Identification

From Guild Wars Wiki

Identification is a process that reveals the hidden properties of an item.

To identify an item, an identification kit must be used. There are two types:

• Identification Kits may be acquired with 10 or 25 uses, and each use will cost 4.
• Superior Identification Kits can have up to 100 uses, and each use will cost 5.

Identification kits will not stack, and can't be refilled.

To use an Identification Kit, double click on its inventory icon, then click on the inventory icon of the item you want to identify.

Once the kit has no uses left, it is automatically destroyed.

Once identified, the item description will change. If the item had an 'Unidentified' line, it will disappear. If the item has any other properties, they will be be revealed:

• Upgrade components. All the upgrades that weapons, off-hand items and armors and other salvageable items may hold.
• Inherent modifiers. Properties that some Prophecies and Factions weapons and off-hand items will have instead of inscriptions.
• Increased item value for merchants and traders.

Item properties are defined when the item is dropped, not when the item is identified. But to be able to salvage the upgrades of an item, it must be identified first.

There are some items that can be identified without having an 'unidentified' property. Some of them are:

• White common items (those without upgrades nor modifiers).
• Weapon, off-hand and armor upgrades themselves.
• Most unique weapons.
• The character's backpack.

In the last case, there is no real change, no value line shown. Identifying a backpack has no known purpose.

Most items will have their prices increased once identified. It is advised to identify anything before selling it to traders or merchants to get the higher possible income from sold items. Identifying such items will worth it when the cost of the identification kit is paid off with the increase in price. Because of that:

• Identifying white common items is recommended when the price in merchant of the unidentified item is 25 gold.
• Salvaging and identifying upgrades it's advised when the price of the item is below 10 and has no 'Increase sold price' modifier or 'Show me the Money' inscription. Players may get over 20 instead of 1..10.
• Salvaging armor upgrades (runes and insignias) it is advised when the buy price in traders is both over 200 gold and over the price of the identified item itself while still holding the upgrades.

See each item article for details in their respective values.

Identifying items that hold upgrade components will unlock those upgrades for use in PvP. An info panel will pop-up anytime you identify an item with an upgrade your account finds for the first time, even if the account has an PvP item unlock key.

Identifying a 'gold' rare item will increase the current character's Wisdom title track.