If you’ve been playing The Forge for a while, you’ve probably noticed how big of a difference runes can make. These little upgrades work almost like stat-boosting tokens, and once you slot them into your weapons or pickaxes, they can completely change how your gear performs. Some boost your mining stats, others add elemental effects, and a few can turn your weapon into a powerhouse. Since every piece of equipment has a limited number of rune slots, choosing the right ones matters a lot if you want to push further into late-game content.
This guide breaks down exactly how to get runes in The Forge, how rune slots work, and every rune currently available. If you’re just getting started with rune farming or want a better understanding of what each one does, you’ll find everything you need right here.
On This Page
How to Get Runes in The Forge
Runes don’t drop from every enemy in the game. Instead, they mainly come from undead creatures you defeat during your journey. Basic Zombies and Elite Zombies can drop them, but your odds get noticeably better when you start fighting tougher mobs. Enemies like the Elite Deathaxe Skeleton or the Reaper have a much higher chance to drop runes, which makes farming stronger enemies the ideal route.
If you want to check where each rune comes from, open the Enemies tab in your Index. The game lists every mob that can drop runes, along with their drop rates. This helps you target farm instead of wasting time on enemies with poor chances.
Most rune-dropping enemies spawn in the Forgotten Kingdom, a region you unlock at level 10. Once you reach that point, rune farming becomes much easier.
After you’ve collected some runes, you’ll need to visit the Runemaker to actually equip them. This NPC is located at Stonewake’s Cross, and for a Gold fee, you can slot runes into compatible equipment. Keep in mind that not every weapon or pickaxe comes with rune slots by default. If yours doesn’t, you can create a slot by enhancing the item three times. Head to the Enhancer, give them the required essences, and you’ll unlock a single rune slot.
All Runes in The Forge and Their Effects
Below is a full list of every rune currently in the game and what each one does. This list will grow as The Forge receives updates.
Miner Shard
A flexible mining-focused rune with several possible effects depending on the variant you get.
Possible effects:
- Extra Luck
- A chance to gain one extra ore
- Faster mining speed
- Higher pickaxe damage
Frost Speck
Adds a freeze effect. When triggered, enemies are briefly frozen. The effect has a short cooldown and activates randomly during combat.
Flame Spark
Applies a Burn effect. The fire damage scales with your weapon or pickaxe’s damage, which makes it strong on high-power tools.
Venom Crumb
Applies Poison damage based on a percentage of your gear’s damage. Great for consistent damage over time.
Chill Dust
Adds a slow effect that reduces an enemy’s movement and attack speed for a short window.
Blast Chip
Triggers an explosion at the target’s location for AoE damage. The damage scales with your weapon, making it useful for clearing groups.
Drain Edge
Provides a healing effect by restoring a portion of your health whenever you deal physical damage.
Briar Notch
Adds a Thorns effect, reflecting a percentage of incoming physical damage. The cap depends on your max health.
Rage Mark
Activates Berserk mode when your health drops below 35 percent. During Berserk, you deal more physical damage and move faster.
Ward Patch
Provides a Shield effect that reduces incoming damage.
Rot Stitch
Applies Toxic Veins, which releases poison damage around you when your health falls under 35 percent.
Since many of these runes require you to fight tough mobs, upgrading your weapon and improving your armor is essential. Use high-rarity ores to get stronger multipliers when crafting or enhancing.
Secondary Rune Traits in The Forge
On top of a rune’s main effect, there’s also a chance your gear will receive a secondary trait when you apply one. These traits stack with the main rune effect and can significantly boost your combat or mobility stats.
Weapon Secondary Traits
- Attack Speed – Faster swings
- Lethality – Increases weapon damage
- Critical Chance – Higher crit rate
- Critical Damage – More powerful crits
- Fracture – Increases stun damage
Armor Secondary Traits
- Endurance – More stamina
- Surge – Lower dash cooldown
- Vitality – Extra health
- Phase – Longer invincibility while dashing
Secondary traits are entirely based on luck, so there’s no way to force a specific outcome.
FAQs
Q. How do I get runes?
They drop from certain undead enemies. You can check drop chances in the Index.
Q. How do I equip runes?
Visit the Runemaker NPC in Stonewake’s Cross and pay the Gold cost.
Q. How do I get secondary traits?
Secondary traits are random and depend on in-game RNG. There’s no guaranteed method.
