+1 Loot To Forge Forge Guide — How Forging Works

Forging is the heart of +1 Loot To Forge: every point of gear power you will ever have passes through the forge as ores + Coins in, equipment out. This guide covers how the forge consumes resources, which order to craft in, and where players typically waste their first big ore stockpile.

How the forge works

Three inputs decide every craft:

1. Ores — the recipe requirement. Every weapon and armor piece lists specific ore types and counts; you keep the ores only if the craft is forged. Weapon recipes start small (a katana-class weapon takes roughly 4 ores) and scale steeply (greatswords take around 13).
2. Coins — the currency side of forging, earned from clearing enemy waves and selling surplus ore. Higher recipes consume meaningfully more Coins.
3. The recipe itself — recipes unlock along your progression; your current stage gates which gear tier is craftable.

The forge output is permanent gear attached to your character, and it survives rebirth — which is why forging into keeper gear matters before spending Ember Stones on enhancement.

The upgrade order that compounds

The temptation is to hoard for the biggest recipe you can see. The faster loop:

• Forge the highest-value upgrade you can afford now. A cheaper craft today raises your clear speed, which raises your ore income, which funds the expensive craft sooner than hoarding would.
• Weapons first while clearing is the bottleneck — more damage means faster waves. Armor when survival is the bottleneck — dying mid-stage wastes the farming time armor would have bought.
• Re-craft, do not perfect. A better recipe tier arrives soon; your katana is a stepping stone, not a monument. This is also why enhance attempts on early gear are wasted (see the enhance guide).

Ore budgeting: the part beginners get wrong

Recipes consume specific ores, not generic ones. Two rules save hours:

• Before selling any ore stock, check the recipes page — selling an ingredient for a mid-tier recipe means re-farming a lower stage you have already out-leveled.
• Sell true surplus only: ores below your current recipe tier once the craft is done, and duplicates beyond what the next two recipe tiers need.

Success odds and extra ores

One detailed community source reports that armor crafts accept extra ores beyond the base requirement in exchange for higher success odds — for example, a light helmet base-crafting at 4 ores, with 5-ore and 6-ore versions at reported higher success rates (roughly 85% and 70/30 respectively, though the exact numbers vary by source). We could not independently confirm the percentages. Practical version: if the forge offers a more expensive version of the same craft, read it as insurance against a failed craft, and check the in-game display for the real odds.

What to forge first — a concrete early plan

1. First katana-class weapon (~4 ores) — your first real damage spike.
2. Light Helmet (4–6 ores) — cheapest survival multiplier in the game.
3. Second weapon tier or light armor piece — whichever your current stage’s ore drops support.
4. Greatsword-class (~13 ores) once mid stages stall your damage — the switch point the tier list explains.
5. Heavy Armor (14–23 ores) as late stages start punishing thin health pools.

FAQ

Do I lose my gear when I rebirth?

No — forged gear is permanent and carries through rebirth. Rebirth resets progression layers like power and stage progress, not your equipment.

Why did my forge fail?

Crafts above the cheapest tiers can fail; extra-ore versions improve the odds. A failed craft consumes the attempt — budget for one retry on expensive recipes.

Where do I get ores fast?

Farm the newest stage you can clear reliably — higher stages drop better ores. The ores guide maps sell values so you know what your drops are worth.