The early-game wall is being unable to craft iron tools, ammo, and building materials. The key to getting past it is the forge. To cut to the chase: once you build a forge, keep it running at all times and keep materials loaded in it — that’s the most efficient approach.
First, Build One Forge as Early as Possible
- Only once you have a forge can you process iron ingots, iron tools, and the materials for many building parts and types of ammo.
- After placing it, put wood or charcoal in the fuel slot and light it. From there, all you need to do is load in materials.
- The forge stores the materials it smelts as an internal pool (stock). Even when you’re not actively crafting, anything you load in will smelt on its own and keep building up.
Throw In Every Bit of Metal You Pick Up While Exploring
- Make it a habit to dump scrap iron, lead, brass, stone, and sand (for glass) into the forge every time you return to base.
- The forge keeps working even while you’re logged out or waiting for a Blood Moon, so you can bank “smelting time” between your travels and fights.
- Lead turns into bullet tips and brass into casings. As a countermeasure against the ammo shortage that hits later on, stockpiling lead and brass from the early game really pays off.
Upgrades You Can Add With a Little Extra Effort
- Attaching a Crucible to the forge lets you smelt more materials, such as brass and glass.
- Adding an Anvil unlocks the crafting of higher-tier iron tools and weapons.
Summary
- The forge is your gateway to the “metal age.” Just building one early makes it much harder to get stuck.
- Don’t hesitate to toss in the metal you find, and run it so you never run out of stock.
- Once you have some breathing room, expand what you can smelt and craft with a Crucible and an Anvil.