# Score
Score is calculated all throughout the game, and if you have the showscore setting in your rcfile, you can see it on the bottom line at all times. Score also decides if the game considers your character a beginner, receiving less information (a "strange feeling" message) when use-testing things.
Low-score ascensions are generally more prestigious because you got the job done with less effort, although tournaments frequently have awards for both the lowest-scoring and the highest-scoring ascensions.

Contents

1 How score is calculated
2 How to minimize score
3 Score value of items

3.1 Artifacts
3.2 Gems

4 Notes
5 References

How score is calculated
The following things contribute to your score:

Killing a monster — worth 4 times the monster's experience points
Identifying a wand by engraving or zapping — 10 points
Non-directional wands always give score
Ray-type wands give score if zapped in any direction except yourself, or if engraved with
Beam/immediate-type wands give score if zapped up or down, but not in other directions or at a monster engulfing you
Breaking wands never gives score
Identifying a potion by quaffing — 10 points
Lighting a potion of oil identifies it without giving points
Identifying a scroll by reading — 10 points
Oiling or greasing a squeaky board trap — 9 points
Eating a tripe ration when not an orc or carnivorous non-humanoid — 4 points
Quaffing from a sink and getting the message "Yuk, this water tastes awful" — 4 points
Reading your first novel — 80 points
The first oracle of each type:

Minor (if not yet major): 21 points
Minor (if already major): 9 points
Major (if not yet minor): 210 + (21 * XL) points
Major (if already minor): 90 + (9 * XL) points
At the end of the game (via death, ascension or escape):

1 point for each zorkmid more than starting gold (* 90% if game ended in death)
50 * (DL-1) points where DL is the deepest level reached
1000 points for each dungeon level reached beyond 20, to a maximum of 10000 points
If you ascended with your starting alignment, your score so far is multiplied by 2 if you have not permanently converted yourself, or 1.5 if you have (and changed back using a helm of opposite alignment) [1]. Then, if you escaped the dungeon or ascended, you receive points for items in inventory:

Value of amulets and valuable gems
Value of artifacts * 2.5, including invocation items
And finally points for adjacent pets equivalent to their total current hit points.
The lowest possible score one can achieve when ascending is 24400,[2] although this depends on the Sanctum's depth (see below for details).

How to minimize score
Ascending with the minimum possible score is one of the more difficult unofficial conducts. A few people have succeeded at this.

Play as a pacifist. Good choices are gnomish healers and elven wizards because of their starting inventories.
Levelling up: Quaff a potion of gain level to reach XL 2, at which point it is safe to dally with a foocubus.  You will have to formally identify this potion, or see a monster using a non-cursed one, to avoid getting "bonus" score. If you can get one, a wraith corpse is also a viable method of getting to XL 2. Make sure you have an identified, blessed potion of full healing in case you get level drained by a foocubus.  As of 3.6.1, a non-cursed potion of restore ability can also restore a lost level, and will not auto-identify.
Do not consult the Oracle to level up.
Do not #untrap any squeaky board traps, eat tripe rations, or quaff from sinks to regain a single experience points, as this gives score. Kicking, and digging on sinks is okay.
Formally identify wands, scrolls and potions before use.
Dipping into (un)holy water does not formally identify it, so feel free to bless and curse items as you would usually.  Quaffing an uncursed potion of water will give points, however, and must be avoided. Dipping into uncursed potions of water only identifies the potion if it is used up in the process; it is probably best to avoid doing this.
Ideally, obtain a spellbook of identify from a wish, prayer, magic marker, polypiling, starting inventory, or random loot. (47% of all dungeons have one in the Mines or above Medusa. Break the Oracle statues with a pick-axe or a wand of striking.)
Finding and identifying a wand of polymorph is the bottleneck if you don't get a spellbook of identify. Temple priests often have the books to polypile. See below.
Get a robe from a priest to cast identify reliably. Magic resistance should come from other sources. Wizards can use their starting cloak.
Your backup is the the scroll of identify. Price-ID it, then formally identify it on a throne. Your quest leader often sits on a throne. Find and bless as many ID scrolls as possible to mass-identify wands, scrolls and potions before use.
Scrolls: Price-ID scrolls as you find them. Most will be no use to you until you have a source of identification.  It is likely that monsters will identify the scroll of teleportation and scroll of create monster for you relatively early, after which they can be used as needed.
80zm scrolls are of most interest here: the scroll of remove curse will never self-identify on use, and is safe to use.  The other 80zm scroll, enchant armor, will not self-identify if you are naked, or wearing only dragon scales.[note 1] If you have only one scroll, remember to remove any #name from the scroll before reading to be prompted to re-name it after it has been used up. This may use up a potentially valuable scroll for no benefit though (unless you possess scales you want to turn into DSM), and still does not give you access to armor enchantment, so is only worthwhile if you have a lot of loot, or a critical item, to uncurse. Alternatively, get a magic marker, #name both 80zm scrolls and write either scroll: this will let you tell the two scrolls apart.
The only non-blank 60zm scroll, enchant weapon can also be determined, and safely be used on any weapon whose enchantment is not formally known (e.g. before giving the weapon to a pet).
In a pinch, certain scrolls will not self-identify when read while confused. Thus, if you can be sure that a scroll is a scroll of gold detection it can be read while confused to, e.g., pinpoint a suspected polytrap.
Wands: You have to rule out the non-directional wands (light, secret door, enlightenment, create monster, wishing) before there are ways to test them without bonus score. Don't engrave until you have additionally identified fire, lightning, and digging.
Early intrinsic speed is a valuable trait, and the wand does not give points on formal identification if you zap yourself.
500zm wands need formal identification.
200zm wands: Polymorph is the prize. After monsters identify the wand of create monster for you,[note 2] you can engrave with these. You can formally identify a wand of polymorph by zapping at yourself (preferably with polymorph control), or at an engulfing monster while you are engulfed. Alternatively, give it to a wand-using monster of difficulty less than 5; it will eventually use-identify it for you. Unlike polymorph traps, you do not risk out-of-depth monsters.
175zm wands: If you spend a long time with no source of identification, but have reflection, you may want to let monsters zap 175zm wands at you; hopefully this will give access to a source of permanent engraving. Zapping yourself ignores reflection, and is less preferable until you have all the necessary resistances or can withstand the damage and other effects.
150zm wands are not usually worth sorting through because the wand of enlightenment will auto-identify on engraving, and monsters will neither use it nor be generated carrying it. Nevertheless, having monsters formally identify wands of striking and digging for you is a bonus. Shopkeepers will often have striking and magic missile on their person, which do not give points on self-zapping. But use price-ID in another shop to exclude death and attack wands you cannot yet survive.
Potions: Do not #dip into potions without price identifying them first, because you may formally identify the potion of polymorph inadvertently.
50zm: If you (and all monsters around you) are not invisible, it is possible to safely quaff 50zm potions after you rule out the potion of sickness by #dipping a dart, arrow or unicorn horn into it. You can either bless and quaff one of each of the others, or use a delicatessen to determine which potion is see invisible. This is arguably a better way of obtaining this intrinsic than quaffing from fountains or waiting until you are deep enough for stalkers to be generated.
100zm: Once you have identified healing and extra healing by monster use, starting as a healer, etc., you may want to dilute any further 100zm potions. These tend to be junk. However, the 100zm restore ability does not formally identify and can be quaffed once you can tell which it is by process of elimination. This can be useful before you find a unicorn horn or if the potion of restore ability is a smoky potion.
Do not ascend with your starting alignment.  You can either convert yourself in advance or use a helm of opposite alignment right before offering the Amulet.
Before offering the Amulet of Yendor, drop all gold, valuable gems, amulets and artifacts. When you do offer it, make sure any pets are not next to you.
The minimum possible score for an ascension is dependent on the depth of Moloch's Sanctum in the game:

Sanctum depth

Minimum score (3.4.3)

Minimum score (3.6.X)

45

24400

12200

46

24500

12250

47

24600

12300

48

24700

12350

49

24800

12400

50

24900

12450

51

25000

12500

52

25100

12550

53

25200

12600

Yeti ascended with 24400 points during the 2014 Devnull tournament.

Score value of items
Certain things are worth more than others when completing the game. When the player ascends, his base score is doubled.  Because gold is part of this base score, each gold piece is essentially worth two points. Gold has a weight of one unit per 100 pieces. This means that 100 gold, or 200 points weighs one unit, which is the same weight as the least valuable gem.
Each amulet weighs twenty units and, except for the cheap plastic imitation of the Amulet of Yendor, is worth 150 zorkmids. This makes each amulet worth far less than its weight in gold.
It is possible to achieve extremely high score (MAXINT on 64-bit platform) by exploiting bug SC343-8 - "Re-animating a statue containing gold produces too much gold.", as it allows duplicating for an effectively infinite amount of gold.[3] Berry ascended with 9223372036854775807 points during Junethack tournament.

Artifacts
Artifacts weigh more than one unit, so depending on their value, they may or may not be worth more than an equivalent weight in gold. The following chart lists the value of each artifact, its weight, and its value/weight. If the value/weight column is not at least 200, the artifact is worth less than its weight in gold, and, for score purposes, you would be better off carrying gold than that artifact into the End Game.

Artifact

Points

Weight

Points/Weight

The Platinum Yendorian Express Card
17500
1
17500

The Master Key of Thievery
8750
3
2917

The Eyes of the Overworld
6250
3
2083

The Bell of Opening
12500
10[note 3]
1250

The Book of the Dead
25000
20[note 3]
1250

The Candelabrum of Invocation
12500
10[note 3]
1250

Magicbane
8750
10
875

The Heart of Ahriman
6250
10
625

The Eye of the Aethiopica
10000
20
500

Grayswandir
20000
40
500

Stormbringer
20000
40
500

The Longbow of Diana
10000
30
333

The Staff of Aesculapius
12500
40
312

The Magic Mirror of Merlin
3750
13
288

Excalibur
10000
40
250

Vorpal Blade
10000
40
250

The Sceptre of Might
6250
30
208

Mjollnir
10000
50
200

Sting
2000
10
200

The Tsurugi of Muramasa
11250
60
187

Fire Brand
7500
40
187

Frost Brand
7500
40
187

Demonbane
6250
40
156

The Mitre of Holiness
5000
50
100

Sunsword
3750
40
93

Werebane
3750
40
93

Grimtooth
750
10
75

Snickersnee
3000
40
75

Orcrist
5000
70
71

The Orb of Fate
8750
150
58

The Orb of Detection
6250
150
42

Cleaver
3750
120
31

Dragonbane
1250
70
17

Giantslayer
500
40
12

Ogresmasher
500
50
10

Trollsbane
500
120
4

Gems
Each gem weighs one unit, so every gem is at least as valuable as its weight in gold. Some gems are worth much more than that.

Gem

Value

Color

dilithium crystal
4500
white

diamond
4000
white

ruby
3500
red

jacinth
3250
orange

sapphire
3000
blue

black opal
2500
black

emerald
2500
green

turquoise
2000
green, blue

aquamarine
1500
green, blue

citrine
1500
yellow

amber
1000
yellowish brown

topaz
900
yellowish brown

jet
850
black

opal
800
white

chrysoberyl
700
yellow

garnet
700
red

amethyst
600
violet

jasper
500
red

fluorite
400
green, blue, white, violet

jade
300
green

obsidian
200
black

agate
200
orange

Notes

↑ Even if the scroll is blessed, reading an enchant armor scroll will never identify it when used on dragon scales even though the enchantment of the resulting DSM is raised.

↑ Alternatively, zap if you are blind and non-telepathic.

↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Invocation items cannot be held in a bag of holding, so if you have one, they're relatively heavier than items in the bag. They are still more worthwhile than gold for carrying into the endgame.

References

↑ src/end.c in NetHack 3.6.1, line 1244

↑ http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.roguelike.nethack/browse_frm/thread/d2ed054d48f4961c

↑ http://www.reddit.com/r/nethack/comments/1d6fwe/im_asking_feedback_for_the_upcoming_junethack/c9no05r

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