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In Dwarf Fortress, each item has an associated quality based on the skill and attributes of the craftsman who built it. Unskilled Crafting Dwarves will craft low-quality items, while Legendary Crafting Dwarves will consistently produce high-quality items. This quality is shown by symbols surrounding an item’s name, letting you know how high the quality is. Below is our guide to all of the Dwarf Fortress quality symbols and what they mean.
Dwarf Fortress Item Quality
Here’s our breakdown of all the Dwarf Fortress Quality Symbols and what they mean. In addition to value, the quality of items will improve their effectiveness as weapons and armor. For example, a higher quality sword will be 80% sharp and finely crafted armor will be 1.4 times more likely to deflect blows.
| Symbol | Description | value multiplier | value bond | Sharpness (blank weapons) | Weapon to Hit/Armor Deflection Mod |
| Article name | Common | 1x | +0 | fifty% | 1x |
| -Article name- | well crafted | 1.1x | +3 | 60% | 1.2x |
| +Name of item+ | finely crafted | 1.2x | +6 | 70% | 1.4x |
| *Article name* | superior quality | 1,333x | +10 | 80% | 1.6x |
| ≡Item Name≡ | Exceptional | 1.5x | +15 | 90% | 1.8x |
| ☼Item Name☼ | masterful, masterpiece | 2x | +30 | 100% | 2x |
| unique article name | Artifact | 20x | +300 | 100% | 3x |
| “Article name” | Decorated | It varies | It varies | A stranger | null |
| Imported | Varies, cannot be given away in commerce | null | It varies | null | |
| xItem Namex | Used (clothes only) | varies, reduced | null | null | null |
| XItem nameX | Ripped (Clothing only) | Varies, very small | null | null | null |
| XXIelement NameXX | Tattered (Clothing only) | Varies, sometimes 0 | null | null | null |
Related: How to get powder for plasters in Dwarf Fortress
Deciphering item names in Dwarf Fortress
In Dwarf Fortress, the names of the items will be surrounded by a series of symbols. While it’s confusing at first, once you figure it out, you can instantly look at an item and know how high its quality is, and in some cases its origin and purpose.
The quality of the article is the first symbol. Then comes the state of the decoration and then the quality of the decoration. For example, a ☼«+Silver Warhammer+»☼ is a finely crafted silver warhammer that has been masterfully decorated in your keep. Finally, an item can be surrounded by an additional symbol (<) to show if it came from your stronghold or outside, or if it's broken or damaged.
For more Dwarf Fortress information and guides, check out How to Start a New Fortress in Dwarf Fortress in MyFullGames.