The above tips are very good. Generally, you can equip-ID some stuff. It's just knowing what's safe and what's not, which takes some time to learn. Here's a few equipID tricks:
-Weapons can be identified using a ratling fencer/duelist or master swordsman. They can disarm your weapon, so if you get stuck with something cursed, just wait a few turns and they'll get rid of it for you.
-There's only one bad amulet, so you may as well just wear whatever you find.
-In the very early game, any shield except small is probably worth equipping even if cursed. Regular large or tower are quite decent. Unusually heavy shields (160s, 210s, 260s) are crystal and are very good.
-Rings are generally safe to equip/wear unidentified except adamantium/onyx/ordinary group, since you could get stuck with a cursed ring of damage. Autocursing is probably ring of the fish. There's a very small chance of getting doom or weakness that will screw you over though.
-Non-brass bracers can be safely equip-IDed always. If they don't auto-ID, then they're one of the best types.
-Don't equip-ID any girdles or gloves unless you know curse status. These prevent you from access other parts of your equipment if cursed, and cursed girdle of carrying/weight in particular are quite bad.
-Equip armor if it's a better PV class than what you have, and is better than a robe. So if you have leather, studded leather or better is okay to equip. If you have chain, then you're basically looking at elven chain, plate, or higher metal.
[edit]
A few more:
-Wands. If you don't mind wasting charges, all wands can be safely tested a wilderness area. At worst, you'll wrench a zero charge wand and destroy it. You may not always be able to ID the wand directly, so you'll have to rely on the message output that they give, which can occasionally be a bit opaque. The only exception to this is glowing wands, which are always wands of wishing, and should never be used while cursed (as the wish may fail). These are extremely rare and not found in low level areas. At least you'll know which wands are damage wands, and which one is the nasty ball lightning wand, though.
-Never drink ID potions unless you have literally no other choice. Most potions are harmless, but it's more likely that you'll poison yourself rather than heal yourself.
-With scrolls, the most common are light, darkness, power, and identify, so once you get more than 3 of the same type, it's probably one of these.
Last edited by JellySlayer; 09-06-2016 at 06:53 AM.
Hoping to win with every class, doomed. Archer, Barbarian, Bard, Beastfighter, Druid, Elementalist, Farmer, Fighter, Monk, and ULE Priest down.