The Forge Ore Trait Tier List – Best Recipes [Island 3]

Updated on December 26, 2025: Added all the Island 3 Ores and traits. Will update with precise recipes soon.

Preview

Best for Island 2: Darkryte and Magmaite.

Best for Island 3: Etherealite for Armor and Iceite/Voidstar for weapons. Also, Suryafal, Heavenite and Gargantuan have the highest multipliers for end-game armor and weapons.

I’ll guide you through the best Ore Traits in The Forge for weapons and armor with individual ranking reasons. This guide will also include the best end-game combination for weapons and armor in terms of traits. Here’s my The Forge Ore Trait tier list and guide.

Best Ore Traits in The Forge (Mid Game – Island 2)

This The Forge Ore tier list is specialized for the mid game. Darkryte and Demonite get better in the end-game and you can check out how to use them below the tier list. As for the tier list, it’s all about mid-game crafting the best Armor and Weapons. As for rankings, I rated those that are always active and useful higher. The lower tiers usually have traits that have proc chances, don’t reliably trigger or are underpowered for mid-game. There’s individual ranking reasons below as well.

Ore Traits Explained: When including Ores with Traits in a weapon or armor you need to have at least 10% of that Ore when forging for the Trait to be active. That said you want 30% of that ore in the components for the optimal effects listed below. This means that your Weapon/Armor builds should have 30%/30%/30% of the best Traits and one 10% as support since you can stack multiple traits. Of course, you can always include a majority of high multiplier ores with no traits for a higher damage boost.

Best Runes: Once you craft the best gear, our best runes guide will show you which ones to use.

S-Tier Ore Traits

Ores & Traits	Ranking Reason	Effect
Obsidian (Armor) Epic 1/333 Volcanic Rock 2.35x	The best Defense boost in the game for Armor and a must-have as a 30% slot	30% extra defense on Armor
Eye Ore (Weapon and Armor) Legendary 1/1333 Basalt Rock, Basalt Core, Basalt Vein, Volcanic Rock 4x	The most flexibile DPS trait for both weapons and armor as a 30% Good on both weapons and armor	-10% health, +15% damage boost on Weapons/Armor
Rivalite (Weapon) Epic 1/569 Basalt Vein, Volcanic Rock 3.33x	Combines well with Rune Crit Chance boosts An excellent DPS boost Be careful of the lower modifier so make sure this isn’t the highest quantity if you’re putting better mod Ores	+20% critical strike chance on Weapons
Magmaite (Weapon) Legendary 1/3003 Volcanic Rock 5x	Potentially better than Rivalite on higher base damage weapons for fighting multiple enemies That said, Rivalite is better for single target if you stack it with Runes that boost crit chance	50% AOE explosion damage with 35% chance on-hit on Weapons

Related: The Forge Money Farm Guide

A-Tier Ore Traits

Ores & Traits	Ranking Reason	Effect
Uranium (Armor) Legendary 1/777 Basalt Vein 3x	An excellent secondary trait for armor for extra damage I like it more than Demonite but Demonite has better multipliers	5% of player max health as AOE damage while in combat, on Armor
Mythril (Armor) Legendary 1/813 Basalt Vein 3.5x	Weaker than Obsidian but still a must-have More health is too good to pass up	15% extra defense on Armor
Fireite (Weapon) Legendary 1/2187 Volcanic Rock 4.5x	A single-target Magmaite with a lower multiplier and lower proc-chance Still really good for the single-target burn damage	20% burn for 2 seconds with 30% chance on-hit on Weapons

B-Tier Ore Traits

Ores & Traits	Ranking Reason	Effect
Darkryte (Armor) Mythical 1/5555 Volcanic Rock 6.3x	Not a huge fan of Darkryte early since it’s difficult to farm and you need lots of it to make it worthwhile It’s a much better Ore for late-game That said it has value for those moments when you do make mistakes and you get lucky I would only use it as a 10% slot for a bit of dodge chance so that you can get lucky when making mistakes	Armor Only: Upon taking damage, there is 15% chance to turn into a shadow to dodge the attack

C-Tier Ore Traits

Ores & Traits	Ranking Reason	Effect
Demonite (Armor) Mythical 1/3666 Volcanic Rock 5.5x	It’s a decent trait but the problem is it’s to expensive for the mid-game And this ore requires you to take damage to be good Reapers and Deathaxes deal so much damage that it’s not worth having it You want to focus on Parry and Dodge so effects that are always active are better That said late game it’s the best Ore for the high multiplier for both Weapons and Armor	20% burn for 2 seconds with 15% chance on-hit & 25% chance to burn the enemy when damage is taken

D-Tier Ore Traits

Ores & Traits	Ranking Reason	Effect
Poopite (Weapon) Epic 1/131 Pebble, Rock, Boulder 1.2x	Similar reasons for Darkryte and Demonite where you don’t want to get hit And this only triggers if you’re low so you’re not seeing much use if you play well The effect is more of a save button that fears monsters and allows you to escape Than it is useful	Deal % poison damage around you for X seconds, fearing enemies. Activates when below 35% HP and has a 15 second cooldown.
Lightite (Armor) Legendary 1/3333 Basalt Vein 4.6x	Such a minor effect that you won’t even notice it that much so I wouldn’t bother	Speed Boost on Armor

Best Armor Recipe in The Forge (Late Game – Island 2)

Darkryte becomes really strong in the late game where you have plenty for a lot of dodge chance. You’ll get your DPS from Demonite and HP from Obsidian/Mythril. Until you get to that point just use Obsidian and Mythril with Eye Ore for DPS. Here’s the full recipe for the best armor in The Forge.

Late Island 2 Armor

Heavy Armor	Best Ores Full dodge chance/enemy burn with tons of HP
Chestplate	20 Darkryte 8 Demonite 6 Obsidian 6 Mythril
Helmet	12 Darkryte 6 Demonite 4 Obsidian 4 Mythril
Leggings	16 Darkryte 6 Demonite 4 Obsidian 4 Mythril

Mid Island 2 Armor

Heavy Armor	Best Ores High HP with DPS from Eye Ore and Uranium
Chestplate	18 Mythril 10 Eye Ore 10 Obsidian
Helmet	9 Mythril 9 Uranium 9 Obsidian
Leggings	12 Mythril 10 Eye Ore 8 Obsidian

Check out our Forge Crafting Guide if you need a refresher on crafting mechanics.

Best Weapon Recipe in The Forge (Late Game – Island 2)

For Weapons, don’t go for Colossal Swords before the late game unless it is for farming money by crafting and selling them. Colossal Swords have the highest DPS but they are best for late-game. Here’s a full breakdown of what to use when and how to craft the best Weapon in The Forge.

Weapon	Best Ores
Colossal Sword Late Game	25 Darkryte 25 Demonite 10 Eye Ore High DPS multiplier from the 25 slots even though we get no trait Our only trait is Eye for a small damage boost Alternatively if you want traits go for 25 Darkryte 20 Magmaite 15 Fireite 10 Eye Ore
Katana Best for mid-to-late game	6 Darkryte or 8 Darkryte if you go for 4 Magmaite below 4 Demonite or 4 Magmaite 3 Eye Ore – Ignore if you go for 8/4
Straight Sword Best for mid-to-late game	4 Darkryte 2 Fireite 1 Eye Ore
Gauntlets Best for mid-to-late game	4 Darkryte 3 Demonite 2 Eye Ore High DPS but go for 3 Magmaite/2 Fireite/1 Eye Ore with 3 Darkryte Early if you want more traits

Best Ore Traits in The Forge (Mid Game – Island 3)

This Island 3 Ore Trait tier list is for early to mid-game Island 3 and a bit into the late game Island 3. That said, keep in mind that in late game Island 3 the highest multiplier Ores will be better like Etherealite for Armor and Iceite/Voidstar for weapons. Also, Suryafal, Heavenite and Gargantuan will start to take over for armor and weapons in the end-game since they simply have the best multipliers of 17.5x, 25x, and 33.3x, respectively. Here are all their effects and stats.

I’ve listed all of these Ores below with their basic stats but my Full Ore List will give you more details on all Island 3 Ores in general.

Also check out how to get the Prismatic Pickaxe which is the best one in the game right now.

Island 3 Ore Traits Listed

Island 3 Ores With Traits	Trait Effects
Etherealite Mythical 11.1x Large Ice Crystal, Floating Crystal The Peak	+35% Vitality (Armor)
Voidstar Legendary 10x Medium Ice Crystal, Large Ice Crystal, Floating Crystal The Peak	+33 Crit Chance +15% Crit Damage -15% Vitality (Weapon)
Crimsonite Epic 8.5x Small Ice Crystal, Medium Ice Crystal, Large Ice Crystal, Floating Crysta The Peak	+20% Physical Damage (BOTH)
Mosasaursit Special 7x Check out our Prismatic Pickaxe Guide On how to find Mosasaursit	-25% Swiftness +65% Vitality (Armor)
Iceite Mythical 10.5x Small Ice Crystal, Medium Ice Crystal, Large Ice Crystal, Floating Crystal The Peak	Freeze enemies for 2 seconds on hit (25% proc chance) (12 Second Cooldown) (Weapon)
Malachite Epic 8.8x Medium Ice Crystal, Large Ice Crystal, Floating Crystal The Peak	Deals +10% of weapon damage as poison per second for 3 seconds. (33% chance on hit) (Weapon)
Snowite Legendary 8x Icy Pebble, Icy Rock, Icy Boulder Spider Cave Small Ice Crystal The Peak	Applies a -15% Attack Speed and Movement Speed slow on enemies on hit for 3 seconds (30% proc chance) (Weapon)
Frost Fossil Epic 4.5x Icy Boulder Spider Cave Small Ice Crystal, Medium Ice Crystal The Peak	+17.5% Physical Damage -5 Speed (Armor & Weapon)
Velchire Legendary 5.5x Icy Boulder Spider Cave Small Ice Crystal, Medium Ice Crystal, Large Ice Crystal, Floating Crystal The Peak	+20% Speed (Armor)
Sanctis Legendary 6x Icy Boulder Spider Cave Small Ice Crystal, Medium Ice Crystal, Large Ice Crystal, Floating Crystal The Peak	+18% Stamina (Armor)
Graphite Rare 3.1x Icy Pebble, Icy Rock, Icy Boulder Spider Cave	+5% HP +12% Damage Reduction (20% Chance to activate) (Armor)
Aetherit Rare 3.4x Icy Pebble, Icy Rock, Icy Boulder, Spider Cave Small Ice Crystal The Peak	+5% Speed (Armor)

That’s it for my guide on the best Ore traits in The Forge Ore trait tier list. Check out my The Forge Race Tier List for more guides.

The post The Forge Ore Trait Tier List – Best Recipes [Island 3] appeared first on Destructoid.

ARC Performance Steel is one of the hardest items to find in ARC Raiders, as you’ll have to take down specific enemies.

Unlike most items in ARC Raiders, ARC Performance Steel can’t be obtained from looting containers or other areas. Instead, you can only obtain the item after taking down certain ARC enemies that you can come across on any map.

This guide will help you pinpoint which ARCs you should take down to gain ARC Performance Steel.

Best way to get ARC Performance Steel in ARC Raiders

To find ARC Performance Steel, you’ll need to take down any of the following ARCs.

• Leaper
• Bastion
• Bombardier
• The Queen
• Matriarch
• ARC Probes

Barring the last one, all five ARCs mentioned on the list are dangerous enemies that you should be extremely careful about. Here’s where you can find these heavy ARCs.

Leaper

• Dam Battlegrounds: Water Treatment, Red Lakes Balcony, Red Lakes
• Buried City: Buried Properties, Plaza Rosa
• Spaceport: Launch Towers, Arrival and Departure Buildings
• Blue Gate: Warehouse Complex, Ruined Homestead, Trapper’s Glade

Bastion

• Dam Battlegrounds: Hydrophonic Complex
• Buried City: Market Ruins, Library, Piazza Arbusto
• Spaceport: Arrival and Departure Buildings, Container Storage, Fuel Lines
• Blue Gate: Checkpoint, Outer Gates

Bombardier

• Dam Battlegrounds: Water Treatment, Primary Facility
• Buried City: Marano Park, Main Street
• Spaceport: Vehicle Maintenance, Arrival Building, South Trench Tower, Container Storage
• Blue Gate: Ruined Homestead, Trapper’s Glade, Raider’s Refuge

The Queen

• Dam Battlegrounds: Red Lakes
• Spaceport: Staff Parking
• Blue Gate: Middle of Checkpoint and Trapper’s Glade

Matriarch

• Dam Battlegrounds: The Breach
• Spaceport: Launch Towers
• Blue Gate: Headhouse

The Queen and Matriarch will only spawn under specific map conditions. While the Matriarch has its own special map condition, The Queen only spawns during a Harvester map condition.

The rest of the ARCs can spawn in areas that aren’t mentioned here. However, I have listed the spots where I have almost always encountered them on raids. Taking them down will almost guarantee an ARC Performance Steel.

If you don’t want to take the risks, you can always try your luck with ARC Probes. You’ll occasionally come across them during raids. However, opening an ARC Probe doesn’t guarantee you a Performance Steel, so you might need to find several of them.

The post How to find ARC Performance Steel in ARC Raiders appeared first on Destructoid.