# Forum:Enhancing dart and dagger skills
&lt; Forum:Watercooler

As a wizard, the only weapon skill I've ever been able to enhance was the quarterstaff.  I spend most of my time trying for ranged attacks with rocks and darts, but the skill can never be enhanced.
Do I have to be wielding the dart, in order for it to count toward experience in the skill?  If so, do I only get credit for melee hits that I land, or do I also for thrown weapons that land a hit?
- Davek 05:06, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Darts: thrown or fired darts that do at least 1 point of damage.
Daggers: melee hits, and damaging thrown/fired ones. --Tjr 05:18, 18 January 2011 (UTC)
Just to be clear: if I'm wielding the quarterstaff and only throwing daggers, I still will eventually be able to level up on my dagger skill, correct?
If so, it must take a really long time.  I've managed to level up on several skills, and neither dagger nor dart has been one of them.  I just figured I was doing something wrong.
- Davek 07:33, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Throwing daggers enhances the skill, yes. The caveat is that they need to hit, and a low level wizard with -4 to hit from unskilled isn't going to be hitting a lot with thrown daggers. Also, it's usually a good idea to just wield the dagger (as soon as you have one that definitely isn't cursed, at least) and practice on jackals one at a time. A fog cloud works wonders, as while engulfed you have a 100% to-hit, and still train your skills. It only takes 20 skillpoints to get to basic, which can be tedious with thrown daggers (as you need to pick them up again), but repeatedly meleeing a weak monster will always give a few points, assuming your pet doesn't just kill it first. -- Qazmlpok 13:05, 18 January 2011 (UTC)
Naming an elven dagger 'Sting' can also make it into an artifact which has +d5 to-hit. It can sometimes be found really early on hobbits. Although using Sting for the purpose of training dagger skill may be an overkill since it reduces your chance of wishing for an artifact later. --Ylmson 21:08, 18 January 2011 (UTC)