This Stardew Valley guide details the Volcano Forge on Ginger Island, focusing on weapon forging, enchantments, and obtaining Cinder Shards. The 1.6 update expanded forging options, including the addition of innate weapon enchantments and the ability to enchant the pan.
Acquiring Cinder Shards:
Cinder Shards, essential for forge functions, are obtained by:
- Mining Cinder Shard nodes (pink-orange specks) in the Volcano Dungeon.
- Enemy drops (Magma Sprite, Magma Duggy, Magma Sparker, False Magma Cap – varying drop rates).
- Fishing ponds with 7+ Stingrays (2-5 shards, 7-9% daily chance).
Cinder Shards, unlike gemstones, cannot be duplicated in the Crystalarium.
The Mini-Forge:
After achieving Combat Mastery, craft the Mini-Forge (5 Dragon Teeth, 10 Iron Bars, 10 Gold Bars, 5 Iridium Bars) for convenient forging anywhere on your farm. It functions identically to the Volcano Forge.
Weapon Forging:
Weapons (up to three times) can be enhanced with gemstones:
- Amethyst: +1 Knockback per forge.
- Aquamarine: +4.6% Crit Chance per forge.
- Emerald: +2/+3/+2 Speed per forge (total +7).
- Jade: +10% Crit Damage per forge.
- Ruby: +10% Damage per forge.
- Topaz: +1 Defense per forge.
- Diamond: Three random upgrades (costs 10 Cinder Shards).
Each forge level requires increasing Cinder Shards (10, 15, 20).
Optimal Weapon Upgrades:
For maximizing damage, combine Emerald (speed) and Ruby (damage) with Aquamarine or Jade (critical hits). For survivability (e.g., Qi Challenges), prioritize Topaz (defense) and Amethyst (knockback).
Unforging Weapons:
To reset a weapon, place it in the forge's left slot and select the red X. This recovers some Cinder Shards but not the gemstone. Enchantments remain.
Infinity Weapons:
Upgrade Galaxy Sword, Dagger, or Hammer into Infinity versions using three Galaxy Souls (20 Cinder Shards each). Forged upgrades and enchantments are retained. Galaxy Souls are obtained via Mr. Qi's quests, the Island Trader, or rare monster drops.
Enchantments:
Enchant tools/weapons (excluding slingshots) using a Prismatic Shard and 20 Cinder Shards. The enchantment is random.
Weapon Enchantments:
- Artful: Halved special move cooldown.
- Bug Killer: Double damage to bugs, kills Armored Bugs.
- Crusader: Double damage to undead, kills Mummies permanently.
- Vampiric: Chance to regain health on kill.
- Haymaker: Double fiber/hay chance from weeds.
Bug Killer and Crusader are generally most effective.
Innate Weapon Enchantments:
Using a Dragon Tooth, apply one enchantment from each of two sets:
Set 1: Slime Slayer, Crit Power, Attack, Speed Set 2: Slime Gatherer, Defense, Weight
Tool Enchantments (12 total):
Enchantments vary by tool (Axe, Pickaxe, Watering Can, Hoe, Fishing Rod, Pan). Examples include Auto-Hook (Fishing Rod), Bottomless (Watering Can), Efficient (various), and more. See the original guide for a complete list.
Choosing the Best Tool Enchantments:
Optimal enchantments depend on playstyle. For example, Shaving (Axe) maximizes wood, while Bottomless (Watering Can) is always useful. Refer to the original guide for detailed recommendations per tool.
