7 Days to Die Forge Guide: Unlock, Build & Upgrade

When you’re ready to move beyond looted scrap metal and craft serious weapons, armor, and components in 7 Days to Die, the Forge is your essential midgame station. It produces forged and smelted metals that are difficult to find in the wild, and mastering it is key to advancing past the early survival phase. Here’s everything you need to know to unlock, build, fuel, upgrade, and use your first Forge.

Unlocking and Building the Forge

To craft a Forge, you must first read at least five Forge Ahead magazines. These magazines are lootable throughout the world, so keep an eye out in garages, tool sheds, and workbenches. Once you’ve learned the recipe, gather these five materials: Cobblestone Rocks (20), a Wood Log (1), Leather (5), Duct Tape (1), and Short Iron Pipes (8). Crafting takes about 21 seconds and can be done from your inventory. You can place the Forge indoors or outdoors — just make sure you have enough space to access its inventory and upgrades.

Fueling and Smelting Materials

The Forge runs exclusively on Coal as fuel. To start smelting, open the Forge’s inventory and move raw materials into the Smelting inventory (the slot area below the upgrade menu). Acceptable feedstock includes Iron, Clay, Sand, Lead, Stone, and Brass — note that these are smelted versions, distinct from salvaged loot like Iron or Clay Soil. Add Coal to the fuel slot, turn the Forge on, and it will automatically process the items. Smelted results are stored in the same smelting inventory, ready to be pulled into any recipe you craft.

7 Days to Die Steam

#game