How do you start Forge It Anew?

Two ways. Walk into any of the three shard caves and inspect the mural, which reveals all three locations. Or follow the story route: Night Terrors at Svartrau Cathedral leads to A Monk and a Saint, which takes you into St. Mihai's crypt; beating him gives you the Broken Sword of St. Mihai and his journal, which names the Uriash blacksmith and the shards.

How many time segments does Forge It Anew cost?

Three per shard, so nine for the three caves, charged when you claim each shard. The optional final trial at the blacksmith's costs three more. That is twelve segments for the legendary version.

Where is the Uriash blacksmith?

North-west of Briar Sloughs, alone in the hinterlands. She needs the three shards and the Broken Sword — the shards on their own are not enough — and forges the Restored Sword of St. Mihai, an epic-tier weapon.

How do you get the Imbued Sword of St. Mihai?

After the restored sword, go up the slope north-west of the blacksmith, cut through the red vines, and inspect the altar in the innermost chamber of the cave. Performing the ritual costs three segments and starts a long multi-wave fight against undead. Winning gives you the legendary Imbued Sword and the Arbiter's Blade achievement.

Can you do the shards in any order?

Yes. Each cave has the same map mural, and every guide confirms the order does not matter.

Quest walkthrough

Forge It Anew: all three sword shards

Three caves, one blacksmith, and an optional trial that turns a good sword into what every guide calls one of the best in the game. One of the three shards is not where its cave says it is.

segments for all three shardsThree each, charged on pickup.

for the legendary trialOptional. Twelve in total.

13.8%

have Arbiter’s BladeSteam global rate, first week.

If the blacksmith’s dialogue loops and will not let you go, that is a bug Rebel Wolves has acknowledged. Their workaround is to collect the shards first and come back; the known issues page tracks it with the other quest bugs.

Where the quest comes from

Howling in the courtyard of Svartrau Cathedral starts Night Terrors, which ends at a well with a crypt beneath St. Mihai’s. That opens A Monk and a Saint. St. Mihai’s crypt is the one at the front of the courtyard between the tree and the cross-headstoned crypt; underground you learn he was a Dawnwalker too, and you have to beat him. He tells you the sword is in pieces and that the Augurs can help, and you get the Broken Sword. Loot his cell with Focus Mode before leaving — his journal is what points you to Maragir and to the blacksmith. Scaling the Maragir Wealds tower at night puts the first question mark on your map.

The three shards

Three segments each, and Method calls the finished blade arguably the best sword in the game — against the rest of the legendary gear, it is the longest project and the biggest payoff.

1. Do Not Disturb3 segments

Where: North of the Maragir Wealds marker — a slanted rock formation, then a kobold nest.

Investigate the abandoned camp in northern Maragir with Focus Mode. You find Florin's Orders and a hand symbol on the rock beside it; a trail leads to a small cave. Clear the kobolds (jumping down by the overturned stone cross spawns a pack) and take the shard from the nest by the altar. The mural inside marks all three shard locations on your map.

The easiest of the three, and the one most guides suggest doing first. Every source agrees you can do the three in any order.

2. Hostile Takeover3 segments

Where: A cave in the Rockfalls — sources describe it as "north of Rockfall" (TheGamer), "south-west of Boar's Back, past the Giant's Pawns shrine" (GameSpot), and "just west of Svartrau City at Shrike's Crag" (RPS). Same cave, three ways of giving directions.

The nest's resident is Munch-Munch, a Wrongs-variant miniboss whose claw swipes and breath inflict poison. Block and dodge rather than trade hits; GameSpot notes it is susceptible to Dirty Trick. The shard is in the nest once it is dead, and TheGamer advises not attempting this one under-levelled.

The hardest fight of the three by every account.

3. Executive Order3 segments

Where: A cave east of Tantari Woods — north-east of Birch Woodlet Shrine, south-east of the old inn from Echoes of Silenced Bells.

The shard is not here. Xanthe's soldiers have already cleared the cave; loot the bodies and read the Soldier's Letter, which sends you to their camp due south-west of Tantari. The shard is in the main tent in the middle of that camp. Scout it first from the fabric-strewn branch on the hillside. Then either fight everyone (RPS), or — GameSpot's route — attack one soldier on the northern edge to lure the guards up the slope, let the wild boars there join in, circle round through the swamp to drop aggro, and take the shard from the tent while the camp is empty.

The soldiers drop good gear, including what RPS calls one of the best early weapons, so the fight has a reward beyond the shard.

The blacksmith, and the trial

The Uriash blacksmith lives alone north-west of Briar Sloughs. Hand her the three shards and the Broken Sword and she forges the Restored Sword of St. Mihai, epic tier. She then tells you it can be improved: go up the slope to the north-west, cut through the red vines with your sword, and follow the cave past the dryad-like undead to the altar in the innermost chamber.

The ritual costs three segments and starts what GameSpot calls one of the most arduous encounters in the game — multiple waves of undead variants. Winning gives you the Imbued Sword of St. Mihai: Swordmastery cooldown, weapon crit chance and damage, bonus damage against supernatural enemies, and a wide-area weapon art that PowerPyx notes changes with the time of day. It also unlocks Arbiter’s Blade.

The blacksmith, the shards and the finished sword

How do you start Forge It Anew?: Two ways. Walk into any of the three shard caves and inspect the mural, which reveals all three locations. Or follow the story route: Night Terrors at Svartrau Cathedral leads to A Monk and a Saint, which takes you into St. Mihai's crypt; beating him gives you the Broken Sword of St. Mihai and his journal, which names the Uriash blacksmith and the shards.
How many time segments does Forge It Anew cost?: Three per shard, so nine for the three caves, charged when you claim each shard. The optional final trial at the blacksmith's costs three more. That is twelve segments for the legendary version.
Where is the Uriash blacksmith?: North-west of Briar Sloughs, alone in the hinterlands. She needs the three shards and the Broken Sword — the shards on their own are not enough — and forges the Restored Sword of St. Mihai, an epic-tier weapon.
How do you get the Imbued Sword of St. Mihai?: After the restored sword, go up the slope north-west of the blacksmith, cut through the red vines, and inspect the altar in the innermost chamber of the cave. Performing the ritual costs three segments and starts a long multi-wave fight against undead. Winning gives you the legendary Imbued Sword and the Arbiter's Blade achievement.
Can you do the shards in any order?: Yes. Each cave has the same map mural, and every guide confirms the order does not matter.

Keep going

All quest time costs

The three sub-quests as rows, alongside everything else.

The time planner

Twelve segments is a real decision — see what else it buys.

Achievements

Arbiter's Blade and Arbiter's Regalia, with real unlock rates.

A Bulwark Against Darkness

The matching Arbiter armour set, from the same blacksmith.