Unearth the secrets of Avowed’s rarest and most powerful resource-Starmetal. Scattered across the vast Living Lands in four perilous locations, these elusive fragments hold the key to forging legendary weapons that can turn the tide of battle. From the eerie Godless Altar in Dawnshore to the deadly crater in Galawain’s Tusks, embark on a quest that spans the entire game and culminates in crafting the Meteor Blade and Moonstrike, weapons imbued with frost and fury. Ready your steel and steel your nerves-only the bravest will wield the might of Starmetal.
Each time you interact with a blacksmith, they’ll tell you the only blacksmith who can craft a weapon using the material is in the Solace Keep in Galawain’s Tusks. However, Galawain’s Tusks is the last major zone, so you’ll need to hold on to your fragments for quite a bit.
Here’s how to start the “Forged of Star-Stuff” side quest in Avowed, where to find all of the starmetal fragments, where to find the starmetal blacksmith, and which weapon you should choose.
How to start ’Forged of Star-Stuff’ in Avowed
To start the “Forged of Star-Stuff” quest in Avowed, you need to find and pick up a Fragment of Starmetal. The first fragment can be found at the Godless Altar in the southeastern part of the Dawnshore region, where it rests on an altar guarded by enemies. Once you obtain this fragment, the quest will automatically trigger. Afterward, you can ask various blacksmiths about the starmetal, but none will be able to work with it until you reach Solace Keep in the Galawain’s Tusks region, the final major area of the game. There, you will meet Forgemaster Dela, who can forge the starmetal into powerful weapons, completing the quest.
To start the “Forged of Star-Stuff” side quest in Avowed, you’ll need to find and collect one of the starmetal fragments scattered around the Living Lands. The first starmetal fragment you can encounter is at the Godless Altar in the southeastern region of Dawnshore.
Below, we’ll detail where to find all starmetal fragments.
All starmetal fragment locations in Avowed
In Avowed, there are four key starmetal fragments players must find to complete the “Forged of Star-Stuff” side quest, each located in a different major region. The first fragment is at the Godless Altar in southeastern Dawnshore, guarded by Xaurips. The second can be found in a cave near the Damp Burrow in Emerald Stair, protected by a troll named Iscern. The third fragment lies within the Abandoned Mine north of Thirdborn in Shatterscarp, accessible through a hidden entrance and requiring some platforming. The final fragment is located in a crater in the Ash Forest area of Galawain’s Tusks, near the Destul bounty target. Players must collect all fragments and bring them to a special blacksmith in Solace Keep, the last major area, to forge powerful starmetal weapons.
There are four starmetal fragments hidden around the Living Lands, with one in each of the major zones.
Dawnshore starmetal location
The Dawnshore starmetal fragment can be found at the Godless Altar in the southeastern region of Dawnshore. Head southeast from the Emerald Stair Gatehouse Beacon to find a small altar guarded by Xaurips. Once you’ve defeated them, collect the starmetal fragment on the altar.
Emerald Stair starmetal location
The Emerald Stair starmetal fragment can be found in a cave just south of the Rolling Crags Party Camp. Head to the southern point of the smaller water source on the map to find the entrance of a cave. Head inside to find the starmetal fragment on the floor.
Shatterscarp starmetal location
The Shatterscarp starmetal fragment is a little trickier to find than the others. It’s located inside the Abandoned Mine, to the north of Thirdborn. It has its own hidden entrance.
First, travel to the Ancient Lakebed South Beacon and follow the path to the north, but focus your attention to the wall on your right to spot an opening to the Abandoned Mine. Climb up the terrain along the wall and head inside to enter the Abandoned Mine.
Once inside, head up the ramp to the second floor and climb the ladder on the wooden platform. Jump across to the opening ahead of you to find a destructible wall. Break the wall and follow the path to the top to find a path to the left and right.
Follow the path to the right and climb up the terrain to the elevated path. Continue along the path to find the starmetal fragment on the ground beside a tree.
Galawain’s Tusks starmetal location
The Galawain’s Tusks starmetal fragment can be found at the center of a crater in the Ash Forest, which is located in the northwestern region of Galawain’s Tusks.
Be wary as this area is the home to Destul, a powerful undead bounty target.
Starmetal blacksmith location in Avowed
The Starmetal blacksmith in Avowed, Forgemaster Dela, is located in Solace Keep, the main settlement of Galawain’s Tusks, which is the final major area in the game. To find him, enter Solace Keep and descend the stairs behind the statue in the center of the main hall. He is the only blacksmith capable of forging weapons from the rare Starmetal fragments you collect throughout the Living Lands, and you must reach this late-game location to use the fragments to craft powerful unique weapons like the Starmetal Sword or Arquebus.
The only blacksmith capable of using the starmetal fragments is Forgemaster Dela in Solace Keep, the main settlement of Galawain’s Tusks. To find him, enter the Solace Keep and go down the stairs behind the statue in the center of the room. Forgemaster Dela will be standing in the center of the room just in front of the anvil statue.
Before you give Dela the starmetal, you should interact with all of the blacksmiths in the major zones and ask them about the starmetal fragments. You may be able to swindle your companions out of some skeyt!
Should you choose the starmetal arquebus or sword?
When deciding between the starmetal arquebus and sword in Avowed, your choice should align with your playstyle. The starmetal arquebus, Moonstrike (and its upgrade Heavenstrike), excels for ranged builds, especially stealth archers or snipers, dealing high frost damage and crowd control with power attacks that freeze enemies. On the other hand, the starmetal sword, Meteor Blade (and its upgrade Ondra’s Offense), offers more versatility and is better suited for melee builds, providing strong physical damage, stun effects, and useful passive buffs. If you can collect all four starmetal fragments, it’s ideal to forge both weapons to maximize frost accumulation and combat effectiveness. However, if you must choose one, the sword tends to have a slight edge in versatility and overall utility, except for pure ranged builds where the arquebus shines.
There is a clear answer as to which weapon you should choose, and. it’s both! If you acquire all four starmetal fragments, you can get both the arquebus and sword, as well as their upgraded versions.
You don’t have to settle for one or the other, but, as they’re different weapons, they’re suited for different builds. Here’s what each weapon – along with their upgraded versions – offers in terms of stats and enchantments:
Moonstrike (arquebus)
Moonstrike stats
- 308 physical damage
- 280 stun
- 25 stamina cost
- 3% critical hit chance
Moonstrike enchantments
- Ondra’s Scorn: Power attacks deal moderate frost accumulation to nearby enemies
- Freezing Lash: Hits deal 10% bonus frost damage
Heavenstrike (upgragded arquebus)
Heavenstrike stats
- 431 physical damage
- 364 stun
- 25 stamina cost
- 3% critical hit chance
Heavenstrike enchantments
- Same enchantments as Moonstrike
Meteor Blade (sword)
Meteor Blade stats
- 120 physical damage
- 100 stun
- 11 stamina cost
- 3% critical hit chance
- 23 block efficiency
- 150 parry efficiency
Meteor Blade enchantments
- Lamenting Flurry: A full combo attack gives the hit enemy -20% damage for 15 seconds
- Freezing Lash: Hits deal 10% bonus frost damage
Ondra’s Offense (upgraded sword)
How do all the starmetal locations influence my weapon choices in Avowed
The four Starmetal locations in Avowed-Dawnshore, Emerald Stair, Shatterscarp, and Galawain’s Tusks-directly shape your weapon choices by providing the rare fragments needed to forge and upgrade two unique, powerful weapons: the Meteor Blade (a one-handed sword) and the Moonstrike (an arquebus). Since the forging can only be done late in the game at Solace Keep in Galawain’s Tusks, players must strategically decide whether to invest their limited Starmetal fragments into melee or ranged combat options based on their playstyle. The sword variants offer versatility and strong frost-based enchantments suitable for most builds, while the arquebus excels in ranged frost damage and crowd control but fits narrower stealth or sniper builds. Collecting all fragments allows upgrading these weapons to even more potent versions, enhancing their damage and frost effects, thus influencing your combat effectiveness and tactical approach throughout the game.
How do the different starmetal fragments affect the weapon upgrade options I get in Avowed
The different Starmetal fragments in Avowed determine your weapon upgrade options by allowing you to forge and enhance two unique weapons: the Meteor Blade (sword) and the Moonstrike (arquebus). Each fragment can be used either to create one of these weapons or to upgrade them to more powerful versions-Heavenstrike for the arquebus and Ondra’s Offense for the sword.
Upgrading a weapon with a second Starmetal fragment increases its base physical damage and stun stats but does not affect stamina cost, critical hit chance, or enchantments, which remain unchanged and do not reset during upgrades. This means that the core frost-based enchantments and abilities of these weapons stay consistent, while their raw damage potential improves.
Because Starmetal fragments are scarce-only four exist, one in each major region-you must strategically decide how to allocate them. You can forge both weapons if you collect all fragments, enabling a powerful combination of melee and ranged frost damage. However, it is advised not to upgrade these weapons with a second fragment until you obtain another Legendary-tier weapon to maximize resource efficiency.
Overall, the fragments influence whether you prioritize melee or ranged combat, and how much you invest in upgrading these unique weapons, shaping your build and combat style in Avowed.
