Powerful builds rise and fall in The Forge, but mastering runes is what separates mere survivors from legends. This tier list breaks down the strongest combinations, hidden synergies, and game-shifting picks shaping the current meta.
Complete The Forge Rune Tier List
Building a complete Forge Rune Tier List means ranking every rune based on their strength, versatility, and synergy within different builds. Each rune type influences weapon or armor performance differently, so understanding their unique effects helps players optimize their setups. This tier list gathers the most consistent runes, highlights situational choices, and clarifies which ones deliver the best overall results in both early and late gameplay.
There are a total of 11 runes in The Forge, and you can get runes by killing enemies. Each enemy drops a different rune when killed, so it’s important to know about the rune you want to farm. On top of that, not all the runes are worth getting, as the abilities aren’t that great.
As we make the tier list, the runes at the bottom become less valuable as the abilities aren’t worth your time. Yet, as a beginner, you can start with such runes in the mid or lower tiers and slowly work your way up to the top ones. Always remember to grab The Forge codes and reroll race adjusted to the runes you are using. That said, here is a ranked tier list for all the runes in The Forge:
| Tier | Runes |
|---|---|
| S Tier | Miner Shard, Blast Chip |
| A Tier | Flame Spark, Venom Crumb, Chill Dust, Drain Edge |
| B Tier | Frost Speck, Rage Mark, Briar Notch, Ward Patch |
| C Tier | Rot Stitch |
To learn about the abilities and traits of each rune, check out our The Forge rune list.
S Tier Runes
| Runes | Pro(s) | Con(s) |
|---|---|---|
|
Miner Shard |
Best rune for mining and faster ore farming | – Unusable in combat |
|
Blast Chip |
The best DPS Rune in the Forge. Can deal a lot of damage depending on your weapon’s DMG, and group all the enemies. It saves a lot of time, as you don’t have to kill enemies individually. |
– Grouped enemies can sometimes deal a lot of damage – Very bad option for low-damage weapons like daggers. |
A Tier Runes
| Runes | Pro(s) | Con(s) |
|---|---|---|
|
Flame Spark |
Best used for killing single enemies Insane compatibility with the Demon race Deals a lot of fire damage based on your weapons’ damage |
– Not a great option to take out enemy groups – Doesn’t work well with low damage weapons |
|
Venom Crumb |
Very good option for fast attacking builds Good option if you lack the top runes |
– Not as good as Flame Spark or Blast Chip |
|
Chill Dust |
Very good rune for stunning enemies and freezing them Can save you from taking damage |
– Doesn’t deal any additional damage – Doesn’t buff your stats |
|
Drain Edge |
It will keep you alive forever as long as you are dealing physical damage Boosts your physical damage further Very good on the Shadow, Demon, and Golem races |
– Reduced health generation good with slow weapons |
B Tier Runes
| Runes | Pro(s) | Con(s) |
|---|---|---|
|
Briar Notch |
Good for players who love tanking damage Great option for new players learning the combat Can be used with uranium builds |
– Situational to use – Very difficult to trigger the ability – Not even good on builds who love to stay low on HP |
|
Rage Mark |
Compatible with Minotaur race Great for builds that prefer low HP Works great with Drain Edge Good for beginners |
– Ideally, you want to dodge and parry attacks – Staying on high HP is optimal |
|
Frost Speck |
Freezes enemies and increases your damage window Greatly benefits tank builds |
– Unreliable cooldown – Doesn’t really benefit a damage build, as they prefer Blast Chip or Flame Spark |
|
Ward Patch |
Decent defensive option | – Unreliable ability – Too much randomness to trigger its ability – Drain Edge is a better option |
C Tier Runes
| Rune | Pro(s) | Con(s) |
|---|---|---|
|
Rot Stitch |
Solid AOE and damage over time passive Decent for Minotaur race builds |
– Too conditional to use – Rage Mark and Drain Edge are better – This doesn’t reduce damage, meaning you are more likely to die often |
That’s everything you need to know about The Forge runes tier list. Check out The Forge Weapons and Armors Upgrade guide to learn more about using runes and upgrading equipment. Pair the runes with the best pickaxes, weapon recipes, and armor recipes to become unstoppable in The Forge.
Best rune combos for DPS in The Forge
The Forge on Roblox lets players combine runes on weapons, armor, and pickaxes to maximize DPS through synergistic effects like lifesteal, DoT, and burst amps. Top DPS combos leverage S/A-tier runes such as Drain Edge and Blast Chip, often paired on high-attack-speed weapons for sustained output.
Optimal Weapon Combos
Dual-rune setups on swords or hammers amplify damage via lifesteal sustain and AoE clears.
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Drain Edge + Blast Chip: Lifesteal (12% of physical DMG) fuels endless fights while explosions group enemies for 100%+ weapon DMG AoE; ideal for mob farms and bosses.
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Drain Edge + Flame Spark: 15% physical boost plus scaling fire DoT (5-10% weapon DMG); excels on single targets, especially Demon race for burn synergy.
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Blast Chip + Rage Mark: AoE pulls into burst spikes (+DMG/speed below 35% HP); high-risk for Minotaur tanks.
Armor DPS Support
Armor runes enhance survivability to maintain DPS uptime.
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Ward Patch + Briar Notch: Damage reduction (13% chance) and thorns reflect (up to 10%) punish attackers; pair with dash distance secondary for positioning.
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Rage Mark + Drain Edge: Low-HP berserk with healing; keeps you in kill range longer.
Playstyle Tips
Prioritize secondaries like +physical DMG or attack speed (13-16% rolls) over base runes. Farm Bombers/Reapers in Forgotten Kingdom/Volcanic Depths for drops, then upgrade at Runemaker. Test on Chaos Straight Sword for peak synergy.
Drain Edge and Blast Chip combo details
Drain Edge + Blast Chip stands out as a premier DPS combo in Roblox’s The Forge, pairing lifesteal sustain with explosive AoE pulls on weapons like katanas or straight swords. Drain Edge heals 12% of physical damage dealt, enabling prolonged engagements, while Blast Chip groups foes for 100%+ weapon damage bursts from Bombers in Forgotten Kingdom.
Why It Excels
This duo addresses katana weaknesses perfectly: Blast Chip adds crowd control via enemy pulls, solving limited AoE, as Drain Edge maintains health during close-range combos.
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Triggers on hit: Explosions proc frequently with fast weapons, amplifying clears by 2-3x in mob density.
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Scales with attack speed: +13-16% secondary traits push output higher; no internal cooldown conflicts noted.
Best Applications
Mount on high-speed blades (Chaos Straight Sword or katanas) for PvE bosses/mobs; pair with Demon race for burn synergy if swapping Flame Spark.
-
Farming: Volcanic Depths Reapers drop Drain Edge (1/20 rate); Forgotten Kingdom Bombers for Blast Chip.
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Armor Pairing: Add Ward Patch for 13% damage shield to uptime DPS longer.
Acquisition & Optimization
Farm targeted enemies, upgrade at Runemaker, and reroll secondaries for physical DMG/speed. Avoid on slow hammers where procs lag.
