Forging Ahead is one of the early story quests in Stardew Valley. It says “If you’re going to keep mining you should build a furnace.” The quest is triggered when you mine your first copper ore. The next day, Clint the Blacksmith visits you and gives you the blueprint for crafting a furnace. Building a furnace is essential because it lets you smelt metal ores into bars, which are needed for upgrading tools, crafting new items, and progressing through later quests.
Gather the Required Materials
Before you can craft the furnace, you need to collect the following materials.
| Copper Ore | Although the furnace recipe was unlocked by mining copper. You will need to gather more copper ore as you continue exploring the Mines. The recipe itself requires 25 copper ore. |
| Stone | You need 20 pieces of stone. Stone is easy to obtain. You can break rocks on your farm, in the Mines, or even along the paths around town. |
Start Mining for Copper Ore and Stone
Mines location is on the northeast of Pelican town-which is basically a very short trip in the east of the carpenter’s house. The mines will clear themselves during the first week of your quest. All you need to do is wait for a letter from JoMart. This letter will state that the way is all clear for you to go. Once you have some basic tools like a pickaxe, you can enter the Mines from the entrance near the Carpenter’s Shop.
After passing the carpenter’s house, follow the map’s direction. You will find a cave near the waters, as shown in the picture above. If you see it means you have arrived in the entrance cave to mine.
To enter the floor and start mining you need to find a ladder inside the cave. click and enter to go down and start mining items such as copper, minerals, and others. Descend only one level after entering the mines and look for Copper Nodes. As you explore the first few levels, keep an eye out for copper ore nodes. These are usually brownish rocks with a copper-colored vein. Use your pickaxe to break them.
Collect Your First Copper Ore. Once you hit a copper ore node, you will collect one or more pieces. Always keep an eye on your inventory while mining. Collect extra copper ore and stone along the way, as these resources are useful not only for the furnace but also for future upgrades and crafting.
Craft the Furnace
Open Your Crafting Menu to complete the forging ahead quest. Once you have all the required materials 25 copper ore and 20 stone. Open your crafting menu to access the recipe. Press the “E” key on PC or the corresponding button on your console to open it. Look for the furnace icon in the list of available recipes. The furnace recipe will now be available for you to craft.
The furnace should appear as an icon among your crafting recipes. Hover over it to check the recipe details. Select the furnace icon and craft it. This action uses up the required materials from your inventory. You will see the new furnace item appear in your inventory. You can place the furnace inside your farmhouse or outside on your farm. It doesn’t need to be placed in a specific location. Many players prefer to keep it indoors for easy access.
Once the furnace is crafted and placed, the “Forging Ahead” quest is marked as complete in your quest log. This confirms that you have built your furnace. The furnace is a key part in your progress. It allows you to smelt copper ore into copper bars. These copper bars are used for upgrading tools like your pickaxe and axe. They are also useful for crafting more advanced items. In the future, you’ll also be able to smelt iron, gold, and eventually iridium using your furnace.
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