Dark Iron Farming, Part 2: Smelting

Important: before you can smelt Dark Iron, you have to learn how. Only Gloom'rel, a ghost in BRD, can teach you. He's one of the 7 ghosts in the "event" just before the MC entrance. Make sure you bring 20 gold bars, 10 truesilver, and 2 star rubies; that's his price. And also make sure you talk to him before somebody in your group starts the event...

Smelting Dark Iron requires getting to the Black Forge, which typically means fighting your way through most of BRD. You can't stealth the whole way because there are doors to open, in particular one set that only opens after doing an "event" that involves killing a sequence of 7 elites. I'll be impressed with the rogue who solos that.

However there is a short cut, through the lava. Fortunately, this is easy for rogues. The only consumables I use are one dose of Flash Powder and one Greater Fire Protection pot, which costs a little under 3g on my server.

Here's how to do it:

1. Step 1: Stealth to Lord Incendius. Easy.
   
   
   
   
2. Step 2: From just before Incendius, jump down into the lava and immediately head to the left wall, where you can hop up on a little ledge. Rest up.
   
   
   
   
3. Step 3: Run across to the island. You can't get out of the lava at the nearest point; you have to go a hair right of the point. There are fire elementals on this island, but if you move just out of the lava you'll be safe. Vanish if you get aggro. Rest up and wait for cooldowns if you used Vanish.
   
   
   
   
4. Step 4: Cross to the wall. You have to get past an elemental to do this, but since they move faster than you through lava and will stun you if they catch you, you can't just bolt past them. What I do is, from stealth, punch the sprint button, then cheap shot the elemental on the way by. By the time stun breaks you'll be on the ledge against the wall. Hit Vanish. Also, note the hint of an elemental in the lava to the right. Wait until he's as far out of the way as possible. Elementals in the lava can be hard to spot, so use your mouse-over to find them.
   
   
   
   
5. Step 5: Long run to the island. Rest up, wait for cooldowns, and drink your Fire Protection pot. Now wait 2 minutes for the potion cooldown, in case you need to use a heal pot. Also, note the roaming fire elemental in the lava; wait until he moves out of the way to the left. The next island also has elementals, so again just move slightly up out of the lava then stealth.
   
   
   
   
6. Step 6: Last lava crossing. Rest up, stealth through the elementals, and dash across the last bit. If you got aggro behind you, punch Vanish once you get to solid ground.
   
   
7. Step 7: The Forge. Kill the 56 elite elemental, and start smelting. Hearth out.