Warning! Spoilers within! Read with caution.

Those of you who have finished a first or even second playthrough of Dragon’s Dogma may be wondering what else there is to do in the vast and wild world of Gransys. You may fancy yourself quite boss and think you’ve left no stone unturned.

Well, depending on how obsessive thorough a person you are, that may in fact be the case. But as a modest suggestion, might I just throw out the idea of getting all your favorite equipment Dragon Forged?

Naw, I’m not talking about this down-to-earth man-about-town on the right, but rather the mystic practice of slaying dragons in order to upgrade your equipment to its maximum potential.

If you’ve gotten past the battle with the game’s antagonistic red dragon, then you’ve already seen one case of Dragon Forging. At the time of his epic and totally rad death, every piece you had equipped should have become “Dragon Forged.” Put simply, this means that your Ebon Neck Wrap, Bloodthirsty Beak, and Silk Lingerie are now the best damn Ebon Neck Wrap, Bloodthirstiest Beak, and Silkiest Lingerie around. You can’t Dragon Forge regular items (as opposed to “Equipment”), but I like to think that that “Unspeakable Meat” you picked up off the cave Ogre is just a little more unspeakable as well.

↑ A successful Dragon Forge. As an added bonus, taking on any dragon-like creature will yield you a massive XP and Gold reward.

Effectively, Dragon Forging pushes your equipment to a previously unforetold Level 4 upgrade. This exceeds the capability of the Gran Soren blacksmith, thus making Dragon Forging quite valuable.

Unfortunately, this also means it’s quite a rare phenomenon. The only way to Dragon Forge equipment is, naturally enough, to slay a dragon or dragon-like being. Included in this vague classification are the heart-munching red dragon of box art fame, the crusty but community-building Ur-Dragon, the profoundly uncharismatic Drakes, the ice-spewing Wyrms, and those irreverent bags of wind – the Wyvern.

↑ For a 100% chance at a successful Dragon Forge, merely slay this epic beast.

The process goes something like this: Pick a fight with one of the creatures listed above. If you’re on a second playthrough or beyond, you should be tough enough that no one of these guys poses too much of a daunting threat. The Dragon Forge effect occurs at the moment of the creature’s death, so you can actually equip anything you want for the bulk of the battle. Just make sure you equip the things you want Dragon Forged before delivering the final blow.

Upon killing the creature, each piece of equipment you have on will have a chance of becoming Dragon Forged, slim though that chance may be. It’s important to note that equipment that has already been upgraded by the blacksmith has a much higher chance of being Dragon Forged with each successive upgrade, and equipment that hasn’t been upgraded at all has virtually no chance. Your odds are as follows:

Note that the Ur-Dragon data above applies to cases where you fight him offline. If you manage to slay him online, your equipment has a 100% chance of being Dragon Forged, but please be aware that your chances of doing this are about as high as your chances of slaying an Ur-Dragon in real life. Meanwhile, your equipment always has a 100% chance of being Dragon Forged when you slay the red dragon, so that will be your main chance to do this.

One highly exploitative trick that I probably shouldn’t be talking about (but will anyway because it’s pretty cool) is that you can pick a fight with a lesser dragon (like a Drake), pummel it down to near-death, run away a bit until you’re able to save your game, then kill it for a chance to Dragon Forge. Whether you get the Forge or not, you can simply reload your save, kill the best again, and repeat indefinitely. This effectively allows you to “farm” for Dragon Forges. In true Capcom fashion, it pays to know the game’s systems inside and out.

↑ For an easier time, try taking on a Drake. But your chances for success won’t be as high.

There you have it. Let us hear your Dragon Forging success stories in the comments! What equipment has served you best after being D-Forged?

Also, as a shameless but well-warranted plug, much of this information and tons of other useful insider’s tips can be found in BradyGames’ excellent strategy guide, which you can pick up right here .

↑ Chicken Forging, meanwhile, is not a thing.