Item quality

xTATTEREDx  · +FINE+  · *SUPERIOR*  · ≡EXCEPTIONAL≡  · ☼MASTERWORK☼

v50.12 · v0.47.05 This article is about the current version of DF. Note that some content may still need to be updated. More Info · V

For information on Room quality, see Room.

For article quality ratings, see DF:Quality.

For the Masterwork Mod, see the Masterwork Mod wiki.

Quality grades

All crafted items (e.g. furniture, armor, clothes and prepared meals but not drinks) have quality levels. If the quality of their craftsdwarfship is above standard, the item name is bracketed by characters that show it (see table below). Coins are an unusual case. The image on the coin may have a quality level, but this does not affect the value of the coin, and the coin's quality level is not shown by special characters.

Raw materials used for crafting items (e.g. stones, blocks, bars, thread, dye, food) have no quality levels, with the exception of cloth.

Images on the floor or on walls that are engraved by an engraver have quality levels, which can be seen by examining the engraving. Smoothed floor tiles and walls do not, and neither do carved fortifications.

Buildings constructed by an architect such as the trade depot, wood furnaces or smelters also have quality levels. These can be examined using the building list.

Designation	Description	Value Multiplier (item)	Value Bonus (item)	Sharpness	Weapon To-Hit / Armor Deflect Modifier
Item Name	—	1×	+0	50%	1×
-Item Name-	Well-crafted	1.1×	+3	60%	1.2×
+Item Name+	Finely-crafted	1.2×	+6	70%	1.4×
*Item Name*	Superior quality	1.333×	+10	80%	1.6×
≡Item Name≡	Exceptional	1.5×	+15	90%	1.8×
☼Item Name☼	Masterful	2×	+30	100%	2×
Unique name	Artifact	20x	+300	100%	3×
«Item Name»	Decorated object	Varies	Varies	unknown

For named weapons that are not artifacts, see here.

Almost all decorations have quality levels, too. An item of any quality (except artifacts) can have a decoration of any quality. (Artifacts can't be decorated manually, but have inherent decorations depending on the materials used to make them.) The quality level of a decoration is shown by the same signs (-, +, *, ≡, ☼) just outside the double angle-brackets («,»). Thus, a *«+steel battle axe+»* is a finely-crafted steel battle axe with superior decorations on it, and a «☼steel battle axe☼» is a masterfully crafted steel battle axe with decorations of standard quality.

Dyeing is considered a decoration and has quality levels. For example, some rope reed thread may be finely dyed with emerald dye. Dye can be applied to either thread or cloth, but not other goods made of cloth. If thread is dyed, and it is woven into cloth, the new cloth will retain the dye and whatever quality level the dye had. The same is true for cloth made into clothes and other goods.

Glazes do not have quality levels, though they are effectively the same as decorations except that a glazed earthenware jug or pot may hold liquids.

Note that destroying ☼masterwork☼ items (e.g. by melting) may cause the dwarf who made it to get unhappy thoughts. Covering an engraved image on the floor with water will remove the image, and cause an unhappy thought if the image was masterwork. The same is true for mining through a wall with a masterwork image. An unhappy thought can also happen if a thief steals a masterwork item. It also happens in the unusual case where a creature who was shot with a masterwork crossbow bolt, the bolt gets stuck in the creature and the creature leaves the map. Eating a masterwork prepared meal will not cause an unhappy thought.

Dismantling a masterwork building made by an architect will not cause an unhappy thought. Having a masterwork building destroyed by a cave-in or building destroyer will.

Quality levels of imported goods

The vast majority of goods brought by caravans for trade, clothing, equipment and jewelry brought by immigrants, and equipment brought by hostile invaders are superior quality or less. Exceptional or masterwork quality items are extremely rare. As a result, you can eventually make better quality goods yourself provided your dwarves are trained in the appropriate skill properly. This is important to keep in mind for your military, since the quality level of weapons and armors can make a big difference in combat performance.

There are goods that you can't produce that foreign civilizations can. Typically these include uninteresting clothing items like skirts or useless tools like pestles, but also include some exotic weapons like whips and daggers. If you want to use those weapons you have to settle for whatever is available, so it can take some time to find one made with decent quality and made from a good metal like iron.

Quality levels in stockpile settings

Stockpiles can be set to accept only goods of certain quality levels. However, the Core quality and the Total quality which can be set in a stockpile's settings are in a difficult relation to the crafting and decoration quality.

Core Quality

Core quality means the quality of the craftsdwarfship of the item. A masterfully crafted armor (made from qualityless metal bars) has masterful core quality. A finely-crafted dress (made from an exceptional pig tail fiber cloth) has fine core quality (because the craftsdwarfship of the item is fine).

Total Quality

Total quality means the highest between the craftsdwarfship of the item and the craftsdwarfship of its components (or decorations). The finely-crafted dress from our previous example has a fine core quality, but its total quality is exceptional because its component — a pig tail fiber cloth — is of exceptional quality. Likewise, a superior quality steel gauntlet, masterfully studded with copper is of masterful total quality (and superior core quality).

A more complex example: A rope reed fiber sock is superiorly decorated with pond turtle shell. Is masterfully crafted from a rope reed fiber cloth which was finely dyed with redroot dye. Core quality: masterful, Total quality: masterful. (Remember, for total quality, the best of either the item's quality, the quality of its components, or the quality of its decorations is chosen.)

See also Crafting Skills, Quality and Statistics research.

Admiring furniture

Quality has an impact on the amount of happiness a dwarf gets from admiring furniture only to the extent that it contributes to the furniture's value. That is, if there's a no-quality statue and a masterwork statue which have exactly the same monetary value, they'll each give the same amount of happiness when admired (assuming the dwarves have no preference for the material of either statue). Furniture quality has no influence on how often a piece of furniture is admired.

Changes to artifact weapons

Toady gave us a quote on weapon and armor quality, giving the game qualities of an "artifact" in v0.31:

1. Additional value multiplier of 10 over masterwork, so a total multiplier of 120.
2. Cannot be owned (can be equipped, you might have to do it explicitly though).
3. Armor deflection roll has *3 roll modifier instead of the masterwork's *2.
4. Same for melee attack and archery rolls.
5. It looks like the artifact edges are the maximum edge for the material, which is also what a masterwork gets, so beyond a masterwork you'd just be getting the hit roll modifier.
6. Things like artifact bone spears will likely be crap against steel, yeah. We don't have actual magical artifacts yet, and that's what would be required.