Crafting a Cutlass in The Forge isn’t just about throwing ores into the furnace and hoping for the best. Many players waste precious ores because they don’t know the right number of ores to use or how to nail the mini-games. Let me break it down so you can craft a solid Cutlass without frustration.
Here’s a quick answer: To craft a Cutlass, use 4-6 ores (recommended 6), pick the Cutlass under Straight Sword, then master the mini-games: heating (smelt), pouring (cast into mold), and hammering for best quality.
Let’s walk through crafting the Cutlass step by step
The Cutlass is a straight sword with balanced stats: it deals 9.375 damage, swings at 0.66 seconds per hit (slowest among Straight Swords), and has an 8-stud range. It has a base sell price of $120 if you want to cash it in. You’ll find the forge at Stonewake’s Cross, right between the potion seller and the runemaker. Other forges exist in Forgotten Kingdom, Frostspire Expanse, or near blacksmiths on various maps.
Step 1: Choose your weapon and add ores
Walk up to the furnace and select the Straight Sword category, then choose Cutlass. Now, the number of ores you add matters a lot:
- Use a minimum of 4 ores to increase your chance of getting a Cutlass instead of a dagger.
- Using 6 ores is recommended for a higher success rate.
Straight Swords as a weapon class typically use 15–25 ores for better overall results, but 4-6 ores is the viable range for crafting a Cutlass specifically. Using fewer than 4 ores usually results in daggers, not a Cutlass. More than 6 ores won’t necessarily improve your chance but might waste your resources. Mix mid-to-high tier ores for better stats, but avoid diluting your mix with too many low-quality ores.
Step 2: Smelt the ores by heating
The first mini-game is heating. You pump the bellows rapidly but controlled to fill and stabilize the heat gauge. Avoid letting the heat drop or spike too much, as that lowers your weapon’s quality.
Step 3: Pour the molten metal carefully
Next, you pour the molten metal into the mold. A yellow zone appears, and you must keep the pouring indicator inside this zone as steadily as possible by holding and releasing the mouse to adjust. Small, precise mouse movements keep you centered. The longer you stay in the yellow zone, the better the quality score.
Step 4: Hammer the weapon with perfect timing
Finally, hammer the weapon on the anvil. A shrinking ring appears, and you need to click when the moving circle aligns with the inner ring. Perfect hits improve your weapon’s quality, while misses lower it. Focus on rhythm and timing rather than speed.
Why quality and ore choice matter
The quality of your Cutlass depends on how well you perform the mini-games and the ores you use. Perfect mini-games can upgrade your weapon from Poor to Masterwork quality, boosting damage and durability.
Special ores like Rivalite or Ruby add extra traits such as critical chance or damage boosts, but these only activate if they make up a meaningful portion of your ore mix (usually 10-30%). Use mid-tier ores for the Cutlass and save your rarest ores for high-tier weapons.
A quick tip
Practice the mini-games with cheaper ores first. This way, you won’t waste your precious Mythical or Legendary ores while learning the timing.
What if you fail?
If you mess up the mini-games or don’t add enough ores, your Cutlass might come out Poor quality or you might get a different weapon. Ores are consumed each time, so be patient and keep practicing.
Crafting the Cutlass is about balancing the right ore count, mixing good ores, and mastering the mini-game steps. Follow these tips, and you’ll have a reliable straight sword ready for battle in no time.
Related guides to improve your forging skills
If you want to expand your crafting skills beyond the Cutlass, check out these helpful guides:
- For crafting other powerful swords, see how to make the Skull Crusher sword, including ore tips and mini-game strategies.
- Interested in other weapon types? Learn the step-by-step process to craft the Wyvern Axe with ore recommendations.
- For a different straight sword option, explore how to craft the Gladius Sword and other weapons with detailed forging tips.
- If you want to try a faster blade, the guide on crafting the Uchigatana offers great ore recipes and timing advice.
- To optimize your crafting resources, consider using the The Forge Crafting Calculator to pick ores and calculate your best chances.
