Scribing is one of the most exciting new additions to The Elder Scrolls Online in years, giving Gold Road a unique new gear chase for us all. This is especially true if you have an army of alt characters waiting on the sidelines. However, the ESO scribing system is far from simple. From Grimoire to various Scripts and resources like Luminous Ink, it’s hard to know where to start.
Well, you first have to know how to unlock scribing in ESO, as you won’t have it by default. Then, you need a solid understanding of the options available to you. Once you’ve got the hang of it, you can craft the best scribing skills in ESO to make a brand-new skill for your build. Afterwards, check out the best MMOs to see what else you can dip your toes in.
How to Unlock Scribing in ESO
To unlock scribing in ESO, speak to Adept Irnard Rirnil outside any Mages Guild, including Skingrad, to begin The Second Era of Scribing quest. This can also be accessed by heading into the Collections menu and activating the scribing quest in the upgrades section.
This means you can start scribing immediately, without completing the full Gold Road story first. During this quest, you also unlock the Scholarium, some basic Grimoire and Scripts, and be introduced to the ESO scribing system.
From here, continue to complete the scribing questline to unlock additional features in this unique new feature:
- The Wing of the Indrik quest unlocks an account upgrade called Sigil of the Luminary Indrik which allows the purchase of Grimoires and Scripts from Chronicler Firandil at the Scholarium, and enemies will begin to drop Luminous Ink.
- The Wing of the Gryphon quest unlocks the Sigil of the Luminary Gryphon account upgrade, which makes Focus Scripts obtainable from daily Delves, PvP Rewards for the Worthy, and daily Mages Guild quests. This also includes vendors at the Scholarium and Infinite Archive.
- The Wing of the Dragon quest unlocks the Sigil of the Luminary Dragon upgrade which makes Signature Scrips drop from daily world boss rewards, daily Cyrodiil rewards, and daily Fighters Guid rewards. This also includes vendors at the Scholarium and Infinite Archive. This unlocks subsidized Scrips at Mages Guilds.
- The Wing of the Netch quest unlocks the Sigil of the Luminary Netch account upgrade. This makes Affix Scripts drop from daily world events, daily Imperial City rewards, and daily Undaunted quests. Likewise, this includes vendors at the Scholarium and Infinite Archive. This upgrade also makes it so Luminous Ink can be found when harvesting nodes.
Unlocking these additional features is key to making scribing easier and more powerful. Additionally, since these are account-wide upgrades, any alt characters you have will also have these unlocked. Check out our guide to the ESO scribing quests to find out more.
How to Scribe in ESO
To scribe in ESO, head to the Scholarium and use the Scribing Altar. Here, you can select a Grimoire, add a Script, a Focus Script, and an Affix Script to change how your chosen scribing ability functions. This will cost three Luminous Ink for a brand-new Grimoire while changing a Script on a previously scribed skill will cost one Luminous Ink.
There are hundreds of different combinations you can create in this system, though it’s important to understand the basics. This begins with the four aspects that you can tweak while scribing:
- Grimoire - The base skill that you will be customizing.
- Focus Script - The main function of the skill.
- Signature Script - Adds a unique additional effect.
- Affix Script - Adds a Major or Minor buff or debuff to the skill.
- Class Mastery/Mages Guild Scripts - Adds a unique class/Mages Guild effect.
All ESO Grimoires and How to Get Them
Each main skill line (weapons, Mages Guild, Fighters Guild, Assault, and Soul Magic) has a new skill, called Grimoire, which is used as a base when scribing. While some are unlocked by completing the scribing tutorial quests, most will need to be unlocked by leveling skill lines and then purchasing them from Chronicler Firandil at the Scholarium for 50,000 gold. This is lowered to 10,000 gold for alt characters.
Grimoire | Skill Line | Description | How to Get |
|---|---|---|---|
Elemental Explosion | Destruction Staff | Channel the power in your staff to fling a bolt of volatile magic, causing an elemental explosion at the target location. | Complete Destruction Staff Apprentice (reach level 25) |
Mender's Bond | Restoration Staff | Tether yourself to an ally, manifesting a life link between you and them. | Complete Restoration Staff Apprentice (reach level 25) |
Shield Throw | One Hand and Shield | Hurl your shield at an enemy, which then returns to you. | Complete One Hand and Shield Apprentice (reach level 25) |
Smash | Two-Handed | Drag your weapon along the ground to smash a cone in front of you. | Complete Two-Handed Apprentice (reach level 25) |
Soul Burst | Soul Magic | Unleash a powerful burst of soul magic around you. | Unlocked via the scribing questline. |
Wield Soul | Soul Magic | Launch a concentrated blast of soul magic at a target. | Unlocked via the scribing questline. |
Torchbearer | Fighters Guild | Conjure an imbued torch and sweep the area in front of you three times with its power. | Complete Fighters Guild Skill Apprentice (reach level 5) |
Trample | Assault | Pierce the air with a shrill whistle, calling your mount forth to trample enemies in a line. This ability cannot be re-activated while your mount is already attacking. | Complete Alliance War Skill Apprentice (reach level 5 in Assault and Support skill lines) |
Traveling Knife | Dual Wield | Twirl and throw an enchanted dagger at an enemy, which returns to you after a short delay and hits additional enemies in the path. | Complete Dual Wield Apprentice (reach level 25) |
Ulfsild's Contingency | Mages Guild | Imbue yourself with the magical runes of Ulfsild. These runes trigger when you cast an ability with a cost, causing a burst of magic around you. | Complete Mages Guild Skill Apprentice (reach level 5) |
All ESO Focus Scripts and How to Get Them
Focus Scripts add an effect to your chosen skill in the ESO scribing system and are unlocked once you’ve acquired the Sigil of the Luminary Gryphon. From here, Focus Scripts can be earned from completing Daily Delve quests, Daily Mages Guild quests, and PvP Rewards for the Worthy.
Focus Script | Description | How to Get |
|---|---|---|
Bleed Damage | Adds bleed damage. | Daily Delve quests, daily Mages Guild quests, and PvP Rewards for the Worthy. |
Damage Shield | Adds a protective damage shield. | Located in the Mages Guild Hall in Davon's Watch, Stonefalls. |
Disease Damage | Adds disease damage. | Daily Delve quests, daily Mages Guild quests, and PvP Rewards for the Worthy. |
Dispel | Adds a dispel effect. | Daily Delve quests, daily Mages Guild quests, and PvP Rewards for the Worthy. |
Flame Damage | Adds flame damage. | Daily Delve quests, daily Mages Guild quests, and PvP Rewards for the Worthy. |
Frost Damage | Adds frost damage. | Daily Delve quests, daily Mages Guild quests, and PvP Rewards for the Worthy. |
Generate Ultimate | Adds an ultimate generation effect. | Daily Delve quests, daily Mages Guild quests, and PvP Rewards for the Worthy. |
Healing | Adds a healing effect. | Unlocked via the scribing questline. |
Immobilize | Adds an immobilizing effect. | Daily Delve quests, daily Mages Guild quests, and PvP Rewards for the Worthy. |
Knockback | Adds a knockback effect. | Daily Delve quests, daily Mages Guild quests, and PvP Rewards for the Worthy. |
All ESO Signature Scripts and How to Get Them
Signature Scripts enhance your scribed skill by adding an additional effect, which often ties into other class functions in combat. Once you’ve unlocked the Sigil of the Luminary Dragon account upgrade, Signature Scripts can be acquired by completing daily World Boss quests, daily Cyrodiil quests, and daily Fighters Guild quests.
Signature Script | Description | How to Get |
|---|---|---|
Anchorite's Cruelty | Adds an effect to consume a soul gem to deal oblivion damage. | Daily World Boss quests, daily Cyrodiil quests, and daily Fighters Guild quests. |
Anchorite's Potency | Adds an effect to consume a soul gem to grant ultimate. | Daily World Boss quests, daily Cyrodiil quests, and daily Fighters Guild quests. |
Assassin's Misery | Improves status effects. | Daily World Boss quests, daily Cyrodiil quests, and daily Fighters Guild quests. |
Cavalier's Charge | Adds increasing damage over the duration of the ability. | Daily World Boss quests, daily Cyrodiil quests, and daily Fighters Guild quests. |
Crusader's Defiance | Adds the effect to remove harmful status effects. | Daily World Boss quests, daily Cyrodiil quests, and daily Fighters Guild quests. |
Druid's Resurgence | Adds resource regeneration. | Located in the Mages Guild Hall in Wayrest, Stormhaven. |
Fencer's Parry | Adds an effect to deflect direct damage attacks. | Daily World Boss quests, daily Cyrodiil quests, and daily Fighters Guild quests. |
Gladiator's Tenacity | Adds a damage reduction effect. | Daily World Boss quests, daily Cyrodiil quests, and daily Fighters Guild quests. |
Growing Impact | Adds an effect to enhance buff and debuff application. | Daily World Boss quests, daily Cyrodiil quests, and daily Fighters Guild quests. |
Hunter's Snare | Adds a slowing effect. | Located in the Mages Guild Hall in Mournhold, Deshaan. |
All ESO Affix Scripts and How to Get Them
Affix Scrips add a Major or Minor buff or debuff to your scribed skill, which is the final cherry on top of your chosen Grimoire. After unlocking the Sigil of the Luminary Netch upgrade, Affix Scripts can be earned by completing World Event quests, daily Imperial City quests, and daily Undaunted quests.
Affix Script | Description | How to Get |
|---|---|---|
Berserk | Adds the Berserk buff which increases damage dealt. | Daily World Event quests, daily Imperial City quests, and daily Undaunted quests. |
Breach | Adds the Breach debuff which reduces physical and spell resistance on hit. | Unlocked via the scribing questline. |
Brittle | Adds the Brittle debuff which increases the critical damage taken by enemies hit. | Daily World Event quests, daily Imperial City quests, and daily Undaunted quests. |
Brutality and Sorcery | Adds Brutality and Sorcery buffs to increase weapon and spell damage respectively. | Daily World Event quests, daily Imperial City quests, and daily Undaunted quests. |
Courage | Adds the Courage buff which increases weapon and spell damage. | Daily World Event quests, daily Imperial City quests, and daily Undaunted quests. |
Cowardice | Adds the Cowardice debuff which reduces the weapon and spell damage of enemies. | Daily World Event quests, daily Imperial City quests, and daily Undaunted quests. |
Defile | Adds the Defile debuff which reduces the healing received by enemies. | Daily World Event quests, daily Imperial City quests, and daily Undaunted quests. |
Empower | Adds the Empower buff which increases heavy attack damage. | Daily World Event quests, daily Imperial City quests, and daily Undaunted quests. |
Enervation | Adds the Enervation debuff which reduces the critical damage dealt by enemies. | Daily World Event quests, daily Imperial City quests, and daily Undaunted quests. |
Evasion | Adds the Evasion buff which reduces the damage taken from area of effect attacks. | Daily World Event quests, daily Imperial City quests, and daily Undaunted quests. |
ESO Script Chases
On top of the basic Grimoire and Scripts are Script Chases, which add powerful unique bonuses. These Script Chases are Class Mastery Scripts and Mages Guild Focus Scripts.
ESO Mages Guild Script Chase
Once you’ve completed The Wing of the Dragon quest, you can begin hunting for the Mages Guild Scripts:
Mages Guild Scripts | Type | Location - Mages Guild Hall |
|---|---|---|
Damage Shield | Focus Script | Davon's Watch, Stonefalls |
Physical Damage | Focus Script | Vulkhel Guard, Auridon |
Stun | Focus Script | Daggerfall, Glenumbra |
Druid's Resurgence | Signature Script | Wayrest, Stormhaven |
Hunter's Snare | Signature Script | Mournhold, Deshaan |
Warrior's Opportunity | Signature Script | Elden Root, Grahtwood |
Maim | Affix Script | Riften, The Rift |
Vitality | Affix Script | Rawl'kha, Reaper's March |
Vulnerability | Affix Script | Evermore, Bangkorai |
ESO Class Mastery Script Chase
After you’ve completed The Wing of the Dragon quest, you can get Class Mastery Scripts to use in the ESO scribing system by combining 50 Class Script Scraps, found by completing Trials, daily dungeons, Infinite Archive, Arenas, and PvP. Once you’ve acquired enough Class Script Scraps, you can purchase these Class Mastery Scripts from Chronicler Firandil at the Scholarium.
Class | Class Mastery Description |
|---|---|
Arcanist | Create a Crux on activation. |
Dragonknight | For each enemy within eight meters, up to a maximum of six enemies, gain 50 weapon and spell damage and reduce your damage taken by 2% plus 1% per enemy for five seconds. |
Necromancer | Once every three seconds, increase your health, magicka, and stamina by 2% for ten seconds for each corpse within 12 meters, up to ten times. If no corpses are nearby, create a corpse. |
Nightblade | Restore 333 magicka and stamina if your target is above 50% health. Increase your critical chance by 10% for five seconds if your target is at or below 50% health. |
Sorcerer | Enchant your closest pet for five seconds to heal a nearby ally for 475 health each time it deals damage, up to once a second. If you do not have a pet, you deal 1122 shock damage to enemies within eight meters of your first target. |
Templar | For five seconds, you gain 1320 armor and 150 weapon and spell damage. If Sacred Ground is active on you, these values are increased by 50%. |
Warden | Create an eight-meter area for two seconds under your target once every eight seconds that snares enemies by 70%, and charms them for three seconds when it expires. If no enemies are charmed, you restore 1000 magicka and stamina. |
How to Get Luminous Ink in ESO
Luminous Ink can be found by defeating enemies and harvesting resource nodes.
As a requirement in the ESO scribing system, you’ll need as much Luminous Ink as you can get, which does involve some grinding if you’re trying to unlock all the features of scribing right away. Otherwise, you will naturally come across them as you complete activities and the like.
That covers all there is to know about the complex ESO scribing system and how to use it to your advantage while exploring Tamriel. While it’s great fun to test scribed skills in the Gold Road expansion, you can take these skills anywhere, including dungeons and PvP. If you're late to the party, consider checking out our ESO Blackwood review to see if this older expansion is worth your time.