Crafting the best Act 1 equipment in Baldurs Gate 3 requires locating the ancient Adamantine Forge hidden deep within the Underdark and Grymforge. Unlike the AI-generated hallucination published by low-quality scraper sites—which falsely claims the forge is inside "Castle Neverwinter"—the actual forge sits in the magma-choked subterranean depths beneath the Grymforge ruins.
Reaching the forge, collecting rare ore and specific metal molds, and surviving the brutal mechanical boss encounter requires precise positioning and resource management. This walkthrough details the exact path, mold locations, strategy for defeating Grym, and which items provide the highest long-term value for your party.
Locating the Grymforge and Ancient Forge
Your journey begins by taking the Underdark Duergar boat from the Beach waypoint across the subterranean lake to the Grymforge dock. Once you arrive at the Grymforge proper, your primary objective is exploring the northern upper levels and clearing the blocked cave-in where Nere is trapped.
From the central Grymforge waypoint, head up the stairs to the west and move past the lingering Duergar interacting with the rubble. Walk along the upper ledge overlooking the central excavation pit. You'll encounter moving stone platforms operated by levers. Jump or ride these platforms across the lava chasm to reach the Adamantine Forge waypoint (X: -560, Y: 290).
Before dropping down into the lower forge chamber, clear out the magma mephits and animated armors guarding the descending stairs. Pack plenty of ranged attacks and thunder damage spells, as melee positioning near the lava edges can prove fatal if characters get shoved.
Finding Molds and Mithril Ore
The forge requires two components to craft an item: a specific Mold and a piece of Mithril Ore. Without both, the lava valve won't initiate the forging process.
Locating Mithril Veins
Only two veins of Mithril Ore exist in the entire Grymforge area, and both require bludgeoning damage to mine.
- Vein One: Located just past the floating moving platforms on your way down to the forge. Guarded by a pair of animated armors. Use a warhammer, mace, or spell like Shatter to crack the deposit.
- Vein Two: Located down a treacherous cliffside path to the west of the forge's upper ledge, patrolled by several magma elementals.
Securing the Best Molds
Six different molds are scattered across the upper and middle levels of the Grymforge ruins. You can only craft two items per playthrough because there are only two pieces of Mithril Ore. Prioritize finding the following molds:
- Scimitar Mold: Found near the upper slave quarters on a skeleton table. Generally considered low priority due to mediocre scaling.
- Longsword Mold: Located on the upper balcony near the trapped rothic area. A solid choice for martial classes early in the game.
- Shield Mold: Found right next to the Adamantine Forge waypoint on a skeleton ledge. Highly recommended for its immunity to critical hits.
- Scale Mail Armor Mold: Located on the skeleton stairs leading down toward the lava chamber. Excellent for medium-armor wearers due to reducing physical damage taken by 1.
- Splint Armor Mold: Found on a corpse near the middle-tier master's workstation. Provides superior heavy armor class protection and damage reduction.
Defeating Grym: The Boss Encounter
Activating the forge lowers the crucible platform and triggers Grym, a massive mechanical golem immune to almost all standard physical and elemental damage types. Beating him efficiently requires exploiting his unique thermal mechanics and crushing weight.
Position your party members on the outer high-ground ledges before pulling the lava valve. Keep at least one character near the lava valve wheel and another near the forge hammer switch in the center.
When lava floods the lower basin, Grym acquires the Superheated condition, which removes his absolute damage immunity and makes him vulnerable to Bludgeoning damage. Lure Grym directly into the center of the crucible so he stands right under the large piston hammer.
Shoot the central forge lever with a ranged attack or use a character stationed nearby to drop the hammer directly onto Grym. This deals massive chunk damage. Repeat this process while kiting him through the lava pools whenever the Superheated debuff wears off. Avoid standing in the lava streams, and keep healing potions ready for incidental heat damage.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Forgetting Blunt Weapons: Attempting to defeat Grym or mine Mithril Ore with slashing or piercing weapons results in zero damage output. Always bring a hammer, mace, or staff.
- Leaving Characters in the Basin: Positioning melee characters directly inside the lava basin during the boss fight usually results in party wipes from area-of-effect stomps and extreme heat damage.
- Wasting Mithril on Weapons: While the Adamantine weapons ignore resistance, the Medium Armor and Shield provide passive defensive buffs—specifically critical hit immunity and damage reduction—that remain useful well into Act 2 and Act 3.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Adamantine items should I craft first?
The Adamantine Splint Armor (or Scale Mail) and the Adamantine Shield provide the highest utility. Critical hit immunity on the shield and flat damage reduction on the armor protect your frontline characters from burst damage throughout subsequent acts.
Can I return to the Grymforge later in the game?
No. Once you progress past a certain narrative point in Act 1 and enter the Mountain Pass or Shadow-Cursed Lands, the Grymforge area becomes permanently inaccessible. Make sure you craft your items before leaving Act 1.
What damage type hurts Grym the most?
Grym is completely immune to standard damage types until he steps into lava. Once superheated, he takes normal damage from bludgeoning attacks (hammers and warhammers) and double damage from the central forge hammer piston trap.
How do I restart the forge if it gets stuck?
If the lava valve gets jammed or the crucible fails to rise, ensure no items or character bodies block the piston path. Interacting with the lava valve and the crucible control lever sequentially usually resets the mechanism.
