Cthulhu The Forge: Location & Fast Farming (March 2026) Expert Guide

Updated by Sunny Kaushik
January 16, 2026
Gaming

Welcome to the ultimate resource for dominating the most challenging endgame content in Cthulhu. If you’ve been struggling to locate the infamous dungeon or find your runs taking too long with lackluster loot, you’re in the right place. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through exactly how to find The Forge, unlock it, and optimize your strategy for fast farming.

After analyzing the current meta in 2026 and spending hours testing different team compositions, I’ve compiled the most efficient methods to farm “Eldritch Steel” and “Void Essence” without burning out.

Quick Overview: The Forge at a Glance

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty details, here is a quick reference table for the dungeon specifications.

Feature	Details
Dungeon Name	The Forge (Sekt-7 Ruins)
Unlock Requirement	Complete Chapter 10, Main Story
Recommended Level	Level 55+
Stamina Cost	16 Points per run
Core Mechanic	Madness Meter (Increases Drop Rate & Damage)
Key Loot	Eldritch Steel, Star Shards, Ancient Gold
Best Element	Lightning / Psychokinetic
Difficulty	Hard / Nightmare

How to Unlock The Forge?

You cannot simply stumble into The Forge at the beginning of the game. It is a high-level area designed to test your maxed-out squad. Based on my playthrough and data from community forums, here is the step-by-step process to unlock it:

Complete Chapter 9: Finish the main storyline quests up to the end of Chapter 9. You must defeat the “Watcher in the Water” boss.
Reach Player Level 50: The game soft-caps you at certain story points. Ensure you are at least level 50 before attempting Chapter 10.
The “Old Key” Quest: In Chapter 10, you will receive a side quest called “Echoes of Industry”. You must find three “Old Key Fragments” scattered across the map.
- Fragment 1: Inside the Sunken Library.
- Fragment 2: Dropped by the Elite Deep One in the Port District.
- Fragment 3: Hidden in a chest behind the waterfall in the Mystic Forest.
Craft the Sekt-7 Key: Once you have all fragments, go to your inventory and combine them to create the Sekt-7 Key.
Access the Portal: Head to the World Map and look for the new locked area in the southern quadrant called “Sekt-7 Ruins”. Use the key to unlock The Forge.

Pro Tip: Don’t waste your stamina farming Fragment 2 if you are under-leveled. The Elite Deep One has a massive AoE attack. Bring a healer or wait until you are Level 52 to attempt it easily.

Cthulhu The Forge: Exact Location

Finding the entrance is one thing, but navigating the map is another. The Forge is located within the Sekt-7 Ruins zone.

Zone: Sekt-7 Ruins (Southern Continent).
Visual Landmarks: Look for massive, cooling towers spewing green smoke.
Entrance Point: The dungeon entrance is at the bottom of a large elevator shaft. You need to interact with the “Broken Control Panel” to call the elevator down.
Map Coordinates (if applicable): roughly (450, 820) on the world grid.

When you enter, you’ll notice the atmosphere changes immediately. The music becomes more industrial and tense, and your screen will have a slight green filter, indicating high toxicity in the air. This is normal for The Forge.

Understanding the Mechanics: The Madness Meter

The Forge is unique because of the Madness Meter. This is a bar that fills up as you kill enemies and take damage.

Low Madness (0-30%): Enemies hit harder but have standard drop rates.
Medium Madness (31-70%): Your Critical Strike Chance increases by 15%, but enemies start using “Insanity” abilities (fear/stuns). Drop rates increase by 10%.
High Madness (71-99%): This is the sweet spot for farming. Your damage is boosted by 30%, but you take 20% more damage. Drop rates for rare materials (Eldritch Steel) double.
100% Madness (The “Berserk” State): Your entire team dies instantly. You lose the run.

Strategy: Do not let the meter hit 100%. I aim to keep it between 80% and 95% for the entire second half of the dungeon. This maximizes loot while keeping the risk manageable.

Fast Farming Strategies for 2026

Farming in The Forge can be a grind if you don’t have a plan. Simply running in and attacking everything will result in a 10-minute run with mediocre rewards. Here is how I cut my run time down to 4 minutes while maximizing loot.

1. The “Speed Clear” Team Composition

To farm fast, you need AoE (Area of Effect) damage. Single-target DPS is too slow for the swarms of enemies in The Forge.

Main DPS: The Arcane Mage or Lightning Wielder. You want someone who can chain lightning.
Sub-DPS: A Berserker with bleed effects. This helps chip away at the high HP elites while you focus on clearing the trash mobs.
Support: A Priest or Bard is mandatory. The “Toxic DoT” (Damage over Time) in The Forge stacks quickly. You need consistent healing.
Tank: Use a Paladin. Their ability to mitigate physical damage is crucial against the “Mechanical Golems” found in the later stages.

2. The Route: Skip the Trash

In the first corridor, ignore the small “Crawlers”. They don’t give enough Madness points or loot to be worth the time. Run past them and aggro the Elite Guard at the end of the hall.

Why? Killing the Elite instantly fills your Madness Meter to about 40%. It saves you 2 minutes of fighting small fry.

3. Managing the Boss: The Iron Titan

The final boss, The Iron Titan, is a DPS check.

Phase 1: Avoid the red circles. He does a “Slam” attack that hits hard but is easily dodged.
Phase 2: At 50% HP, he spawns adds. Do not kill the adds. instead, kite them around the boss.
The Trick: The adds heal the boss slightly if they die close to him. Keep them alive and focus all your DPS on the boss. If your Madness Meter is high (80%+), you should be able to burn him down before the enrage timer.

4. Equipment Recommendations

Make sure your gear is at least +10 Enhancement before attempting to speed farm.

Accessories: Equip items that boost “Haste” or “Cooldown Reduction”. The faster you spam your ultimate abilities, the faster the run ends.
Consumables: Use “Eldritch Potions” (50% Max HP boost) and “Speed Tonics” before entering.

Loot & What to Farm?

Why are we here? The loot. The Forge is currently the only reliable source for upgrading gear past Level 60 in 2026.

Material	Rarity	Usage	Drop Source
Eldritch Steel	Legendary	Upgrading Weapons to +15	Boss, Elite Mobs
Star Shard	Epic	Unlocking Talents	Chests, Boss
Void Essence	Rare	Crafting Potions	Common Mobs
Ancient Gear	Uncommon	Selling for Gold	All Mobs

Farming Priority:

Eldritch Steel: This is the bottleneck. You need 3 pieces per upgrade attempt. It has a low drop rate (approx 5% per run).
Star Shards: You need these for your talent tree. Once your tree is maxed, you can ignore these.

Note: Since the patch in March, developers increased the drop rate of Ancient Gear to help with the gold economy, so you might find your inventory filling up. Sell these immediately to free up bag space.

Common Mistakes to Avoid In 2026

I see a lot of players making the same errors in The Forge. Avoid these to save your sanity (and your stamina):

Ignoring the Sanity Mechanics: If you see your character’s vision blurring and hearing whispers, your Madness Meter is too high. Stop attacking for a second or use a “Sanity Potion”. If it hits 100%, it’s an instant wipe, and you lose all potential loot.
Using Single-Target Builds: Don’t bring your Sniper or Assassin here. They are useless against the swarms. Switch to AoE.
Wasting Ultimate on Boss Adds: When the Iron Titan spawns adds, do not use your big cooldowns on them. Save your “Ultimate” for the boss himself.
Not Upgrading Armor: Some players focus only on weapons. In The Forge, the enemies hit so hard that if your armor is lacking, you will get one-shot by the “Mech Golems”.

Advanced Pro Tips

For those looking to squeeze every last drop of efficiency out of their run, try these advanced techniques:

The “Madness Cancel” Glitch: There is a timing trick where, if you use a teleportation skill exactly as the Madness Meter ticks from 99% to 100%, you can avoid the instant wipe. Note: This is very hard to pull off and may be patched in future updates.
Stamina Efficiency: If you are out of stamina, run the “Easy” difficulty of The Forge. It costs 8 stamina and drops a decent amount of “Void Essence”, which you can sell or use for potions. It’s not good for Steel, but it keeps you playing.
Co-op Syncing: If you play Co-op, sync your Madness Meters. If one player is at 20% and the other is at 90%, the drop rates will be average. Try to stay within 10% of each other’s meter for the best shared loot multiplier.

FAQ’s

What is the minimum level to enter The Forge?

Technically, you can enter at Level 50, but it’s strongly recommended to wait until Level 55. The enemies scale aggressively, and playing below level 55 can be extremely punishing.

Can I farm The Forge on Auto-Battle?

No. The Madness Meter mechanic requires manual input. If you rely on auto-battle, your team will eventually let the meter hit 100% and wipe.

How often does the boss drop Eldritch Steel?

Eldritch Steel is not a guaranteed drop. The approximate drop rate is around 15% on Hard difficulty and 25% on Nightmare. Luck buffs can slightly improve your chances.

Is The Forge better than The Abyss for gold farming?

No. The Abyss is more efficient for raw gold farming. The Forge is primarily designed for farming materials, specifically Eldritch Steel.

My game crashes when I enter The Forge. What do I do?

This is a known memory leak issue on some Android devices. Set your graphics settings to Low and restart your phone before starting a long farming session.

Conclusion

Mastering Cthulhu The Forge is essential for progressing your account in 2026. While the dungeon is challenging and the Madness Meter can be unforgiving, the rewards—specifically the Eldritch Steel—are worth the effort.

Remember to prioritize your AoE team composition, keep that Madness Meter hovering near 90%, and don’t waste time on trash mobs in the first hallway. With the strategies outlined in this guide, you should be able to cut your farming time in half and maximize your loot gains.

Good luck, survivor. Try not to lose your mind in there.

Looking for more ways to optimize your gaming experience? Check out our guide on the best gaming monitors for RPGs to see every eldritch detail in stunning clarity, or learn how to increase FPS in 2026 if you’re experiencing lag in The Forge.