steel — which are gated by transmute cooldowns, so weapon crafting is a slow, steady project rather than an overnight one.

Should I take Mining with it?

Yes. Blacksmithing eats raw ore constantly, and Mining lets you feed it for free while leveling both professions in the same zones. If you'd rather not gather, the Auction House works too, but expect Ghost Iron Ore prices to spike whenever a new content patch sends players back to the anvil.

If you'd rather skip the grind entirely, PewPewShop offers coaching and rent-a-pro progression help where a vetted human player walks you through profession leveling, gold-farming routes, and gearing — handy if you want the recipes without the hours of ore runs.