Mining ores in The Forge isn’t just about collecting materials—it’s about unlocking special powers for your weapons and armor. Some ores give your gear unique traits that can turn a regular sword or armor piece into something truly powerful. Knowing which ores to mine and how to use their traits can make a huge difference in your gameplay.
Here's a quick answer to get you started:
- To activate an ore's trait, you must include at least ~14% of that ore in your forging recipe for reliable activation, but aiming for around 30% gives the best effect.
- You can mix multiple ores with traits to stack their effects on one item.
- Traits provide passive bonuses like extra damage, defense, burn effects, or even dodging attacks.
So, which ores have traits and what do they do?
Not all ores come with traits, but here are the main ones you want to look out for, along with their exact trait effects and where to find them:
| Image | Ore Name | Trait Effect | Works On | How Rare? | Drop Location / Rock Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Magmaite | 35% chance on-hit to cause 50% AoE explosion damage | Weapons | Very rare (1/3003) | Volcanic Rock |
 |
Fireite | 30% chance to burn enemies for 2 seconds dealing 20% damage | Weapons | Rare (1/2187) | Volcanic Rock |
 |
Demonite | 15% chance to burn enemies for 2 seconds on hit + 25% chance to burn enemy when damage taken | Armor | Very rare (1/3666) | Volcanic Rock |
 |
Darkryte | 15% chance on armor to dodge attacks by turning into a shadow | Armor | Ultra rare (1/5555) | Volcanic Rock |
 |
Obsidian | Up to 30% extra defense | Armor | Rare (1/333) | Volcanic Rock |
 |
Mythril | 15% extra defense | Armor | Rare (1/813) | Basalt Vein |
 |
Eye Ore | -10% health but +15% damage boost | Weapons & Armor | Rare (1/1333) | Basalt Rock, Basalt Core, Basalt Vein, Volcanic Rock |
 |
Rivalite | +20% critical strike chance | Weapons | Rare (1/569) | Basalt Vein, Volcanic Rock |
 |
Uranium | Deals 5% of player max health as AoE damage while in combat | Armor | Rare (1/777) | Basalt Vein |
 |
Lightite | Increases movement speed by 15% | Armor | Rare (1/3333) | Basalt Vein |
 |
Poopite | When below 35% HP, deals 15% poison damage AoE for 5 seconds and fears enemies (15s cooldown) | Weapons & Armor | Common (1/131) | Pebble, Rock, Boulder |
A quick note on some less impactful or filler ores:
- Poopite is situational and triggers only when you are below 35% HP, making it less useful for consistent play. Its poison damage is AoE around the player, and the fear effect lasts 15 seconds.
- Some ores like Tin, Copper, Silver, and Gold do not have traits but provide multipliers and are useful for balancing stats.
- Fracture and other similar ores do not provide traits but may have minor stat boosts.
Exact Trait Percentages and Effects Clarification
- Fireite: 30% chance on hit to burn enemies for 2 seconds, dealing 20% damage over time.
- Demonite: 15% chance on hit to burn enemies for 2 seconds, plus a 25% chance to burn the enemy when you take damage (burn deals 20% damage over 2 seconds).
- Magmaite: 35% chance on hit to trigger a 50% AoE explosion damage.
- Darkryte: 15% chance on armor to dodge incoming attacks by turning into a shadow (invulnerability frame).
- Poopite: When below 35% HP, deals 15% poison damage AoE for 5 seconds around you and fears enemies, with a 15-second cooldown.
How to get these traits on your gear?
You need to carefully plan your forging recipe. Here’s how:
- Pick the ores with the traits you want. For example, if you want burn damage, include Fireite or Demonite.
- Make sure the ore with the trait is at least ~14% of your total ore mix for reliable activation. Less than that and the trait won’t activate.
- Aim for around 30% of that ore for the full trait effect. More than 30% doesn’t improve the trait further.
- Mix other ores to balance your gear’s base stats (like damage or defense) and to add multiple traits.
- Forge your weapon or armor. If done right, your gear will have the special traits active.
A quick tip on multipliers and rarity
Each ore also has a multiplier that boosts your gear’s base stats (damage for weapons, defense for armor). Higher rarity ores usually have better multipliers. When mixing ores, the final stats are the average of all ores' multipliers weighted by their quantities. This means:
- Using more high multiplier ores increases your gear’s base stats.
- Ores with traits sometimes have lower multipliers, so you need to balance between raw stats and desired traits.
- For example, Darkryte has a very high multiplier (
6.3x) but is ultra rare, Magmaite has about a 5x multiplier, Fireite ~4.5x, Demonite ~5.5x, while Poopite has a low multiplier (1.2x).
Balancing multipliers and traits is key to crafting optimal gear.
Can you stack multiple traits?
Yes! You can include several ores with traits in your recipe, as long as each trait ore makes up more than ~14% of the total. Here are some clarifications:
- The minimum percentage to activate a trait is slightly above 10%; tests show 14% is the lowest reliable activation.
- For full trait strength, aim for about 30% of that ore.
- There is no strict maximum number of traits, but practical limits come from balancing ore percentages and multipliers.
- Traits from different ores stack independently, but conflicting traits (if any) are rare or not documented.
This allows you to forge gear with multiple buffs, like a weapon that burns enemies and explodes on hit, or armor that boosts defense and grants dodge chance.
Which traits are the best?
Here’s a simple tier list to help you decide:
- S Tier: Magmaite, Fireite, Darkryte, Demonite — These offer the strongest and most useful effects.
- A Tier: Eye Ore, Obsidian — Great for flexible damage and defense boosts.
- B Tier: Uranium, Mythril, Rivalite — Solid but situational.
- C Tier: Poopite — Useful but triggers only when low on health.
- D Tier: Lightite — Minor speed boost, not very impactful.
A little about the rarest and most powerful
- Darkryte is the rarest ore with traits and gives you a cool dodge ability on armor.
- Magmaite is fantastic for weapons, especially if you like dealing area damage.
- Demonite shines in the late game with its burn effects and is great for both offense and defense.
Wrapping it up
Mining with a purpose is key in The Forge. Knowing which ores have traits, their exact effects, where to find them, and how to use them can make your weapons and armor much stronger and more fun to play with. Remember to keep your trait ores at least ~14%, ideally 30%, in your forging recipes, balance multipliers for stats, and don’t be afraid to mix traits to find your perfect build.
Start experimenting with these ores, and soon you’ll be crafting gear that stands out in any fight.
