Of Ash And Steel - Devlog #02: Forging the Hero’s Tools

Welcome back adventurers!

In our first devlog, we explored the foundations of combat and how Tristan grows from a humble cartographer into a capable fighter. But battles alone aren’t enough to survive the island. Every wound needs tending, every journey demands supplies, and every hero needs tools worthy of the trials ahead.

That’s where crafting comes in: a system that turns raw materials into the weapons, armor, food, and potions that allow your journey to continue.

When Tristan first sets foot on the island, he can roast meat over a fire, throw together a simple meal, but not much else. To thrive here, he’ll need to learn how to forge, brew, and cook to prepare for what the island throws at him.

From Campfire to Master Forge

Crafting begins small. A campfire meal, a sharpened blade, a healing potion. But as you find teachers, unlock recipes, and train your skills, the possibilities expand. Whatever you craft will find its use at the right moment, sometimes saving your life.

Food can go beyond restoring health and stamina: full meals provide lasting bonuses to strength, endurance, or resistance, allowing you to be better prepared for dangerous adventures.

Potions are not only valuable out of combat, but also in combat, since you can’t have a mid-battle snack. A quick draught of a healing or stamina potion can determine whether you live to strike back.

Moreover, not every brew is used for recovery and defensive purposes: poisons can be applied to weapons, giving your blade a temporary edge, whether it’s causing enemies to bleed faster, or weakening them with venom.

Gathering Materials

Every recipe requires ingredients: after all, you can’t make an omelet without eggs. Some resources are common;  herbs can be gathered in the wild, animals hunted for meat, fish caught in rivers, or eggs collected from chickens on farms. You can mine ores or even smelt scrap at the furnace into ingots, forming the basis for weapons.

Other resources may require more effort. Certain rare plants or monster-related ingredients lie hidden in dangerous regions, guarded by creatures that won’t give them up easily. Merchants, quests, and factions can also provide access to special resources, but none of them dictate your path: you can decide whether to rely on trade, quest rewards, or gathering everything yourself.

Weapons, Armor, and the “Legend”

Weapons forged by your own hand often come with lower stat requirements than those scavenged from the world. This means you can equip and use them earlier in your journey, giving you reliable options before rarer loot becomes available. But the true art lies with the Master Blacksmith skill. Reaching it allows you to design a unique blade: the Legend.

This isn’t just another sword. It’s customizable, upgradable, and can absorb rare weapons found across the island. With enough dedication, it may become one of the strongest weapons in the game… but never the only one. Many other rare arms rival it, each with unique properties, so both crafters and adventurers have paths to power.

Armor follows a different path. Most sets can be discovered, but through reinforcement you can fortify them beyond their base strength. At high levels, even ordinary armor can surpass expectations. Some pieces grant specific bonuses, while others focus on raw defense.

The Choice is Yours

Crafting in Of Ash and Steel is simple in structure but deep in possibilities. The more you craft, the more perks and bonuses you unlock, from weapon sharpening to armor strengthening.

While merchants, quests, and factions all shape what you can access, none of them dictate your path. You might forge every tool yourself, or rely on loot and trade. You might become a blacksmith known for blades, or an alchemist living off potions. The island allows both and rewards those who experiment.

From the first cut of roasted meat to a legendary sword of your own design, crafting is yet another way to make your story truly yours. It's more than just a set of bonuses: it’s the feeling of holding a weapon you forged yourself and personalizing it to your liking, brewing your potions so you don’t have to buy them at the market, or making your armor both strong and epic to look at.

Thank you for joining us for this second devlog! We’ll meet again soon!