If you’ve been grinding through Clicker Heroes and wondering how to push further into higher zones, then forge cores are one of the most important resources you’ll need to master.
Forge cores allow you to upgrade relics items that boost your ancients and game performance and deciding when to salvage or invest in relics can make or break your long-term progression. But what are forge cores in Clicker Heroes, how do you get them, and how do you use them wisely?
This guide will cover everything from the basics of relic salvage to late-game strategies for efficient core management.
What Are Forge Cores in Clicker Heroes?
Forge cores are a special currency in Clicker Heroes that players earn by salvaging unwanted relics. They were introduced alongside the relic upgrade system as part of a broader idle RPG progression mechanic, giving relics more depth beyond simply equipping the best one.
- Purpose: Forge cores are used to upgrade relics, which increases their stat boosts and overall power.
- Economy Role: Instead of discarding low-value relics, the game turns them into forge cors, creating a recycling loop.
- Progression: The deeper you go in zones and the better relics you find, the more forge cores you can generate by salvaging.
For long-term progression, forge cores are vital because they allow you to continually strengthen your best relics, synergize with your ancient builds, and adapt to the changing needs of your incremental games journey. Without them, relic upgrades would stall, slowing your overall Clicker Heroes gameplay.
How to Get Forge Cores
One of the first questions players ask is: how do you get forge cores in Clicker Heroes?
Here’s the process:
- Collect Relics Through Progression Relics drop after defeating zone bosses or completing certain milestones. The deeper you go, the better the rarity.
- Overflow and Junk Pile Since you can only hold a limited number of relics, excess ones go to the “Junk Pile.” From here, you can choose which ones to keep and which to salvage.
- Salvage Into Forge Cores Salvaging converts relics into forge cors. The yield depends on both the relic’s rarity and level.
Tips to Maximize Forge Core Gain
- Farm Deeper Zones: Higher zone clears = higher-tier relic drops.
- Time Salvages Strategically: Don’t just salvage instantly; sometimes upgrading a relic before salvaging gives more forge cores back.
- Relic Management: Keep only synergistic relics, salvage the rest.
- Ascension Cycles: Faster ascensions mean faster relic drops, which translates into more forge cores over time.
This makes salvage a core loop mechanic in Clicker Heroes, ensuring players always have a steady flow of forge cores for relic upgrades.
Understanding Relic Rarity and Forge Core Yield
Relics in Clicker Heroes come in different rarities, and each rarity tier significantly affects forge core yields.
Rarity Levels
The higher the rarity, the greater the base forge core yield.
Relic Rarity Table in Clicker Heroes
| Rarity | Weight | Odds | Forge Core Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common | 5000 | 60.77% | 0.5 |
| Uncommon | 2000 | 24.24% | 0.75 |
| Rare | 800 | 10% | 1.0 |
| Epic | 300 | 3.6% | 1.25 |
| Fabled | 100 | 1.07% | 1.5 |
| Mythical | 25 | 0.24% | 1.75 |
| Legendary | 8 | 0.06% | 2.2 |
| Transcendent | 1 | 0.02% | 2.6 |
Why Relic Rarity Matters
- Drop Odds: As the table shows, most relics you’ll find are Common or Uncommon, while Legendary and Transcendent relics are extremely rare.
- Forge Core Value: Higher rarity relics have stronger Forge Core multipliers, meaning salvaging them returns far more forge cores than lower-tier relics.
- Progression Impact: While common relics drop often, late-game efficiency comes from farming and salvaging rare relics that multiply your forge core income.
In short: rarity doesn’t affect the type of stats you get, but it drastically changes how many forge cores you earn from salvage.
Relic Level Effect
Each relic also has levels that increase its power. Salvaging a higher-level relic gives you more forge cores, which is why some players upgrade relics solely for better salvage returns.
Example Scenarios
- Common Level 1 Relic: Yields very few forge cores (useful only early game).
- Rare Level 4 Relic: Decent yield, often worth salvaging if stats don’t synergize.
- Fabled Level 8 Relic: Provides a massive forge core payout perfect if it’s not compatible with your current build.
This shows why upgrade-before-salvage is a common strategy in clicker heroes guide discussions across gaming forums.
How to Use Forge Cores Efficiently
Knowing how to spend forge cors wisely is the key to long-term success in this idle clicker game.
Best Uses
- Upgrading Equipped Relics: Directly increases stats, boosting your gameplay and DPS.
- Increasing Salvage Value: Even if you plan to discard the relic later, upgrading it first increases forge core yield upon salvage.
Forge Core Cost Scaling
- Early upgrades are cheap, costing just a few forge cores.
- Each subsequent upgrade costs more, meaning late-game investments can be very expensive.
When to Upgrade
- Early Game: Focus on upgrading only your strongest relics that support key ancients (like Siyalatas, Libertas, Dogcog).
- Late Game: Prioritize relics with multiple high-impact stats, since these scale better with upgrades.
By being selective, you avoid wasting forge cores on low-value relics that won’t support your long-term incremental growth.
When to Upgrade vs When to Salvage
This is one of the biggest decision points for gamers who want to optimize progression.
Criteria for Salvage
- Weak Stats: A relic with a single minor stat (like +Atman only) isn’t worth upgrading.
- Poor Synergy: If it doesn’t align with your build (click vs idle), salvage it.
- Low Rarity: Commons and uncommons rarely deserve upgrades.
Criteria for Upgrade
- High Rarity: Epic and above are usually worth investing forge cors into.
- Multiple Strong Stats: Relics boosting Siyalatas + Libertas are game-changers.
- Synergistic Builds: If it matches your ancient strategy, keep and enhance it.
Case Study:
- Relic A: Rare +Libertas +Siyalatas → Upgrade.
- Relic B: Common +Atman → Salvage.
This balance ensures you maximize progression without wasting cores.
Cost Scaling: How Expensive Are Relic Upgrades?
Forge core costs for relic upgrades don’t rise in one set pattern like 5 → 12 → 22 cores. They grow faster each level and depend on two things:
- Relic rarity and effects – rare relics or ones with more effects cost more to upgrade.
- Current level – each new level makes the next upgrade cost more.
Tips to spend cores wisely:
- Early upgrades may cost only 1–2 cores per effect.
- Later levels can double or more in price.
- Stop upgrading when the next level costs more than the salvage value you’d gain (about 5 cores × rarity modifier × number of effects).
This keeps your upgrades worth the cost and matches how Clicker Heroes really handles forge cores.
Planning Your Budget
- Avoid spending below a safety threshold (e.g., keep 100 forge cores minimum).
- Plan ahead for late-game relics that may require hundreds of cores.
- Use gaming tips from community guides to set upgrade caps per relic.
Late-Game Forge Core Strategy
As you reach higher zones and tackle idle RPG endgame, forge cores become even more essential.
Why Late-Game Cores Matter
- Relic Slots Are Limited: You must cycle through and keep only the best relics.
- Relic Power Scales Higher: Late-game relics often combine multiple top-tier stats.
- Faster Ascensions: Farming relics becomes faster, increasing salvage potential.
Best Relics to Upgrade Late-Game
- Siyalatas + Libertas Combos (idle DPS and gold synergy).
- Dogcog & Fortuna Relics (cost reduction + gold farming).
- Ancient Synergy Relics (boosting Atman, Dora, or other build-defining ancients).
With the right clicker heroes forge cors strategy, you can push much deeper into the game compared to players who waste their cors early.
Synergy With Ancients, Relics, and Builds
Forge core usage ties directly into your chosen playstyle.
- Click Builds: Upgrade relics that enhance click damage and cooldowns.
- Idle Builds: Focus on Libertas, Siyalatas, and related ancients.
- Hybrid Builds: Balance upgrades across both styles.
Relic + Ancient Synergy Examples
- Dora + Relic: Treasure chest boosts stack for gold farming.
- Atman + Relic: Increased primal boss chance, synergizing with ascension cycles.
This synergy is why community gaming discussions often emphasize relic-ancient alignment in casual gaming and chill games strategies.
Forge Cores and Game Progression Events
Another common question is: Do you keep forge cors after Ascension or Transcendence?
- After Ascension: Yes, forge cores and relics are kept.
- After Transcendence: Relics are reset, but forge cores remain.
Strategy Before Reset
- Upgrade relics wisely before big resets.
- Avoid wasting forge cors on relics you won’t keep.
- Focus on relics that will carry value across multiple ascension cycles.
This ensures your incremental games progression isn’t slowed after a reset.
Mistakes to Avoid With Forge Cores
Even experienced gamers often make these common errors:
- Upgrading weak relics too early.
- Wasting cores on single-stat relics with low impact.
- Ignoring salvage value by not upgrading before scrapping.
- Over-investing in relics that don’t match your build.
- Forgetting to use upgraded relics before ascending.
Avoiding these pitfalls ensures efficient forge core management.
Pro Tips for Efficient Forge Core Management
Here are advanced gaming tips collected from gaming forums and high-level players:
- Keep Inventory Lean: Don’t hoard bad relics; salvage them.
- Track Most-Used Ancients: Prioritize relic upgrades that complement your core build.
- Upgrade Before Salvage: Maximize forge core yield.
- Set Thresholds: Keep a minimum core reserve (100+) for flexibility.
- Bulk Salvage Strategy: Salvage multiple relics at once for smoother management.
These tactics help you stay efficient and avoid resource bottlenecks.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
They’re used to upgrade relics, boosting stats and increasing salvage yields.
By salvaging higher-level and higher-rarity relics, farming relic drops through ascensions, and upgrading relics before salvaging.
You can upgrade any relic, but it’s smarter to focus on high-value ones.
Epic+ relics with multiple synergistic stats (e.g., Siyalatas + Libertas).
Yes, forge cores remain even after you transcend.
There’s no hard cap, but costs scale steeply, so practical limits exist.
Final Thoughts and Summary
Forge cores are one of the most important progression tools in Clicker Heroes. Used properly, they allow you to continuously strengthen relics, recycle weak items into valuable currency, and align your build with long-term goals.
Key Takeaways:
- Salvage smart: Always consider rarity, level, and synergy.
- Upgrade wisely: Focus on relics that boost your core ancients.
- Manage costs: Save forge cors for late-game investments.
- Think strategically: Use forge cors to support your chosen playstyle (idle, click, or hybrid).
By mastering forge cores, you’ll transform your Clicker Heroes gameplay experience, pushing further into higher zones and enjoying the rewarding grind that makes idle clickers, incremental games, and casual gaming so addictive.
