All items need Identifying?

[Elviessa]

For some reason all the items I find have ? next to the name like they need identifying. Is this a bugge or is it supposed to be that way?

[Radek]

Almost all items need identifying. Exceptions are items you buy in shops and quest items.
The ID item skill is a level 3 Temple skill. The trait (also level 3 Temple) is the Arcane Lore trait. Warlocks get the trait when they become warlocks. Nevertheless, even warlocks need to reach Temple level 3 and buy the skill if they want to identify the items. Everyone (who reaches Temple level 3) can buy the trait and the skill.
Therefore, join the Temple and complete the first two Valeia Temple quests You will be able to buy both the trait and the skill. Another possibility (an expensive one) is having the items identified in the shops.
Note that you can use unidentified items without any penalty. You get less money for them in shops (in fact, you get the price minus the price for indetifying), that's all.

[Bungleau]

And one more thing to add to Radek's excellent summary... when you identify something (either yourself or at a shop), you identify every one of those in your possession. SO if you have one wand from the crypt, it costs 625 gold (or whatever) to identify it... and you can sell it for 1300, same as if it weren't identified.

However, if you have two of them, it's 625 to identify the first one, and then you can sell *both* for 1300... making a nice profit. Have ten of 'em in inventory... the gold just adds up

Note that they have to be in the *same* person's inventory... that sometimes gets tricky. And costly.

[Law]

Also for items that stack (like healing potions) don't sell all of them. Keep one and then when you find more they will also be identified.

Just make sure that the character with the identified item is picking them up.

[Bungleau]

And to add one more thing to Law's noteworthy addition.... when you keep that one item, always make sure that you give others of its type to that character, and not give the identified item to someone else. See, the item picks up the characteristics of what it's being added to... and I guess when you add that Arrow +1 to a stack of other similar arrows, you never know which one was the original arrow, so they're now *all* unidentified...

Not that I've done that more than once or twice, you understand...

I usually keep one of every stackable item for that very purpose.