Forum:Do random dungeon artifacts identify on pickup?

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New player, having a lot of fun.

Seems like an easy question, I haven't found it on wiki or guides yet. Just did Fort Ludios for the first time.

It occurred to me to wonder, eying the massive number of dropped weapons... If the rng gods of the game were to (unlikely as it no doubt is) assign an artifact amid the random drops, will I know when I pick it up? That I've picked up xyz and not just a long sword or axe or so forth.

Or do I have to (it seems wildly laborious) grind all that equipment to an altar, with a multitude of trips back and forth, and wield/wear things one at a time after determining B/U/C state, before interesting bits will identify?

Thanks for any tips / advice therein.

-evoke

You will recognize artifacts when you see them. See them in this case meaning you stand in the same square and can see.

It's extremely unlikely. The initial inventory weapons for soldiers (and indeed for most monsters) are not eligible to be randomly made artifacts.

The most likely circumstances in which you'll stumble across unplaced artifacts are bones of previous adventurers and large weapon shops. They do turn up occasionally, though.

-- Marcmagus 08:25, 12 November 2008 (UTC)

Artifacts are generated named. When you loot the corpse of that gnome who picked up that random silver sabre off of the mine floor and somehow nearly killed you, you will see that it is "a silver sabre named Grayswandir". Unfortunately, you'll be playing a priest when it happens, so that isn't such a great find. :( --Hurkyl (talk) 17:12, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

Some classes start the game with knowledge of many base types of weapons. This makes the difference between "a runed broadsword named Orcrist" and "an elven broadsword named Orcrist". But it always has a name. --Tjr (talk) 13:11, 27 April 2013 (UTC)