The Forge of Ys
The Forge of Ys is ANKOU’s Pack-a-Punch: a machine fed by the Ys Element that turns an ordinary weapon into a devastating one. Past round 15, it is what keeps you alive.
Where to find it
The Forge needs the Power (see Doors, barriers and Power) on both maps.
| Map | Location |
|---|---|
| Ker-Ys | At the top of the Ker-Ys Lighthouse, in the lantern room |
| Nec Mergitur | At Cluny, the ghost station of line 10, which you can’t reach on foot (see Nec Mergitur) |
Upgrading a weapon
- Hold the weapon to upgrade and hold F in front of the Forge.
- The weapon goes into the machine for 4.2 seconds: meanwhile, you no longer have it.
- It comes back out and waits 15 seconds for you: hold F to take it back. Only the player who put it in can take it.
If you don’t take the weapon back within 15 seconds, it is lost, along with the 5,000 points. Stay next to the Forge during the process, and have a teammate cover you.
- Only one weapon at a time in the Forge, for the whole squad.
- The weapon comes out with a full magazine and reserve, and keeps its attachments.
- The knife and the Gatling can’t be upgraded (“Incompatible weapon”). Every other weapon, wonder weapons included, can go through the Forge.
Levels
| Pass | Price | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1st upgrade | 5,000 | The weapon gets a new name and becomes far more powerful |
| 2nd upgrade | 2,500 | Adds a random elemental ammo |
| 3rd upgrade | 2,500 | Changes the elemental ammo (always a different one from the current one) |
| Further upgrades | 2,500 | Rolls a new, different elemental ammo |
The first upgrade
- Multiplied damage: from ×2.2 (some shotguns) to ×4 (bolt-action rifles); ×2.8 for assault rifles, ×3 to ×3.2 for SMGs, ×3.5 for most pistols.
- Most often, a bigger magazine and reserve.
- Sometimes a new fire mode or special ammo: the M1911 becomes The Bombard, which fires miniature grenades that explode on impact.
- A new name: each weapon has its upgraded version (the MP40 becomes Will-o’-the-Wisp, the AK-47 Comrade Thunder, the Kar98k Carnage 98…). The names and effects of each upgraded weapon are on its page (see Weapons).
Further upgrades no longer change the weapon’s stats: they add and renew its elemental ammo.
Elemental ammo
From the 2nd upgrade, each bullet that hits has a small chance to trigger the weapon’s effect, with a short delay between two triggers. The effect also fires from a Drowned the bullet has just killed.
| Name | Description | Chance per bullet | Minimum delay | Duration | Radius |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blaze | Sets the target and nearby zombies on fire. | 15% | 2 s | 4 s | 2.5 m |
| Frost | Slows, then freezes zombies, which shatter. | 20% | 1.5 s | 3 s | 3 m |
| Tempest | Lightning jumps from zombie to zombie. | 12% | 2 s | 1.5 s | 6 m |
| Miasma | A toxic cloud eats away at the dead and turns them against their own. | 10% | 3 s | 6 s | 3.5 m |
- Blaze: the target and nearby Drowned catch fire and burn for a few seconds; the fire can spread.
- Frost: a first trigger slows nearby Drowned; a Drowned that is already slowed and gets hit again freezes, and a frozen Drowned takes 50% more damage until it shatters.
- Tempest: lightning jumps to 4 nearby Drowned and electrocutes them.
- Miasma: a toxic cloud eats away at the Drowned inside it; about one Drowned in three that walks in turns against its own for 5 seconds.
Explosive shots (launchers, The Bombard’s grenades…) don’t trigger elemental ammo. The Fisherman’s Luck gumball makes it trigger far more often for 3 rounds.
Frost and Tempest are the safest against a crowd (slowing, stunning); Blaze and Miasma make damage over time very strong in corridors. Don’t like your ammo? Another 2,500 upgrade changes it.
Upgraded wonder weapons
Wonder weapons can be upgraded too: the Disintegrator Mk I becomes Green Ray X2, the Storm Breath the Taranis Cannon, the Dahut’s Trident the Wrath of Ys and the St. Marcel’s Crozier the Crozier of the City. It is often the best investment of a match.
Transformed objects
The Forge also comes into play during the Ker-Ys Easter egg: it transforms a quest object for free. There is no time limit to take it back, and any player with empty hands can pick it up.
Which object?
The Silver Key stolen by Dahut, purified by the Forge, becomes the Key of Ys. The step is detailed in The Awakening of Ys.
Upgrading without the Forge
- Korrigan’s Forge: upgrades the weapon in your hands like a pass through the Forge, wherever you are.
- Blessed Crate: the next weapon taken from the Mystery Box comes out already upgraded.
- Sacred Chalk: the next weapon bought off the wall comes out already upgraded.
Tips
- First upgrade around round 12–15, on the weapon you will keep: an LMG, a good assault rifle or a wonder weapon.
- Reload at the Forge: another 2,500 upgrade refills the weapon, whereas ammo for an upgraded weapon costs 4,500 at the wall. Once you run dry, go back to the Forge rather than the wall.
- Upgrading a pistol has a hidden bonus: when you go down, you pull out your best pistol (upgraded ones first) instead of the basic M1911 (see Down, revive and death). The Bombard with Carapace (immune to explosions) is life insurance.
Checked against the game on November 7, 2026