If you’ve spent hours running through mist-shrouded Dark Age villages and fending off hordes of possessed raiders, you know how frustrating it is to hit a wall when you’re trying to Doom the Dark Ages get to the forge secrets. The forge isn’t just a random side location—it’s where you’ll unlock the game’s most powerful weapons, armor upgrades, and hidden lore that ties the entire campaign together. I’ve put over 40 hours into this specific section of the game, testing every path, enemy spawn, and hidden shortcut so you don’t have to repeat the mistakes I made during my first 12 failed attempts to reach the area.
Pre-Run Prep You Need Before You Doom the Dark Ages Get to the Forge Secrets
You don’t need a fully maxed out character to reach the forge, but skipping these prep steps will make your run 3x harder, even if you know the path by heart. I used to show up with random loot I picked up along the way, and I’d always run out of ammo or health right before I reached the door. Taking 5 minutes to stock up before you start the level will save you way more time in the long run.
- 20+ shotgun shells and 15 plasma ammo rounds: You’ll face 3 large enemy swarms along the hidden path, and running out of ammo mid-fight is the #1 cause of failed runs. Save your heavy rocket ammo for the optional mini-boss if you choose to fight it, but stick to fast, high-damage weapons for regular enemies.
- At least 1 fire resistance potion: The final stretch to the forge has permanent fire traps that drain 10% of your health per second if you don’t have resistance active. You can buy these potions from the merchant in the starting village, or find them in loot chests scattered around the first area.
- The rusted village key: You can pick this up from the dead blacksmith in the first village you spawn in at the start of the level—skip it, and you’ll have to fight a mini-boss you can easily avoid. I skipped this key on my first 3 runs, and the mini-boss’s one-hit charge attack took me out every single time.
You don’t need any special armor or character build for this run, either. Even a basic starter build with 100 base health can make it through if you follow the path and avoid unnecessary fights. The only upgrade I’d recommend if you have it is the speed boost perk, which lets you outrun enemy swarms if you get caught off guard.
Navigating the Hidden Forest Path to Avoid Unnecessary Fights
The main road that the game points you down is full of high-level raiders and possessed knights that take forever to fight, and most of them don’t drop any useful loot anyway. The hidden forest path cuts your run time by 10 minutes and reduces the number of enemies you face by 60%, and it’s the fastest way to Doom the Dark Ages get to the forge secrets without wasting resources on trivial fights.
How to find the path entrance: Right after you pass the first burning barn on the main road, look for a broken wooden fence covered in ivy on your left. Crouch through the gap, and you’ll see a stone marker with a hammer carved into it— that’s the start of the path. Most players miss this entrance because the ivy covers the gap almost completely, and the game never gives you any indication that it exists. I only found it when I was running away from a swarm and accidentally tripped through the fence.
Watch your step along the path, too. There are 3 tripwires that trigger spike traps if you step on them. You can see the faint silver wire glint in the sunlight if you keep your camera pointed at the ground 5 feet ahead of you. I’ve stepped on these traps more times than I can count, and they take off 40% of your health each time, even with heavy armor equipped. If you do trigger one, just use a health shard immediately and keep moving—enemies won’t hear the trap go off unless you yell out loud (which your character won’t do).
Unlocking the Forge Door and Avoiding Its Hidden Traps
Once you reach the end of the forest path, you’ll see the large stone forge door built into the side of a cliff. The door has 3 glowing runes on the front, and you have to tap them in the right order to unlock it. Tap the wrong order, and you’ll trigger a poison gas trap that fills the entire area in 10 seconds, forcing you to run all the way back to the start of the path to reset.
The correct rune order is hammer, fire, anvil. You can find this clue written on the back of the village blacksmith’s note you pick up with the key earlier, so you don’t have to guess. If you lost the note, you can still find the order carved into the stone marker at the start of the forest path, but you’ll have to run all the way back to check, which wastes a ton of time.
Once you open the door, don’t run straight inside. There’s a pressure plate right past the threshold that triggers a falling anvil trap that one-shots every build, no matter how much health you have. Step to the left of the door frame when you walk in, and you’ll avoid it entirely. I learned this the hard way during my 7th run, when I was so excited to finally reach the forge that I sprinted inside and got crushed immediately. The first room of the forge has 2 common enemies patrolling, so take them out quietly with a melee attack if you can. Making noise will spawn an extra 4 raiders from the back room, which is an unnecessary fight you can avoid easily.
The Best Forge Secrets You Don’t Want to Miss Once You’re Inside
Now that you’re inside the forge, there’s way more to find than just the basic crafting station most players know about. I’ve found 3 hidden secrets across dozens of runs that most players never stumble across, even if they reach the forge on their first try.
The first hidden secret is the legendary fire sword hidden behind a fake stone wall on the left side of the main forge room. Hit the wall with your melee weapon 3 times, and it’ll crumble to reveal the sword, which does 2x damage to all possessed enemies for the rest of the campaign. This sword makes the final boss fight 10x easier, so it’s definitely worth taking 30 seconds to find.
The second secret is the hidden armor upgrade station under the main anvil. Interact with the small lever on the side of the anvil, and the floor will open up to reveal a station that lets you add 20% extra defense to any armor piece you own, for free. Most players miss this lever because it’s tucked behind a pile of coal, so you have to lean in close to see it. The final secret is the hidden lore note tucked into the back of the forge’s chimney. It unlocks a secret post-credit cutscene that explains why the Dark Age was cursed in the first place, which adds a ton of context to the game’s main story. I didn’t find this note until my third time in the forge, when I was looking for extra ammo and decided to check every corner of the room.
You can also craft unlimited ammo at the main forge station once you’re inside, so stock up before you leave. You won’t find another crafting station for the next 2 levels, so it’s worth taking 2 minutes to make as many shells and plasma rounds as you can carry. If you have extra resources, you can also craft a fire resistance potion to take with you for the next level, which has a lot of fire-based enemies.
Reaching the forge doesn’t have to be the frustrating, hours-long grind that many new players make it out to be. With the right prep, knowledge of the hidden path, and awareness of the forge’s built-in traps, you can Doom the Dark Ages get to the forge secrets on your very first run. Take the time to grab the village key before you start, stick to the forest path, and don’t rush through the forge door, and you’ll walk away with some of the game’s most powerful items and hidden lore before you even hit the halfway point of the campaign. If you try these tips on your next run, drop a comment below to let me know how it went—I’d love to hear if you found any extra secrets I missed during my runs.
