If you are just starting ForgeTax, the game can feel a little confusing at first. You have to forge swords, increase their value, pay the dragon’s daily tribute, buy useful relics, and make sure you do not fail too many payments.
In this post, we will explain how ForgeTax works from the beginning. I will go through the first day step by step, explain how forging and Frenzy work, show you how tribute works, and explain what you should do with spare swords and relics.
Once you understand these basic rules, the game becomes much easier to manage. You have 21 days to keep the dragon paid, and your main goal is to build enough sword value to survive until May 5 without failing three tributes.
ForgeTax Beginner Guide and Walkthrough – Controls, Tips
Your main objective is to keep the dragon paid for 21 days, from April 15 through May 5.
Every evening, the dragon checks the swords you placed in the tribute window and adds their total value together. If you reach the day’s required amount, the tribute is paid.
If you fail to reach the required amount, the dragon’s anger increases. You can survive two failed tributes, but your third failed tribute ends the run.
The main way to increase your tribute value is by forging swords. Every successful strike can increase a sword’s grade, and higher grades make the sword worth considerably more.
The opening tutorial takes you through the forge in a specific order. You can skip the opening with P, but I recommend paying attention the first time because the tutorial is explaining actual game rules.
1. Heat a Sword
The first thing you need to do is pick up a sword and heat it.
Three swords arrive through the hatch every morning. Pick one up using E and place it in the furnace.
Heating takes a couple of seconds, but once a sword has been heated, it stays heated permanently. You only need to do this once for each sword.
There is one important exception: Lifetime Contract removes the need to heat swords.
2. Put the Sword on the Anvil
After heating your sword, place it on the anvil and start striking.
Each strike draws one ticket from a deck of 1,000 tickets.
There are five possible results:
- Success: Adds 1 level.
- Great: Adds 2 levels.
- Hold: Does nothing.
- Damage: Removes 1 level, but never below +0.
- Break: Destroys the sword.
On a fresh +0 sword, there are no Break tickets. As your sword becomes stronger, however, the Break chance increases quickly.
For example, the Break chance is 29.7% at +5 and 46.7% at +10 without relics.
The board above the anvil shows the exact odds for your next strike, so I recommend checking it before taking a risky strike on a valuable sword.
3. Fill the Ten Frenzy Squares
Every strike you make outside Frenzy fills one of the ten squares on the board.
Once all ten squares have been filled, the next strike starts Frenzy.
Frenzy lasts for 4 seconds and, most importantly, your sword cannot Break during Frenzy. At full speed, you can fit around seven strikes into the Frenzy window.
The Frenzy charge belongs to the sword itself. So if you remove the sword from the anvil and come back to it later, its charge is still there.
This makes Frenzy especially useful when you are trying to protect an expensive high-level sword.
4. Put Swords in the Tribute Window
When evening comes, you need to offer enough sword value to satisfy the dragon.
The dragon does not care how many swords you use. It only cares about their combined value.
For example, on Day 1 the tribute requirement is 1,800 G.
A single +5 sword worth 2,430 G is enough to pay it.
You could also use multiple swords. A +4 and +2 sword together are worth 2,340 G, which also covers the Day 1 requirement.
So you do not always need to risk your best sword. If you have several smaller swords whose combined value reaches the quota, you can use them instead.
5. Ring the Bell
Once you have placed the swords you want to offer in the tribute window, ring the bell to finish the day.
If your sword value reaches the required quota, the tribute is successfully paid.
If you are below the quota, the tribute fails and the dragon’s anger increases.
Be careful because your third failed tribute ends the run.
There is also an important detail: whether the tribute succeeds or fails, the swords you offered are converted back into gold. This gold is what you use to pay for things such as merchant purchases and relic shop rerolls.
The tribute system is therefore not simply about sacrificing your swords forever. You are converting their value into the resources you need to continue your run.
6. Trade Spare Swords for Relics
The relic vending machine allows you to exchange swords for relic shop sword credits.
The important thing to remember is that every sword is worth the same amount for this purpose.
A +0 sword and a highly forged sword both give the same one sword credit when used in the machine.
Because of this, I recommend using spare +0 swords that you were not planning to forge rather than throwing valuable high-level swords into the machine.
Day 1 Relic Gift
On the first day, the relic machine shows three free starter relics.
Choose one.
The other two disappear, and you cannot reroll this initial gift.
Starting from Day 2, the shop works normally and offers three relics per day. You can also reroll the available relics using gold until you ring the bell.
7. Keep Your Spare Swords
You do not have to put every sword into the tribute window or use it for forging.
If you have spare swords, you can keep them for later.
The three rack slots, floor, anvil and your hands all carry over between days. Only broken swords are cleared.
This is very useful when you are nervous about the next day’s quota.
For example, if you have a valuable sword that is already worth enough to cover part of a future tribute, you can keep it safe instead of risking it on the anvil.
A stored forged sword can save an entire day if your new swords have terrible luck.
The ForgeTax Contract
The tribute requirement increases every day.
Without relics that reduce the quota, some important milestones are:
| Day | Date | Tribute Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | April 15 | 1,800 G |
| Day 7 | April 21 | 7,500 G |
| Day 14 | April 28 | 45,800 G |
| Day 21 | May 5 | 232,000 G |
As you can see, the requirement grows extremely quickly.
The early days are relatively easy, but by the later stages you need much stronger swords, better relic combinations, and smarter use of your resources.
The Ghost Merchant
The ghost merchant arrives on Day 3 and then returns every third day.
You can buy swords and consumables from the merchant using gold.
The paper calendar marks merchant days with scales, making it easy to see when the merchant is coming.
Because merchant visits are limited, I recommend keeping enough gold available for useful purchases instead of spending everything on unnecessary relic rerolls.
What Happens After Day 21?
If you reach May 5, Day 21, without your third failed tribute, you have cleared the contract.
At that point, you can stop your run or choose to continue forging into extended days.
There is also an achievement for continuing past the contract and successfully paying three additional full tributes.
How Relics Work
Relics sit on a shelf with eight available slots.
Most relics remain active for the rest of the run once you obtain them.
They can modify things such as:
- Ticket probabilities
- Sword value
- Break chance
- Frenzy
- Success and Great results
- Hold and Damage results
- Tribute requirements
- Sword supplies
- Merchant offers
Because relics can interact with each other, your shelf becomes increasingly important as the run progresses.
What Happens When the Relic Shelf Is Full?
Once all eight slots are occupied, the relic machine will not sell you another relic.
If you want a new relic, look at a relic on your shelf and press X to throw it away.
There is no refund when you discard a relic, so make sure you are comfortable losing it before replacing it.
ForgeTax Controls
Here are the main controls you need while playing:
| Control | Action |
|---|---|
| W A S D / Arrow Keys | Move |
| Mouse | Look around |
| E | Interact; leave the anvil with the sword |
| Left Click | Strike at the anvil |
| Right Click | Leave the sword on the anvil |
| 1–9, 0, -, =, Q | Select a consumable |
| R | Undo the last strike if you have a rewind charge |
| X | Discard the selected shelf relic or cancel a purchase |
| Left Click / Space | Advance dialogue |
| Esc | Open or close the menu |
The R key can be particularly useful because it lets you undo your last strike when you have a rewind charge.
The ForgeTax forge simulator reproduces the anvil, relics and Frenzy mechanics, so you can experiment with different setups before trying them in your real run.
I recommend using it to test high-level swords, Break protection and relic combinations. Once you understand how the odds work, you will have a much better idea of when to keep forging and when it is smarter to stop and protect your sword.