Upgrading your equipment in The Forge can be the difference between victory and defeat. Many players struggle with the upgrade system and waste precious resources trying to improve their weapons and armors. In The Forge, there are two main upgrade methods – enhancing (which increases your equipment’s level) and enchanting (which adds special abilities through runes). This guide will explain both methods, when to use them, and how to maximize your success with minimal resource waste.
Key Takeaways
- Enhancing increases weapon/armor level and base stats using essences
- Enchanting adds special abilities by attaching runes to your equipment
- Enhancement has a chance to fail, dropping your upgrade level by one
- You must enhance equipment to level 3 before you can enchant it
- Choose carefully which equipment to upgrade as resources are limited
What Are Weapon and Armor Upgrades in The Forge?
Weapon and armor upgrades in The Forge are game mechanics that let you improve your equipment’s performance. When you upgrade your gear, you increase important stats like Damage, Attack Speed, Quality, and Attack Range for weapons, or Defense and Health for armors.
In The Forge game, upgrades make a huge difference in how well you perform in battles and challenges. Better weapons mean you can defeat enemies faster, while improved armor helps you survive longer in tough fights.
The base stats of your equipment determine how effective it is in combat. By upgrading, you’re making these base stats stronger, which directly impacts your gameplay experience. Whether you’re fighting common enemies or challenging bosses, having upgraded equipment gives you a significant advantage.
How to Enhance Weapons and Armors in The Forge?
Enhancing is the primary way to level up your weapons and armors in The Forge. To enhance your equipment, you need to visit the Enhancer NPC, who can be found on all islands in the game.
When you talk to the Enhancer, you’ll see a menu where you can select the weapon or armor you want to enhance. Each piece of equipment requires specific types and amounts of essence to enhance. For example, a Tin Uchigatana might require two Large, four Medium, and two Small essences.
Essence farming is a key part of the enhancement process. You can get essences by defeating enemies throughout The Forge. Different enemies drop different types of essences, so you’ll need to fight various creatures to collect what you need.
Before you enhance, always check the craft chance percentage. This tells you how likely your enhancement is to succeed. If the craft chance is medium or above, you have a good chance of success. If it’s low, you might want to wait or use items to improve your chances.
If enhancement fails, your equipment’s level will drop by one. This can be frustrating, especially if you’ve invested a lot of resources. That’s why it’s important to only enhance when the craft chance is favorable.
Pro Tip: Save your essences and only enhance equipment you plan to use for a long time. Early game weapons and armors will quickly become obsolete, so it’s often better to wait until you have mid or late game gear before investing heavily in enhancements.
How to Enchant Your Equipment with Runes?
Enchanting is the second upgrade method in The Forge, but you can’t access it right away. You must first enhance your weapon or armor to level 3 before the enchantment option becomes available.
Once your equipment reaches level 3, you’ll unlock rune slots. The number of rune slots depends on your equipment and its enhancement level. Some items might have just one slot, while others could have two or more after enhancement.
To enchant your equipment, you need to visit the Runemaker NPC. The Runemaker can attach runes to your equipment’s rune slots, giving it special abilities and bonuses. Runes are rare items dropped by specific enemies in The Forge, making them valuable and hard to find.
When you have a rune you want to use, talk to the Runemaker and select the equipment you want to enchant. You’ll need to pay a fee in addition to having the rune. The Runemaker will then attach the rune to your equipment, granting its special bonus.
One great feature of enchanting is that you can detach runes from equipment. This is useful when you want to upgrade to a better weapon or armor but don’t want to lose your valuable runes. Simply visit the Runemaker again and pay a fee to detach the rune.
Real Example: Let’s say you have a Fire Rune attached to your level 5 sword. This rune might add +10 fire damage to your attacks. If you find a better sword later, you can visit the Runemaker, pay the detachment fee, and then attach the Fire Rune to your new sword, keeping that valuable fire damage bonus.
When Should You Upgrade Your Equipment?
Deciding when to upgrade your weapons and armors in The Forge is an important strategic choice. While upgrading can make your equipment more powerful, it also consumes valuable resources that might be better saved for better gear later.
In the early game, it’s generally not worth investing heavily in upgrades. You’ll quickly find better equipment as you progress, and the resources you spent on early upgrades will feel wasted. Instead, focus on finding good equipment and only make minor enhancements until you reach the mid-game.
Mid-game equipment is often worth upgrading more seriously. These items will serve you for a longer time, so investing in enhancements and enchantments makes more sense. Look for weapons and armors with good base stats and upgrade potential.
Late-game equipment should receive your full attention and resources. These are the items you’ll use for the toughest challenges in The Forge, so maximizing their potential through both enhancement and enchantment is crucial.
Data Point: According to experienced players, upgrading a late-game weapon to maximum level can increase its damage output by up to 200% compared to its base stats. That’s a huge difference that can make even the toughest bosses manageable.
Remember that both enhancement and enchantment require resources. Essences for enhancement and runes for enchantment are limited, so choose wisely which equipment deserves your investment. It’s often better to have one fully upgraded weapon than several partially upgraded ones.
Pro Tips for Successful Upgrades?
To make the most of your upgrade efforts in The Forge, follow these pro tips:
- Essence Farming Strategy: Focus on farming essences in areas where enemies respawn quickly. Some locations in The Forge have enemy spawn points that reset every few minutes, allowing you to collect essences efficiently. Make a farming route that hits multiple spawn points for maximum efficiency.
- Maximize Craft Chance: Before enhancing, check if there are any consumables or buffs that can increase your craft chance. Some items in The Forge temporarily boost your enhancement success rate. Using these before important upgrades can save you from the frustration of failed enhancements.
- Rune Hunting: Runes are often dropped by specific enemy types or bosses. Research which enemies drop the runes you want and focus on farming those. Some runes are extremely rare, so be prepared for a long hunt. Joining with other players can make rune hunting more efficient.
- Enhancement Safety Net: Never enhance an important piece of equipment when the craft chance is below 50%. The risk of losing a level and potentially rune slots is too high. Wait for better chances or use items to improve your odds.
- Balanced Upgrades: Don’t focus all your resources on just weapons or just armor. A balanced approach ensures you can both deal damage and survive in tough fights. The best players in The Forge maintain a good balance between offensive and defensive upgrades.
Actionable Tip: Create a backup weapon or armor before enhancing your main equipment. This way, if an enhancement fails badly, you still have a decent piece of gear to use while you recover or farm more resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the highest level of weapon and armor upgrade in The Forge?
The maximum enhancement level for weapons and armors in The Forge is level 10. Reaching this level requires a significant amount of essences and successful enhancements. Each level becomes progressively harder to achieve as the craft chance decreases. Additionally, the maximum number of rune slots most equipment can have is 3, though some special items may have more. Fully upgrading a piece of equipment to level 10 with three powerful runes makes it extremely powerful but requires a substantial investment of time and resources.
Can you upgrade pickaxe in The Forge?
Yes, you can upgrade your pickaxe in The Forge, but the upgrade system works differently compared to weapons and armors. Pickaxes are enhanced using different materials, typically ores and minerals that you mine yourself. Upgrading your pickaxe increases its mining speed, durability, and the types of materials it can harvest. A higher-level pickaxe allows you to access rare resources that are essential for crafting advanced equipment and building structures. Unlike weapons and armors, pickaxes cannot be enchanted with runes, but they can have special bonuses applied through the enhancement process.
How do you increase craft chance in The Forge?
Craft chance in The Forge can be increased through several methods. First, certain consumable items temporarily boost your enhancement success rate. These items can be crafted, purchased from merchants, or obtained as quest rewards. Second, some equipment sets provide passive bonuses to craft chance when worn. Third, visiting specific locations or NPCs during certain events might grant temporary enhancement bonuses. Finally, some player skills and abilities, particularly those related to crafting and blacksmithing, can permanently increase your base craft chance. It’s always wise to use these bonuses before attempting important enhancements.
Where can you find rare runes in The Forge?
Rare runes in The Forge are typically dropped by powerful enemies and bosses. Each rune is usually associated with a specific enemy type or boss. For example, Fire Runes might drop from fire-based enemies in volcanic areas, while Ice Runes could come from creatures in frozen zones. Some runes are only available during special events or in secret areas that are difficult to access. The community has discovered that certain runes have higher drop rates during specific in-game weather conditions or times of day. Joining a clan or group can make rune hunting more efficient, as you can tackle tougher enemies together and share information about rune locations.
Is it better to enhance or enchant first in The Forge?
In The Forge, you must enhance your equipment before you can enchant it. Enchanting becomes available only after you’ve enhanced a weapon or armor to level 3. This means enhancement always comes first in the upgrade process. However, the strategic question is whether you should maximize enhancement before adding runes or add runes early. Generally, it’s better to enhance to at least level 5 before investing heavily in runes. This ensures your equipment has solid base stats before you add special abilities. However, if you get a particularly powerful rune early on, it might be worth adding it to a level 3 item and then continuing to enhance with the rune already attached.
What happens if enhancement fails at max level?
If an enhancement fails at the maximum level (level 10) in The Forge, your equipment will drop to level 9, just like with any other failed enhancement. This can be particularly frustrating because reaching level 10 requires significant resources and effort. However, the game does have a safeguard: you cannot lose rune slots from failed enhancements at level 10. This means your equipment will keep all its rune slots even if the enhancement fails. To minimize the risk of failing at max level, always use craft chance boosting items and enhancements before attempting the level 9 to 10 upgrade, as this is typically the most difficult enhancement to achieve.
Can you remove runes without losing them?
Yes, you can remove runes from your equipment without losing them in The Forge. To do this, you need to visit the Runemaker NPC and pay a detachment fee. The exact cost depends on the rarity and power of the rune you want to remove. Once paid, the Runemaker will safely detach the rune from your equipment and return it to your inventory. This allows you to reuse valuable runes on different pieces of equipment as you progress through the game. This feature is particularly useful when you upgrade from a mid-game weapon to a late-game one but want to keep the powerful runes you’ve collected. Remember that there’s a small cooldown period after detaching a rune before you can attach it to new equipment.
Upgrading your weapons and armors in The Forge is essential for progressing through the game’s challenges. By understanding how to enhance and enchant your equipment, you can make strategic decisions about resource allocation and create powerful gear tailored to your playstyle. Remember to balance your upgrades between offense and defense, focus on equipment you’ll use long-term, and always check craft chances before enhancing. With the knowledge from this guide, you’re now ready to upgrade your equipment like a pro and dominate in The Forge!


