Staircase

A staircase or stairway is represented by either a < or > character, depending on whether the stairs go up or down. A staircase will take you to another dungeon level above or below you. There are also other means of connecting levels: ladders and portals. While ladders mean no difference in use, portals are a magical connection and may be unusable.

Usually there are two staircases per level: one upstairs and one downstairs. Each staircase is accessible in both directions, except the one leading from the Valley of the Dead to the Castle level: there's no downstairs on the castle level, so do not accidentally block all the trapdoors!

On branching levels, there are additional staircases. These are the entrance level to the Gnomish Mines and to Sokoban with one additional staircase. In Gehennom, there are the levels containing the Wizard's Tower which have one or two additional ladders. The vibrating square is actually a hidden down staircase that can only be revealed by performing the invocation ritual.

The bottom levels of the Gnomish Mines, Gehennom and the Quest as well as the top level of Sokoban only contain one staircase, obviously.

One other staircase is very important, and that's the upstairs from level 1. If you don't possess the Amulet of Yendor and climb up these stairs, you escape from the dungeon and lose the game. If you carry the Amulet, you reach the Elemental Planes and start the Endgame. In both cases, you can't return, and you are warned with the message "Beware! There will be no return!"

Additionally, a theory has been proposed by Dogley, that staircases are wormholes going through the magical void between the levels and can be accessed by visiting level.5. For more information on this, see Dogley Dimension.

If you cannot find a staircase to the next level

• Try moving a boulder. It may cover a staircase.
• Try searching. Searching may uncover hidden doors or corridor. The screen is more or less full of rooms on every floor of the dungeon, so if you notice that you haven't uncovered rooms on one side of the screen, try looking for a door that might lead that way.
• Step on every tile that contains an item. Staircases can be hidden under useless items. It is also a good idea to make sure the up staircase is free of items to ease your return trip.
• Kill those harmless jellies and puddings. Frustratingly, they are sometimes stairs-squatting. (If you must attack one of these monsters, watch your health carefully, as their passive counterattack can often prove fatal to low-level characters.)
• If all else fails, use a pick-axe, wand of digging, or the dig spell to dig > (downward), creating a hole in the ground. You can then search the next dungeon level for the up staircase. It is usually a good idea to locate the up staircase before proceeding further into the dungeon.