Forge assistance and auto-equip

I am ashamed to admit, with many characters being level 90-99, I haven’t really utilized the forge. For now, I am just forging so each has a star beside it. I am also not selling equipment, just so I have at least 1 of each.

In my game now, it seems forgetting +3, is the new norm for me. Currently my next task is to forge the hammer. I think I have all the characters. I love exploring, especially trying to find hidden items and tockles. My current playtime is 347 hours. Yet despite this play, I am not sure what type of gear each character is best suited for. Right now everyone is auto-equip to offensive. I am sure magical equipment would be great for a few characters, but it seems I just select offensive. It seems every gorge, there are some attributes that are an upgrade, depending on the auto-equip.

Tips? Forging feels a bit useless. I am just wondering if I am not using the forge and equipment in the best way possible.