How does value affect the gain of smithing experience?

Solution 1:

According to UESP, formulas for XP gain post 1.5 update are as follows:

25 + (3 * item value ^ 0.65) base XP for constructing an item. 25 + (8 * item value ^ 0.6) base XP for improving an item Source: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Leveling

[old info] I did a little bit of experiment while leveling up smithing after 1.5 beta came out. Based on the data I have gathered, it appears that the experience gained is roughly proportional to the square root of the value of the item created. Furthermore, it also appears that experience gain by improving an item at a grindstone or workbench works in the same manner. The gain in experience is proportional to the square root of value added.

So it seems that improving expensive items to super legendary state will contribute a lot to leveling up smithing in later stages.

Data:

To get from smithing level 52 to 53, I needed to make:

• 17 iron daggers (value = 10)
• 13.5 leather bracers (value = 25)
• 7 leather armors (value = 125)
• 11 gold rings (value = 75),
• 7 gold necklaces (value = 125)
• 3.5 elven bows (value = 470).

To get from level 81 to 82, I made

• 4.2 Glass Warhammers (value = 985)
• 6.3 Glass Waraxes (value = 490)
• 9.5 Elven Swords (value = 235)
• 12 Steel Shields (value = 150)
• 25 Leather Bracers (value = 25)
• 32 Iron Daggers (value = 10)

To get from 81 to 82, I improved:

• Glass warhammer (value before = 985, after = 2298, value added = 1313, number = 3)
• Glass warhammer (value before = 985, after = 1805, value added = 820, number = 4.5)
• Glass waraxe (value before = 490, after = 1143, value added = 653, number = 4.5)
• Elven sword (value before = 235, after = 548, value added = 313, number = 6.5)
• Elven sword (value before = 235, after = 430, value added = 195, number = 10.2)

Solution 2:

starting point: 85 skill with 1735 skill xp needed to level.

Trials:

50 xp = leather bracer (1685 remaining)
99 xp = leather bracer x2 (1636 remaining)
247 xp = leather bracer x5 (1488 remaining)

95 xp = leather armor (1640 remaining)
283 xp = leather armor x3 (1452 remaining)

340 xp = leather helmet x5 (1395 remaining)

Analysis:

leather armor: 4 leather, 3 strips (4.75 leather)
125 value, 94.33 xp, 19.85 xp per leather

leather helmet: 2 leather 1 strip (2.25 leather)
60 value, 68 xp, 30.222 xp per leather

leather bracer: 1 leather, 2 strips (1.5 leather)
25 value, 49.4 xp, 32.933 xp per leather

Conclusion: If you are skilling up with leather only, you should continue making leather bracers. Leather Helmet and Leather Armor are not as efficient sources of xp per leather.

Trials:

384 xp = iron dagger x10 (1351 remaining)
555 xp = iron dagger x10 + upgrade x10 (1180 remaining)

340 xp = iron warhammer x5 (1395 remaining) (see leather helmet)

Conclusion: Iron dagger still beats iron warhammer. Don't upgrade.

178 xp = elven helmet x2 (1557 remaining)
337 xp = elven helmet x2 + upgrade x2 (1398 remaining)

Conclusion: Elven materials are too expensive to skill up on.

426 xp = silver sapphire necklace x2 (1309 remaining)

Conclusion: don't sell gems, craft up the ones you find.

Final analysis: You are less screwed than before if you make items other than iron daggers or leather bracers, but those are still the easiest and most effective smithing items to make for leveling. In specific detail, my leveling plan is:

1. Gather leather as I wander
2. Buy out the vendor's iron supply
3. Craft iron daggers til out of iron
4. Craft leather bracers with the remaining leather.

If you don't want to make leather bracers and iron daggers... consider making bows - they have fairly high value to material ratios.

Solution 3:

The best and most cost effective way to level experience in my opinion is crafting of gold rings. Although it does require the purchase or finding of the alteration spell "Transmute."

1. Buy all iron ore from merchants
2. Transmute iron ore to gold ore
3. Craft 2 gold rings per 2 gold ore
4. Repeat

Very cost effective way to level smithing while leveling alteration. Although because merchants generally don't keep tons of iron ore I'd recommend stocking up whenever you see it.

Solution 4:

I have found the best way to upgrade smithing. Go to mzulft where the mission was for the college and the staff of Magnus. In there you can collect a lot of the dwemer artifacts and melt them down at a smelter and create a lot of dearven metal ingots and then as normal get lots of iron ingots and make dwarven bows, which cost 1 iron ingot and 2 dwarven ingots. (you can get around 2000 lbs. of dwarven artifacts in that place) note* not all of the artefacts can be melted down.