Ultimate ForgeTax Build Guide: Master the Forgetax Build
Discover the best ForgeTax builds and combos for the October 2026 patch. Master the Forgetax build and dominate your runs!
Ultimate ForgeTax Build Guide: Master the Forgetax Build
Welcome to the ultimate guide on mastering the ForgeTax build for the October 2026 patch. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting out, understanding the best relic builds and combos is crucial for success in ForgeTax. In this comprehensive guide, we'll delve into the intricacies of the Forgetax build, providing you with actionable tips, statistics, and examples to help you dominate your runs.
Why does this matter?
In ForgeTax, your choice of relic builds and combos can make or break your run. The October 2026 patch introduced significant changes that affect relic effects, prices, and shop days. By mastering the Forgetax build, you'll be equipped to navigate these changes and optimize your strategy for maximum efficiency and success.
What is the Forgetax build?
The Forgetax build, also known as the "ForgeTax build," is a set of relic combinations designed to enhance your sword's performance in ForgeTax. These builds focus on maximizing your sword's potential, whether it's increasing damage, improving hold, or reducing breakage.
The Best Relic Builds for the October 2026 Patch
According to our analysis of the latest patch notes and community reports, here are the five best relic builds for the October 2026 patch:
| Build | Core Relics | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Break control | Black Knot, Iron Hoop, Dragonscale Tongs, Wirebound Scabbard | Every run, days 2 to 6 |
| Hold engine | Sealed Heart, King's Empty Cup, Blind Die, Red Thread, Patient Weight | Turning dead strikes into Greats |
| Damage engine | Cracked Splice, Unbroken Oath, Defeated King's Seal, Abyssal Pearl | Pushing one sword past +15 |
| Frenzy burst | Glass Hourglass, Perfect Mana Core, Undying Wick, Red Hourglass | Big level jumps with no Break risk |
| Success snowball | Bronze Cog, Seal of Twins, Ceaseless Driveshaft | Late days and extended contract |
Break control
The Break control build is designed to reduce the likelihood of your sword breaking during your run. This build focuses on relics that lower the break chance and provide additional protection against damage.
| Relic | Effect | Shop from | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Knot | Break chance −10% | Day 2 | 1 |
| Iron Hoop | −2 Break tickets | Day 3 | 1 |
| Dragonscale Tongs | At +6 or higher, Break chance −25% | Day 5 | 2 |
| Wirebound Scabbard | The first Break each day becomes Damage | Day 4 | 2 |
| Phoenix Ash | Once per sword, stops a Break and costs 40% of its value | Day 6 | 3 |
Hold engine
The Hold engine build focuses on turning dead strikes into Greats, maximizing your sword's potential for level gains and value. This build emphasizes relics that increase the level gain and provide additional protection against breakage.
| Role | Relic | What it does here |
|---|---|---|
| Payoff | Sealed Heart (day 3, 2) | Each Hold banks +1 level for the next Great, up to +4. A Great after four Holds gives +6 levels. The bank is lost if the sword breaks first. |
| Payoff | King's Empty Cup (day 6, 3) | Each Hold adds a permanent Great ticket to that sword, with no cap. |
| Payoff | Blind Die (day 3, 1) | After a Hold or Damage, the next strike gets +3 Great tickets. |
| Safety | Red Thread (day 2, 1) | After a Hold, the next strike's Break chance drops 20%. |
| More Holds | Patient Weight (day 2, 1), Sealing Stone (day 2, 1) | +3 and +2 Hold tickets. Extra tickets also shrink Break. |
| Level gain | Sleeping Ember (day 4, 3) | Each Hold has a 70% chance to give +1 level. |
Damage engine
The Damage engine build focuses on maximizing the value and level gain of your sword by turning Damage forging results into value, recovered levels, banked growth, and protection. This build requires a balance of income, recovery, and survival.
| Relic | Effect | Shop from / cost |
|---|---|---|
| Cracked Splice | Each Damage cuts this sword’s Break chance by 15%, up to 60%. | Day 3 / 2 |
| Unbroken Oath | Each Damage has a 70% chance to give +1 level | Day 4 / 2 |
| Defeated King’s Seal | Each Damage adds +1 extra level to the next Great | Day 4 / 3 |
| Interlocking Weights | A Success or Great right after a Damage gives +2 extra levels | Day 4 / 2 |
| Cracked Crown | Keeps 50% of the level value lost to Damage | Day 3 / 1 |
| Abyssal Pearl | +3 Damage tickets. The first 2 Damages per sword cost no level, and Damage relics still trigger | Day 7 / 4 (Fishblade Mastery unlock) |
Frenzy burst
The Frenzy burst build focuses on maximizing the number of strikes during Frenzy, a short window where nothing breaks. This build uses relics that increase the length of the Frenzy window and the number of strikes during this period.
| Role | Relics |
|---|---|
| Payoff | Glass Hourglass (Greats during Frenzy give +3 levels), Perfect Mana Core (+6 Great tickets during Frenzy), Bell Collar (+5% sword value per Frenzy strike), Headless Bell (+1 level when Frenzy ends) |
| Longer window | Red Hourglass (+1 second), Undying Wick (+2 seconds) |
| More strikes | Worn Grip (+15% forging speed), Possessed Bellows (+30% speed during Frenzy) |
| Faster charge | Ember Locket (+2 charge on a sword’s first strike), Cracked Wristwatch (+1 charge per Damage), Chained Hourglass (50% chance of +1 charge per Hold) |
Bronze Cog + Seal of Twins (late game)
The Bronze Cog + Seal of Twins combo is the ultimate relic combination for the late game. This build focuses on maximizing your sword's potential for success and value, with additional benefits from the Seal of Twins.
| Relic | Effect | Shop from | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze Cog (day 5, 3 credits) | Gives a sword one permanent Success ticket per Success. After five Successes, a +10 sword’s Success chance goes from 30.4% to 38.3% and its Break chance falls to 41.4%. The sword gets safer the more you forge it. | Day 5 | 3 |
| Seal of Twins (day 8, 4 credits) | Gives every strike your sword survives a 2% chance to copy the sword, with the same level, value, and relic stacks. A safer sword survives more strikes, so you get more copies, and each copy can pay a tribute or go into the relic machine as a credit. | Day 8 | 4 |
Unlockable Relics
Sixteen of the 19 Steam achievements add a relic to the shop pool for every save slot. Forging a sword family to +20 unlocks its masterwork relic. Run feats unlock the rest.
| Achievement | How to earn it | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Citadel Sword Mastery | Citadel Sword to +20 | Unyielding Cornerstone (first Break of each sword becomes Damage) |
| Holy Sword Mastery | Holy Sword to +20 | Dawn Scabbard |
| Sawblade Mastery | Sawblade to +20 | Ceaseless Driveshaft |
| Dragonfang Mastery | Dragonfang to +20 | Dragon Heart (+15% value per Success or Great at +7) |
| Runeblade Mastery | Runeblade to +20 | Perfect Mana Core |
| Splitblade Mastery | Splitblade to +20 | Seal of Twins |
| World Tree Mastery | World Tree to +20 | Eternal Seed |
| Fishblade Mastery | Fishblade to +20 | Abyssal Pearl |
| Funerary Sword Mastery | Funerary Sword to +20 | Undertaker's Ledger |
| All Thumbs | Break 10 swords in one run | Butterfingers (+3 Break, +5 Great tickets) |
| No Rest for the Hammer | Enter Frenzy 5 times in one run | Undying Wick |
| Keep the Change | Pay 3× the tribute requirement | Royal Change |
| One Last Chance | Pay in full at the last Rage stage | Dragon’s Pardon (prevents death once) |
| I’ll Take Everything | Buy the merchant’s whole stock in one visit | Wandering Ghost’s Ledger |
| Clocking Out | Survive through May 5 | Sickle and Hammer |
| A Job for Life | 3 full tributes after the contract ends | Lifetime Contract (swords start at +7) |
Common Relic Mistakes
- Spending your last swords on a relic the night before a tough tribute. Count the window value first, then shop.
- Mixing Hold and Damage converters. Worn Whetstone and Thorn Weight pull tickets in opposite directions.
- Buying Leather Loop for a Frenzy build. It only speeds up strikes outside Frenzy.
- Filling all eight slots with day 2 relics and having no room when Dragonscale Tongs or King's Empty Cup shows up.
- Forgetting Wirebound Scabbard resets each day. Make your riskiest strike on your best sword first.
FAQ
Q: What is the best relic in ForgeTax? A: For any run, Black Knot. It costs 1 credit, appears from day 2, can show up as a free starter pick, and lowers Break on every strike. For the late game, Seal of Twins paired with Bronze Cog.
Q: How many relics can I hold? A: You can hold up to eight relics at a time in ForgeTax.
Q: Do Broken Holy Sword and Dawn Scabbard stack? A: Yes. Since the October 6 hotfix they add together: 70% of the broken sword’s level and 7 Frenzy charges go to your next unforged +0 sword.
Q: Why can’t I find Relief Sack, Burial Coin, or Copper Ledger? A: The developer pulled them from the active pool in the October 6 updates, along with Interest and Small Safe. Old saves got sword credits back for any copies they owned.
Q: Will relics change again? A: Expect it. The developer has posted balance changes almost daily since launch and has announced a major update that lets you fight the dragon with your own swords. Check the in-game codex after each patch.
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