Blacksmith ( building ) Blacksmiths are a type of building that can be found all over Azeroth , used for smelt ing metal s . Alliance Blacksmiths . As the metalworker of the alliance town , he is responsible for the grade and quality of the steel used in your weapons and armor . If funds are devoted to the refining of his craft , he can upgrade the materials and skills used , allowing the creation of better swords and shields . His talents are also sought after in the construction of specific goods and building materials that are essential to other professions . They work out of blacksmith shops . Blacksmiths are an important part of many settlements dependent on military protection . While the metals that they forge are a vital component in the construction of advanced buildings , they are especially known for their skill at weaponcrafting and armoring . The smiths of Lordaeron , occasionally aided by their skillful Dwarven allies , are renowned for producing some of the finest quality weapons in the northlands . The Blacksmiths and Elves are rumored to be developing a machine that may alter the course of the war against the Horde . At the blacksmith , the dwarves refine their mastery of gunpowder . It is also at this building where more effective steel - forging methods are researched and perfected . Human troops depend upon the blacksmith to provide both increasingly effective weapon blades and more impenetrable plates of armor . Orc and Horde Blacksmiths . All objects that require the strength of iron are made here . As money is spent to build hotter forges and mine for better metals , the quality and deadliness of the axes and shields that are produced will increase . Metal is also a vital component in the construction of some Orc ’ s buildings and materials , and to create a site for them will be impossible without the aid of the Blacksmith . The Orcs that live and work in the Blacksmith shops are veteran warriors themselves . Understanding the value of strong steel , they are always developing new techniques and methods to improve their weapons or upgrade the quality of their armor . The steel that they forge is essential in the manufacture of the devastating Catapult , and their skills also aid in the crafting of the strange mechanical workings that are used to improve the accuracy and strength of these great machines . Their expertise is often required for the construction of advanced structures . High Elven Blacksmiths . The Blacksmith run by High Elves helped fend off Arthas as he tried to attack their capital Silvermoon and Quel ' thalas in Warcraft III by upgrading fighting units . The Blood Elves use a similar blacksmith in the Frozen Throne Expansion Campaign in Warcraft III . It cannot be built by the " High Elf ( Worker ) " probably due to the limited ability of the map editor prior to the Frozen Throne Expansion . With the Frozen Throne Expansion map editor , it is possible to make additional groups with building orders . Blood Elven Blacksmiths . The Blacksmith building helped the Blood Elves and Kael ' thas in Warcraft III Frozen Throne Human Expansion Campaign . In World of Warcraft . Blacksmiths are a common building in many human towns . Many have NPC blacksmiths that will repair armor for a cost . The design seems to be a cross between the ones used in the second and third wars .