Best Dagger Recipes in The Forge (March 2026) Complete Guide

Daggers in The Forge might not be the flashiest weapons, but they’re secretly one of the most powerful choices for smart players who understand attack speed mechanics. As someone who has spent hundreds of hours mastering The Forge’s crafting system, I can tell you that daggers are incredibly underrated and can carry you from early game all the way through mid-game content with the right recipes and setup.

In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about crafting the perfect dagger, from budget-friendly starter recipes to endgame power builds. You’ll discover the exact ore combinations that guarantee specific results, the best runes to pair with your fast-hitting playstyle, and the trait priorities that will make your dagger feel absolutely broken instead of weak.

Quick Reference: Top Dagger Recipes by Stage

Stage	Recipe	Success Rate	Key Stats	Best For
Early Game	3× Lapis Lazuli	100%	Base Damage: 11.18	Budget grinding & learning
Mid Game	2× Eye Ore + 1× Rivalite	100%	+20% Crit Chance, +15% Weapon Damage	First real power spike
Late Game	1× Lightite + 1× Eye Ore + 1× Rivalite	100%	+20% Crit Chance, +15% Weapon Damage	Efficient endgame build
Survival Build	3× Rivalite + 2× Ruby + 1× Life Ore	100%	Lifesteal on hit	Players who die often

Why Daggers Are Secretly Overpowered?

Before diving into specific recipes, you need to understand WHY daggers work so well in The Forge. Their power comes from one simple mechanic: attack speed is a multiplier.

When your dagger attacks twice as fast as other weapons, you get:

• More chances to trigger on-hit runes – Every Blast Chip or Drain Edge proc becomes twice as valuable
• More critical hit opportunities – Fast attacks mean more frequent crits for consistent damage
• Better recovery from mistakes – Missed hits don’t punish you as hard when you’re swinging constantly
• Superior proc stacking – Effects that trigger on hit scale exponentially with attack speed

This is why daggers remain viable well into mid-game despite their lower base damage. The sheer number of hits you can land makes up for the lack of raw power, especially when built correctly.

Complete Dagger Recipe Breakdown

Early Game: Budget Starter (3× Lapis Lazuli)

This is your go-to recipe when you’re just starting out or need to save resources for other upgrades.

Why it works:

• 100% success rate – No gambling with expensive ores
• Extremely cheap – Lapis Lazuli is abundant and easy to mine
• Perfect for grinding – Fast attacks help you learn combat timing
• No health penalties – Safe option while you’re learning positioning

Best runes for this build:

• Start with whatever you can find
• Upgrade to Blast Chip as soon as possible
• Drain Edge if you’re struggling with survival

Trait priorities:

1. Any attack speed you can find
2. Basic damage increases
3. Health boosts for survivability

Mid Game: The Power Spike (2× Eye Ore + 1× Rivalite)

This is where daggers truly come alive. This recipe gives you your first real build identity with critical chance and weapon damage bonuses.

Why it’s the best mid-game choice:

• Guaranteed crit chance – +20% makes your fast attacks consistently deadly
• Weapon damage multiplier – +15% scales with your attack speed
• Still 100% success rate – No gambling required
• Clear upgrade path – Sets you up for late-game builds

The trade-off: The -10% health penalty might seem scary, but it’s manageable with proper positioning and the right sustain choices. I recommend pairing this with Drain Edge rune or lifesteal traits to offset the health loss.

Optimal rune combination:

• Blast Chip – Essential for damage scaling with your attack speed
• Drain Edge – Keeps you alive while playing aggressively

Trait priorities:

1. Crit Chance – Stack this to make your fast attacks consistently deadly
2. Weapon Damage % – Multiplies all your damage output
3. Attack Speed – Turns your dagger into a proc machine
4. Crit Damage – Amazing once you have enough crit chance

Late Game: Efficient Power (1× Lightite + 1× Eye Ore + 1× Rivalite)

This is your endgame dagger recipe that provides the best stats without requiring expensive experimentation.

Why it’s the most efficient choice:

• Same core passives as mid-game – Maintains your crit build identity
• Better baseline stats – Higher base damage without changing your playstyle
• Movement speed bonus – Lightite adds 15% movement speed for hit-and-run tactics
• No ore waste – Uses expensive ores efficiently

This build excels at:

• Fast-paced combat where you can dodge and reposition
• Content where you need to stay mobile
• Builds focused on critical strikes and on-hit effects

Perfect rune combination:

• Blast Chip – Still your best damage rune
• Drain Edge – Essential for the aggressive playstyle this enables

Advanced trait priorities:

1. Crit Chance – Get this as high as possible
2. Weapon Damage % – Your primary damage scaling
3. Attack Speed – Enhances your proc potential
4. Movement Speed – Synergizes with Lightite bonus
5. Crit Damage – Massive damage once crit chance is maxed

Specialized Build: Survival Dagger (3× Rivalite + 2× Ruby + 1× Life Ore)

For players who find themselves dying constantly, this “vampire” build can be a game-changer.

Why it works for survival:

• Consistent healing – Lifesteal triggers with every fast attack
• High crit chance – Rivalite ensures your hits matter
• No health penalties – Unlike other powerful recipes
• Perfect for learning – Lets you make mistakes while staying alive

Best use cases:

• New players struggling with survival
• Content where you can’t avoid taking damage
• Learning boss mechanics without instant death
• Building confidence before moving to damage builds

Optimal runes:

• Drain Edge – Double down on the lifesteal theme
• Defensive utility rune – Any defensive rune works well here

Trait priorities:

1. Lifesteal/Healing traits – Maximize your survival
2. Health/Defense – Stack survivability stats
3. Crit Chance – Still important for damage
4. Weapon Damage – Add damage once you’re comfortable surviving

Advanced Dagger Strategies

The Hook: Premium Upgrade Worth Chasing

If you’ve been playing The Forge for a while, you’ve probably heard that Hook is the best dagger. Here’s the truth about chasing it:

What makes Hook special:

• Extreme attack speed – Even faster than regular daggers
• Perfect for proc builds – More attacks mean more on-hit triggers
• Excellent for skilled players – Rewards good positioning and timing

Smart approach to getting Hook:

1. Build a strong mid/late dagger first – Don’t neglect your progression
2. Set a hard budget – Don’t drain all your resources chasing one item
3. Treat it as a luxury upgrade – Not your main progression goal
4. Practice with regular daggers – Learn the playstyle before investing

Proc Machine Build: Maximum On-Hit Chaos

For players who love RNG and want to see numbers fly everywhere, this build turns your dagger into a walking proc generator.

Core concept: Maximize attack speed and crit chance to trigger as many on-hit effects as possible.

Recipe: Use the standard mid or late-game recipes (crit builds work best for procs)

Essential runes:

• Blast Chip – Your primary damage proc
• Experimental options: Frost Speck, Flame Spark for chaos builds

Trait priorities:

1. Attack Speed – The foundation of this build
2. Crit Chance – More hits + more crits = maximum procs
3. On-hit/Proc traits – Stack anything that triggers on attack
4. Weapon Damage – Increases your base proc damage

Playstyle tips:

• Get close and stay close to maximize hit count
• Focus on enemies that can be hit consistently
• Don’t worry about individual hit damage – focus on total damage over time

Complete Rune Guide for Daggers

S-Tier Runes (Must-Haves)

Blast Chip

• Why it’s essential: Strong on-hit damage that scales perfectly with attack speed
• Best for: All dagger builds, especially proc-focused ones
• Synergy: Works with any attack speed or crit build

Drain Edge

• Why it’s essential: Reliable sustain that keeps you alive in close combat
• Best for: Aggressive playstyles and builds with health penalties
• Synergy: Perfect for crit builds that need to stay in melee range

A-Tier Runes (Situational Power)

Frost Speck

• When to use: When you want to experiment with crowd control
• Best for: Players who like chaining effects and watching enemies freeze
• Risk: Can be inconsistent, but amazing when it works

Flame Spark

• When to use: For players who want to stack damage over time
• Best for: Longer fights where burn damage can accumulate
• Synergy: Works well with attack speed for faster burn stacking

Rune Combinations by Playstyle

Safe Grinding: Blast Chip + Drain Edge

• Perfect balance of damage and sustain
• Works for all content types
• Most reliable combination

Maximum DPS: Blast Chip + Best Damage Rune

• For confident players who can position well
• Highest damage potential
• Requires good game knowledge

Survival First: Drain Edge + Defensive Rune

• For learning difficult content
• Maximum survivability
• Slower but safer progression

Trait Priority System

Universal S-Tier Traits (Always Great)

1. Crit Chance – The foundation of all good dagger builds
2. Weapon Damage % – Multiplies all your damage output
3. Attack Speed – Enhances everything daggers do well

Build-Dependent A-Tier Traits

Crit Damage – Amazing once you have 50%+ crit chance On-hit/Proc Traits – Essential for proc machine builds Lifesteal/Sustain Traits – Crucial for survival builds and health penalty recipes

Early Game B-Tier Traits

Flat Health – Good for learning, replaced later Movement Speed – Nice quality of life, not core to damage Basic Damage Bonuses – Fine early, outclassed by percentages later

Enhancement and Upgrade Strategy

Smart Enhancement Tips

Don’t over-invest early

• Wait until you have your final recipe before spending enhancement materials
• Early daggers will be replaced, so save resources for your endgame weapon

Build in phases

1. Phase 1: Create reliable mid-game dagger
2. Phase 2: Enhance and optimize your build
3. Phase 3: Chase premium upgrades like Hook if desired

Budget your experiments

• Set limits on how many resources you’ll spend chasing rare variants
• Remember that a well-built standard dagger beats a poorly optimized rare one

Common Enhancement Mistakes to Avoid

Enhancing too early

• Don’t waste materials on weapons you’ll replace quickly
• Wait until you have your target recipe

Ignoring rune synergy

• Your enhancement choices should complement your rune selection
• Don’t stack attack speed if you’re using runes that don’t benefit from it

Forgetting trait priorities

• Don’t chase rare traits that don’t fit your build
• Stick to the core traits that make daggers work

Platform-Specific Considerations

Mobile Players

• Focus on survival builds – Touch controls can make precise positioning harder
• Prioritize Drain Edge – Extra sustain helps with control limitations
• Consider movement speed traits – Helps compensate for touch controls

PC Players

• Experiment with proc builds – Precise control enables riskier strategies
• Maximize damage output – Take advantage of superior aiming and positioning
• Try advanced rune combinations – PC controls allow for more complex playstyles

Console Players

• Balance damage and survival – Controller precision sits between mobile and PC
• Focus on consistent builds – Reliable performance beats experimental setups
• Consider comfort – Longer gaming sessions require sustainable builds

Frequently Asked Questions

Are daggers only viable in the early game?

Absolutely not! While daggers excel in early game due to their low cost, they remain powerful throughout mid-game and can even handle some late-game content. Their attack speed scales incredibly well with critical chance and on-hit effects, making them surprisingly effective when built correctly.

What’s the single best dagger recipe overall?

For most players, the 2× Eye Ore + 1× Rivalite recipe provides the best balance of cost, power, and upgrade potential. It gives you a complete build identity with crit chance and weapon damage, plus a clear path to late-game upgrades.

Should I chase the Hook dagger?

Treat Hook as a luxury upgrade, not your main goal. Build a strong standard dagger first, then consider chasing Hook if you have excess resources. The standard late-game recipe (Lightite + Eye Ore + Rivalite) provides 90% of Hook’s performance at a fraction of the cost.

What if I can only afford one rune?

Start with Blast Chip for damage scaling. If you’re struggling to survive, choose Drain Edge instead. Both runes provide excellent value and scale well with dagger’s attack speed.

How do I deal with the -10% health penalty on crit builds?

Pair crit builds with sustain options like Drain Edge rune or lifesteal traits. You can also focus on positioning and dodging to minimize damage taken. The health penalty is worth it for the massive damage increase.

What’s the best way to farm ores for dagger recipes?

Focus on mining areas that drop your target ores consistently. For early game, mine wherever Lapis Lazuli is abundant. For mid-game, prioritize areas with Eye Ore and Rivalite. Late game players should target Lightite locations while also farming Eye Ore and Rivalite.

Can daggers work for boss fights?

Yes, but you need to build them correctly. Focus on crit chance, weapon damage, and sustain runes like Drain Edge. Daggers excel at consistent damage output, which is valuable for longer boss fights.

How important are traits compared to recipes?

Both are crucial, but recipes provide the foundation. A perfect recipe with mediocre traits will outperform a mediocre recipe with perfect traits. Focus on getting the right recipe first, then optimize traits.

Final Thoughts

Daggers in The Forge reward smart players who understand attack speed mechanics and build synergy. While they might not have the flashy one-shot potential of massive swords, their consistent damage output and incredible scaling with crit and on-hit effects make them secretly overpowered.

Remember that the best dagger build is one that matches your playstyle and current progression stage. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different rune combinations and trait priorities – that’s how you’ll discover the perfect setup for your gameplay.

Bookmark this guide and check back regularly for updates as The Forge continues to evolve with new content and balance changes. The meta might shift, but the fundamental power of attack speed and critical strikes will always make daggers a viable choice for smart players.

Happy forging, and may your strikes be swift and your crits frequent!

Related Content

Want to master other aspects of The Forge? Check out these comprehensive guides:

• The Forge All Armors & Crafting Guide – Complete armor crafting recipes
• The Forge Best Gauntlet Recipes – Master fast-hitting gauntlets
• The Forge All Runes Guide – Complete rune information
• The Forge Weapons Tier List – All weapons ranked
• The Forge Best Weapon Recipes – Top recipes for all weapon types