Are Black Steels & above worth it?

[Jivix 21]

Has anyone looked into Black/Blue/Red steel to see if they actually offer anything more than regular Steel? One piece of black steel, in addition to several alloys, needs 3 pieces of steel to create 1 piece of black steel. This should make one logically conclude that it has at least 3x the durability of steel, yet it doesn't seem to. I just got to blue steel and it seems that it doesn't have any more durability over black, and that one wasn't worth it to start! Seems like they are just there for posterity at the moment (a blue anvil looks pretty rad). I'll be using regular steel from now on, as it doesn't cost any rare alloys to make : /

[Bioxx 796]

I do not envision anything more than Steel being used as a primary metal. They are notoriously difficult to create and would only be used by wealthy warriors etc.

[Zedek 1]

So steel is end-game?

[Bioxx 796]

I wouldn't call it end-game per se. IRL there might be better metals for certain things but you wouldn't always use it because another metal is cheaper even if not quite as effective. That is ultimately how metals work in TFC. Blue and Red Steel are far and away better than everything else, it jsut comes down to how much time and energy that the smith wants to put into it.

[Jivix 21]

But is it actually worth the metals you put into it? For example, black steel requires that you smelt 2 steel bars + 1 black bismuth + 1 nickel. Then, you need to combine each bar with a pig iron.

Each black steel takes:

1.5 ferrous bars (be it Steel or Pig Iron)

.25 black bismuth

.25 nickel

I haven't noticed black steel having any higher of a durability than steel. I may be mistaken, but I had expected that I would have at least 1.5x the durability of a steel tool (because I'm investing 1.5 bars in a single black steel ingot). My question is: Is it a tech tree of diminishing returns, or do we get an equivalent increase in strength/durability with the resources we put in?

[Bioxx 796]

I'm not going to give actual numbers but there's a ~30-40% increase in durability from Steel to Black Steel. You also need to then factor in the fact that the speed of breaking rocks also increases the higher tier that you go. Also the enchantability once I get to that point. Overall the tools are a solid increase at each tier. The question yet again comes down to, do you want to spend the time needed to make those tools to use every day. It takes a ton of ore to make the anvils etc that are required so its not cheap.

For SMP, if you have a dedicated smith who loves to smith stuff then its not such an issue, esp with several miners and bloomeries running. For SSP everything is much harder.

[Antice 2]

Is it safe to say that once you have the plain steel, then you are basically so far up the tech tree that going further is more of a luxury thing rather than a need?

[Bioxx 796]

I would say that is a safe assumption.

[-Foxley46- 3]

Black, red and blue steels are expensive and should be handled only by experienced smiths and wealthy miners.

But they are very useful for tool that wear fast(scythes,shovels and such) or in SMP where human(player) labor exists.

[CreeperVon 22]

The only reason I would use red/blue steel is for buckets.

[transcengopher 349]

Is it safe to say that once you have the plain steel, then you are basically so far up the tech tree that going further is more of a luxury thing rather than a need?

You might want to make red/blue steel buckets as a way to actually move liquids around if you want to, but even this is a more of a luxury than anything else. And once you made the buckets, might as well start to make swords too.

[HiddenSage 39]

Black, red and blue steels are expensive and should be handled only by experienced smiths and wealthy miners.But they are very useful for tool that wear fast(scythes,shovels and such) or in SMP where human(player) labor exists.

 See, I have the exact opposite mindset. Red/Blue is so expensive that I don't want to have to spend a fortune on it on things like shovels. Even when I do HAVE access to it, I rarely even use plain steel scythes, because it's a good way to burn up excess bronze (IMO) to use on scythes, shovels, and axes. I use red/blue steel for prospector's picks and saws, since once you've made a blue steel propick, you'll never have to make another. Ever. 

[aliceingame 114]

 See, I have the exact opposite mindset. Red/Blue is so expensive that I don't want to have to spend a fortune on it on things like shovels. Even when I do HAVE access to it, I rarely even use plain steel scythes, because it's a good way to burn up excess bronze (IMO) to use on scythes, shovels, and axes. I use red/blue steel for prospector's picks and saws, since once you've made a blue steel propick, you'll never have to make another. Ever. 

 

It's fun, for me the tool I would made out of blue/red steel are pickaxe, axe, shovel, as they have better speed, or weapons as they are stronger.

 

On the other hand Pro pick, hammer, chisel, scythe, saw, all these only have more use, so the copper or blue steel is as effective, so for me they are perfect for bronze tools.

[mayaknife 82]

If you're taking an extended trip away from your home base, the extra durability of the higher-tier metals may free up valuable inventory space by removing the need to take backup tools.