Identification
Identification is considered by some to be the heart of NetHack. Most items in the game start unidentified, and are described only by their appearance. There are many methods of identifying them.
Straightforward identification
None of these methods are based on the item's behavior, all are universal, and all result in identification by the game engine (don't require naming).
Initial knowledge
Items that you start with are automatically identified for you. This is particularly useful for wizards, which will have 2 spellbooks, 3 scrolls, 2 rings and 1 wand identified from the beginning. In addition, depending on your role you may have some knowledge in weapons and armors. Also, if you start with an oil lamp, the potion of oil will be identified for you.
Magical identification
Scroll of identify
When reading a scroll of identify, you will be allowed to ID one or more of your possessions depending on the scroll's beatitude. The odds are:
| Beatitude | 1 item | 2 items | 3 items | 4 items | everything |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blessed | 1/5* | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 |
| Uncursed | 21/25 | 1/25 | 1/25 | 1/25 | 1/25 |
| Cursed | always | never | never | never | never |
- *If your luck is positive, you will identify 2 items instead of one.
Spell of identify
Main article Spellbook of identify
Casting this divination spell has the same effect as reading a blessed scroll of identify, except that positive luck will not increase the number of identified items from 1 to 2.
Sitting on a throne
One of the possible throne effects is the same as that of reading a blessed scroll of identify.
Indirect identification
These methods require some knowledge (acquired from spoilers or experience), often lack universality, and don't always result in formal identification of an item as they sometimes give ambiguous information.
Price identification
Main article Price identification
Although the price a shopkeeper charges is based on your charisma and slightly randomized, it is still helpful to some extent. (However, this method is useless for gems, as shopkeepers charge the same amount for a piece of worthless glass as they would for a precious gem).
The simplest and most common application of price identification is identification of the scroll of identify (the cheapest of the scrolls).
Behavior identification
Identification by using
Rings, potions, scrolls, and especially armour can be ID-ed this way. Some items are identified instantly when you wear/quaff/put them on. Many potions do this, as well as some rings and armour (boots of speed, elven cloak etc.) Some require a little time before you notice (e.g. ring of slow digestion) Some are identified when some special thing occurs (rings of different resistances, amulet of reflection, amulet of magical breathing) You can also use enlightenment to identify intrinsic-providing items.
Always remember to take the utmost care when use-identifying things. Check its beatitude using a pet or altar. Check potions using a unihorn (although some players just quaff and heal themselves, since dipping a unihorn into an unID'ed potion that turns out to be polymorph will polymorph that unihorn into a random tool). Don't read unidentified scrolls when confused or when wearing a precious piece of armour.
Things that can be easily identified this way are:
- Cloaks - All the magical cloaks except cloak of magic resistance and (for invisible characters) cloak of invisibility auto-ID when you wear them. In this way, a non-invisible character can identify all cloaks unambiguously via wearing.
- Boots - Fumble boots and levitation boots are mostly generated cursed. Elven boots (for characters without stealth) and speed boots auto-ID on wearing. Jumping boots are trivial to identify. If nothing happens when you wear the uncursed pair and you can't jump, you have either kicking boots or water walking boots, or (if you have stealth) elven boots. You can sometimes discern between them if you are a spellcaster, as kicking boots hinder your spellcasting abilities.
- Whistles - Blowing the whistle unambiguously identifies it. If you blow a magic whistle and you have a pet on the level, the game engine will also identify it.
Wand engrave identification
Main article: Wand#Engrave-identification
In order to do the identification engrave something in the dust and then try to engrave something else with the wand on the same square. Nine wands can be unambigously identified. The rest will give ambiguous results.
Dropping a ring into the sink
Main article: Ring#Identifying_rings_using_sinks This technique is useful when you have multiple rings of the same time or when you are desperately looking for a ring of slow digestion.
Death-drop identification
Some monsters are more likely to possess certain items. E.g. nymphs are often generated with a potion of object detection, and elves with an elven cloak and elven boots.
Artifact naming trick
Main article: Artifact naming trick
If you have an item, and there is an artifact that is the same item type as that item, you cannot #name the item (answer 'y' at the prompt) with the name of the artifact (unless it is a #name-created artifact such as Sting) -- your hand will slip. This can be used to identify certain items. Most notably, a Helm of Brilliance cannot be named "The Mitre of Holiness", and a luckstone cannot be named "The Heart of Ahriman". If you try naming an unidentified helm or gray stone accordingly, and your hand slips, you know what you have -- otherwise you know one thing you don't have.
