Forging
Blacksmith - FeudalEvolution
Forging
Feudal
Iron Casting
Castle
Blast Furnace
Imperial
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"+1 Attack for infantry & cavalry"
Coach's Tip
Forging provides +1 attack for all infantry and cavalry units. This is the first melee attack upgrade and should be researched early when going for melee units.
Strategic Analysis
Strategic Identity
Forging provides +1 attack for all infantry and cavalry units. This is the first melee attack upgrade and should be researched early when going for melee units.
When to Research
High Priority
Research Forging as soon as you have the resources and are using infantry units.
Combat Impact
+1 Attack for infantry & cavalry
Affected Units
This technology improves 19 units.
Civilization Access
* 53 civilizations have access to this technology.
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Other Technologies to Explore
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
Forging is the Feudal Age Blacksmith technology that gives Infantry, Cavalry and Hulk-line units +1 attack. It costs 150 food and takes 50 seconds to research. The official effect is deliberately narrow: it improves the units that deal their damage through contact, not Archers or other ranged classes outside the listed scope. Because the bonus is applied to every affected attack, it matters most when several melee units are already fighting or when a timing depends on reaching a damage breakpoint. It is the first melee attack upgrade in the progression, so the question is not whether the number is flashy; it is whether your next army will actually swing.
History & balance
Forging is the first step in the melee attack ladder and belongs to the Feudal Age Blacksmith rather than a unit production building. The upgrade data defines a clear audience—Militia-line, Spearman-line, Eagle Scouts and the listed Cavalry—and then continues the same attack path through later melee technologies. That makes it a foundation of the game's transition from early pressure to a scaled army: the first +1 arrives before the later Castle and Imperial investments. Its history is practical rather than cosmetic. Every civilization that intends to fight with bodies at close range must decide when the Blacksmith becomes more valuable than another building, farm or unit.
In pro play
Research Forging just before a real melee timing, not automatically because the Blacksmith exists. A Militia-line, Spearman-line, Eagle Scout or Cavalry mass converts the +1 attack into repeated value, while an Archer opening receives nothing from the listed effect. Use the 50-second window to keep producing; researching it after the army has already traded wastes the edge. The 150-food price is modest compared with a full army, but it still competes with villagers and production. Check the opponent before clicking: if the plan is ranged pressure or defense without melee contact, keep the food for the units that actually solve the match-up.
How to counter it
A technology has no counter unit, so do not search for one here. The classic mistake is researching Forging too late for the first melee wave, or researching it too early when the economy cannot keep units on the field. Its official effect is +1 attack for the listed Infantry, Cavalry and Hulk-line units; it does not add armor, speed or ranged damage. Choose it when the next fight will contain enough affected attackers to repay the 50-second research and 150 food, then keep the Blacksmith progression in step with production. If you keep missing the melee upgrade timing and do not know what to research or when, AoE Coach reads your match-up and gives you the composition and timing plan.