Every trader location and what they sell: Warren, Blacksmith, Marion, and the rest

Practical Routes and Tradeoffs

Overview

Blacksmithing gear offers solid mid-tier armor with heat resistance, but hunting it down requires planning. This guide focuses on practical route decisions, prerequisites, and recovery strategies—not exhaustive location lists. You'll learn how to prioritize your time based on what you already have and what you're willing to risk.

Prerequisites and Stop Conditions

Before heading out, check these requirements. If you're missing any, adjust your route or delay the hunt.

• Manufacturing West access: Requires story progression past early Office Sector. If you haven't reached this area, focus on other gear first.
• Keypad Hacker (Tier 2): Needed for The Blacksmith Bobblehead. Without it, skip that room entirely—don't waste time trying lower-tier hackers.
• Jump Pad or Jetpack: Required for one glove spawn in Cascade Laboratories. If you lack both, skip that location.
• Captain's Beret: Trade item for Blacksmithing Gloves. If you have one, trading is faster than looting. If not, decide whether to hunt the beret or loot gloves directly.

Stop conditions: If you've already found two pairs of Blacksmithing Gloves, stop looting—you only need one for armor and one for scrap. If you're only after the bobblehead, skip all glove locations.

Route Choices: Looting vs. Trading

You have two main paths to Blacksmithing Gloves: looting multiple spawns or trading a single item. Each has clear tradeoffs.

Option A: Looting Manufacturing West (Recommended for most players)

Time: 10–15 minutes Requirements: Area access only Risk: Spawns are random; you might find zero gloves in a run Reward: Up to 5 spawn points, plus chance at other loot in the area

Route:

1. Enter Manufacturing West and head to the F.O.R.G.E. building.
2. Take the elevator to the top floor for The Blacksmith.
3. Check the Supply Room and the tent area near The Blacksmith.
4. Look in the container above The Blacksmith's location.
5. Find Hank in Shipping for three additional spawns (office desk, near crane on GATE Box, near boxes before yellow doors).

Recovery: If you find no gloves, reload the area by leaving Manufacturing West and returning. Spawns reset after a full area reload (not just fast travel).

Option B: Trading Captain's Beret (Faster but requires the beret)

Time: 5 minutes Requirements: Captain's Beret + access to The Blacksmith Risk: You lose the beret permanently; berets are rare drops from Office Sector containers Reward: Guaranteed gloves in one trade

Route:

1. Check your inventory for a Captain's Beret.
2. If you have one, travel directly to Manufacturing West.
3. Find The Blacksmith and trade the beret for gloves.

Recovery: If you don't have a beret, don't waste time hunting for one—looting is more reliable. Berets have no guaranteed spawn and drop randomly from office containers.

Option C: Looting Cascade Laboratories (Backup route)

Time: 15–20 minutes Requirements: Jump Pad or Jetpack Risk: Only 2 spawns; one requires vertical mobility Reward: Chance at gloves plus other Tram area loot

Route:

1. Enter Cascade Laboratories and proceed to the Tram area.
2. Use Jump Pad or Jetpack to reach the elevated room near the Pest Teleporter recipe.
3. Check the Control Center for a second spawn.

Recovery: If you lack Jump Pad or Jetpack, skip this route entirely. The elevated room is unreachable without them.

Comparison Table: Looting vs. Trading

Decision rule: If you have a Captain's Beret, trade immediately. If not, loot Manufacturing West first. Only visit Cascade Labs, Security Sector, or Hydroplant if you still need gloves after two Manufacturing West runs.

The Blacksmith Bobblehead: One Location, One Requirement

The bobblehead is found in a single room: the small room above The Blacksmith in Manufacturing West. You need a Keypad Hacker (Tier 2) to open the door. No other location exists.

Recovery: If the door won't open, check your hacker tier. Tier 1 hackers won't work. Craft a Tier 2 hacker at a Crafting Bench (requires 1 Circuit Board + 2 Copper Wire + 1 Plastic Scrap). If you still can't open it, the bobblehead may have been looted already—it does not respawn.

Tram Station Key: Story-Gated Crafting

The Tram Station Key recipe unlocks after you speak to The Blacksmith following your meeting with Sarah Frake. This is a story requirement—you cannot skip it.

Recipe: 1 Controller + 4 Military Electronics at a Crafting Bench.

Uses: Opens tram stations in Manufacturing West (near Digsite), Cascade Laboratories (Lobby), and Reactors (Power Services area). Each key is one-time use, so craft multiple if you plan to unlock all three.

Recovery: If the recipe isn't appearing, progress the story until you've met Sarah Frake and spoken to The Blacksmith afterward. No other trigger exists.

Workflow: Obtaining Blacksmithing Gloves

1. Check inventory for a Captain's Beret.
2. If you have the beret: Travel to Manufacturing West, find The Blacksmith, trade for gloves. Done.
3. If no beret: Loot Manufacturing West spawns (5 chances). Reload area if needed.
4. Still missing after two runs: Loot Cascade Laboratories (2 chances, requires Jump Pad/Jetpack).
5. Last resort: Visit Security Sector (1 chance, requires toxic protection) or Hydroplant (1 chance).
6. Craft Tram Station Keys only after unlocking the recipe—don't waste materials before speaking to The Blacksmith post-Sarah Frake.

This approach minimizes travel time and avoids wasted effort on low-probability spawns.