The Forge

The Forge is Last Epoch's deterministic crafting system, allowing players to enhance their gear with specific affixes and improve their stats. Unlike random drop systems, the Forge provides a predictable way to customize your equipment, making it a vital tool for character progression throughout the game.

Crafting in Last Epoch is essential for optimizing your character. You can use the Forge to add new affixes to items, increase the tier of existing affixes, or even convert damage types. The system relies on Affix Shards, which are collected from dropped items, and Forging Potential, a resource that diminishes with each crafting attempt. Crafting early and often is a key principle for success.

How to Use the Forge

Accessing the Forge is simple:

Open the Forge: Press the desated hotkey (default 'F') to open the Forge interface.
Select an Item: Place the item you wish to craft into the Forge's item slot.
Choose an Affix Shard: Select an Affix Shard from your inventory. These shards correspond to specific affixes found on items.
Craft: Click the 'Craft' button. This will consume the Affix Shard and reduce the item's Forging Potential. If successful, the affix will be added to the item or its tier will increase.

Forging Potential

Every item has a 'Forging Potential' stat. This represents how much crafting can be done on the item. Each crafting attempt reduces the Forging Potential. When an item's Forging Potential reaches zero, no further crafting can be performed on it. It's crucial to craft on items with high Forging Potential to maximize your crafting opportunities.

Affix Shards and Glyphs

Affix Shards: These are obtained by destroying items that have the desired affix. The higher the tier of the affix on the destroyed item, the higher the chance of obtaining a usable shard.
Glyphs: Glyphs are special crafting consumables that can be used alongside Affix Shards. They offer various benefits, such as increasing the chance of adding an affix, increasing the tier of an added affix, or granting a chance for the craft to cost no Forging Potential (Glyph of Hope).

Runes of Removal and Reworking

Last Epoch also features Runes that can be used in the Forge:

Rune of Removal: This rune allows you to remove an existing affix from an item, freeing up a slot for a new one.
Rune of Reworking: This rune can reroll the tier of an existing affix on an item, potentially increasing its potency.

Crafting Strategy

The general strategy for crafting is:

Craft Early, Craft Often: Don't wait until you have perfect items. Crafting on items with good base stats and high Forging Potential throughout your leveling process will yield sificant benefits.
Prioritize Resistances: Early on, focus on filling your elemental resistance caps using the Forge.
Target Specific Affixes: As you progress, identify the key affixes that will enhance your build and farm shards accordingly.
Use Glyphs Wisely: Glyphs of Hope are particularly valuable for preserving Forging Potential on important crafts.