Score

Score is calculated all throughout the game, and if you have the showscore setting in your rcfile, you can see it on the bottom line at all times. Score also decides if the game considers your character a beginner and gives a "strange feeling" message when use-testing things.

Low-score ascensions are generally more prestigeous because you got the job done with less effort.

How score is calculated

The following things contribute to your score:

• Killing a monster — worth 4 times the monster's experience in points
• Identifying a wand by engraving or zapping — 10 points:

• Non-directional wands always give score.
• Ray-type wands give score if zapped in any direction except yourself, or if engraved with.
• Beam/immediate-type wands give score if zapped up or down, but not in other directions or at a monster engulfing you.
• Breaking wands never gives score.

• Identifying a potion by quaffing — 10 points

• Lighting a potion of oil identifies it without giving points.

• Identifying a scroll by reading — 10 points
• Oiling or greasing a squeaky board trap — 9 points
• Eating a tripe ration when not a carnivorous non-humanoid — 4 points
• Quaffing from a sink and getting the message "Yuk, this water tastes awful" — 4 points

The first oracle of each type:

• Minor (if not yet major): 21 points.
• Minor (if already major): 9 points.
• Major (if not yet minor): 210 + (21 * XL) points.
• Major (if already minor): 90 + (9 * XL) points.

At the end of the game (via death, ascension or escape):

• 1 point for each zorkmid more than starting gold ( * 90% if game ended in death).
• 50 * (DL-1) points where DL is the deepest level reached.
• 1000 points for each dungeon level reached beyond 20, to a maximum of 10000 points.

The score so far is doubled if you ascended. Then, if you escaped the dungeon or ascended, you receive points for items in inventory:

• Value of amulets and valuable gems
• Value of artifacts * 2.5, including invocation items.

And finally points for adjacent pets equivalent to their total current hit points.

The lowest possible score one can achieve when ascending is 24400, although this depends on the Sanctum's depth (see below for details).

How to maximize score

Certain things are worth more than others when completing the game. When the player ascends, his base score is doubled. Because gold is part of this base score, each gold piece is essentially worth two points. Gold has a weight of one unit per 100 pieces. This means that 100 gold, or 200 points weighs one unit, which is the same weight as the least valuable gem.

Each amulet weighs twenty units and, except for the cheap plastic imitation of the Amulet of Yendor, is worth 150 zorkmids. This makes each amulet worth far less than its weight in gold; however, some of the amulets (such as life saving) would be worth carrying even if they contributed nothing to your final score.

Artifacts weigh more than one unit, so depending on their value, they may or may not be worth more than an equivalent weight in gold. The following chart lists the value of each artifact, its weight, and its value/weight. If the value/weight column is not at least 200, the artifact is worth less than its weight in gold, and, for score purposes, you would be better off carrying gold than that artifact into the End Game.

Artifact	Points	Weight	Points/weight
The Platinum Yendorian Express Card	17500	1	17500
The Master Key of Thievery	8750	3	2917
The Eyes of the Overworld	6250	3	2083
The Bell of Opening	12500	10*	1250
The Book of the Dead	25000	20*	1250
The Candelabrum of Invocation	12500	10*	1250
Magicbane	8750	10	875
The Heart of Ahriman	6250	10	625
The Eye of the Aethiopica	10000	20	500
Grayswandir	20000	40	500
Stormbringer	20000	40	500
The Longbow of Diana	10000	30	333
The Staff of Aesculapius	12500	40	312
The Magic Mirror of Merlin	3750	13	288
Excalibur	10000	40	250
Vorpal Blade	10000	40	250
The Sceptre of Might	6250	30	208
Mjollnir	10000	50	200
Sting	2000	10	200
The Tsurugi of Muramasa	11250	60	187
Fire Brand	7500	40	187
Frost Brand	7500	40	187
Demonbane	6250	40	156
The Mitre of Holiness	5000	50	100
Sunsword	3750	40	93
Werebane	3750	40	93
Grimtooth	750	10	75
Snickersnee	3000	40	75
Orcrist	5000	70	71
The Orb of Fate	8750	150	58
The Orb of Detection	6250	150	42
Cleaver	3750	120	31
Dragonbane	1250	70	17
Giantslayer	500	40	12
Ogresmasher	500	50	10
Trollsbane	500	120	4

* The Invocation items cannot be held in a bag of holding, so if you have one, they're relatively heavier than items in the bag; however, they are still more worthwhile than gold for carrying into the endgame.

Each gem weighs one unit, so every gem is at least as valuable as its weight in gold; some many times over.

Gem	Value	Color
dilithium crystal	4500	white
diamond	4000	white
ruby	3500	red
jacinth	3250	orange
sapphire	3000	blue
black opal	2500	black
emerald	2500	green
turquoise	2000	green, blue
aquamarine	1500	green, blue
citrine	1500	yellow
amber	1000	yellowish brown
topaz	900	yellowish brown
jet	850	black
opal	800	white
chrysoberyl	700	yellow
garnet	700	red
amethyst	600	violet
jasper	500	red
fluorite	400	green, blue, white, violet
jade	300	green
obsidian	200	black
agate	200	orange

How to minimize score

• Play as a pacifist. Good choices are gnomish healers and elven wizards, because of their starting inventories.

• Leveling up: Quaff a potion of gain level to reach XL 2, at which point it is safe to dally with a foocubus. You will have to formally identify this potion, or see a monster using a non-cursed one, to avoid getting "bonus" score. If you can get one, a wraith corpse is also a viable method of getting to XL 2. Make sure you have an identified, blessed potion of full healing in case you get level drained by a foocubus.
  • Do not consult the Oracle to level up.
  • Do NOT #untrap any squeaky board traps, eat tripe rations, or quaff from sinks to regain a single experience points, as this gives score. Kicking, and digging on sinks is ok.

• Formally identify wands, scrolls, potions before use.
  • Ideally, obtain a spellbook of identify from a wish, prayer, magic marker, polypiling, starting inventory, or random loot. (47% of all dungeons have one in the Mines or above Medusa. Break the Oracle statues with a pick-axe or a wand of striking.)
  • Finding and identifying a wand of polymorph is the bottleneck if you don't get a spellbook of identify. Temple priests often have the books to polypile. See below.
  • Get a robe from a priest to cast identify reliably. Magic resistance should come from other sources. Wizards can use their starting cloak.
  • Your backup is the the scroll of identify. Price-ID to it, then formally identify it on a throne, e. g. after nudging your quest leader off hers. Read one on holy water. Finally, find and bless as many as possible to mass-identify wands, scrolls, potions before use.

• Wands: You have to rule out the non-directional wands (light, secret door, enlightenment, create monster, wishing) before there are ways to test them without bonus score. Don't engrave until you have additionally identified fire, lightning, and digging.
  • Early intrinsic speed is a valuable trait, and the wand does not give points on formal identification.
  • $500 wands need formal identification.
  • $200 wands: Polymorph is the prize. After monsters identify the wand of create monster for you, you can engrave with these. You can formally identify a wand of polymorph by zapping at yourself (preferably with polymorph control), or at an engulfing monster while you are engulfed. Alternatively, give it to a wand-using monster of difficulty <5; it will eventually use-identify it for you. Unlike polymorph traps, you do not risk out-of-depth monsters.
  • $175 wands: If you spend a long time with no source of identification, but have reflection, you may want to let monsters zap $175 wands at you; hopefully this will give access to a source of permanent engraving. Zapping yourself ignores reflection, and is less preferable until you have all the necessary resistances.
  • $150 wands are not usually worth sorting through because the wand of enlightenment will auto-identify on engraving, and monsters will neither use it nor be generated carrying it. Nevertheless, having monsters formally identify wands of striking and digging for you is a bonus. Shopkeepers will often have striking and magic missile on their person, which do not give points on self-zapping. But use price-ID in another shop to exclude death and attack wands you cannot yet survive.

• Potions: Do not #dip into potions without price-ID -- this may formally identify the potion of polymorph inadvertently.

• $50: If you (and all monsters around you) are not invisible, it is possible to safely quaff $50 potions after you rule out the potion of sickness by #dipping a dart, arrow or unicorn horn into it. You can either bless and quaff one of each of the others, or use a delicatessen to determine which potion is see invisible. This is arguably a better way of obtaining this intrinsic than fountain quaffing or waiting until you are deep enough for stalkers to be generated.
• $100: Once you have identified healing and extra healing by monster use, starting as a healer, etc., you may want to dilute any further $100 potions. These tend to be junk. However, the $100 restore ability does not formally identify and can be quaffed once you can tell which it is by process of elimination. This can be useful e.g. before you find a unicorn horn.

• Before offering the Amulet of Yendor, drop all gold, valuable gems, amulets and artifacts. When you do offer it, make sure any pets are not next to you.

The minimum possible score for an ascension is dependent on the depth of Moloch's Sanctum in the game:

Sanctum Depth	Minimum Score
45	24400
46	24500
47	24600
48	24700
49	24800
50	24900
51	25000
52	25100
53	25200