With the advancement in technology, there is a growing need to develop new material systems that can withstand extreme environments. In the space, energy, and defense sectors, there is a need to develop new material systems that can withstand high temperatures and other environmental conditions like thermal cycling, ablation, and corrosion. Refractory metals and their carbides are of great interest for these applications due to their excellent high-temperature properties with melting points above 2500 °C. Additionally, these metals also have low thermal expansion coefficients, minimal chemical reactivity, and good thermal shock resistance, making them ideal candidates for use in extreme environments. The first chapter is a review article that discusses the present processing routes used for refractory metals and their carbides. It also highlights the major challenges related to the processing of the refractory material systems including the need for very high processing temperatures, microcracking, formation of brittle oxide phases, etc. It also mentions some novel approaches that can be used for the processing of refractory material systems like the use of in-situ reactions, laser beam shaping and ultrasonic vibrations and the challenges and scope of research for using these techniques. The second chapter demonstrates the use of Direct Energy Deposition (DED) to create a functionally gradient refractory coating (W-WC-Nb system) by varying the composition through the substrate dilution effect. By diffusing titanium from the substrate to the coating’s upper layers, a crack-free microstructure was formed. The microhardness testing showed higher hardness values in layers further from the substrate and a tough core closer to the substrate. Due to the substrate dilution effect the coating formed is potentially better bonded to the substrate thus reducing the spallation risks of the coating developed. Additionally, we explored an in-situ carbide formation strategy, creating TiC, NbC and W2C phases that could improve the high-temperature properties without the processing difficulties associated with these high-melting carbides. These novel strategies could lead to the development new material systems with tailored properties and improved processibility of refractory material.