Forge System Guide

The Forge is your main power-up loop

Everything you need to know about forging weapons, upgrading gear, and picking the right combat style in Iron Soul Dungeon - including Update 9 changes.

Updated: June 13, 2026

Recommended Route

Every Iron Soul Dungeon run comes back to the same loop: kill monsters, collect crystalized ore, visit the forge, and walk out stronger. The forge is where your raw materials turn into real power - new weapons, upgraded gear, and access to better combat skills. With Update 9 raising the level cap, adding potions, and introducing new forge-craftable weapons, now is the perfect time to master the forge system. Here is how the whole system works, from your first craft to optimising your forge runs.

Quick Read

Core Loop: Kill to Collect Ore to Forge to Upgrade to Repeat

Weapon Types: Light, Heavy, and Staff (ranged magic)
Upgrade Materials: Crystal Shards, Crystal Flakes, Gems, Potions
Max Level: 70 (up from 50 in Update 9)

How the Forge Loop Works

The forge is your central upgrade station. Every time you clear a dungeon wave, enemies drop crystalized ore. Walk that ore to the forge to craft new weapons or reinforce what you already have.

Your first weapon comes free - you choose between light and heavy during the tutorial. Everything after that requires ore and, later, crafting materials like Crystal Shards and Crystal Flakes.

Crafting a new weapon at the forge changes your combat style entirely. Light weapons keep you fast and mobile; heavy weapons trade speed for raw damage and durability. You can switch between them as long as you have the materials to craft.

The forge also handles gear upgrades. Bring gems from the Cave of Crystals to raise your weapon level and power score. Higher-level weapons deal more damage and unlock higher-tier skill slots.

Weapon Types and Combat Style

Light Weapons (Fast Blade) - faster attack speed, lower damage per hit, better mobility. Suits players who want to dodge and weave between enemy attacks. The Fast Blade is the light starter option built around rapid swings and rune uptime.

Heavy Weapons (Heavy Sword) - slower swings but much higher damage per hit and better durability. Better for players who want to tank hits and deal big burst damage. Punishing if you lose rhythm, but devastating with proper timing.

Staff Weapons - ranged magic weapons introduced later in the game. Staffs let you attack from a safe distance and pair well with cooldown-focused attributes. Currently one of the strongest weapon families, especially at rare and mythic tiers.

Fiery Iron Sword - a fire-flavored hybrid melee weapon that drops from Dragon Tombs. Complements burn-focused synergy and rewards dungeon persistence with powerful crit bursts.

Your weapon choice determines how your skill tree branches. Light weapon skills favour attack speed, combo chains, and mobility. Heavy weapon skills boost damage, defence, and crowd control. Staff skills focus on projectile placement and burst windows.

You are not locked into one weapon forever. Once you have enough crystalized ore, you can forge a different weapon type and respec your playstyle. Race Rerolls from codes can also help if you want to realign your race with your new weapon choice.

Update 9 introduced four new Hell Staffs that can be crafted through the forge. These provide high-end upgrade paths for magic-focused builds and give players new goals to work toward while farming dungeon materials.

Later in the game, you unlock Ultimates - powerful abilities that match your weapon type. Light weapon Ultimates tend to be multi-hit combos; heavy weapon Ultimates are single, devastating blows. Staff Ultimates often involve area burst damage.

Understanding Materials

Crystalized Ore - the basic crafting material dropped by enemies in every dungeon. Used to forge new weapons. Early dungeons drop small amounts; harder dungeons drop more per kill.

Crystal Shards - used to upgrade existing weapons at the forge. Dropped by stronger enemies and dungeon bosses. Also available from some codes.

Crystal Flakes - a rarer upgrade material, needed for mid-to-high-level upgrades. More common in late-game dungeons and from code rewards.

Gems - earned exclusively from the Cave of Crystals (costs Cave Tickets). These are the primary resource for levelling up your weapon power level. Different gem tiers correspond to different upgrade tiers.

Jade - a special currency used at the forge for re-rolling or enhancing weapon traits. Available from codes and certain dungeon milestones.

Cave Tickets - the currency used to enter Cave of Crystals and Cave of Runes. Earned from codes, daily quests, and community milestones. Save them for sessions where you can chain multiple runs.

Potions - consumable buffs added in Update 9, sold at the Grocery Store. Berserk Potion gives +10% Critical Rate and +30% Critical Damage for 15 minutes. Life Potion gives +30% Maximum HP for 15 minutes. Use potions before tough dungeon runs to farm forge materials more efficiently.

The Grocery Store is the main shop for potions and other consumables. Check it regularly for new items added in future updates.

Upgrading Your Gear at the Forge

Craft a weapon first - you need a weapon to upgrade. Use crystalized ore at the forge to craft the base version of your chosen weapon type.

Level up your weapon with gems from the Cave of Crystals. Each upgrade increases the weapon base damage and unlocks additional skill slots. Update 9 raised the maximum level to 70.

Reinforce your weapon with Crystal Shards and Crystal Flakes. Reinforcement adds bonus stats like critical hit chance, lifesteal, or elemental damage. Higher-tier reinforcement consumes more materials and has a chance of failure.

Use Jade at the forge to enhance weapon traits. Each weapon has randomised trait slots - Jade lets you re-roll them until you get the combination you want. Weapon traits include defensive stats, cooldown reduction, and offensive scaling - choose based on your playstyle.

Runes are another forge outcome - Poison, Fire, and Freeze runes determine different weapon effects. Pick one element and commit; mixing conflicting runes like Fire and Freeze wastes your materials.

Upgrade priority: spend your first gems on your primary weapon to raise its level first, then reinforce with shards once you have a decent base level. Save Cave Tickets for longer sessions to maximise gem yield.

Oathless Castle, the new dungeon from Update 9, drops exclusive materials for forge crafting. You need roughly 28,000 Power Level to enter. Farm this dungeon regularly to stock up on materials before its Hell Mode arrives in a future patch.

The Skill Tree and Forge Synergy

Your skill tree unlocks as you level up and forge new weapons. Each weapon type unlocks a different skill path. You can see the full tree from the Skills menu.

Combat skills improve your weapon effectiveness - light weapon skills boost attack speed and combo chains, heavy weapon skills boost damage multipliers and defence, staff skills boost projectile output and cooldown management.

Forge-related skills in the tree reduce material costs, increase ore drop rates, or unlock higher-tier upgrade options. If you plan to use the forge often, invest points here early.

Ultimates unlock at higher levels. Each weapon type has access to different Ultimates. Check the skill tree to plan which Ultimate you want - some are better for boss fights, others for wave clearing.

You can reset your skill tree with Race Rerolls from codes. Experiment freely - the cost is low early on.

Forge Tips for Beginners

Redeem every active code before you start. Codes give free Cave Tickets, Crystal Shards, and even Jade - all materials you need at the forge.

Stick with your starting weapon type for the first 10-15 levels. Learn how light or heavy works with your preferred playstyle before spending materials on a different forge craft.

Save Cave Tickets for longer sessions. A single Cave of Crystals run with multiple clears gives more gems per ticket than one-off runs.

Do not upgrade every weapon you find. Pick one main weapon and invest your gems, shards, and flakes into it. Spreading materials thin will leave you with multiple mediocre weapons instead of one strong one.

Check the daily quests for bonus Cave Ticket and material rewards. The forge grind speeds up significantly when you stack daily bonuses.

Join the official Discord server - the community often shares forge tips, material drop locations, and optimal upgrade paths that are not documented elsewhere.

Learn the Runes system early. Poison, Fire, and Freeze runes each lead to different weapon outcomes. Pick one element and stick with it to avoid wasting materials on conflicting combinations.

Use potions from the Grocery Store before difficult dungeon runs. The Berserk Potion and Life Potion both last 15 minutes and can make the difference between a failed run and a successful material haul.

FAQ

How does the forge work in Iron Soul Dungeon?

The forge turns crystalized ore (dropped by enemies) into weapons. You can also use Crystal Shards, Crystal Flakes, and gems to upgrade and reinforce existing gear. Visit the forge station after each dungeon run.

What is the difference between light, heavy, and staff weapons?

Light weapons (Fast Blade) attack faster and keep you mobile but deal less damage per hit. Heavy weapons (Heavy Sword) are slower but hit harder. Staff weapons let you attack from range with magic projectiles. Fiery Iron Sword is a hybrid melee option with burn synergy. Your skill tree branches differently depending on which type you choose.

How do I get gems for upgrading weapons?

Gems come exclusively from the Cave of Crystals. You need Cave Tickets to enter - get them from active codes, daily quests, and community milestones. Run multiple clears per session to maximise your gem yield.

What are Crystal Shards and Crystal Flakes used for?

They are used to reinforce weapons at the forge, adding bonus stats like crit chance, lifesteal, and elemental damage. Shards are for early-to-mid upgrades; Flakes are for higher-tier reinforcement. Both drop from bosses and harder dungeons.

What level cap did Update 9 introduce?

Update 9 raised the maximum weapon level from 50 to 70. You can now invest more gems into your primary weapon to push it past the old cap for increased damage and additional skill slots.

What are potions and where do I get them?

Potions are temporary buffs sold at the Grocery Store. Berserk Potion gives +10% Crit Rate and +30% Crit Damage for 15 minutes. Life Potion gives +30% Max HP for 15 minutes. Use them before difficult dungeon runs to improve your forge material farming.

What is the Oathless Castle dungeon?

Oathless Castle is a new dungeon from Update 9 that drops exclusive forging materials. It requires roughly 28,000 Power Level to enter. Normal mode is available now; Hell Mode is expected in a future update.

Can I switch weapon types later in the game?

Yes. Collect enough crystalized ore to forge a new weapon of a different type at the forge. Your skill tree can be reset using Race Rerolls from codes, so you can re-spec to match your new weapon.

What should I prioritise at the forge as a beginner?

Focus on one weapon. Level it up first with gems from Cave of Crystals, then reinforce with shards. Do not split materials across multiple weapons - a single strong weapon is better than several weak ones.

Next Steps

Beginner Guide Active Codes Weapon Guide Dungeon Routes Race Tier List