In Fantasy Life I: The Girl Who Steals Time, the Blacksmith Life stands out as one of the most practical and consistently rewarding paths for players. With responsibilities ranging from crafting swords for Mercenaries to tools for Farmers, Blacksmiths support nearly every other Life in the game. However, success in this crafting-focused class hinges on smart investment in the right skills from its Skill Board.
How Blacksmith Life Works in Fantasy Life I
When you select the Blacksmith Life, your core function is crafting weapons, armor, and metal tools using hammers. Blacksmiths rely on the crafting mini-game, where timing, precision, and skill upgrades directly impact the quality of your creations. Recipes are acquired through progression, NPCs, or the DLC—eventually totaling over 230 items.
Blacksmith-specific skills fall into three broad areas: general crafting performance, power action efficiency, and progression support (such as EXP bonuses and automation features). Each skill is accessed via the Life Skill Board and improves with your rank, from Novice to God/Creator. The Blacksmith’s Life Shop is located in the Secret Smithy in Mt. Snowpeak’s Lava Cave.
Ranked List: Best Blacksmith Skills (8 to 1)
1. EXP Earned Plus
Crafting doesn’t level up as quickly as combat or gathering, making this skill essential early on. EXP Earned Plus increases the experience gained from each crafted item. This helps you reach higher ranks more efficiently without burning through excess resources on unnecessary crafting tasks. It becomes especially valuable during long crafting sessions.
2. Craft Time Bonus
This skill extends the time available during the crafting mini-game. As recipes become more complex, additional time becomes crucial for managing Power Actions without errors. The longer window to act allows for greater precision, helping ensure you achieve higher-quality results more consistently. You can unlock this bonus in tiers, with improved durations at higher investment levels.
3. The Art of Blacksmithing
Unlocked at Hero Rank, this skill significantly increases the speed at which you perform Power Actions like tap, hold, and spin. Completing these sequences faster helps you craft more efficiently and with fewer mistakes, improving your odds of achieving a perfect item. It is one of the most impactful late-game upgrades.
Read More: Fantasy Life i Guide: All Lives, Starting Tips, Codes & Multiplayer Explained
4. Tap/Hold Master
This skill set acts as a precursor to The Art of Blacksmithing, offering incremental speed boosts to individual Power Actions such as tapping or holding. These smaller enhancements add up over time and are especially helpful before Hero Rank. They provide smoother gameplay and lay the groundwork for efficient mini-game performance.
5. One-Star Auto Smithing
When you tire of repeating low-tier recipes, One-Star Auto Smithing becomes a welcome addition. It allows you to bypass the mini-game entirely for one-star recipes. As you progress further along the skill board, you unlock automation for higher-tier recipes. This dramatically streamlines the crafting process when efficiency is a priority.
6. Weaponsmithing
This specialization boosts your effectiveness when forging weapons and metal tools, which are essential to supporting other combat-oriented Lives. Unlocking this skill requires reaching the bottom of the skill board and holding at least an Apprentice Rank. It becomes increasingly relevant as your crafting repertoire expands into gear for other classes.
7. Smithing Plus
Smithing Plus strengthens your core Blacksmithing ability by boosting base smithing power independently of your equipped hammer. With multiple levels available, it ensures consistent crafting output and reliability, especially when tackling tougher recipes. This is a must-have for long-term stability and success.
8. Heavy Strike and Its Evolutions
Heavy Strike is the Blacksmith’s signature Special Skill, first unlocked at Adept Rank. Once charged, it automatically completes three crafting tasks with perfect execution. As you level up, it evolves into more powerful forms. At Master Rank, Heavy Strike becomes Dancing Hammer, allowing you to complete five actions. At God/Creator Rank, it evolves again into Perfect Strike, covering seven actions. When your gauge is double-charged, Sound of Success unlocks and completes the entire crafting process instantly. This line of skills defines high-end efficiency and is crucial for perfect results in demanding recipes.
Additional Abilities and Unlocks
Upon reaching Expert Rank, you gain access to Extra Materials, enabling the use of bonus ingredients that improve crafted item effects. At God/Creator Rank, a second material slot is unlocked, which allows you to use a Divine Orb. This guarantees a divine-quality item, making it a crucial late-game upgrade.
At Master Rank, the Artisan ability lets you brand your crafted gear with your player name. Items display a “Made by: [Player Name]” signature, adding a unique personal touch and a sense of pride to your work.
Additionally, Improve Ability and Remake become available. Improve Ability boosts both quality and quantity of your crafting output, while Remake allows you to reroll item stats—a powerful option when optimizing high-tier equipment.
Crafting Mini-Game Mechanics
The Blacksmith mini-game centers around executing sequences using tap, mash, hold, and spin inputs. Your goal is to fill the Completion Bar within a fixed number of moves. Faster, mistake-free inputs contribute to higher-quality outcomes.
Mistakes or slow responses delay the process and reduce the chances of obtaining a perfect item. Failing to complete the bar results in lost materials. Crafting becomes more difficult if your skill level is below the item’s recommended requirement. To improve your odds, invest in crafting stats, use stronger hammers, and train your Buddies for supportive boosts.
Skill Tree and Stat Upgrade Priorities
The most effective skill path begins with Improve Ability and Remake, followed by Auto Complete Actions and Extra Materials. These give you control over quality, output, and gear optimization.
Stat-wise, Time Bonus should be your first investment, followed by Crafting Stat Bonus and then EXP Bonus. For mini-game performance, prioritize Hold speed first, as it takes the longest, then work on Tap enhancements.
Support Systems: Buddies, Gathering, and NPCs
Align your Buddies and Strangelings with the Blacksmith Life to benefit from their bonuses. Notable companions include Bray, Ian, and Magmia. These can be acquired through world exploration or enemy drops and should be equipped with tools that increase their crafting stats.
Pairing the Blacksmith Life with the Miner Life ensures a steady supply of raw ores needed for most recipes. Gathering your own materials saves Dosh and streamlines your production process.
Various NPCs throughout Reveria offer Blacksmith-related challenges, tips, and equipment. Watch for the question mark above their heads and speak with them regularly. Master Vulcan handles challenge completions and is key to advancing in rank.
Rank Progression and Stats Table
| Rank | Stars | Vitality | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novice | 0 | – | – |
| Fledgling | 100 | +2 | +1 |
| Apprentice | 500 | +4 | +2 |
| Adept | 1500 | +6 | +3 |
| Expert | 6000 | +8 | +4 |
| Master | 16000 | +12 | +6 |
| Hero | 30000 | +16 | +8 |
| Legend | 59760 | +20 | +10 |
| God/Creator | 80000 | +24 | +12 |
To unlock skill levels above 15, reach Legend Rank and visit Divinus while the Blacksmith Life is active.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right Blacksmith skills early on will dramatically shape your crafting efficiency, leveling speed, and item quality throughout Fantasy Life I. Whether you’re supporting combat classes or crafting top-tier gear for trade, investing wisely into Power Action efficiency, EXP gain, and time management ensures that your Blacksmith stays relevant and powerful across the entire game.
