Yes, I am writing again and, yes, I am writing a guide for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It's about 60% complete and will at least be the same monster as my ES IV: Oblivion guide. I'm anticipating a release around the end of January.

Here's a sneak peak at the guide...

Smithing

Smithing is the process of creating and improving armor, weapons and jewelry. The smithing process has a number of steps and may be the most complicated crafting process in Skyrim. In order to create objects you need access to a blacksmith forge (or anvil). To improve weapons, you need a grindstone. To improve armor you need a workbench. In addition, in order to prepare raw materials into ingredients for your craft, you need a smelter to convert raw ore into metal ingots and a tanning rack to convert animal hides into leather and leather strips.

Every major city has at least one blacksmith where you can find all the equipment you need to create items. You'll also find some of the equipment in camps and keeps around Skyrim. For concentrated Smithing, you'll want to set up a base in a permanent dwelling in one of the major cities and store materials there as you find them. For example, you'll want to save dragon bones and scales from the dragons you kill so you can make dragon armor when you rank up Smithing to 100. You'll also want to store Smithing-enchanted apparel so you can suit up and craft Legendary items.

To make this work, your permanent dwelling should be close to the smith as you will be overencumbered when you load up on all the metal and leather needed. And you'll then want to be close to merchants because after crafting all the weapons and armor you will definitely be overencumbered until you can sell it off. You can gain a bed and single chest in a number of places, but the purchasable homes in the major cities are your best places to arrange a Smithing base.

Whiterun – you can use Warmaiden's equipment right inside the main gate and next to Breezehome, the purchasable home in Whiterun. This is the most convenient place to do your smithing and a good argument to buy Breezehome to use as your base for armor and weapon crafting. Merchants are not too far away, assuming you can't just sell everything to Warmaiden and her associate. You can also use Skyforge, which is behind Jorrvaskr in Whiterun's second level to make Ancient Nordic arms and armor. The big disadvantage is the nearest arcane enchanter is up in Dragonsreach.

Windhelm – the blacksmith and all equipment needed operates next to Windhelm's market. It's convenient for instantly selling anything you make; but, it's a fair walk from Hjerim, the house you can buy in Windhelm. Even though Hjerim is the largest and probably nicest purchasable home in Skyrim, the distance from the smith makes it less convenient as a base for smithing. There's also the price of Hjerim, which is fairly high compared to Breezehome in Whiterun; plus, you have to clean it out first as a serial killer is using it for his necromantic experiments. Still, once fixed up, Hjerim is an attractive Smithing base and the blacksmith has everything you need (smelter, tanning rack, forge, workbench and grindstone) and you can sell arms and armor to the blacksmith himself as well as Niryane at her armor stall nearby. Get your Speech skill up high enough to get the Merchant perk and you can sell your stuff to the other stall merchants and in the White Phial.

Riften – the blacksmith is next to Riften's market so selling stuff is easier. Honeyside is a little walk from the market and smith, but it's not that great. Honeyside also has an arcane enchanter for enchanting items before you sell them. The house, fully equipped, is not that much more expensive than Whiterun. The big downside here is the lack of a smelter. There isn't a smelter anywhere in town. The closest one is in Shor's Stone—so you first have to take all your ore there and smelt it to ingots and then bring it back. That's a major hassle and moves Riften down on the list.

Thieves Guild – bring the Thieves Guild back to power and you'll have much of what you need at your fingertips. The Ragged Flagon will contain five merchants, all of whom will fence stolen goods and an almost complete blacksmith (alas, no tanning rack and no smelter). There is also no arcane enchanter, so you have to either use the one in Mistveil Keep or buy Honeyside and use that one. There are two alchemy labs (one in the Flagon and one in the Cistern), and plenty of guild chests to store your stuff in. The downside is you have to complete the Thieves Guild quests all the way through "Under New Management."

Markarth – the blacksmith is next to Cidhna Mine. The smelter is down near the mine while the other equipment is up above the first level of the falls. The smithy is a good walk from the purchasable home, Vlindrel Hall, and is also far from merchants who can buy the stuff you make (other than the blacksmith herself). The distance of the smelter from the rest of the equipment is also problematic. On the plus side, Understone Keep is a handy source of Dwarven scrap metal for smelting into Dwarven metal ingots and crafting Dwarven arms and armor.

Solitude – besides the huge expense of purchasing Proudspire Manor, it is nowhere near the blacksmith. On the plus side, Solitude has a large number of merchants for selling your stuff, though there is a fair bit of walking between all of them. Of all the locations to set up a Smithing base, this is the least desirable.