"Any fool can swing a blade, but only one schooled in the art of Arms Lore truly understands the weapon in their hand." — Master Armorer Hendrick of Britain
Arms Lore is a trade skill that deepens your understanding of weapons, armor, and tools. A trained practitioner can inspect equipment to reveal hidden details about its condition, power, and craftsmanship. Beyond mere knowledge, Arms Lore also grants passive combat advantages and improves your ability to craft exceptional gear.
Arms Lore primarily trains Intelligence, with Strength as a secondary stat.
Use the Arms Lore ability and target any weapon, piece of armor, shield, or tool to receive an inspection report. The depth of information revealed depends on your skill level — a novice sees only the basics, while a master uncovers every secret an item holds.
There is a brief cooldown between inspections. If your skill is too low relative to the item's complexity, you may fail the inspection entirely and learn nothing.
At any skill level, you can determine an item's physical condition — how much wear it has endured:
| Condition | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Brand new | Never been used, at full durability |
| Almost new | Barely used |
| Barely used, with a few nicks and scrapes | Light wear |
| In fairly good condition | Some use, still reliable |
| Has suffered some wear and tear | Moderate use |
| Well used | Noticeably worn |
| Rather battered | Significant damage |
| Somewhat badly damaged | Heavily worn |
| Flimsy and not trustworthy | Nearly broken |
| Falling apart | On the verge of destruction |
At intermediate skill, you gain the ability to judge an item's combat effectiveness.
For armor, you learn how much protection it offers — ranging from "offers no defense against attackers" for the weakest pieces to "provides maximum protection" for the finest armor available.
For weapons, you learn how much damage it can deal — from "might scratch your opponent slightly" for the weakest blades to "extraordinarily deadly" for the most powerful arms in the land.
These assessments account for the item's quality, so an exceptionally crafted piece will rate higher than a standard one.
Masters of Arms Lore can discern the deepest secrets of an item:
Poison — If a weapon has been poisoned, you will learn the type of poison and how many charges remain.
Craftsmanship — You can assess the overall quality of an item's construction. Some items are crafted with superior materials that give them greater potential durability. A master can tell whether an item has the best possible craftsmanship, average potential, or was poorly made from the start.
Repair History — You can tell how many times an item has visited the repair bench. An item that has never been repaired is at its peak, while one that has been mended countless times may be nearing the end of its useful life. Each repair slightly degrades an item's maximum durability, so knowing its repair history helps you judge how much life it has left.
Arms Lore is not merely an academic pursuit — it provides real advantages in battle against creatures. Your deep understanding of weaponry translates into improved accuracy and damage.
Your knowledge of weapons and fighting technique grants you improved accuracy when fighting creatures. At grandmaster level, you gain up to 5% increased hit chance in PvE combat. Your overall hit chance can never exceed 95% regardless of bonuses.
All of your physical attacks against creatures deal increased damage. At grandmaster level, you deal up to 5% more damage on every hit. This bonus does not apply to magic damage.
When you use weapon special attacks against creatures, your Arms Lore knowledge allows you to strike with greater precision. At grandmaster level, special attacks deal up to 10% more damage. This bonus stacks with the general damage bonus and does not apply to magic damage.
At grandmaster Arms Lore, your physical attacks against creatures benefit from:
| Attack Type | Total Damage Bonus | Accuracy Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Normal attacks | +5% damage | +5% hit chance |
| Special attacks | ~+15% damage | +5% hit chance |
Note: These bonuses only apply against creatures (PvE). They have no effect in player-versus-player combat.
Arms Lore plays a vital role in the creation of exceptional quality weapons and armor. The higher your Arms Lore skill, the greater your chance of producing an exceptional item when crafting.
This bonus applies to all weapon and armor crafting — whether you are a blacksmith forging a sword, a carpenter crafting a bow, or a tailor stitching leather armor. Your understanding of what makes a superior weapon or piece of armor directly translates to better craftsmanship.
Crafting an exceptional item also provides a chance to gain Arms Lore skill, making it a natural companion to any smith or artisan's training.
Note: For instruments, Musicianship serves the same role. For mastery spellbooks and inscription, Magery is used instead.
In addition to the Arms Lore ability itself, a Magnifying Glass can be used to perform a more direct inspection. When used on a piece of equipment, the magnifying glass reveals:
The magnifying glass inspection is based on your Arms Lore skill, and using it provides a chance for skill gain regardless of whether the inspection succeeds or fails.
Arms Lore can be trained to 100 through several methods:
The following NPC vendors can train Arms Lore:
When combined with Wrestling, a skill called Disarm is unlocked.