This guide details how to utilize Stardew Valley's Volcano Forge, updated for version 1.6. The forge, located at the end of Ginger Island's Volcano Dungeon, allows players to enhance tools and weapons using Cinder Shards and gemstones.
Obtaining Cinder Shards:
Cinder Shards are crucial for all forge functions. Acquire them by:
- Mining Cinder Shard nodes (pink-orange specks) in the Volcano Dungeon.
- Obtaining them as drops from Magma Sprites, Magma Duggies, Magma Sparkers, and False Magma Caps (with varying drop rates).
- Harvesting them from a fishing pond containing 7+ Stingrays (7-9% daily chance).
Note: Cinder Shards cannot be created in a Crystalarium.
The Mini-Forge:
After achieving Combat Mastery, craft a Mini-Forge:
Recipe: 5 Dragon Teeth, 10 Iron Bars, 10 Gold Bars, 5 Iridium Bars. It functions identically to the Volcano Forge.
Weapon Forging:
Weapons can be forged up to three times, increasing stats with each level. Costs: 10, 15, and 20 Cinder Shards respectively, plus a gemstone:
- Amethyst: +1 Knockback per forge.
- Aquamarine: +4.6% Crit Chance per forge.
- Emerald: +2/+3/+2 Speed per forge (stacks).
- Jade: +10% Crit Damage per forge.
- Ruby: +10% Damage per forge.
- Topaz: +1 Defense per forge.
- Diamond: Three random upgrades (10 Cinder Shards).
Best Weapon Upgrades: Emerald and Ruby for increased DPS; Aquamarine or Jade to boost critical hits; Topaz and Amethyst for survivability.
Unforging Weapons: Place the weapon in the left slot and select the red X to remove all forging (some Cinder Shards recovered, gemstone lost). Enchantments remain.
Infinity Weapons:
Upgrade Galaxy Sword, Dagger, or Hammer using three Galaxy Souls (20 Cinder Shards each). Preserves existing upgrades and enchantments.
Galaxy Souls:
Acquire Galaxy Souls by:
- Purchasing from Mr. Qi (40 Qi Gems each).
- Dropping from Big Slimes in Dangerous Mines or Qi's quests.
- Purchasing from the Island Trader (10 Radioactive Bars, last day of season).
- Dropping from Dangerous Monsters (after killing 50).
Enchantments:
Use a Prismatic Shard and 20 Cinder Shards to add a random enchantment to tools or melee weapons. Re-enchant to try for a different effect.
Weapon Enchantments: Artful, Bug Killer, Crusader, Vampiric, Haymaker. Bug Killer and Crusader are generally most useful.
Innate Enchantments: Use a Dragon Tooth to add one enchantment from each of two sets. One set is guaranteed, the other is random.
Tool Enchantments: Twelve enchantments, tool-specific. (See table in original text for details).
Best Tool Enchantments: Axe (Shaving, Swift, Efficient); Watering Can (Bottomless); Hoe (Generous, Archeologist, Reaching, Efficient); Pickaxe (Swift, Powerful); Fishing Rod (Preserving); Pan (Generous, Reaching).
