Unleashing the Magic: Mastering Enchantments & Weapon Forging in Stardew Valley

At the end of the Volcano Dungeon on Ginger Island, players will discover a mysterious forge. This forge, however, is no ordinary one - it allows Stardew Valley players to imbue their tools and weapons with magical enhancements. While it requires valuable gemstones and crystals, the benefits outweigh the cost.

Despite appearing complex initially, the Volcano Forge is surprisingly user-friendly. Once players grasp the various effects they can apply to their items, it opens up a whole new realm of possibilities. This guide aims to assist players in achieving each desired effect and determining which choices will be most advantageous during their Stardew Valley gameplay.

Updated August 24, 2023, by Demaris Oxman: Excitement is brewing among Stardew Valley fans as developer ConcernedApe confirms the much-anticipated 1.6 update. Whether players have been away from the game or not, they can't wait to dive back in. While details about the update remain scarce, the potential for new dialogue, upgraded tools, and fresh endgame content has everyone buzzing. Currently, one of the most beloved activities in the game's later stages is enchanting and forging tools and weapons. This powerful process takes place deep within the Volcano Dungeon, where players can apply incredible buffs to enhance their arsenal. Discover how to effortlessly breeze through late-game content by utilizing these upgrades.

Obtaining Cinder Shards

Obtaining Cinder Shards is essential for utilizing any of the functionalities provided by Volcano Forge. These valuable shards can be discovered within the depths of the Volcano Dungeon. To completely enhance and craft a tool or weapon, a minimum of 65 Cinder Shards per item is necessary. As a result, players might be required to invest some time into gathering these enigmatic crystals. The following techniques can be employed to acquire Cinder Shards:

- Mining a Cinder Shard node located within the Volcano Dungeon reveals mineral nodes with pink-orange specks, as depicted in the circled portion of the image above.

- Cinder Shards can also be obtained as drops from particular enemies within the Volcano Dungeon. The probability of acquiring this item varies depending on the enemy encountered. The Magma Sprite, for instance, has a 50% chance of dropping Cinder Shards.

Magma Duggy: 40% chance

Magma Sparker: 50% chance

False Magma Cap: 50% chance to drop

Produced from a fishing pond with 7 or more Stingrays. The pond may spawn 2-5 Cinder Shards, with a 7-9% daily chance to occur.

Because Cinder Shards are classified as a resource and not a gemstone, players cannot replicate them in the Crystalarium.

Weapon Forging

Using Cinder Shards, players have the ability to enhance their weapons and improve their attributes. Each weapon can go through a maximum of three forging processes, resulting in a greater stat boost with each level. However, it's important to note that forging is exclusive to weapons and cannot be utilized with tools like the Axe, Hoe, Watering Can, or Pickaxe.

As the forge progresses, the enhancements become more potent, resulting in an increase in price for each forge. To initiate the first forge, players must acquire 10 Cinder Shards, followed by 15 for the second forge, and 20 for the third. Additionally, a gemstone must be utilized, with each gemstone corresponding to a distinct enhancement:

Amethyst: Heightens knockback, causing enemies struck by this weapon to be pushed farther away from the player. Each forge incorporating this gemstone boosts the knockback by +1 per level.

Aquamarine: Increases the chance of landing critical hits. The increase is equal to 4.6% x forge level:First forge: + 4.6% critical hit chance

Second forge: +9.2%

Third forge: +13.8%

Emerald: Increases weapon speed. The first forge adds +2 speed, the second forge adds +3, and the third adds +2. These effects stack:First forge: +2 speed

Second forge: +5 speed

Third forge: +7 speed

Jade: Increases damage done by critical hits by 10% x the forge level:First forge: +10% critical hit damage

Second: +20%

Third: +30%

Ruby: Increases the weapon's damage by 10% x the forge level:First forge: +10% to both minimum and maximum hit damage Second: +20% Third: +30%

Topaz: Increases the wielder's defense by 1 x the forge level:First forge: +1 defense

Second: +2

Third: +3

Alternatively, players can use a diamond to add three random upgrades to their weapon at once. This will cost 10 Cinder Shards.

Best Upgrades To Pick

When it comes to selecting gems for weapon enhancements, gamers should consider their play style and objectives when exploring dangerous areas. For those seeking to slay monsters efficiently, the combined enchantments of Emerald and Ruby are extremely valuable. This combination significantly boosts the weapon's speed and damage, resulting in a substantial increase in DPS. Additionally, either Aquamarine or Jade can be used to augment critical hits.

On the other hand, if players prioritize survival, such as when undertaking Qi Challenges, both Topaz and Amethyst can be extremely useful. Topaz helps players withstand more attacks, while Amethyst allows players to create more distance between themselves and monsters.

Unforging Weapons

To restore their weapons to their original state, players can easily initiate the unforging process. All they need to do is place the weapon in the left square slot of the forge and choose the red X symbol. This will eliminate all modifications made during forging and bring back the weapon's initial appearance. Some of the Cinder Shards used in the forging process can be recovered, but unfortunately, the gemstone cannot be returned. No additional materials are necessary to complete this straightforward procedure.

Note that while this process removes all forged upgrades, it does not remove enchantments, which will be discussed below.

Infinity Weapons

Players who possess the Galaxy Sword, Galaxy Dagger, or Galaxy Hammer can utilize the Volcano Forge to transform these weapons into Infinity Weapons. This transformation necessitates the use of three Galaxy Souls, with each soul requiring 20 Cinder Shards for the forging process. Once completed, the upgraded weapon will assume a more potent form, retaining any previously applied upgrades or enchantments.

Galaxy Souls

Obtaining Galaxy Souls in Stardew Valley is no easy task, as they can only be acquired by overcoming the game's most challenging hurdles. While a comprehensive guide on Infinity Weapons provides in-depth information about Galaxy Souls, players can also resort to a handful of fundamental strategies to obtain these coveted items.

You can purchase items from Mr. Qi in his Walnut Room for 40 Qi Gems each.

During encounters with Dangerous Monsters, players may come across a Big Slime that contains a Galaxy Soul. Defeating the Big Slime will cause it to drop the Galaxy Soul. These special Slimes can be found in the Dangerous Mines (accessed by activating the shrine on Level 120), as well as in Mr. Qi's quests "Danger in the Deep" and "Skull Cavern Invasion."

Once the player successfully eliminates a minimum of 50 Dangerous Monsters within the perils of the Dangerous Mines or the aforementioned quests, two additional ways to obtain Galaxy Souls will become accessible:

1. Galaxy Souls can be purchased from the Island Trader on the final day of the season, requiring 10 Radioactive Bars each.

Galaxy Souls will occasionally drop from Dangerous Monsters.

Enchantments

Enchantments offer more than just stat boosts like forging does. They provide extra effects that enhance the functionality of weapons and tools, such as increased efficiency or resource conservation. To enchant any melee weapon or tool (excluding slingshots), you need a Prismatic Shard and 20 Cinder Shards, which can be used at the forge.

Weapon Enchantments

Regrettably, when passing through the forge, players have no control over which enchantment will be bestowed upon their weapons or tools. Nonetheless, if a player acquires an enchantment that they find unsatisfactory, they need not despair, as they can simply re-enchant it in order to obtain a different outcome. Nevertheless, it is important to consider that each enchantment will deplete the aforementioned resources, therefore it is advised to use those valuable Prismatic Shards judiciously.

When enchanting a weapon, players may get any one of the following at random:

Artful: Reduces the cooldown time for special moves by half.

Bug Slayer: Increases damage inflicted on grubs, flies, spiders, bugs, and rock crabs by twofold. Additionally, it bestows the ability to defeat Armored Bugs, which are usually impervious to attacks.

Crusader: Increases damage dealt to mummies, skeletons, ghosts, and void spirits by two-fold. Enables permanent elimination of mummies, which would typically require the use of bombs to prevent their resurrection.

Vampiric: Provides the player with a 9% possibility to restore health upon defeating a monster, amounting to roughly 10% of the monster's maximum health.

Haymaker: Cutting weeds with this weapon provides double the chance to drop fiber, and a 33% chance to drop hay.

Best Weapon Enchantments

Tool Enchantments

Bug Killer and Crusader are the most beneficial weapon enchantments among all the options available. These enchantments empower the wielder to inflict extra damage on specific adversaries, particularly those that are notoriously challenging to overcome, such as Armored Bugs and Mummies. On the other hand, the enchantment known as Haymaker is generally perceived as less useful. This is mainly due to the fact that locating fiber and hay, the required resources for this enchantment, is not a daunting task. Moreover, Haymaker does not provide any assistance to the player during combat situations.

There are a total of eleven tool enchantments, but not all of them can be applied to every tool. In fact, most enchantments are specifically designed for a particular tool's function. The forge allows enchanting of the axe, pickaxe, watering can, hoe, and fishing rod. Each tool will receive a random effect that is compatible with its respective usage. The available possibilities for tool enchanting are as follows:

Best Enchantments For Each Tool

Every enchantment serves a purpose, but players may have varying preferences based on their play styles. If a player discovers that the enchantment on their tool is no longer beneficial, they have the option to utilize the Volcano Forge for obtaining a different enchantment. It is important to note that the player must possess the required materials to proceed with this process.

For players who aim to accumulate resources, Shaving stands as one of the most advantageous enchantments for the axe. Alternatively, Swift and Efficient enchantments enable players to harvest more wood while expending less energy.

Watering Can: You can never go wrong with the Bottomless enchantment. Players will never need to refill the can again.

Hoe: It's difficult to make a mistake with Generous as it assists players in obtaining a consistent supply of clay and uncovering artifacts. However, those aiming to complete the museum collection may find Archeologist the most valuable, while those clearing large areas of land for farming will benefit from either Reaching or Efficient.

- Pickaxe: To optimize mining efficiency, the enchantments Swift and Powerful are highly recommended as they significantly enhance the player's ability to break stone at a faster rate.

- Fishing Rod: While the Master enchantment can be useful, there are numerous alternative methods to boost the Fishing level, including the use of tackle or food buffs. Generally, the most advantageous enchantment for a fishing rod is Preserving. This effect prolongs the lifespan of the player's bait and tackle, resulting in reduced material consumption as there will be less frequent need to craft replacements.