This guide is partly terrible and contains bad advice.
Breaking down common or low tier weapons is not advisable.
SELL YOUR UNWANTED WEAPONS.
You can sell a common sword for like 30 gold. That common sword will give you 1 iron if you break it down, and the cost of buying 1 iron from a merchant is like 12 gold if I remember correctly. You're far better off selling your unwanted weapons and spending to gold on buying the materials.
This pattern continues all the way up through every level.
Selling will give you more gold than the cost of the equivalent materials.
