Editing Exploit

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An '''exploit''' is a quirk of a game that allows players to gain what other players may consider an unfair advantage, usually by making use of a feature that is not working properly or which defies logic. 'Exploiting the game' is distinct from '[[cheating]]' because exploits occur within the game as written and do not need any external [[utilities]] or [[modding]]. Whether a player chooses to make use of an exploit or not depends on their personal taste; given that ''[[Dwarf Fortress]]'' is a single-player game, the user alone can decide what liberties to take and what options to shun. Among DF players, there is much discussion about what actually should be considered an exploit, ranging from making [[dwarven syrup]] instead of [[dwarven sugar]], growing crops in winter, or even underground, at the one extreme, to justifying 'water wheel batteries' at the other. This page takes a rather relaxed approach in that you considering it an exploit is basically enough to add it, if you don't get too much opposition.

= Fortress mode exploits =

== Atom smasher ==
{{main|Dwarven atom smasher}}
Lowering a raised [[drawbridge]] can be used to obliterate most creatures or items beneath it, with some exceptions:

* Atom smashing a creature with a size over 1200000 will destroy the drawbridge.
* [[Contaminant]]s are unaffected.
* Smashing a bag of something will destroy the bag, but spill its contents.
* [[Artifact]]s have a special exception; whereby upon being atom-smashed, they will be "hidden" and inaccessible for the rest of the playthrough.  See the main article for further details.

==Manager exercise program==
As a [[manager]], skill is gained as tasks are ''approved'', not completed. Simply by queuing lots of jobs ({{menu icon|o}} - [[File:New work order icon.png|30px]]) and providing a meager office, the manager will quickly level to [[legendary]] as an [[Organizer]]. The tasks can then be removed once approved.

==Merchant swindles==
There are a variety of ways to steal cargo from [[merchant]]s. All amount to naked theft, and the civilization responsible for the caravan will recognize this. Merchants will consider any lost goods to be stolen goods regardless of the method used to take possession of or destroy them (Verification: See [[40d:Trading#Note_that_the_civ|the 40d page]] and [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=43771.msg829692#msg829692 This forum post]). So unless you specifically want to take the clothing off the backs of the merchants or steal from your own civ, you might as well just seize the goods anyway.

* [[DF2014:Trading#Seizing_items|Seizing goods via the trade dialog]] is most straightforward way to select specific items to steal; but there are more entertaining methods detailed below.

* Tearing down the [[trade depot]] while the merchants are there is the easiest way to seize all merchant goods at once.

* Marking items for [[dump]]ing by cliсking on [[File:Dump option icon.png|30px]] on item or in stocks menu ({{key|k}}), or mass dump mode ({{key|i}}-{{key|p}}) then marking the entire depot, lets you relieve merchants of their goods. Just reclaim the items from your garbage dump [[zone]] later. You can even take clothing and equipment off merchant and guards this way.

* You can make a wall around the merchants (and even the poor animals) and let them starve to death, letting you take whatever you want. Wait quite a while for them to starve. They will become [[Insanity|very angry]] if you do, so never open the door once they are on the brink of death.

== Quantum stockpiles ==
{{main|Quantum stockpile}}
A quantum stockpile (QSP) allows you to store an infinite number of items in a single tile. QSPs can make for super efficient storage, allowing more compact fortresses, shorter hauling routes, more efficient manufacturing flows, and stocktaking at a glance by simply clicking on it.

== Building destroyer door ==
Forbid something a dwarf is carrying as he goes through a door, and he'll drop it. The door won't close and won't stop any normal creature from going through, but building destroyers seem to stop in their tracks, waiting for it to close before moving on. Note: your civilians can pass the creature safely, but attacking it cancels your protection. {{Verify}}

== HFS's back door ==
{{main|Semi-molten rock#Tunnelling down through multiple layers of Semi-molten rock|l1=Semi-molten rock § Tunnelling down through multiple layers of Semi-molten rock}}
There's a convoluted way to dig down through [[semi-molten rock]] and evade the head-on encounter with [[hidden fun stuff]]. Doing this can enable you to, among other things, mine undiggable [[slade]] and duplicate rare minerals. See the page [[semi-molten rock]] for details.

== Forgotten beast zoo ==
Wall off all the passageways into your lowest level at the outermost square of the map - except one, which leads to a little vestibule surrounded by fortifications. Wave hello to the various ungainly "[[forgotten beast]]s" which accumulate inside.

Alternatively, by using a [[giant cave spider]] or web-spewing forgotten beast to place [[web]]s on cage traps you can capture and display non-web-spewing forgotten beasts, titans, and more. 

== Dwarven water reactor ==
{{main|Water wheel#Perpetual motion|l1=Water wheel § Perpetual motion}}
A [[screw pump]] requires 10 power to move water; a [[water wheel]] supplies 100 power if it's got water moving it. Arrange the former to feed the latter, while the latter powers the former, and you can get [[Water wheel#Perpetual motion|perpetual motion]] going - with a surplus of [[power]] available.

== And we'll throw in the barrel or bag for free ==
On [[embark]], buying things which are stored in [[barrel]]s gets the barrel for free, with at most 10 items per barrel, so, for example, the 15 units of randomly chosen [[meat]] which come with the default supplies will get you two free barrels, one completely filled with 10 units of meat and one half filled with 5 units of meat; you get another two free barrels from the 15 units of randomly chosen [[Creature#Aquatic|fish]]. You can get rid of all of that food, then for the same cost select one unit each of meat from 30 different kinds of animals, giving you 30 free barrels instead of only 4, since each different kind of animal meat is put in its own barrel. Note that different types of meat from the same kind of animal goes into a single barrel, so choosing 1 yak brain + 1 yak eye + 1 yak spleen will get you only one free barrel instead of three.

The same thing goes for things stored in [[bag]]s. Each unit of [[sand]] comes in its own bag, and since each unit of sand costs only 1 embark point while bags cost a minimum of 10 embark points each, you can get bags for ten times cheaper by buying sand, then [[dumping]] out the sand after embark.

One down side is that all those containers then need to be individually hauled from the wagon to where ever you want them.

== Infinite metal ==
Because one bar of metal produces 25 bolts, and a single bolt can be melted to 0.1 bars of metal, you can create unlimited adamantine wafers in your fortress using a [[Stupid_dwarf_trick#Bolt_Splitting_Operation|clever setup]] with marksdwarves to separate the stacks of adamantine bolts into single bolts. See this [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=51423.0 forum thread] for more details.

Weapon traps filled with crossbows will be loaded with individual bolts (10 per crossbow). Bolts cannot be designated to melt while loaded in the trap. It requires deconstruction of the trap. The components will scatter on deconstruction so surrounding the trap with an ammo stockpile set to links only and using dfhack automelt can semi-automate the process. Any metal components of the trap may also be melted. 

Coins may also be split at a [[trade depot]] and melted down individually for up to a 50x return. Mint a stack of coins, then trade it to a caravan. You can then buy the stack back in pieces, and each individual smaller stack will melt and produce .1 bars. One bar produces 500 coins, but splitting it into stacks of 1 coin each would create 500 melt jobs, producing 50 bars in return. The process is discussed in greater detail, both with and without use of macros on this [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=111680.0 forum thread]. While potentially time-consuming, this new method both results in far more bars produced per stack (potentially a net profit of 49 bars instead of 1.5), and can duplicate any metal, not just military ones while simultaneously training your broker. Combined with a magma smelter and properly written macros, this method turns a smelter into a free metal generator. Those who are less patient may instead opt to simply melt the coin stacks immediately after they are minted - while this yields only a 10% gain, it is far less time-consuming. As of v50, this no longer works as coin stacks have to be bought back from the trader in full, as there is no option to buy back individual coins. However, melting a full stack of 500 coins will still produce 1.1 bars and can still be used to duplicate metal (including adamantine) as of v50.

Recent dwarven !!SCIENCE!! has shown that certain visitors react badly to being trapped in a vault of treasure and can be used to [https://www.reddit.com/r/dwarffortress/comments/fql316/infinite_adamantine_using_elf_labor/ rapidly split stacks of coins]. Be careful what you wish for.

For multiplying weapons/armor-grade metals, forging and melting giant axe blades, enormous corkscrews, menacing spikes, and leggings will yield a 50% gain per item; note that this does ''not'' work with adamantine, since adamantine goods require 3 times as many wafers, instead leading to a 70% loss per item.

See the [[Melt item]] article for the best yields when melting down items made of mundane metals for the current version.

== Quick trade goods ==
[[Bolt|Bolts]], having a high stack size and being affected by quality modifiers, make excellent trade goods when made by a highly trained woodcrafter or metalsmith. This is because quality adds a flat amount to ''each bolt'''s value, going as high as 375☼ on exceptional, and 750☼ on masterwork bolts, making even cheap wooden bolts a quick way of buying out caravans.

[[Prepared meal]]s can be quick and valuable trade goods - purchase an abundance of raw food when the traders arrive, and set your [[kitchen]] to work cooking that food into lavish meals, then haul the stacks of meals back to the depot and trade them for whatever supplies you really want. The caravan will buy back meals composed of their own ingredients at 25x to 100x their initial value.

Single task [[instruments]] can also be a very lucrative business, although glass instruments have lower gains.

== Silk farm ==
{{main|Silk farming}}
A silk farm can serve as a safe and endless source of silk thread from [[giant cave spider]]s or other [[forgotten beast|web-spewing beasts]]. Its essence is a room with a "bait" creature separated from a web-spewing creature by fortifications. The webber will attempt to attack the "bait" by shooting [[web]]s through the fortifications. Weavers can collect the webs as silk thread and create silk cloth.

== Dwarven road-dar ==
Dwarven radar is a handy way of checking for caverns and other special features using the [[farm plot]]s, paved [[road]]s, and [[activity zone]]s. Know where the caverns are before you designate your carefully planned, fully symmetric living quarters!

For more details, see the [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=93694.0 forum thread].

== Danger room ==
{{Main|Danger room}}
An [[Trap#Upright Spear/Spike|upright spike trap]] full of non-masterwork training spears (''not'' menacing spikes or metal spears, or even [[elf|elven]] wooden spears) is linked to a [[lever]], which is pulled repeatedly, and dwarves are stationed on the trap. The dwarves quickly learn how to dodge, block and parry these "attacks", gaining [[combat skill]]s much more quickly than through normal [[training]], unless they die.

This exploit does not work in newer versions due to changes to damage propagation.{{version|0.43.04}}

== Coinstar room ==
{{Main|Danger room#Coinstar room|l1=Danger room § Coinstar room}}
A coinstar or popcorn room trains [[armor user]] skills via repeated (unblockable/undodgeable) impacts of various small objects such as [[coin]]s, [[seed]]s, [[sock]]s, [[leaves]], or other small, light objects. Channel a 1x2 trench (leaving ramps), and build two 1x1 '''retracting''' bridges on the bottom of the trench. Connect the bridges to a lever. Add coins (stacks of 15 or smaller are 100% safe) and dwarves.

This exploit does not work in newer versions due to changes to damage propagation.{{version|0.43.04}}

== Wildlife control ==
Wild animals will not spawn when a certain number of them are still present on the map (2 for default 4x4 embark, for larger sites it's higher). This works also for cavern creatures (each cavern independently), or even for roaming [[HFS]] denizens, and can be exploited to prevent new creatures from a particular layer from spawning. Capture enough wild creatures in [[cage trap]]s, and release them somewhere they couldn't escape from. As long as they're there, no more beasts will show up. Note that thieving and [[gremlin|mischievous]] creatures are an exception to this, as their arrival is timed and unaffected by the number of other wildlife.

== Portable drain ==
Due to buggy [[minecart]] interactions, a minecart on a [[Minecart#Track_Stops|track stop]] set to dump into a wall tile will constantly fill and empty, removing large amounts of liquid from the game. This is generally much more convenient than digging a tunnel and carving a fortification at the edge of the map. The effect can be controlled by linking a [[lever]] to the track stop (or by adding/removing the minecart in some manner). The portable drain will only reduce the fluid in its tile to below the minimum necessary to fill the cart (6/7); the remaining fluid will need to be dealt with in some other fashion. 

([http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=154537.msg6657752#msg6657752 original forum post])

== Dwarven rocket elevator  ==
By exploiting quirks in dwarven physics, minecarts can be accelerated without an external power source (beyond an initial push) to travel independently, or to ascend dozens of Z levels upwards very quickly. Details at [[Minecart#Impulse_ramps]].

== Infinite layer stone without magma ==

Constructed walls can be designated for both fortification carving and deconstruction. When the latter designation is completed, the former is kept. When the former is completed after that, stone floor becomes a natural stone fortification. This makes a cycle for infinite stone:

Stone floor → Build Constructed Wall → Designate for removal and fortification carving → Deconstruct → Stone Floor (still designated as fortification) → Stone fortification → Dug out, stone floor + free stone boulder. (Disable engraving on all dwarves to delay the fortification carving.)

The material used to construct the wall is reclaimed when it is deconstructed. Since mining doesn't always drop stone there is only a chance of getting stone from the fortification.

Using this, one can also retrieve stone from surface boulders, though as deconstruction leaves behind layer stone it will not duplicate adamantine or anything else. Soil gets carved, but remains as a floor, thus providing no gain.

([http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=145317.msg8091746#msg8091746 Original forum post])

== Alternate water purification methods ==

Contamination in the form of salty or stagnant water is apparently unable to climb stairs.  Lacking the materials to build a screw pump, you can instead purify water by forcing it to pass through a vertical u-bend made of stairs.

Flowing fresh water destroys stagnant water on contact, converting it into fresh water.  Oddly enough, flowing salt water also destroys stagnant water on contact, converting it to fresh water, so connecting your murky pools to the sea paradoxically provides clean drinking water.

= Adventure mode exploits =

== Urist McAdventurer the shield-wall ==
Adventurers are not limited in the number of items they can hold in their hands, allowing them to equip a virtually unlimited number of shields or bucklers with little effect to the adventurer's performance. This offers multiple chances to block attacks (vastly reducing the number that cause damage) and quickly trains up the shield user skill, further increasing the effectiveness of those shields. There is an indirect limit on how many shields you can equip based on how the total weight of your adventurer's items affects your speed, but the tradeoff between wearing a dozen (or more) shields is well worth the minor reduction in speed.

This exploit was made more complicated due to the addition of the ability to holster/draw weapons and shields, which is needed for [[climber|climbing]] and to avoid hostility from local guards. While an infinite number of weapons or shields can be strapped to your body, only the first two such items will be drawn, requiring a free hand for each. Retrieving multiple shields after unequipping them requires manually drawing each individual shield.

== Infinite drink ==
One's thirst can be quenched indefinitely by emptying a waterskin when you only have 1 unit of liquid left, and refilling it from the pool that forms; giving you 3 units of drink. This is especially useful if you managed to find alcohol and fill the waterskin with some, as alcohol never freezes in cold weather.

One can make a potable pool of water by emptying a waterskin containing saltwater.

== Backpack of holding ==
In adventurer mode, if you try to pick something up while both your hands are already holding something, it'll go straight in your backpack, even if it would not have fit had you first picked it up and then tried to put it inside. That means you can stuff as much as you want into your backpack - it will still affect your weight and speed, however.

== Pack adventurer ==
You could hold items of any weight, but they affect your speed - except when you're riding a mount. 

{{Category|Game}}
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