Make the weapon before the next zone
Warrior and Paladin feel a weapon drought quickly. Several levels with a weapon behind the zone makes every fight longer and encourages risky pulls. Blacksmithing gives you a way to make the weapon when the route does not drop one.
What the forge provides
Mithril coverage for levels 30–40. Craft the weapon and plate pieces when drops fall behind the level band.
Use Sharpening Stones on relevant weapons. Minor comes from Copper and Dense comes from Thorium. Dense Sharpening Stone adds 8 weapon damage to every swing.
Build a supply line you control. Ore becomes bars and bars become gear without relying on an Auction House upgrade.
Mine for the craft
Blacksmithing uses a large amount of ore and gold. Reaching 300 is expensive when Mining does not feed it, and each crafted weapon costs more. Pair it with Mining or keep enough gold for the materials.
Who benefits
Warrior and Paladin get the clearest value from plate, weapon timing, and Mining routes. Other melee classes usually get more immediate pull control from Engineering. Choose Blacksmithing for a stable route with a gear gap to solve.
Keep the pair together
Blacksmithing solves the weapon drought. Mining keeps the solution affordable.