Welcome to my guide, in this I will cover what forging is, how to do it, and the most effective strategies. If you enjoy this guide or would like to give feedback leave a comment, criticism is welcome and encouraged - keep it civil. Enjoy.

The Long Dark features a mechanic known as forging which is especially valuable late game. Forging allows the creation of makeshift tools which can be used to replace the manufactured ones commonly found around Great Bear.

Forging can only be done in certain regions and requires the use of a Forge. Three forges currently exist in the game and can be found in...

• Forlorn Muskeg - At The Spence Family Homestead
  
• Desolation Point - In The Riken
  
• Broken Railroad - In The Maintenance Shed

While all three forges are mechanically identical, some forges can have different environments. The lesser two feature shelter as apposed to the one located at the farmstead which is difficult to access due to the thin ice and is exposed to the elements.

Now that you know where to forge it's imperative that you know what is required to begin forging. There are 3 materials which are necessary for forging, those materials are as follows.

1. Fuel
Two types of fuel are required for forging, wood and coal. Wood is needed to start the fire and coal is required to begin the forging process. The wood I recommend is cedar or fir to get the fire going and sticks to bring the fire up to temp. Coal is needed to bring the fire to the required 150° C (270° F) I recommend bringing 4-6 pieces of coal depending on how much forging is being done.

2. A Hammer
A heavy hammer is needed to create everything crafted in the forge. Hammers can be found in various industrial locations across Great Bear, including nearby each forge. Hammers are obviously quite bulky and weigh a good bit.

3. Resources
Two resources are needed to craft anything in a forge, scrap metal & cloth. Scrap metal can be found in various industrial locations and can also be obtained with a hacksaw by harvesting metal furniture. Cloth is needed to craft the makeshift hatchet and knife and can be found almost everywhere as well as from harvesting furniture.

So, you've found a forge and materials to craft, now is the time to actually forge and make the best of it. To make the most of forging first start the fire, bring it to the highest temp you can without using any coal, this is where you should use the sticks you brought.

Once you've gotten the forge as hot as possible add the coal until the temp reaches 150° C (270° F). With the coal added and the forge burning you should begin the crafting process. Make sure the forge is going to burn long enough in order to complete the recipe. The forging process is very similar to normal crafting, jut select the recipe and begin crafting, this will take a while.

Once you've finished crafting and have acquired your new tools why not make use of the cooking slot and warm yourself a cup of piping hot tea in order to congratulate yourself on your newfound skill.

In this section I will cover what you can forge, what fuel does, and how long it takes to forge.

This section covers fuel, from worst to best and how to utilize it properly.

• Reclaimed Wood
  Not a very good starter, and offers only a small amount of burn time (30 Mins) and heat. Useful without other options but otherwise a last resort.
  
• Sticks
  Very low burn time (7.5 Mins) but it's saving grace from last place is it's benefits as a starter and as a heat source, providing 1° C per stick added.
  
• Books
  The best starter, but a terrible fuel source, use to start the fire that's it.
  
• Cedar Firewood
  A great all rounder, but for our purposes it's not the best. It has a good burn time at 1 hour, but is somewhat lackluster in comparison to Fir.
  
• Fir Firewood
  The best option, almost. This is likely the one you'll end up using most as it's more plentiful than others, as well as easily renewable, offering 1.5 hours of burn time is a great plus.
  
• Coal
  You'd think this is the best but it's only second to our first option, this one is best used for bringing the fire up to temp but other than that it's mostly an unnecessary waste.
  
• Firelog
  The greatest of all options, it offers more heat and burn time than any other fuel, but it's biggest and most apparent downside is it's rarity. Save any you find, and use for special occasions.

Now finally, what are you forging

• Arrowheads
  - Ingredients
  1x Scrap Metal
  1 Hour
  
  - Product
  Arrowhead x2
  
  
• Improvised Hatchet
  - Ingredients
  5x Scrap Metal
  1x Cloth
  4 Hours
  
  - Product
  Improvised Hatchet x1
  
  
• Improvised Knife
  - Ingredients
  3x Scrap Metal
  1x Cloth
  3 Hours
  
  - Product
  Improvised Knife x1
  
  
• Cougar Claw Knife
  - Ingredients
  1x Cougar Claw
  3x Scrap Metal
  1x Cured Leather
  3 Hours 40 Min
  
  - Product
  Cougar Claw Knife x1

Congratulations! You are now well versed in forging and know exactly what to do next time you want to craft a brand new hatchet or knife. As always if you enjoyed like or leave a comment, if you have any feedback or think I've missed something be sure to leave a comment criticism is welcomed and encouraged - keep it civil.