Runes are like special power-ups in The Forge that can make your weapons stronger, your armor tougher, and your pickaxes more effective. Many players wander around for hours trying to find these valuable items without knowing where to look. The good news is that getting runes isn’t random chaos—it’s a system you can master. This guide will show you exactly how to get runes in The Forge, which enemies to target, and how to use them to boost your gear to the next level.
Key Takeaways
- Runes only drop from specific enemies in The Forge, not from all mobs you fight
- Each rune has a fixed drop rate (like 1/35 or 1/15), so you might need to defeat multiple enemies
- You must enhance weapons and armor to unlock rune slots (level 3+ for weapons)
- Pickaxes come with rune slots by default starting from the Gold Pickaxe
- Visit the Runemaker in Stonewake’s Cross to attach runes to your equipment
- Some runes like Frost Speck and Venom Crumb aren’t available yet in the game
What Are Runes in The Forge?
Runes are special items that act like tiny power cores for your equipment in The Forge. When you attach them to your weapons, armor, or pickaxes, they give you extra abilities and bonuses. Think of them as magical upgrades that can make you mine faster, hit harder, or move quicker in battle.
Each rune type offers different benefits. Some runes help with combat by adding fire damage or increasing your attack speed. Others help with mining by making you mine faster or find better ores. The right runes can completely change how you play The Forge, making tough enemies easier to defeat and rare ores easier to find.
What makes runes special is that they come with random traits. You might get a Miner Shard with +15% mining speed or one with +10% luck. This randomness means every rune you find could be better than the last one, keeping the hunt exciting and rewarding.
How to Get Runes in The Forge?
Getting runes in The Forge isn’t about luck—it’s about knowing which enemies to fight. Unlike ores that you find by mining, runes only drop when you defeat specific enemies. Each rune has its own source and drop rate, making some easier to get than others.
Which Enemies Drop Runes?
The key to getting runes is targeting the right enemies. Not every mob in The Forge will drop runes, so you need to know exactly which ones to hunt. Here’s a complete table showing all available runes, where to find them, and their drop rates:
| Rune Name | Which Enemy Drops It | Drop Rate | Location |
| Miner Shard | Delver Zombie | 1/35 | Stonewake’s Cross Cave |
| Miner Shard | Bomber | 1/15 | Forgotten Kingdom Ruined Cave |
| Blast Chip | Bomber | 1/10 | Forgotten Kingdom Ruined Cave |
| Flame Spark | Deathaxe Skeleton | 1/35 | Forgotten Kingdom Ruined Cave |
| Flame Spark | Elite Deathaxe Skeleton | 1/25 | Forgotten Kingdom Ruined Cave |
| Flame Spark | Reaper | 1/5 | Volcanic Depths |
| Flame Spark | Blazing Slime | 1/12 | Forgotten Kingdom Ruined Cave |
| Drain Edge | Reaper | 1/12 | Volcanic Depths |
| Briar Notch | Deathaxe Skeleton | 1/50 | Forgotten Kingdom Ruined Cave |
| Briar Notch | Elite Deathaxe Skeleton | 1/40 | Forgotten Kingdom Ruined Cave |
| Rage Mark | Elite Rogue Skeleton | 1/25 | Volcanic Depths |
Pro Tip: The Reaper has the best drop rate for Flame Spark runes at 1/5, making it your best target if you want combat runes. Just make sure you have good armor and weapons before fighting Reapers in the Volcanic Depths!
Some runes like Frost Speck, Venom Crumb, Chill Dust, Ward Patch, and Rot Stitch aren’t available yet in the game. They’ll likely be added in future updates when new areas like the snow island are released.
Best Farming Strategies for Runes?
Farming runes efficiently means more than just fighting the right enemies. You need a strategy to maximize your chances of getting the runes you want. Here are the best methods for rune farming:
1. Focus on One Rune at a Time Don’t try to get every rune at once. Pick one rune you really want and focus only on the enemies that drop it. For example, if you want Miner Shard runes, only fight Delver Zombies and Bombers.
2. Increase Your Luck Stat Higher luck means better drop rates for everything, including runes. You can increase your luck by:
- Wearing luck-boosting armor
- Using potions that increase luck
- Getting lucky pickaxes with luck traits
3. Farm in the Right Location Each enemy type appears in specific areas. Don’t waste time searching the whole map when you know exactly where your target enemies spawn. For example, if you need Blast Chip runes, go directly to the Forgotten Kingdom Ruined Cave and fight Bombers there.
4. Bring the Right Equipment Make sure you have weapons and armor that are strong enough to defeat your target enemies quickly. The faster you can defeat enemies, the more runes you can farm in the same amount of time.
Real Example: One player farmed 50 Bombers in the Forgotten Kingdom and got 3 Blast Chip runes and 2 Miner Shards. That’s about a 10% success rate, which is actually better than the official drop rates suggest!
How to Equip Runes in The Forge?
Finding runes is only half the battle. You also need to know how to equip them to your gear. The process involves getting rune slots on your equipment and then visiting the Runemaker to attach the runes.
How to Get Rune Slots?
Before you can use runes, your equipment needs rune slots. Here’s how to get them:
For Weapons and Armor: You need to enhance your gear at the Enhancer. Here’s the step-by-step process:
- Go to the Enhancer’s Place in Stonewake’s Cross
- Talk to the Enhancer and select “Yes, I’m here to enhance”
- Choose the weapon or armor you want to enhance
- Pay the required money and essence
- Keep enhancing until you reach level 3 or higher
Most weapons and armor unlock their first rune slot at enhancement level 3. Higher enhancement levels might give you additional rune slots, but level 3 is the minimum you need.
For Pickaxes: Pickaxes work differently. You can’t enhance them to get rune slots. Instead, you need to buy pickaxes that already have slots built-in:
- Bronze Pickaxe: No rune slots
- Iron Pickaxe: No rune slots
- Gold Pickaxe: 1 rune slot (first pickaxe with slots)
- Diamond Pickaxe: 1-2 rune slots
- Mythical Pickaxes: 2-3 rune slots
Actionable Tip: Save your money and skip the Bronze and Iron Pickaxes. Go straight for the Gold Pickaxe as soon as you can afford it. The rune slot alone makes it worth the investment, especially if you’ve already found some good mining runes.
How to Use the Runemaker?
Once you have runes and equipment with rune slots, it’s time to visit the Runemaker. Here’s exactly what to do:
- Find the Runemaker: He’s located in Stonewake’s Cross, opposite the Enhancer’s Place
- Talk to Him: Click on the Runemaker NPC to open the rune menu
- Select Your Equipment: Choose the weapon, armor, or pickaxe you want to add a rune to
- Choose Your Rune: Pick which rune from your inventory you want to attach
- Confirm: Click to attach the rune permanently
Important: Once you attach a rune to equipment, you cannot remove it. Choose wisely which runes go on which items. If you make a mistake, you’ll need to get new equipment or new runes.
Verified Data Point: According to IGN’s The Forge guide, enhancing your gear not only unlocks rune slots but also increases the base stats of your equipment, making it stronger even before you add runes.
Best Runes for Different Playstyles?
Not all runes are created equal, and different runes work better for different playstyles. Here’s how to choose the best runes for your preferred way of playing The Forge.
Best Combat Runes?
If you love fighting enemies and want to deal maximum damage, these are the runes you should focus on:
For Weapons:
- Flame Spark: Adds fire damage that works great against most enemies
- Drain Edge: Steals health from enemies, keeping you alive longer in tough fights
- Rage Mark: Increases your damage output significantly, perfect for boss fights
For Armor:
- Blast Chip: Creates small explosions when you take damage, hurting nearby enemies
- Ward Patch: (when available) Will likely provide defensive bonuses
Pro Tip: The Flame Spark rune from Reapers has the highest drop rate at 1/5, making it the easiest combat rune to farm. Start with this one if you’re new to rune hunting.
Best Mining Runes?
If you prefer mining and making money, these runes will help you gather resources faster and more efficiently:
For Pickaxes:
- Miner Shard: The best mining rune, can give bonuses like:
- Yield I: Chance to drop extra ores
- Swift Mining I: Faster mining speed
- Luck I: Better chance to find rare ores
- Mine Power I: More damage to mining nodes
Why Miner Shard is Best: It’s the easiest rune to get early in the game (from Delver Zombies in Stonewake’s Cross), and it directly improves your money-making ability. A good Miner Shard with Yield or Swift Mining traits can pay for itself quickly.
Real Example: A player with a Miner Shard that had +15% mining speed and +10% luck reported finding twice as many rare ores compared to mining without runes. That’s a huge difference in your income!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you combine runes in The Forge?
No, you cannot combine multiple runes into one in The Forge. Each piece of equipment can hold separate runes in different slots, but you can’t merge two runes together. However, as you progress and kill higher-level enemies, you can find runes with dual traits. These special runes have two bonuses instead of one, making them much more valuable. For example, you might find a Miner Shard with both +10% mining speed and +5% luck on the same rune.
What’s the maximum percentage for rune traits?
The maximum percentage for rune traits in The Forge appears to be around 15-20% based on player reports. Most players have found runes with traits ranging from 5% to 15%, with 15% being relatively rare. The game doesn’t officially state a maximum, but the community hasn’t found any runes with traits higher than 15% yet. Higher percentages might be possible with future updates or special event runes, but for now, 15% seems to be the cap.
How do you remove runes from equipment?
Currently, there is no way to remove runes from equipment in The Forge. Once you attach a rune to a weapon, armor, or pickaxe, it’s permanent. This means you should think carefully before attaching rare or valuable runes to low-level gear. Many players recommend saving your best runes for end-game equipment that you plan to use for a long time. If you accidentally put a good rune on weak equipment, your only option is to replace that piece of gear entirely.
Why isn’t the Runemaker showing my equipment?
If the Runemaker isn’t showing your equipment, it’s likely because your gear doesn’t have any rune slots available. Remember, weapons and armor need to be enhanced to level 3 or higher to unlock rune slots. For pickaxes, only certain models (Gold and above) come with built-in rune slots. Check your equipment’s enhancement level and make sure it has rune slots before visiting the Runemaker. If it does have slots and still isn’t showing, try relogging or restarting the game, as this can sometimes fix display bugs.
Are some runes not available yet in the game?
Yes, several runes listed in the game’s files are not currently available to obtain. These include Frost Speck, Venom Crumb, Chill Dust, Ward Patch, and Rot Stitch. These runes will likely be added in future updates when new areas are released. For example, Frost Speck and Chill Dust will probably appear when the snow island area is added to the game. Until then, focus on the runes that are currently available, as they’re more than enough to enhance your gameplay significantly.
Do runes work on all pickaxes?
No, runes only work on pickaxes that have rune slots. Basic pickaxes like Bronze and Iron don’t have any rune slots, so you can’t attach runes to them. You need at least a Gold Pickaxe or better to use runes. The Gold Pickaxe comes with one rune slot, while higher-tier pickaxes like Diamond and Mythical ones come with multiple slots. This is why it’s worth saving up for a better pickaxe once you start finding good runes—the investment pays off quickly in improved mining efficiency.
Conclusion
Getting runes in The Forge is all about knowing which enemies to fight and how to use the runes once you find them. Instead of wandering around randomly, focus on specific enemies that drop the runes you want. Enhance your gear to unlock rune slots, and visit the Runemaker to attach your runes for powerful bonuses.
Remember that rune farming takes patience because of the fixed drop rates, but the rewards are worth it. A good set of runes can transform your gameplay, making you stronger in combat and more efficient at mining. Start with easier-to-get runes like Miner Shard and Flame Spark, then work your way up to the rarer ones as you progress.
