Hey there, fellow Kingshot governor! I’ve been where you are right now – staring at a pile of Forgehammers in your inventory, wondering exactly how to use them and, more importantly, how NOT to waste them. When I first hit Town Center level 20, I was so excited to finally use these shiny hammers I’d been collecting from events, only to realize I had no clue what I was doing.
Let me tell you something straight up: messing up your Forgehammer usage can set you back weeks, if not months, in this game. I learned this the hard way, and I’m here to make sure you don’t make the same mistakes I did. This guide is going to break down everything you need to know about using Forgehammers in Kingshot, from the absolute basics to the advanced strategies that top players use.
What Exactly is a Forgehammer?
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty, let’s get one thing straight: Forgehammers are NOT just another upgrade material. They’re premium currency for your gear, and they’re incredibly valuable. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen players waste these on the wrong gear pieces, only to regret it later when they need them for something important.
A Forgehammer is a special item used exclusively for Mastery Forging of Mythic gear in Kingshot. That’s right – you can only use these on Mythic gear pieces (the ones with the golden background). If you try to use them on Epic, Rare, or Uncommon gear, you’re out of luck. I learned this the embarrassing way when I tried to upgrade my purple gear and nothing happened!
The Requirements: What You Need Before Using Forgehammers?
Look, I’m going to be honest with you here. You can’t just start using Forgehammers the moment you get them. There are some hard requirements you need to meet first, and skipping these steps is a common mistake that many new players make.
Town Center Level 20 is Mandatory
First things first – you need to have your Town Center at level 20. I remember grinding like crazy to hit this milestone, and let me tell you, it’s worth it. Mastery Forging doesn’t unlock until TC20, so all those Forgehammers you’ve been collecting? They’re just sitting there useless until you hit this level.
You Need Mythic Gear – This is Crucial!
Here’s where I see most players get stuck. You can’t use Forgehammers on just any gear – you need Mythic gear pieces first. And I’m not talking about just any Mythic gear either – each piece needs to be upgraded to level 20 through regular enhancement before you can even think about Mastery Forging.
When I first reached TC20, I had like 50 Forgehammers but zero Mythic gear. Talk about frustrating! I had to figure out how to get Mythic gear, and let me share what I learned:
For Free-to-Play Players (like me): The best way to get Mythic gear is in the Shop under the Arena tab. You can buy one Custom Mythic Hero Gear Chest per week for 12,000 Arena Tokens. It took me about 18 days of playing five Arena matches per day to save up enough tokens. You can get there faster if you buy extra daily Arena attempts with Gems, but that’s up to you.
For Spenders: If you’re willing to spend some money, you can buy packs with Lucky Hero Gear Chests. These give you a chance to get extra Mythic Gear, but it’s not guaranteed like the Arena chest. I’ve seen some players get lucky and pull multiple Mythic pieces, while others get nothing but purple gear.
Understanding Mastery Forging: The Complete Breakdown
Alright, so you’ve got your TC20, you’ve got some Mythic gear, and you’ve enhanced it to level 20. Now what? Let’s dive into Mastery Forging and how Forgehammers actually work.
The Basics: How Mastery Forging Works
Mastery Forging is what takes your Mythic gear from “pretty good” to “absolutely insane.” Each level of Mastery Forging gives you a 10% boost to your gear’s Strength and Stats. That might not sound like much, but trust me, when you’re stacking multiple pieces with high Mastery levels, the difference is night and day.
To use Mastery Forging, you need to:
- Go to your hero’s gear menu
- Select a Mythic gear piece
- Tap on the “Mastery Forging” option
- Hit the Forge button (if you have enough Forgehammers)
The Complete Mastery Forging Table
I spent hours researching this, and I want to save you the trouble. Here’s the complete breakdown of what each Mastery Forging level costs and what you get:
| Level | Forgehammers Needed | Mythic Gears Required | % Bonus | Stat Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | – | 10% | x 1.1 |
| 2 | 20 | – | 20% | x 1.2 |
| 3 | 30 | – | 30% | x 1.3 |
| 4 | 40 | – | 40% | x 1.4 |
| 5 | 50 | – | 50% | x 1.5 |
| 6 | 60 | – | 60% | x 1.6 |
| 7 | 70 | – | 70% | x 1.7 |
| 8 | 80 | – | 80% | x 1.8 |
| 9 | 90 | – | 90% | x 1.9 |
| 10 | 100 | – | 100% | x 2.0 |
| 11 | 110 | 1 | 110% | x 2.1 |
| 12 | 120 | 2 | 120% | x 2.2 |
| 13 | 130 | 3 | 130% | x 2.3 |
| 14 | 140 | 4 | 140% | x 2.4 |
| 15 | 150 | 5 | 150% | x 2.5 |
| 16 | 160 | 6 | 160% | x 2.6 |
| 17 | 170 | 7 | 170% | x 2.7 |
| 18 | 180 | 8 | 180% | x 2.8 |
| 19 | 190 | 9 | 190% | x 2.9 |
| 20 | 200 | 10 | 200% | x 3.0 |
Important Note: Starting from level 11, you need both Forgehammers AND additional Mythic Gear pieces as materials. This is where things get really expensive, really fast.
What Happens When You Use Mythic Gear as Material?
I was really confused about this at first, so let me break it down for you. When you use a Mythic Gear piece as material for Mastery Forging (levels 11-20), you get:
- All the Enhancement XP back – This is huge! You don’t lose any of the regular enhancement progress.
- Half of the Forgehammers back – If that gear had any Mastery Forging levels, you’ll get back 50% of the Forgehammers used on it.
But there are some limitations:
- Mythic Gears above level 10 Mastery Forging can’t be used as material
- Red Gears (the super high-level ones) also can’t be used for Mastery Forging materials
Strategic Priority: Where to Actually Use Your Forgehammers?
Okay, this is where I see most players mess up big time. You can’t just randomly upgrade gear pieces and expect good results. There’s a specific strategy that top players use, and I’m going to share it with you.
Step 1: Identify Your Main March Heroes
Before you spend a single Forgehammer, you need to figure out your main march – basically, the top 3 heroes you use most in fights. Here’s something that blew my mind when I learned it: Hero gear doesn’t count when you join a rally – it only matters when you start a rally.
That means if you’re not the one launching rallies, all that gear on your heroes is doing absolutely nothing! This is why it’s so important to focus on your main march heroes and forget about the rest.
I personally use Saul, Jabel, and Zoe as my main march, but your lineup might be different. The key is to pick the 3 heroes you use for starting rallies in major events like Bear Hunt, Castle Battle, Alliance Championship, Sanctuaries, and All Out.
Step 2: Get Your Three Gear Sets
You want exactly three sets of hero gear:
- 1 Infantry set (for tanking)
- 1 Archer set (for damage)
- 1 Cavalry set (for damage)
That’s it. Just these three sets. I know it’s tempting to gear up all your heroes, but trust me, it’s a waste of resources. If you’ve already upgraded gears on heroes outside your main march, you can reforge them to get Enhancement XP and Forgehammers back.
Step 3: The Priority Order for Forgehammer Usage
This is the most important part of the guide, so pay close attention. When you start getting Forgehammers, here’s exactly how you should use them:
TOP PRIORITY (Do These First):
- Infantry Health – Focus on the armor and glove pieces
- Archer Lethality – Focus on the helmet and boots pieces
- Cavalry Lethality – Focus on the helmet and boots pieces
For these priority pieces, you want to get them to:
- Enhancement Level: 80-100
- Mastery Forging Level: 7-10
SECONDARY PRIORITY (Do These Next):
- Infantry Lethality – Helmet and boots
- Archer Health – Armor and glove
- Cavalry Health – Armor and glove
For these secondary pieces, aim for:
- Enhancement Level: 40-60
- Mastery Forging Level: 4-5
Why This Priority Order Works
Let me explain why this order is so effective. Infantry are your tanks – they need health to survive longer in battles. Archers and Cavalry are your damage dealers – they need lethality to kill enemies faster.
The gear pieces matter too:
- Chest and Gloves typically boost Health
- Helmet and Boots typically boost Lethality
So when I say focus on Infantry armor and gloves, I’m saying boost their health. When I say focus on Archer helmet and boots, I’m saying boost their lethality.
Advanced Strategies for Forgehammer Usage
Now that you know the basics, let me share some advanced strategies that I’ve learned from top players and my own experience.
Timing Your Forgehammer Usage
Here’s a pro tip that saved me tons of resources: wait for events that reward points for using Forgehammers. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used my hammers right away, only to see an event pop up a few days later that would have given me bonus rewards for using them.
These events happen pretty regularly, and they can give you extra Arena Tokens, Gems, or other valuable resources. It’s worth holding onto your Forgehammers for a few days if you suspect an event is coming up.
The Long-Term Progression Plan
If you’re serious about maximizing your Forgehammer usage, here’s the progression plan I follow:
- Get your “main 6 pieces” to level 3 (infantry gloves/chest + cav/archer boots/helmet)
- Bring remaining pieces to level 1
- Get main 6 pieces to level 5 → others to level 2
- Get main 6 pieces to level 7 → others to level 3
- Get main 6 pieces to level 10 and work on getting them red
- Get infantry gear red first, then archer, then cavalry
- Stop at level 7 on archer and cavalry while you focus on getting infantry to red
- Mix in bringing level 3 pieces to level 4 when you have spare hammers and an event is active
This might seem complicated, but it’s the most efficient way to progress. I’ve tried other methods, and this one gives the best results for the resources invested.
Understanding the Math Behind Gear Stats
Let me get a bit technical here, but it’s important to understand why certain stats are more valuable than others. In Kingshot, all troop power increases are percentages, but the base stats matter a lot.
For example:
- Infantry has high base health but low attack
- Archers have high base attack but low health
- Cavalry sits somewhere in between
This means that a 10% bonus to infantry health gives you more actual health points than a 10% bonus to archer health, because infantry start with more base health. The same logic applies to lethality – archers and cavalry benefit more from lethality bonuses because they have higher base attack stats.
I’ve seen players waste resources boosting the wrong stats, and it’s painful to watch. A 10% return on nothing is still nothing, as they say in the Kingshot community.
2026 Common Mistakes to Avoid
I’ve made pretty much every mistake possible with Forgehammers, so let me save you the trouble by listing the most common ones:
Mistake #1: Upgrading Gear on Non-Main Heroes
This is probably the biggest mistake I see. Players upgrade gear on heroes they rarely use, not realizing that gear only matters when you’re starting rallies, not joining them. If you’re not the rally leader, that gear is doing absolutely nothing for you.
Mistake #2: Not Waiting for Events
I mentioned this earlier, but it’s worth repeating. Using your Forgehammers outside of events is like throwing away free rewards. Patience is key in Kingshot.
Mistake #3: Spreading Resources Too Thin
Trying to upgrade all your heroes equally is a recipe for disaster. It’s much better to have three heroes with maxed-out gear than ten heroes with mediocre gear. Focus on your main march and forget about the rest until you’ve got your main three fully optimized.
Mistake #4: Ignoring the Enhancement Level Requirement
Remember, you need to enhance your Mythic gear to level 20 before you can even start Mastery Forging. I’ve seen players collect Forgehammers for weeks, only to realize they can’t use them because their gear isn’t enhanced enough.
Special Considerations for Different Game Modes
Different game modes in Kingshot require different approaches to gear and Forgehammer usage. Let me break down what I’ve learned:
For Bear Hunt Events
Bear Hunt is all about dealing damage to the bear, and that means you need archer lethality. Infantry health doesn’t help at all here. If you’re in a decent alliance, you can save up to about 28 Forgehammers per week, so you can afford to focus on archer gear for these events.
Most players use a 10-10-80 formation for Bear Hunt, meaning 10% infantry, 10% cavalry, and 80% archers. This is why archer lethality is so important for these events.
For Rally Leading vs. Joining
This is crucial: if you’re not leading rallies, your gear literally does nothing. Focus on infantry first if you’re mostly joining rallies, as it’s a long-term focus needed for every event that isn’t Bear Hunt and every non-rally attack you ever do.
If you are leading rallies, then you want to focus on the priority order I mentioned earlier.
For Arena and Conquest Battles
Arena and Conquest Battles are a smaller part of the game compared to the expedition side, but they still matter. In these modes, hero gears give specific stat boosts that apply to the hero wearing them and their escorts – these boosts don’t affect the other heroes in the lineup.
Having three strong gear sets (ideally red gear) is much better than having five weaker ones. Red gear also gives stat boosts in the arena, so you’ll outperform most players who spread their resources too thin.
Hero Selection and Gear Transfer
As you progress in Kingshot, you’ll unlock stronger heroes. The good news is that you can transfer gear between heroes, so you don’t have to worry about “wasting” Forgehammers on heroes you’ll eventually replace.
Early Game Heroes
In the early game, Saul, Jabel, and Zoe make a good team. I used these three for a long time before unlocking stronger heroes. Once you get better heroes, you can simply transfer the gear from your old heroes to the new ones.
Mid to Late Game Heroes
As you progress and unlock stronger heroes in later generations, you’ll want to transfer your upgraded gear to them. Eric is considered the best infantry hero in the game, while Zoe is more of an off-tank. Keep this in mind when planning your long-term gear strategy.
Resource Management Beyond Forgehammers
Forgehammers are important, but they’re just one part of the resource management puzzle in Kingshot. Let me share some tips on managing other resources effectively:
Enhancement XP
Enhancement XP is needed to get your gear to level 20 before you can start Mastery Forging. Focus on getting your priority pieces to level 80-100 before worrying about the others.
Mythic Gear Pieces
For levels 11-20 of Mastery Forging, you need additional Mythic Gear pieces as materials. Once you’ve completed your three main gear sets, you should start focusing on buying Mithril in the Arena shop. You’ll still need Mythic Gears once you hit level 100 since Red Gears require Mythic Gears as materials.
Arena Tokens
Arena Tokens are valuable for buying Mythic Gear chests. As a free-to-play player, I focus on getting the weekly Custom Mythic Hero Gear Chest for 12,000 tokens. It’s a guaranteed Mythic piece, which is much better than gambling with random chests.
Frequently Asked Questions
I get asked a lot of questions about Forgehammers and Mastery Forging, so let me answer the most common ones:
How many Forgehammers should I save before using them?
I recommend waiting until you have at least 40-60 Forgehammers before using them, especially if an event is coming up. This allows you to make meaningful progress on multiple pieces rather than just getting one piece to level 2.
Should I undo Mastery Forging if I upgraded the wrong gear?
Yes, absolutely. If you mistakenly upgraded gear on less important heroes, you should undo the Mastery Forging and save the hammers for more important pieces. You can use that gear later as material for Red Gear.
What if I don’t have any Mythic gear yet?
Focus on getting your first Mythic piece through the Arena shop. It takes time, but it’s worth it. In the meantime, don’t waste resources enhancing Rare or Uncommon gear – save your Enhancement XP for when you get Mythic pieces.
Is it better to focus on one piece or spread upgrades around?
It’s better to focus on your priority pieces first. Getting your infantry gloves and chest to level 7-10 will give you more benefit than having multiple pieces at level 2-3.
How do I know if I’m a rally leader or joiner?
If you’re the one starting rallies in your alliance, you’re a rally leader. If you’re mostly joining other people’s rallies, you’re a joiner. Most players in mid-sized alliances are joiners, which is why infantry health is so important for everyone.
Final Thoughts and Pro Tips
After playing Kingshot for months and experimenting with different Forgehammer strategies, I’ve learned that patience and planning are key. Here are my final pro tips:
- Always check for events before using Forgehammers
- Focus on your main march heroes – they’re the only ones that matter for most content
- Follow the priority order I outlined – it’s proven to work best
- Don’t be afraid to undo upgrades if you made a mistake
- Plan for the long term – think about which heroes you’ll use months from now
- Join a good alliance – they can help you understand your role and give you better access to resources
Remember, Kingshot is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s better to make slow, steady progress than to rush and waste resources. I’ve seen players quit because they felt they were falling behind, but the truth is that smart resource management can help you catch up and even surpass players who spend more but play less strategically.
If you found this guide helpful, make sure to bookmark it for future reference. I’ll be updating it as new strategies emerge and as the game evolves. And if you’re looking for more gaming guides, check out our other articles on WebComicsWeekend.com – we cover everything from mobile games to the latest AAA titles.
Happy forging, governors! May your Mythic gear be legendary and your Forgehammers be plentiful!