The Winter Forge basically includes two very different components :
- The "forge" abilities and installations
- The "enchantment" skill and quests
The forge allows every non-magical aspects of items creation and modification, which means you can not use it to changes magical bonuses, while you can change items appearance, names or materials.

On the other hand, the enchantment involves the inscription (and / or removal) of items magical bonuses.

The forge tools can be used via three different routes :
- Using the installations at camp or at Vigil's Keep in Awakening. This feature was left for retrocompatibility sake, but is now outdated. When using TWF in my games, I no longer use it ; the other - more recent - routes being far more user-friendly. At least to my tastes.
- Activating the Forgesmith's tools item added to your inventory, which gives you access to the TWF action bar. If that item is missing for some reason, you can grab a new one from the camp barrel.
- Using the forge skills automatically added to your main character.
When using the Forgesmith's tools, you can use the "Help ability" to grab info about other TWF related abilities or placeables. This ability can be found in your TWF actionbar.

Here is a short list of every routine available through the anvil :

• Create new items
• Modify existing items :
  - Includes item sets information
  - Don't include recolored materials
• Change items models
• Deconstruct items to retrieve material supplies
• Transfer properties from an item to another

Here is a short list of every routine available through the toolbox :

• Modify existing items
  - Includes recolored materials
  - Include item sets information
• Change items models
• Rename items
• Change shields heraldry devices
• Transfer or copy properties from an item to another
• Change icons for some items (rings, amulets and belts)
• Change Mage Staves projectiles
• Apply VFX to weapons and armors
• Override mode
  The Override mode is a cheat mode of sort allowing players to freely alter items magical properties. While the Winter Forge evolved a LOT since the time when only this mode was available (I made my teeth gnawing at this code) it's still seen as some kind of a TWF "signature move" and was preserved release after release. Note that players have to enable that mode in the configuration to have the Override mode available in the toolbox.

Enchantment may be a bit more complex.
First off, it's only available once your party reach the camp or the Vigil's Keep :
- Right after Ostagar in Origins
- After the prologue attack in Awakening

That craft skill is here to enable players to inscribe new magical bonuses on their items. The most important thing to understand about enchantment is that the skill is composed of three different steps :

• Essences and reagents gathering
• Finding scrolls
• Crystals creation
• Inscribe items with bonuses

Essences and reagents gathering :
That's the easiest part. You can retrieve essences from unwanted items by disenchantment, a process stripping an item from its magical bonuses and retrieving essences in exchange. You may also find essences at some stores across the game world. As for reagents, lifestones, frostrocks, etc, they are available as usual. You can find several guides about essences on this website.

Crystals creation :
Crystals are some intermediate products you have to create in enchantment. There are several kind of crystals, and each type requires you to learn a recipe before you can create any crystal of that type. (cf. below)
You can create crystals by simply following the recipe found in the game crafting interface. Use your Enchantment skill at near the Autel - at the Camp, or Vigil's - in order to invoke the interface.

Since I'm evoking the skill for the first time, let me give you some facts :

• There are four skills ranks, potent bonuses requiring higher ranks
• The main character will always get the first rank freely after the introduction quest (in Awakening, the 4 ranks are offered)
• It doesn't matter which character has the skill ranks as the skill checks are done party wide. However, in Awakening the skill checks are restricted to the current party ; followers left within the Throne room can not take part.
• You can respecialize and recover your enchantment skill points by using the barrel option, at camp / vigil's
• In Awakening, the Runecrafting skill will improve the bonuses added to items through Enchantment.

Inscribe items :
By mixing crystals and other reagents according to formulae found in the craft interface, players can finally use their enchantment skill to create imbued scrolls.
By using those scrolls like any other activable quickitem, players can finally inscribe items with new magical properties.

Find scrolls :
In Origins, scrolls can be found across the world via specific loot in some areas (e.g. the Circle Tower) and through some stores. In Awakening, the scrolls are automatically granted after the introduction quest ; since Awakening takes place after Origins, it is assumed the Wardens preserved the scrolls retrieved during the Blight and found any missing scroll. (although this difference with Origins isn't justified by this lore excuse, but because Awakening is too short for players to run after scrolls...)
Once you buy or loot a scroll, it's automatically learned and disappear in the process. You can then grab as many copies as you want from the "pile of scrolls" found at Camp / vigil's, however doing so is no longer required if you are using the (default) crafting interface.

If you're lucky you might even loot some imbued scrolls during your playthrough, giving you a free pass for one of the inscription...

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