Gear

Kingshot Forgehammer

Forgehammers drive Mastery Forging on Mythic hero gear, raising Lethality and Health, the two stats that most directly change how much damage you deal and survive.

Hoard it

Once a piece of Mythic gear has been upgraded, Mastery Forging is the layer that sits on top of it, and Forgehammers are the only thing that feeds it. Where Mithril raises the base stats of a piece, hammers push Lethality and Health, the two numbers that decide how many enemy troops die per round and how many of yours survive to the next one.

That makes hammers unusual among gear materials. Most of them are locked to a single hero or a single piece; hammers can go wherever your finished Mythic gear is, so you always have a good use for them. It also makes them the item most shops try to tempt you away from, by putting a shiny Lucky Hero Gear Chest next to them at a similar price.

My rule is that hammers win that comparison every time. A chest gives you a random piece you might already have. A hammer gives you a guaranteed step on the piece you already fight with.

Save it or spend it?

Hoard it. Forgehammers are the top-priority buy in most shops, and they score in events that Mithril does not.

Hold it for:

Kingdom of Power (KvK)
Hall of Governors
Any gear-scoring event window

Where to get Forgehammer

Event shops, most reliably during Swordland Showdown
Kingdom of Power (KvK) reward tiers
Alliance Championship placement rewards
Hero gear packs

What to spend it on

Mastery Forging on Mythic gear you have already finished upgrading
Your primary march hero first, always

When to spend it, by server age

Early game

Nothing to do here yet. Mastery Forging needs finished Mythic gear, and early accounts do not have any. Hammers you pick up from event reward tiers just accumulate, which is exactly what you want.

Mid game

When your first Mythic piece is fully upgraded, hammers become the best buy in most event shops, and Swordland Showdown is the most reliable place to stock them. Hold what you have until a gear-scoring window, then forge one march's worth of gear in one go.

Late game

By the late game your march has several finished Mythic pieces and hammers are the difference between them. Keep concentrating on one march. Two heroes with deep Mastery Forging beat four heroes with a little each, because the buff is multiplicative with everything else on that hero.

Tips worth knowing

Mastery Forging only applies to Mythic gear. Hammers spent before a piece reaches Mythic do nothing for you.
Lethality and Health are the stats that decide open-field fights, which is why hammers outrank most other shop purchases.
When a shop offers both, buy Forgehammers before Lucky Hero Gear Chests.

Mistakes people make

Using hammers the moment they arrive instead of holding them for an event multiplier.
Spreading Mastery Forging across several heroes rather than concentrating on one march.