In Dwarf Fortress, every item has a quality associated with it depending on the skill and attributes of the crafter who constructed it. Unskilled craftsdwarves will make low-quality items, while legendary craftsdwarves will consistently produce masterwork items. This quality is shown by symbols surrounding an item’s name, which lets you know its high quality. Below is our guide to all Dwarf Fortress quality symbols and their meaning.
Dwarf Fortress item quality
Here’s our breakdown of all dwarf fortress quality symbols and their meaning. In addition to value, the item's quality will improve their effectiveness as weapons and armor. For instance, a superior quality sword will have 80% sharpness, and finely-crafted armor will have a 1.4x higher chance to deflect hits.
| Symbol | Description | Value multiplier | Value bonus | Sharpness (bladed weapons) | Weapon to-hit/Armor deflect modifer |
| Item Name | Common | 1x | +0 | 50% | 1x |
| -Item Name- | Well-crafted | 1.1x | +3 | 60% | 1.2x |
| +Item Name+ | Finely-crafted | 1.2x | +6 | 70% | 1.4x |
| *Item Name* | Superior quality | 1.333x | +10 | 80% | 1.6x |
| ≡Item Name≡ | Exceptional | 1.5x | +15 | 90% | 1.8x |
| ☼Item Name☼ | Masterful, Masterwork | 2x | +30 | 100% | 2x |
| Unique Item Name | Artifact | 20x | +300 | 100% | 3x |
| «Item Name» | Decorated | Varies | Varies | Unknown | nil |
| <Item Name> | Imported | Varies, cannot be gifted in trade | nil | Varies | nil |
| xItem Namex | Worn (Clothing only) | Varies, reduced | nil | nil | nil |
| XItem NameX | Torn (Clothing only) | Varies, heavily reduced | nil | nil | nil |
| XXItem NameXX | Tattered (Clothing only) | Varies, sometimes 0 | nil | nil | nil |
Deciphering item names in Dwarf Fortress
In Dwarf Fortress, item names will be surrounded by symbols. While confusing at first, once deciphered, you can instantly look at an item and know its high quality and, in some cases, its origin and purpose.
Item quality is the first symbol. Next comes decoration status and then decoration quality. For example, a ☼«+silver warhammer+»☼ is a finely-crafted silver warhammer that has masterfully been decorated at your fortress. Finally, an item may be surrounded by an additional symbol (<) to show whether it came from your fortress or externally or whether it’s broken or damaged.
For more Dwarf Fortress information and guides, check out How to start a new fortress in Dwarf Fortress on Pro Game Guides.
Michael lives in the UK, but wishes he lived in Eorzea. A life-long gamer, Four years ago, he ditched a "real" job to write about video games for a living, and hasn't looked back. When not guiding players how to get the latest mounts, crafting recipes, and in-game goodies, he spends his time nurturing an unhealthy addiction to MMOs and gacha games.