+1 Loot To Forge Tier List — Best Gear, Races & Runes

+1 Loot To Forge has no universal best gear — recipes scale in ore cost, and the right craft depends on which dungeon stage you are actually farming. This tier list ranks the confirmed weapon and armor classes, runes and race strategies by how much progression speed they buy per ore spent, and it is refreshed after major updates. Exact in-game stats vary; where sources disagree we defer to the live game.

How this tier list works

Tiers reflect value at the stage range where you will craft the item: S = craft it as soon as you can, A = strong and safe, B = situational, C = skip unless chasing a specific build. Ore costs referenced here are detailed in the recipes page.

Weapon classes

Tier	Weapon class	Stages	Why
S	Katana-class	Early (1–7)	The cheapest meaningful recipe in the game — a katana needs only ~4 ores, so your power curve compounds early
S	Greatsword-class	Mid–late (8+)	~13 ores per craft, but its damage scales with the power walls of later stages where cheap weapons fall off
A	Enhanced katana (+3 or higher)	Early–mid	Enhancing a keeper katana delays the greatsword switch economically — but enhance attempts above +5 get expensive
B	Re-forged early weapons	Any	Same recipe, better stats loop; only worth it while waiting for the next recipe tier

Armor classes

Tier	Armor piece	Stages	Why
S	Light Helmet	Early	4 ores at the base recipe — one of the cheapest survival upgrades in the game
A	Light set (early pieces)	Early–mid	Low ore thresholds make repeated crafts cheap while you learn each stage
A	Heavy Armor	Mid–late	14–23 ores per piece is a real investment, but late stages punish thin health pools
B	Mixing light + heavy	Mid	Defense from one heavy piece plus cheap light pieces bridges awkward ore budgets

One detailed community source reports that forging with extra ores raises success odds on armor (for example, a light helmet crafted at 4 ores versus 5–6 with a higher success chance). We could not independently confirm the exact percentages — treat extra-ore crafting as “probably safer” and check the in-game forge display.

Runes

Rune tiers depend on what you are fighting; all four rune types drop from Frostbound Tower (see the tower guide):

Tier	Rune	Why
A	Flame / Thunder	Damage-family picks for stage pushing
A	Frost	Control value in horde stages and tower rounds
B	Poison	Value scales with fight length; weak in quick stage clears

Rune slots are scarce — two per item — and overwriting a rune destroys the old one permanently, so slot your first runes into gear you intend to keep. Full breakdown in the runes guide.

Races

Nine races are in the game (plus secret races). Published buff numbers conflict between community sources, so we tier the strategy, not the numbers:

Tier	Race strategy	Why
S	Using free Race Rolls from codes	Every code-distributed roll is a free shot at a better passive — always redeem and use them first
A	Rerolling until you land a top-feeling buff set	Rerolls are the mechanic; chase whatever the current roll screen ranks highly
B	Chasing specific secret races	Secret races exist; rerolling exclusively for one is a long grind — do it passively with free rolls

Skills

Q-skills and weapon skills change with the Enhance meta and updates. Rather than freeze numbers that shift patch to patch, our rule of thumb: the best skill is the one whose cost you can afford to level while still forging — skill investments that stall your ore income lose progression speed overall.

When does this list change?

Every major update (the game titles its updates — Races arrived in Update 4.1, the Enhance update followed). We re-check after each one; the codes page notes when a new update ships a fresh code, which is usually your cue that the meta moved too.

FAQ

What is the best weapon in +1 Loot To Forge?

For most players: a katana early for its cheap recipe, then a greatsword once mid stages stall your damage. The exact best craft depends on the ores your current stage drops.

What should I enhance first?

Your main weapon — the one you keep across rebirths. Enhance attempts on replaceable gear waste Ember Stones.