The best Ores in The Forge are the Darkryte due to its excellent multiplier along with a defensive Dodge trait, as well as Demonite, the best offensive Trait with additional burn damage.
While not all Ores in The Forge have Traits, many of them do come with passive abilities designed to make your build stronger and more effective. However, the game doesn’t clearly show what these Traits do, or even which Ores have them. In this Trait tier list, I rank every The Forge Ore Trait, with its buffs and debuffs, from best to worst.
Updated on December 12th: We’ve improved our Tier List tables to make them clearer and easier to read, and we’ve adjusted several tier placements based on our experience with the game over the past few weeks. On top of that, we’ve added new answers to the FAQ section. Be sure to check it out!
Best Ore Traits in The Forge Ranked
Out of the 40+ Ores currently available in The Forge, 11 have unique Traits. These Traits are passive abilities that provide various bonus effects. They can be passive stat buffs (or even debuffs), area-of-effect auras, or on-trigger effects. Some Ore Traits work only on armor, some only on weapons, while others apply to any gear type.
RELATED: Best Katana Recipe in The Forge
For our best Ore Traits tier list in The Forge, I consider not only what each Trait does, but also the multiplier value of the Ore that carries it. This is an equally important factor when choosing which Ores to use for crafting a weapon or armor piece. With that said, let's jump straight into the tier list.
Important information: In order to even active an Ore's trait, that Ore must compile more than 10% of your forging materials. It has to be more, as we've tested it multiple times at 10% with no Traits. The lowest percentage we managed to get an active Trait is 14%. I suggest going for at least 20% just to be sure, or higher if you want better Trait stats.
S+ Tier Ore Traits
| Trait & Ore | Ore Stats | Effect & Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| Shadow's Phantom Step Ore: Darkryte Mythical | Multiplier 6.3x Drop Chance 1/6655 Area Forgotten Kingdom | 15% chance to turn into a shadow and dodge attacks (invulnerability frame).
|
S Tier Ore Traits
| Trait & Ore | Ore Stats | Effect & Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| Demon's Backfire Ore: Demonite Mythical | Multiplier 5.5x Drop Chance 1/3336 | +25% chance to burn enemies when hit. Also deals 20% burn for 2s (15% chance on-hit).
|
| Magma Explosion Ore: Magmaite Legendary | Multiplier 5.0x Drop Chance 1/3003 | 50% AoE explosion with 35% chance on-hit.
|
| Swiftness Ore: Lightite Legendary | Multiplier 4.6x Drop Chance 1/3333 | 15% extra movement speed (Armor only).
|
A Tier Ore Traits
| Trait & Ore | Ore Stats | Effect & Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| Radioactive Ore: Uranium Legendary | Multiplier 3.0x Drop Chance 1/777 | Deals 5% of max HP as AoE damage nearby.
|
| Firestarter Ore: Fireite Legendary | Multiplier 4.5x Drop Chance 1/2187 | 20% burn for 2 seconds (30% chance on-hit).
|
| Critical Chance Ore: Rivalite Epic | Multiplier 3.33x Drop Chance 1/569 | +20% Critical Strike Chance.
|
| Lethality / Neg. Vitality Ore: Eye Ore Legendary | Multiplier 4.0x Drop Chance 1/1333 | +15% Damage, but -10% Max Health.
|
B Tier Ore Traits
| Trait & Ore | Ore Stats | Effect & Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| Vitality Ore: Mythril Legendary | Multiplier 3.5x Drop Chance 1/813 | 15% Extra Defense.
|
| Super Defense Ore: Obsidian Legendary | Multiplier 2.35x Drop Chance 1/333 | 30% Extra Defense.
|
C Tier Ore Traits
| Trait & Ore | Ore Stats | Effect & Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| Bad Smell Ore: Poopite Legendary | Multiplier 2.35x Drop Chance 1/333 | Deals 15% poison for 5s when below 35% HP. Casts Fear. (15s Cooldown)
|
The Forge Ore Traits FAQ
You’ll need to add one of the ores listed above to your crafting recipe mix. The ore with the desired Trait must make up at least 20% of the recipe for the Trait to transfer. The more of that ore you include, the stronger the final Trait value will be, up to its maximum cap.
Yes, you can mix multiple ores with Traits to inherit Traits from both of them. However, the same rule applies: each ore must make up at more than 10% of the recipe for its Trait to appear. Keep in mind that 10% doesn't work, it has to be more (our lowest tested percentage was 14%).
The best Trait is the one on Demonite, which adds Demon's Backfire plus Burn.
Traits can gain better values during the crafting process. The more of an ore with a specific Trait you add, the better the final Trait numbers will be.
No, it does not. When you enhance a weapon or armor, it will only improve its base stats, but it doesn't work on Traits or Runes.
Yes, you can, just keep in mind the percentage of your Ores. To activate all Traits, the Ores must be more than 10% of the materials.
And with that, our The Forge Ore Traits Tier List is complete. In general, higher-rarity ores have the best Traits, but you should always take an ore’s Multiplier into account when evaluating them. The Multiplier boosts all your stats across the board, which usually provides far more value than the Trait alone. If you’re looking for more The Forge guides, check out our ultimate Pickaxe tier list.
Nikola is a Senior Staff Writer at Pro Game Guides with over 13 years of experience in gaming journalism. He has been playing video games since his father bought him an NES and a Sega Mega Drive in the early 1990s. Over the years, he has mainly become a PC gamer with a love for narrative-driven RPGs, real-time strategy games, and psychological/survival horror titles. Still, he enjoys any game that’s worth his time.