forging | Mechanics Wiki

November 15, 2026779 words4 min read

Players heat blades and hammer them at an anvil, increasing their value with successful strikes while risking shattering.

forging

Players heat blades and hammer them at an anvil, increasing their value with successful strikes while risking shattering.

Evidence: 5 official · Last verified: 2026-11-14 · Sources: 2

Forging in ForgeTax turns heated blades into more valuable swords through successful hammer strikes at an anvil. Each attempt carries a risk of shattering the blade, so the central decision is whether to keep improving a sword or stop with its current value.

Step-by-Step Walkthrough

1. Heat a blade

Pick up a sword and heat it before taking it to the anvil. The opening tutorial identifies the furnace as the place to heat your sword, then instructs you to place the hot blade on the anvil before striking it. [src-daea965b2b]

2. Bring the blade to the anvil

Place the heated blade on the anvil and begin hammering. Every successful strike increases the blade’s value, but forging can also shatter it.

Check the upgrade risk shown at the anvil before deciding to continue. The gameplay footage explicitly identifies this display, making it a useful reference when weighing another attempt against keeping your current sword. [src-daea965b2b]

3. Reassess after each strike

Treat each additional strike as a new decision rather than assuming you should keep hammering indefinitely. The documented forging loop lets you settle for the sword you have or continue upgrading in pursuit of greater value, with breakage threatening the progress invested in that blade. [src-146da34397]

The tutorial also explains that each hammer swing draws a result from a ticket pool, and that having more tickets for a result increases its chance of being drawn. Consider your current ticket setup alongside the displayed risk rather than copying the odds shown in another player’s run. [src-daea965b2b]

4. Build and use Frenzy

To charge Frenzy, forge the same sword 10 times. Frenzy begins on the next strike and provides a brief window in which you can hammer without the sword shattering. [src-4d2e93b2d8]

Keep the same-sword requirement in mind when working toward this window; the documented trigger is not 10 strikes spread across different blades. Its protection is temporary, so do not treat a sword as permanently safe once you have activated it. [src-4d2e93b2d8]

5. Decide where the finished sword goes

When you stop forging, decide whether the sword will help meet the dragon’s tribute or be spent on a relic. The relic machine accepts swords, but every blade used there is one fewer available for tribute. [src-4d2e93b2d8]

To submit tribute, lay your swords on the counter and ring the bell. Meeting the demand earns another round at the anvil, making tribute readiness an important consideration before risking another valuable blade. [src-4d2e93b2d8]

Tips for Managing Risk

Judge the next strike, not just the possible payoff. Successful forging raises value, but the official description explicitly frames the next hit as a possible loss of the sword. Stop when preserving a useful blade matters more to your current tribute plan than attempting further growth. [src-4d2e93b2d8]
Check your relic effects before copying a strategy. One recorded run combines reduced break chance, break prevention, and rewards for broken swords. Its deliberate sword-breaking strategy depends on those effects; it is not a general recommendation for an unprotected blade. [src-549a19b879]
Avoid spending a needed tribute sword casually. The tutorial states that every sword has the same worth in the relic exchange and advises using one you do not need. This makes an expendable blade a more sensible exchange candidate than one you are relying on for tribute. [src-daea965b2b]

Upgrade Goals and Rewards

The immediate reward for a successful strike is increased blade value. Achievement requirements also provide explicit forging milestones: forging a sword to +10, and forging specified sword types to +30.

Those achievement targets are goals, not guarantees that a blade will survive the required attempts. Continue using the same risk checks while pursuing them: assess the blade at the anvil, account for your available protection, and decide whether another strike is worth risking a sword that could already contribute to tribute. [src-4d2e93b2d8]

Details

preparation

Heat a blade and bring it to the anvil.

successfulStrike

Every successful strike increases the blade's value.

risk

A blade can shatter during forging.

documentedUpgradeTargets

Achievements explicitly require forging a sword to +10 and specified sword types to +30.

evidenceType

official

Sources

Frenzy