ForgeTax recovery relics mitigate the devastating loss of shattered blades by converting broken swords into scrap tribute, passing enhancement tiers onto fresh weapons, and granting instant Frenzy charges.
In ForgeTax, losing a high-value blade can quickly trigger the dragon's wrath and end a run. Following developer GraveYardDev's dedicated balance patch, recovery and defensive relics received major improvements to give players more reliable tools to stabilize their economy and recover from failed anvil strikes.
How Recovery Relics Work in ForgeTax
The core loop of ForgeTax requires balancing the value of forged blades between meeting the dragon's daily tribute and feeding the forge's relic machine. When a sword shatters during an upgrade attempt, that invested value is usually lost entirely.
Recovery relics alter this failure state in three main ways:
- Scrap Value Recovery: Converting a percentage of a destroyed blade's peak value into scrap tribute to help satisfy the dragon's quota.
- Enhancement Inheritance: Transferring a portion of a broken weapon's upgrade level directly onto the next unforged (+0) base sword.
- Frenzy Generation: Awarding charges toward Frenzy—the invulnerable forging state unlocked after 10 hammer strikes—whenever enhancement is inherited.
In addition to pure recovery, the game provides defensive relics that reduce break odds on subsequent strikes or absorb fatal hammer impacts at the cost of sword valuation.
Recovery and Defensive Relic Stats
The developer updated the pool availability and direct numbers for several recovery and defensive artifacts. The table below outlines the specific stats, unlock requirements, and pricing documented in the official update notes.
| Relic Name | Cost | Earliest Day | Effect & Key Mechanics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Undertaker's Chalice | 1 Sword | Day 2 | When a sword breaks, offers 30% of its peak value as scrap tribute. |
| Broken Holy Sword | Standard | Days 2–6 (Weighted) | Passes 30% of a broken sword's enhancement to the next +0 sword; grants 3 Frenzy charges upon inheritance. |
| Dawn Scabbard | Standard | Standard | Passes 40% of a broken sword's enhancement to the next +0 sword; grants 4 Frenzy charges upon inheritance. |
| Scorched Charm | 1 Sword | Day 3 | Reduced shop cost to improve early defensive access. |
| Third Hand | Standard | Day 3 | Unlocks in the active shop pool starting on Day 3. |
| Golden Nail | Standard | Day 3 | Unlocks in the active shop pool starting on Day 3. |
| Worn Grip | Standard | Day 4 | Unlocks in the active shop pool starting on Day 4. |
| Dragonscale Tongs | Standard | Standard | Reduces Break chance at +6 or higher by 25% (buffed from 20%). |
| Lightning Mark | Standard | Standard | After a Great strike outside Frenzy, reduces next strike Break chance by 40% (buffed from 35%). |
| Phoenix Ash | Standard | Standard | Prevents a sword Break, reducing sword value loss to 40% (improved from 50%). |
Note: Relief Sack and Burial Coin have been temporarily removed from the active relic pool. Existing copies in ongoing runs were refunded as 1 and 2 relic-shop sword credits, respectively.
Enhancement Inheritance and Frenzy Stacking
The most potent recovery interaction in ForgeTax involves combining Broken Holy Sword and Dawn Scabbard.
Individually, each item rescues a fraction of your lost forging progress:
- Broken Holy Sword transfers 30% of the broken blade's upgrade level and gives 3 Frenzy charges.
- Dawn Scabbard transfers 40% of the broken blade's upgrade level and gives 4 Frenzy charges.
Official patch notes confirm that these two relics stack additively. When holding both simultaneously:
- 70% of the destroyed sword's enhancement transfers to your next untouched +0 blade.
- 7 instant Frenzy charges are granted upon inheritance.
Because entering Frenzy requires 10 hits on a single sword and provides a window where blades cannot shatter, starting a replacement sword with 7 charges and up to 70% of your previous enhancement allows you to reach safe, high-tier forging thresholds within just a few strikes.
Early-Game Availability and Tribute Fallback
To prevent runs from failing early due to bad shop RNG, the developer increased the appearance weight of several defensive and recovery relics during Days 2 through 6:
- Black Knot
- Iron Hoop
- Undertaker's Chalice
- Broken Holy Sword
- Cracked Splice
- Wirebound Scabbard
Their individual minimum-day and milestone unlocks still apply, but they now roll significantly more often during shop visits in that window.
Additionally, a core fail-safe mechanic was introduced for missed tributes: if you fail to meet the dragon's daily tribute requirement, you now still receive your three basic starting swords the following morning. While the dragon's Rage counter still accumulates (pushing you closer to death), this guaranteed restock ensures you have materials to forge and purchase recovery relics rather than entering an unwinnable dead end.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I miss the dragon's tribute?
You receive three basic swords the next morning to continue playing, though the dragon's Rage still increases. Failing tribute too many times will still result in game over.
Do Broken Holy Sword and Dawn Scabbard work on already-upgraded swords?
No. The enhancement inheritance from both relics only applies to the next unforged, +0 sword placed on the anvil.
Can I still find Relief Sack or Burial Coin in runs?
Not currently. The developer temporarily removed both relics from the active rotation to rebalance economy options, refunding owned copies with shop sword credits.
Sources
- Official ForgeTax Steam Announcement: Hotfix — Startup Fixes and Recovery Relic Improvements (GraveYardDev)
- Official ForgeTax Steam Store Page (App ID: 5245810)
