Forge of Potential is an important update for Valheim 1.0 which gives players yet another option to upgrade their equipment. This system uses Battle Totems or Protection Totems that will allow players to upgrade their weapons, tools, and even armour. Besides the fact that no materials are needed for upgrade, you will always run the risk of losing an item while upgrading. This guide explains how the Forge of Potential works, where to find Totems, and what you should know before using them.
Forge of Potential Explained
Forges of Potential are found in the Mountain biome. These structures are also called the Ancient Upgrade Station, and the only way to access them is to use Battle Totems or Protection Totems collected during exploration. Totems can be of several material types, such as Wood, Bronze, Iron, Silver, Black Metal, Flametal, and Blood Gold.
Battle Totems will help you upgrade weapons and tools, while Protection Totems deal more with armour, shields, and other gear. Furthermore, using totems doesn’t require resources. You can consider these totems as tokens to feed the Forges of Potential. The item will get just one upgrade level.
Where to Find Totems
One thing that will help players find Battle or Protection Totems is by exploring. Players should open all the chests that are found within places such as ruins, deserted farmhouses, Viking huts, and crypts. Players may find Totems in these chests as their loot. The kind of Totem that players will get depends on the biome that they are exploring. When in the Meadows and Black Forest biomes, players will be able to get low-grade totems like Wood and Bronze.
Be Careful When Upgrading
The main negative aspect of using Totems is that the upgrade may simply fail, and the item will be lost completely. This is especially important when talking about the upgrade of an expensive or high-level weapon or equipment. Technically, the entire process depends on RNG, so you may or may not have your weapon upgraded.
It is possible to repeatedly use Battle Totems to upgrade an item beyond its regular upgrade limit. It is also possible to upgrade the weapon multiple times without upgrading other crafting stations. However, in every case, there is a risk of losing the weapon because of the failed upgrade process. In such cases, only a small amount of materials is returned for the price paid for the upgrade process.
Rare Weapons
There are some weapons that can be created only once per world, as they require special fragments. It would be very expensive to lose any such weapon in case of failure when attempting an upgrade. Luckily, if a weapon is broken while attempting an upgrade, then the special fragments that are used to make it are refunded. And since there is only one such set of fragments per world, it ensures that there is no way to permanently lose your chance to create the weapon. Totems can also be used on mages’ gear.
How to Spawn the Forge of Potential
If, on the other hand, you would prefer to have the station at your base, then it is possible to spawn it using the console commands.
Type: (spawn upgrade station)
The upgrade station may spawn slightly above the ground and you might have to adapt your base in order to accommodate it. It is worth noting that using the console commands will render trophies/achievements useless.
In case you make a mistake and spawn the station in an area where you do not want it, then you may use the forcedelete command. Just take care when using the forcedelete command as it destroys all objects in the vicinity of the player.
Is the Forge of Potential Worth It?
The Forge of Potential does have its perks when used correctly. You don’t require resources to upgrade your gear, and you get to push the limits beyond the upgrade limit. But like all good things, it does come with risks attached. The best way to use the Forge of Potential is on items that you won’t risk losing. Commonly found gear and easily craftable equipment are best to be upgraded at the Forge of Potential.
