Clay forming/en

Clay forming is a crafting method that allows the player to place tiny cubes (voxels) of clay in layers that form a shaped container, which is then fired in a pit kiln to finish the item. The forming mechanic is similar to knapping stone tools, where voxels must be added or removed to create the desired object.

Required Materials

To form clay items a player needs blue clay or fire clay, as well as dry grass, sticks, and firewood for a pit kiln.

Left, Blue Clay; Right, Fire Clay

Acquiring Clay

Clay deposits are commonly found in temperate climates and can be harvested with bare hands or a shovel. There are different types of clay in the world, blue clay and fire clay. For tool molds and items like bowls and pots, either kind of clay may be used, but the bloomery must be built with fire clay bricks.

Shaping Molds and Items

1. Select clay in the active hand.
2. Aim the white crosshairs on a solid surface and Sneak + Right Mouse Button to open the clay forming menu and select the item to be crafted.
3. The clay forming grid will appear on the selected surface. To craft the chosen mold or item, the 'green' colored voxels must be filled using (right mouse button to add) and clay removed from any 'orange' colored voxels using (left mouse button to remove) to create each layer of the form. As each layer of the clay item is completed, the next layer will appear above the last. It's helpful to sit on the ground (press 'G') while shaping clay.
4. When all layers of the item or mold are completed, the dialog box will disappear and the formed items will jump into the inventory of the player who placed or removed the last voxel of clay. Formed items can be placed on a surface before firing and picked up by "breaking" the item (left mouse button). Breaking will not destroy an item.

Clay Tool Modes

To change the number of clay voxels added or removed (1x1, 2x2 and 3x3), press F and select the 'brush size' as indicated by the first three menu options. The last tool menu option,'Copy' allows a player to duplicate identical layers of clay voxels. When this menu option is selected, pressing the right mouse button adds a "layer" of clay matching the pattern of voxels directly underneath the current layer "under construction".

Clay Oven

This specific item can only be formed with fire clay, and requires a hefty amount of it. It can be used without firing afterwards, and is necessary for making good bread and pie.

Finishing Items and Molds - Pit Kiln

Once the form is complete, the clay item must be baked in a pit kiln.
A pit kiln is a one deep hole dug into the earth or surrounded by non-flammable materials - make sure to not use any burnable materials in the vicinity, as the kiln will set fire to flammable material! Even tall grass and low hanging tree branches will go up in flames and might cause your local forest or house to be destroyed. After finding a secure spot, place your raw items into the hole. You can find a list of how many items can be fired at the same time below. Next, place dry grass, sticks and firewood above the items in that order - the game will stop you from adding more than necessary. It should take 10 grass, 8 sticks and 4 firewood.
Finally, ignite the kiln with a torch or fire starter. Make sure to keep a safe distance from it yourself, since you can accidentally set yourself on fire as well. The firing will take approximately 20 ingame hours, so it's a good idea to prep the pit kiln before the night to let it fire away through the darkness. The fire on top of the kiln will stop burning when it's done, leaving only the finished pottery items in the hole. Finished items appear dark brown and no longer have "raw" in front of their name.

Following a list of clay items and how many of them can be fired in one pit kiln:

Pottery Item	Amount
Bowl	4
Claypot	4
Crucible	4
Crock	4
Flowerpot	4
Planter	1
Shingle	48
Storage Vessel	1
Watering Can	1
Anvil Mold	1
Axe head Mold	1
Hammer head Mold	1
Hoe head Mold	1
Ingot Mold	2
Lamellae Mold	1
Pickaxe head Mold	1
Prospector's Pick Mold	1
Shovel head Mold	1
Sword blade Mold	1
Blue clay brick*	12
Fire clay brick**	12

* can only be made using blue clay ** can only be made using fire clay

Using Finished Pottery Items and Molds

Many of the items made with clay are containers used in other types of crafting. Most baked items can be placed on the ground, and many pottery items can be picked up again with an empty hand.

Using Items

The Claypot and Bowls are used in Food and cooking, while the watering can has a use in farming. Crocks and Storage Vessels are containers used in food preservation. Shingles can be used to construct clay shingles blocks, Flowerpots and Planters are containers used in decorating. Lamellae are used as components in crafting armor

Using Molds

For more information and instructions when using molds to cast metal ingots, tools and weapons, see separate pages on: crucible, molds and casting.

Clay Required to Create Items and Molds

Name	Item/Mold	Clay Required	Multiple?
Bowl	Item	1, 4	1 or 4
Cooking pot	Item	4, 16	1 or 4
Crucible	Item	2, 13	1 or 4
Crock	Item	2, 14	1 or 4
Flowerpot	Item	4, 23	1 or 4
Planter	Item	18	1
Shingles	Item	7	12
Storage Vessel	Item	35	1
Watering Can	Item	10	1
Anvil	Mold	28	1
Axe head	Mold	11	1
Hammer head	Mold	12	1
Hoe head	Mold	12	1
Ingot	Mold	2, 5	1 or 2
Lamellae	Mold	8	1
Pickaxe head	Mold	12	1
Prospector's Pick	Mold	13	1
Shovel head	Mold	11	1
Sword blade	Mold	12	1
Clay Oven*	Other	69	1

* Does not need to be fired to function

Video Tutorials

Explanation of clay firing v 1.15	Alternative Explanation of clay firing since 1.15

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