All of the recipes require either iron or steel ingots (or sometimes both). You can just as easily use the iron/steel and sell the dwarven ingots to buy more iron/steel.

This is mainly the problem. You shouldn't have to go up both sides, but you SHOULD be able to, after you hit Dragon smithing, be able to go DOWN the right side so you can hit Daedric weapons. Shouldn't have to waste perks on Orc, Dwarven, and Ebony when you've already got Glass items that are better.

A dwarven bow requires 1 iron ingot 2 dwarven metal. It will also level you more than making a simple iron dagger. If you want to go out and buy iron, have at it. But maybe you don't want to by an assload of mats, maybe you like to dungeon crawl and explore. What a person chooses to do is up to them, I just gave an option.

Erm, better availabity of components? You don't need to buy anything for dragon armor.

@topic

Hm, a legendary glass bow is doing enough dmg and is available much earlier. => No need for remodeling the smithing perk tree imho.

Dragon weapons would solve this issue.

You're right though. From an offensive standpoint, heavy armor is better. Personally, I don't really care about that though. I think the heavy armor looks too bulky and ugly. If this game had capes or cloaks, it would go a long way towards making the heavy gear look better but as it stands, you look like you're wearing football pads. All of the coolest looking armors are light IMO and the glass weapons look cooler than Daedric too.

See many opinions out there, I kind of think heavy armor looks better. My first character went the light armor route and I did not like it. Defensive capabilities aside, I thought it was ugly. All of it, looked like something from a Final Fantasy game, especially the glass and dragonskin... and I really don't like the dragonskin set. The helmet is fugly. I haven't made anything other than dwarven armor as of yet. With my ancient knowledge perk it's just as good as orcish which is where my smithing is currently at. I don't know how any set looks up from dwarven, but I do like my dwarven armor. I feel like a gladiator. A golden gladiator of death.... that sneaks around. Which is quite funny.

If anything heavy armor needs to be buffed, light armor can easily reach armor cap with smithing and with perks it's super easy. Not to mention light armor is just better.

Makes sense that Heavy armour is tougher than light.
Ebony is also the toughest thing around until dragons came back.
Daedric is improved ebony.
There needs to be dragon weapons.

Explain how light armor is "better". Because it's aesthetically more appealing to you does not make it better. Looking at only it's base values and perks, how is it better? Do explain, perhaps I missed something.

I think that base values are about the least important thing in terms of effectiveness. Honestly the best light and best heavy armors and weapons are within a couple of points of each other. Which is meaningless when you can upgrade both by 50-60 points without really investnig too heavily in smithing and up to 129 (IIRC) if you really focus on smithing/enchanted smithing gear.

You'll hit the armor cap in any set and likely be one-shotting most bosses.

I really like that idea. I was just thinking about picking up some Smithing perks for my Thief/Assassin, but I didn't know if I should go Heavy Armour for the weapons, or if I should just stick to Light Armour so I can craft it. Right now I'm thinking of just going for the weapons, because I'm already wearing some pretty good Thief Guild armour, (Not Nightingale, gonna wait for that).

There is no issue. The damage difference between Glass and Dadric is not going to be significant to ever matter. In fact any weapon (or armor for that matter) that falls under one of the smithing perks is going to be more than viable late game.

Different strokes for different folks I guess. I had a heavy armor character before and I just felt that the armor was way too bulky. Not to mention the lack of specialized suits like the Nightingale armor or the Penitus Oculatus armor. Light armor kicks ass.

True enough. You know, I've not noticed that. Every armor set you get in the game is light armor. I thought the companions might have forked over some heavy armor, but I just got a skyforged weapon. I haven't done all their quests so they may look out. I doubt it tho.

This. Makes no sense at all.

Because it would be a cruel joke too light armor users if they had to run up the heavy armor side for a good armor they can craft early in the game.

The Smithing Tree should have two branches, one for Weapons and one for Armor. At each level of armor, you can make a step up Light or Heavy Armor.

Makes sense, as while there is some overlap in the skills to work the materials, pounding out a sword or a hammer requires a different skill set than crafting armor that fits a wearer. To that end, the Weapon side of the tree could have less steps.

You could also make the case that you would have to know how to work the material your using.

I think some rewards are scripted to your skill set. Light Armor is the higher skill, that is what you get.

However, with the Imperials, you are given a choice, and I have gotten some Heavy Armor rewards even though my LA skill is 3 times higher than my HA skill.

No, because Daedric weapons are ebony weapons with the soul of a daedra in them. You cannot make Daedric weapons without first learning to make Ebony. THe tree is exactly like it is for a very good reason.

Daedric leather would be nice. :whistling:

I like the idea of dragon weapons. However of those were the best weapons, heavy armor wearers would complain about how smithing then favors light as they then get the best weapons with less investment than heavy.

My solution would be either of the following:
1) allow dragon weapons be made that are the equivalent in damage to daedric weapons
2) split daedric/dragon weapons. Dragon can make stronger bows, one handed swords, daggers, and staves. Daedric, being heavier, has the stronger axes, hammers, and two-handed weapons. Roughly a 50/50 split and each favors the appropriate style of play.

Either way someone is going to complain. All the dual wield warriors in heavy armor would be upset that their daedric weapons aren't as good as dragon anymore, etc. It'll never work out where everyone is happy. But for now, it works just fine as it is. No matter how you look at it, Daedric has to be where it is, because it's made of Ebony and Daedra souls. So you would have to learn ebony, which is heavy armor, first. That's just how it is.

That's why I had two solutions, with dragon weapons being equivalent to daedric

Personally I have to resort to scrounging daedric weapons on my thief but c'est la vie

Obsidian can hold an edge far sharper than steel can. And obsidian is a volcanic... (wait for it)... glass.

Glass is not just a brittle easily shattered clear thing we cover windows with. It is any non-crystalline mineral solid.

My query is why is Malachite used to smith glass? Malachite is a crystal, while glass is by definition not.