Few experiences in gaming can match the excitement of leveling up. While Stardew Valley does not feature traditional leveling systems, the thrill of upgrading tools and weapons delivers that satisfying dopamine rush.
However, as you advance to the late-game stages, the opportunities for weapon and tool upgrades become limited. Once your gear reaches the iridium standard, you may wonder about the next steps.
Luckily, players can access the Volcano Forge located in the beautiful yet treacherous Ginger Island. This key destination allows you to enhance your weapons and tools through forging and enchanting, even elevating already powerful items.
Navigating to the Forge
Reaching the Forge is no small task, starting with gaining access to Ginger Island. This requires completing the Community Center or fulfilling Joja’s Community Development Projects. You will also need to repair the boat located behind Willy’s shop, which entails bringing him 200 
5 
and 5 
.
Once you arrive on Ginger Island, proceed north from the docks. Initially, a giant turtle will block your path, but it will move after you complete the first storyline encounter with Leo.
Continue north beyond the Island Trader and the Dig Site, and you’ll reach the volcano. Be prepared to face challenges ahead.
Inside, you will explore the Volcano Dungeon, a challenging location filled with randomized floors, tough enemies, traps, and valuable loot. Remember to bring your Watering Can to create bridges across lava and gain entry.
Unlike the Skull Cavern, the Volcano Dungeon consists of only 10 floors, culminating in the volcano’s caldera, where the Forge is located.
To streamline your exit, utilize the west stairs on your way out, instead of warping. At the bottom, you can unlock a gate by the dungeon’s entrance, providing direct access to the Forge for future visits.
Maximizing the Forge’s Potential
To forge or enchant items at the Forge, you will need Cinder Shards from the dungeon. Depending on your specific goals, you might also require either a gemstone or a 
.
The Forge also facilitates the combination of two different rings for the cost of 20 Cinder Shards. Personally, I favor combining the 
and the 
for increased survivability.
Enhancing Weapons
Forging a weapon allows you to enhance its stats or grant it special properties. The benefits you receive depend on the type of gemstone used. You can forge each weapon up to three times, enabling you to stack multiple buffs or diversify enhancements.
The forging costs are 10 Cinder Shards for the first upgrade, 15 for the second, and 20 for the final one, adding up to a total of 45. Alternatively, if you’re up for some risk, you can use a 
to get three random buffs for just 10 shards.
| Gemstone | Forging Buff |
|---|---|
|
Weight |
|
|
Crit. Chance |
|
|
Speed |
|
|
Crit. Damage |
|
|
Damage |
|
|
Defense |
If you are fortunate enough to obtain three 
you can forge them with the Galaxy Sword to create the most powerful weapon in the game: the 
.Each forging process will cost 20 Cinder Shards, totaling 60.
Crafting Enchantments
Enchanting either a weapon or tool at the Forge will consistently cost 20 Cinder Shards. Additionally, most enchantments will require a 
.
Note that enchantments are always randomized; enchanting an item again will replace existing enchantments without merging them. Weapons keep their enchantments post-forging, while tools retain theirs after upgrades.
Enchanting Weapons
Every melee weapon can receive a combat enchantment. These enchantments provide unique abilities that, except for the Haymaker, will significantly enhance your combat efficiency.
Unfortunately, the 
cannot be enchanted as of now.
| Combat Enchantment | Effect |
|---|---|
| Artful | 50% cooldown reduction for special abilities (e.g., blocking). |
| Bug Killer | Double damage to bugs and allows you to finally defeat armored bugs! |
| Crusader | +50% damage to ghosts, mummies, etc., and enables you to kill mummies without bombs! |
| Haymaker | Cutting weeds has a 50% chance of yielding fiber and a 33% chance of yielding hay. |
| Vampiric | 9% chance to restore health equal to 10% of a monster’s max HP after a kill. |
Additionally, less powerful weapons can receive an innate enchantment. This provides bonuses based on the weapon’s level. However, the Galaxy Sword and similar weapons are too formidable to obtain innate enchantments, and rightly so.
Applying innate enchantments requires a , which can be located randomly in the Volcano dungeon, dropped by a Lava Lurk, or obtained from a Fish Pond containing nine 
.
| Innate Enchantment | Effect |
|---|---|
| Attack | Boosts the player’s Attack stat by 1-5, enhancing damage. |
| Crit. Chance | Increases Crit. Chance by 2%, 4%, or 6%. |
| Crit. Power | Enhances Crit. Power, amplifying critical hit damage. |
| Defense | Increases the player’s Defense stat by 1 or 2 (only for sub-level 10 weapons). |
| Speed | Boosts Speed by 1-4, determined by base Speed and weapon level. |
| Slime Gatherer | Elevates the drop rate of  from any type of slime. |
| Slime Slayer | Enhances damage against slimes by 33%. |
| Weight | Decreases the weapon’s Weight, minimizing knockback (ideal for daggers). |
Enchanting Tools for Enhanced Gameplay
The Forge in Stardew Valley also allows players to enchant tools, contributing to a better gaming experience with several quality-of-life improvements, especially during late-game activities.
| Tool Enchantment | Effect | Applicable Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Archaeologist | Increases the chance of finding artifacts or  |
How, Pan |
| Auto-Hook | Initiates fish hooking automatically and starts the minigame. | Fishing Rod |
| Bottomless | No need to refill with water ever again! | Watering Can |
| Efficient | No energy consumed while using the tool. | Axe, Fishing Rod, Hoe, Pick, Watering Can |
| Fisher | 10% chance of catching a fish instead of standard treasure. | Pan |
| Generous | Increases the quantity of items found when using the tool. | How, Pan |
| Master | Provides +1 to your Fishing skill (stacks with food bonuses). | Fishing Rod |
| Powerful | Chops through trees or rocks at an accelerated pace. | Axe, Pick |
| Preserving | 50% chance of consuming no bait or tackle when fishing. | Fishing Rod |
| Reaching | Expands the item’s area of effect (up to 5×5 tiles). | How, Watering Can, Pan |
| Shaving | Grants 3 additional items of the relevant type when chopping trees. | Axe |
| Swift | Increases the swing speed of the tool by 33%. | Axe, Hoe, Pick |
In my experience, Cinder Shards can be easily gathered in the Volcano Dungeon, making Prismatic Shards the primary constraint when enchanting. Be diligent in your choices and strategize which tools to upgrade first!
Leave a Reply