Complete Guide to Equipment Forging & Refining

Refinement is a Forge system that adds or develops secondary stats on equipment. These extra stat lines are often called affixes, sub-stats, or refinement stats.

The main item level is not the only thing that matters. Two players can wear equipment of a similar level and rarity, yet one can perform much better because their refinement lines fit their class while the other player has random or incompatible stats.

For example, an offensive Priest can benefit from a combination such as Attack, Critical Hit, Penetration, and Accuracy. A piece with these four lines has a clear offensive purpose. By contrast, a piece containing unrelated stats may increase displayed power but offer less value in real combat.

Refinement is therefore a build system. It rewards players who decide what they want before using stones.

Every refinement attempt involves RNG: random number generation. The game chooses the result from its available pool of stats and values.

That means a refinement can produce: a stat you want, a stat that is useful but not ideal, a stat that does not suit your current class, a better version of an existing result, or a lower and less useful result than what you had before.

This is why players receive refinement stones regularly. The system is designed around repeated attempts, not one perfect click.

Do not look at refinement as a staircase where every tap moves upward. Think of it as a random search. The winning strategy is to define your targets and stop when the item becomes strong enough. Four relevant stats at decent values are usually much better than one perfect line surrounded by useless junk.

Equipment can hold multiple refinement stat lines. The number of available lines and the refinement progression depend on the item's tier and the options displayed in the Forge interface.

From current player observations, the refinement layout changes as equipment progresses: early and mid-level items can display up to four refinement stats; at some higher equipment thresholds, a new item tier can begin with fewer available lines (such as two) before further progression unlocks more potential; and at advanced endgame levels, high-level gear can reach approximately six refinement stats.

Do not assume every item has the same number of stat slots just because an older item did. Always open the Forge panel and inspect the actual item.

Before investing any stone, check: the item's level, its current refinement level, active lines, remaining potential lines, current stats, and whether this item is a long-term part of your build.

More lines create more potential power, but also create more RNG variance. Quantity is valuable only when the lines work together.

Normal Refinement is the standard refinement process. It uses regular refinement stones and is the system players will use most often while building their equipment.

NORMAL REFINEMENT TIME: APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES. The short timer makes Normal Refinement appropriate for gradual, frequent progress. Start a refinement, continue your daily activities, then return after roughly ten minutes to check the result.

Normal Refinement is best used for: establishing the first useful stat lines on an item, improving current equipment during normal progression, building toward your class target stats, making regular use of stones earned from everyday gameplay, and testing which stats appear on a piece.

Normal stones are common compared with superior materials, but they are not unlimited. Do not waste dozens of them on every piece you loot. Use them on equipment that has a reasonable chance of staying in your build.

Start with Normal Refinement and aim for a functional stat package first. If the item gains several stats that support your class, stop and use it. You can return later when you have more stones and a clearer reason to improve it.

Superior Refinement is the advanced version of the system. It uses rarer superior refinement stones and is intended for more valuable equipment progression.

SUPERIOR REFINEMENT TIME: UP TO APPROXIMATELY 7H30 AT ADVANCED LEVELS (confirmed in the latest version of WHOA, visible on in-game screenshots, scaling up from shorter cycles to 7h30 for high-tier level 70+ gear approaching rank 9).

This is not a small difference: Normal Refinement takes about 10 minutes, while Superior Refinement requires up to 7h30 at advanced levels.

A Superior Refinement should never be started casually. It is a long-term commitment that consumes a rare material and occupies an extended incubation window.

The best moments to launch a Superior Refinement are: before sleeping, before work or school, before a long offline period, when you are certain you will keep the item long-term, and when you do not need to replace it immediately.

Do not start a 7h30 Superior Refinement just before a major equipment transition. If you expect to loot a replacement piece soon, wait. The piece must be valuable enough to justify both the rare stone and the 7h30 incubation timer.

Superior Refinement is not 'Normal Refinement but better.' It is an endgame commitment reserved strictly for core equipment.