The Forge of Potential is a hidden forge, which was introduced in Valheim 1.0, granting you access to a special upgrade station used with Protection and Battle Idols to enhance your weapons and armor beyond the normal maximum quality Level 4. This guide will provide you with the exact Hidden Forge location in the game.
How to Find & Use Hidden Forge
The Hidden Forge, also known as the Forge of Potential, spawns exclusively in the Mountains biome. Like the three traders, Haldor, Hildir, and Haki, each world has a limited number of possible spawn points, which in this case is specifically 10 possible locations in the Mountains biome. However, only one or just a few will ever actually appear in any given world.
If you use the seed “0” (zero), you’ll be able to find the Hidden Forge at the following coordinates:
- x: -2870 z: 1090
But if it seems a bit too far for you, here’s how to easily find the new forge on any seed:
- Explore Mountain biomes as well as you can. and prepare yourself with frost-resistant Wolf Armor and Frost Resistance Mead.
- Watch your map for the ward symbol, which looks like a protective ward map marker.
- It appears when you get close enough, similar to how trader locations are revealed.
- Once you discover a forge, the location will be permanently marked on your map, so you can revisit it freely.
Because spawn points are limited and random per seed, some worlds require more searching than others. In any case, when you find at least one Hidden Forge, here’s what you can do with it:
- Bring your idols to the forge to attempt further upgrading your gear.
- Battle Idols upgrade weapons, while Protection Idols upgrade armor pieces.
- Lower-tier idols work on earlier gear, while higher-tier ones are needed for later equipment.
- Each upgrade attempt consumes one idol.
- A successful upgrade raises your item’s quality level past the normal max of 4.
- There is roughly a 35% to 50% chance that the item will be destroyed if the upgrade fails.
- On destruction, you will only recover a portion of the crafting materials, making these upgrades expensive and risky.
- Use this system only on spare or duplicate gear when possible, especially at higher tiers.
Idol Tiers & How to Farm Them
There are eight tiers or types of idols in the game, and here they are in the order of power, from lowest to highest:
- Wood
- Bronze
- Iron
- Silver
- Black Metal
- Black Marble
- Flame Metal (Flametal)
- Blood Gold
Idols appear very rarely in chests and sometimes inside containers throughout the world. They are not guaranteed drops, so be sure to thoroughly explore every dungeon, ruin, fort, and structure that you see. Here’s how to farm idols in the world:
- Prioritize the listed structures in each biome as you progress.
- Use portals near high-density areas, such as multiple Troll Caves, Swamp ruins, Charred Fortresses, and Deep North settlements.
- Since idols are rare, expect to clear many locations.
- Because of the destruction risk, farm extras before attempting high-level upgrades.
