Let's be real for a second: the Forge in Mortal Kombat 11 is a massive pain. You wander into the Krypt, see that glowing anvil near the Warrior Shrine, and think, "Hey, I can finally do something with all this junk." Then you realize the game doesn't actually tell you most of the recipes. It gives you two ingredients if you're lucky enough to find a recipe in a chest, but that third one? It's a total guessing game. If you guess wrong, you lose your rare materials and your currency. No refunds. It’s brutal.
I've spent way too much time in the Krypt, dodging those annoying spiders in the Kytinn Hive and getting jump-scared by ghosts, just to figure out what actually works. Most people just ignore the Forge because the UI is so clunky—you have to go all the way back to the main menu's Kollection tab just to see what you've unlocked. Who has time for that? Basically, if you aren't using a guide for MK11 krypt forge recipes, you are throwing your Koins, Souls, and Hearts into a bottomless pit.
The Recipe List That Actually Works
The Forge isn't just for making "consumables" you’ll forget to use in the Towers of Time. It’s how you get some of the coolest gear and even key items needed to finish the Krypt’s puzzles. Honestly, the most important recipe in the entire game is Shinnok’s Amulet. You literally cannot finish the Elder God puzzle in the Kytinn Hive without it.
Here is a breakdown of the recipes that actually matter, starting with the big one.
The Essential Key Items
Shinnok’s Amulet is the white whale of the Forge. To make it, you need the Ensorcelled Demon’s Heart, the Ensorcelled Eye of a Dragon, and the Ensorcelled Gem of Trapped Souls.
Don't go looking for these in random chests. You get the Heart by pulling down hanging bodies with Scorpion's spear. The Eye comes from killing spiders in the Hive. The Gem is the worst—it’s inside a soul container in the Dead Woods that used to cost 10,000 souls (though they eventually patched that down to 1,000). You’ll also need 60,000 Koins and 1,500 Souls just to hit "craft." It's expensive, but necessary.
Character Gear You’ll Actually Want
Sometimes the Forge gives you specific gear pieces that you can't just find in a random tower.
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- Scorpion (Kunai of Hisso): Combine Taven’s Sword, a Necromantic Runestone, and Netherrealm Magma. It’s classic Scorpion gear.
- Sub-Zero (Kuai Liang’s Frosty Arsenal): You’ll need a Cracked Lin Kuei Bombshell, Black Powder, and an Unbroken Fuse.
- Shao Kahn (Intimidator): This hammer is beastly. Use the Dragon King Heart, Netherrealm Magma, and Meteorite Dust.
- Noob Saibot (Shackle of Sin): Grab Drahmin’s Mask, some Stabilized Chaos, and an Obsidian Shard.
- Kitana (Winds of Destiny): Sindel’s Brush, Essence of Edenian Magic, and Serpent Scales.
Transmuting Currency: Turning Trash into Gold
If you’re low on a specific currency, you can actually "make" it at the Forge. It’s kinda like alchemy, but with more blood.
If you have a surplus of Gold Ore, you can craft Koins. Mixing two Gold Ores and one Copper Plating gives you 5,000 Koins. Is it worth it? Maybe if you're desperate, but Gold Ore isn't exactly common.
Need Souls? Two Lost Soul Essences and a Necromantic Runestone will net you 250 Souls. This is actually a decent trade if you’ve been grinding the Krypt and have extra Runestones lying around. For Hearts—the rarest currency—you can combine two vials of Coagulated Vampire Blood with one Element of Order to get 50 Hearts.
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The Best Konsumables for Grinding Towers
Let's talk about the items that actually help you win fights. If you're struggling with a Gauntlet tower or just want to cheese an AI fight, these are the MK11 krypt forge recipes you need to memorize.
Silver Dragon x10 is a life-saver. It summons a homing projectile that does solid damage. The recipe is Bottled Thunder, an Obsidian Shard, and Outworld Steel.
Another great one is Fists of Cold Steel. This makes your punches freeze the opponent, which is basically a cheat code for characters with fast jab strings. You craft this using Essence of Frost and Krypt Spider Silk. Simple.
If you want to summon help, you can make character-specific items:
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- Special Forces Com (Cassie Cage): Power Core + Circuitry Bundle + Copper Plating.
- Liu Kang’s Headband: Dragon Flame + Element of Order + Copper Plating.
- Lit Shades (Johnny Cage): Gold Ore + Circuitry Bundle + Krystalline Shard.
Where Do You Find These Ingredients?
You can't just buy this stuff. Most of it drops from chests in the Krypt, but there's a better way to farm the rare materials. Have you noticed the meteors that fall from the sky every few minutes in the Central Courtyard? Smash those. They drop "lava rocks" that contain Forge materials like Netherrealm Magma and Meteorite Dust.
Also, don't sleep on the Towers of Time. Many of the character-specific towers reward you with the exact "junk" items needed for their specific Forge gear. If you see something like "Disassembled Old Pistol" in your inventory, that’s not trash—that’s the base for Cassie Cage’s Shadow Ops pistol.
Avoiding the "Dud" Items
The Forge lets you put in any three items. If the combination doesn't exist, you get a "Dud." You still lose the Koins. You still lose the materials.
A common mistake is trying to craft with only two items. While some older guides claim you can, the Forge usually requires a full stack of three to produce the 10x bundles of consumables. Always double-check your ingredients before you pull the lever. The "recipe" you find in the Krypt often hides the third ingredient, but it's usually something common like Copper Plating, Outworld Steel, or Circuitry Bundles.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check your Kollection: Go to the main menu, hit Kustomize, then Kollection, and see which recipes you've already found. It might save you from hunting for ingredients you don't need.
- Farm the Meteors: Spend 10 minutes in the Courtyard just breaking the rocks that fall from the sky to stock up on Magma and Meteorite Dust.
- Prioritize Shinnok’s Amulet: If you haven't opened the gate in the Kytinn Hive yet, stop wasting your Souls on other items and save up for the 1,500 Soul crafting cost.