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In Path of Exile 2, finding a powerful two-handed weapon early or mid-game can completely reshape your build potential—especially for melee-focused characters like the Barbarian or Warrior archetypes. Among the most coveted of these early to POE2 Currency mid-tier mauls is the Forge Maul. With its inherently high base damage, moderate attack speed, and excellent synergy with melee nodes and physical-scaling gems, the Forge Maul is quickly becoming a staple for players pursuing high-impact slam or stun builds.

This guide covers everything you need to know about the Forge Maul: where to farm it, how to target it, how to upgrade or craft it, and which builds benefit the most from using it.

What Is the Forge Maul?

The Forge Maul is a two-handed mace in Path of Exile 2 known for its high base physical damage, above-average critical strike multiplier, and decent implicit mods that benefit raw strength scaling or physical attack builds. It often drops with an implicit that increases stun duration, armor penetration, or chance to ignite on hit—depending on the area or modifier tier.

While it is not considered an endgame-tier weapon like some uniques or tier 16 rares, the Forge Maul is extremely viable for:

Bleed and Slam builds

Earthquake or Seismic Slam skills

Smith of Kitava Ascendancy

Crafting base for physical melee crit builds

Where to Find the Forge Maul in Path of Exile 2

1. Drop Location – Mid-Act Zones

The Forge Maul begins dropping in Acts 3–5 of the campaign and appears more frequently in areas populated by:

Blacksmith-type enemies

Flame-forged constructs

Molten Golems

Fire or Earth-aligned zone bosses

Look for zones like:

The Molten Quarry (Act 3)

The Obsidian Bastion (Act 4)

The Black Forge (Act 5, boss has a high chance of dropping smithing-related weapons)

The Forge Maul is tagged as a "Smithing" or "Forged" weapon, which means it has a higher chance to drop from bosses or monsters in fire-themed zones, especially ones with infernal forge lore (like the Kitavan cult).

2. Merchant and NPC Vendors

You may also encounter a Forge Maul in the inventory of blacksmith vendors between Acts 4 and 6. While it’s not guaranteed, players who check vendors after completing certain quest milestones (such as clearing a Forge-type dungeon) have a moderate chance of seeing it in shop inventories—especially when you use a high-item-level character to refresh vendors.

3. Chests and Quest Reward Sources

Rare weapon chests at the end of side dungeons or Trials of the Ancients can include the Forge Maul. This is particularly true if:

You selected a melee or two-handed reward branch

The chest has a "Guaranteed Weapon" label

You completed the zone with a strength-based character

One such dungeon is the Cinder Reaches, where players often receive smithing-related loot.

How to Craft or Upgrade the Forge Maul

If you find a white (normal) or magic-quality Forge Maul, don’t discard it! It can be turned into a monster of a weapon with a few smart steps.

1. Use Tempered Runes

Path of Exile 2 introduces Tempered Runes, which can upgrade weapon quality while preserving socket links and item base types. Apply Tempered Rune of Force, Violence, or Precision to add:

Flat physical damage

Increased crit chance or multiplier

Melee attack speed

On-hit effects like bleeding or ignites

Tempered Runes are best used after imprinting the item with modifiers using the Forge Bench.

2. Imbue It with the Forge Bench

In Act 5, you’ll gain access to the Crafting Forge Bench. This allows you to:

Add prefixes like “+% Physical Damage” or “Chance to Intimidate on Hit”

Lock existing prefixes or suffixes

Re-roll with a higher tier (depending on your crafting material tier)

For the Forge Maul, prioritize:

Increased Physical Damage

Chance to deal Double Damage

Attack Speed

Stun Duration

3. Use Rare Essences or Fossils

Applying Essence of Rage, Wrath, or Contempt will often result in highly valuable physical modifiers.

Alternatively, socketing with fossils like:

Jagged Fossil (more physical mods)

Shuddering Fossil (increased attack speed)

Corroded Fossil (removes elemental mods, ensures physical focus)

...can turn a rare Forge Maul into a build-defining weapon.

Best Builds for Forge Maul

The Forge Maul is ideal for any character or class relying on heavy, slower, high-damage melee strikes. Some of the most popular synergies include:

1. Earthquake Slam Berserker

Uses Earthquake or Aftershock Slam

Scales extremely well with high base damage and crit

Leverages Forge Maul’s inherent synergy with ground slams

2. Smith of Kitava Critical Bleed Build

The Kitavan Smith ascendancy uses crafting mechanics mid-combat

This build focuses on adding bleed via physical damage

The Forge Maul serves as both a weapon and a sacrificial crafting base mid-fight

3. Stun-Lock Juggernaut

Focuses on perma-stun using high physical damage and stun duration mods

Forge Maul’s natural stun implicit boosts this build

Excellent for solo play and high-boss lockdown strategies

Forge Maul vs Other Two-Handed Weapons

Weapon Type Base DPS Attack Speed Best For

Forge Maul High Moderate Physical crit/slam/stun builds

Stonecrush Maul Moderate Slow Tanky control builds

Inferno Greathammer Low Fast Elemental ignite builds

Bonebreaker Axe Very High Very Slow Berserker one-shots

Forge Maul strikes a perfect balance between power and speed, making it more reliable than extreme slow-hitters and stronger than most common maces of its tier.

Final Tips for Getting the Forge Maul Faster

Increase your item quantity and rarity modifiers through gear or auras before farming.

Use a loot filter that highlights smithing or maul-related bases so you don’t miss it.

Target fire-aligned or kitava-aligned bosses, especially in side dungeons or optional quests.

Use trading when stuck: The Forge Maul is usually cheap in early leagues, making it a smart early pickup if you’re struggling to drop one.

With the right preparation and a bit of farming luck, the Forge Maul can carry your melee-focused character well into late-game mapping and boss fights in POE 2 Currency Whether you're crafting the perfect crit maul or unlocking the full potential of Kitava's forging might, this weapon is a true powerhouse for physical builds.