How to get a forge/workbench

[Trashcan]

I just started playing this game today, I have no clue how to do much of anything, how do I get a forge to make a refined knife. any other basic tips would be helpful too, thanks!

[Dr. S.]

You have to find them. There’s at least one workbench in (almost) every main region, but forges are more rare. 
 

Unless you are playing on interloper difficulty, you don’t really need to find a forge; you should be able to find enough weapons and tools lying around if you look. 

[Serenity]

There are only three forges in the game. But below Interloper the only thing you really need a forge for is a lot of arrowheads. Even then you can find some arrows and arrowheads here and there. But hatchets and knives are plentiful and they are lighter than the improvised version. So for now you're better off just looting houses.

Workbenches can usually be found in major locations. It's a metal table with a vise on it and a single drawer. In some regions they are rarer, which can play a role in picking a base.

Edited December 21, 2020 by Serenity

[UpUpAway95]

In any difficulty except Interloper (or Custom where Baseline Resources is set to Low), knives will be found as relatively common loot.  The "Improvised Knife" is the only knife that can be manufactured at a forge and it is heavier and somewhat inferior to the knives you find as loot (so you probably won't want to waste your scrap metal and time forging them if you're not playing an Interloper-level run).  Knives and other tools seem to more commonly spawn as loose items next to human corpses than they do inside containers (although they can spawn there too).

There are innumerable regular workbenches in the game world.  Major shelters in the easier zones generally have one in them.  There are only 4 zones I can think of that do not have at least one regular workbench within them.  Two of these are transition zones between two major areas.  Conversely, there are only 3 forges and only 1 mill and these are situated in the zones rated at higher difficulty.

Edited December 21, 2020 by UpUpAway95

[Glflegolas]

There's only one major region that doesn't have a workbench, and that's Hushed River Valley. You likely won't need a workbench in the early game though (if you're not playing Interloper), it's mostly used to craft clothing from cured hides and guts, along with snares. If you need snares early on, you can find them in a few regions, namely Hushed River Valley and Ash Canyon.