The ESO Scribing guide explains everything you need to know about this new feature introduced in the Gold Rad Chapter and Update 42.
The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) introduces Scribing in their latest Chapter, the Gold Road. This system features the creation and modification of 11 Grimoires or Spells. In this guide, ESO All Scribing Grimoires and Scripts, we explain how these spells work, including Scripts, the sub-modification of Grimoires. Moreover, we feature all scripts, grimoires, and all scribing combinations in a comprehensive list here, allowing you to see which ones may work for you. Thanks to Scribing, we expect significant changes in the Meta, and we are here to share the details!
What is Scribing in the Elder Scrolls Online (ESO)
In short, Scribing allows you to create spells with the effects or buffs you want. You can equip and use those customized skills. There are single target skills, AoA skills, and many variations of animations, and who will be affected by them. But there are some limitations.
The Scribing feature is not spellcasting because you are not creating entirely new skills. Instead, you’re using a base skill from one of 11 Grimoires throughout weapon, world, and guild skill lines. The base Grimoires you can combine with scripts, which modify the spells in various ways (adds buffs, debuffs, bonuses, and other effects). Finally, you use Luminous Ink, a currency, to scribe a spell, therefore allowing you to equip it on your hotbar.
The features and mechanics of Scribing in the Elder Scrolls Online (ESO):
- Location: Scholarium is on the Northwestern corner of Tamriel.
- Starting Quest: Skingrad, Mages Guild.
- Feature: customizes one of 11 spells.
- Grimoires: Spells that can be customized with Scripts.
- Scripts: the components of customizing and changing your spell and skill effect.
- Luminous Ink: Currency used to scribe.
- Chapter: Purchase of the Gold Road chapter is required (sponsored link).
What are Grimoires?
Grimoires are based on skills that need to be scribed using Scripts. Think of scripts as components of the spell, similar to runes with enchanting. Each script adds or changes the spell’s effects, like damage, healing, stun, etc. With a base skill, grimoire, and three scripts, you scribe the spell using Luminous Ink, the currency to create your unique skill. Once you scribed and created the spell, you can put it on your hot bar. Moreover, you can edit these skills and change out the scripts or the effects of the skill.
Once you’ve reached the required level rank in the skill line, you can purchase Grimoires from a vendor in the Scholarium. Unlocking them may require gold or specific achievements, so expect a progression system. Lastly, Grimoires are unlocked per character. However, once unlocked on one character, you can unlock them on others at a discount.
Below is an example of a bow skill, the Vault.
The Vault Grimoire is from the Bow skill line and acts as a 6-meter radius bow attack that flips the caster backward. Once you decide you like this skill and what it provides, you can add special effects to them, called Scripts.
What are Scripts?
Scripts come in three forms, and the user interface is Enchanting: Focus, Signature, and Affix. The Focus script is the main part of the skill or spell. Is your spell designed to damage, stun, target allies, etc. The Signature Scripts is enhancing an effect or a secondary attribute. Maybe you want a range spammable, so you select that in Focus, then your Signature Script gives additional damage over time. Lastly, we have Affix Scripts, which gives buffs of debuffs.
You will have class mastery scripts in the Signature Script to obtain class identity. This ensures each class has some unique aspect for creating and scribing spells. Additionally, not all scripts can be combined with a Grimoire or spell. There are defined Scripts for each Grimoire. Thus, you must be aware of them to avoid incompatible selections. Check all Scripts, Grimoires, and their combinations guide for all available ESO Scribing varieties.
You can obtain a few scripts by completing the Wing of the Dragon Quest in the progression chain. Once completed, you can find specific scrips in Mages Guild locations:
- Alik’r Desert
- Bangkoari
- Daggerfall
- Davon’s Watch
- Eastmarch
- Malabal Tor
- Repear’s March
- The Rift
- Vulkhel Guard
Additionally, you can get scripts from enemies, daily reward coffers, and questing within the Scholarium Luminaries. The following scripts drop sources:
- Focus Scripts (Gryphon Luminary): Delves, Mages Guild, and Rewards of the Worthy daily coffers.
- Signature Scripts (Dragon Luminary): Delve, Mages Guild, and Cyrodiil daily coffers.
- Affix Scripts (Netch Luminary): Undaunted and Imperial City daily coffers.
What is Class Mastery?
Each class also has a unique opportunity to develop mastery skills through scribing. Class mastery means you add a class-unique scribing effect to a scribing skill. It feels more customized and personalized if you, for example, add the ability to generate cruxes for your arcanist to skill to even better complement the base class mechanic it possesses.
Each class has its class-specific script you can add to a scribing spells. Here are all Class Mastery scribing scripts in ESO:
- Arcanist: Creates a Crux
- Dragonknight: For each enemy within 8 meters up to 6, gain 50 Weapon and Spell Damage and reduce your damage taken by 2% plus 1% per enemy for 5 seconds.
- Necromancer: Once every 3 seconds, increase your Health, Magicka, and Stamina by 2% for 10 seconds for each corpse within 12 meters, up to a max of 10. If no corpses are nearby, create a corpse.
- Nightblade: Restore 187 Magicka and Stamina if your target was above 50% Health. Increase your Critical Chance by 10% if your target was at or below 50% Health.
- Sorcerer: Enchant your closest pet for 20 seconds to heal a nearby ally each time the pet deals damage, up to once a second. If you do not have a pet, you deal Shock Damage to enemies within 8 meters of you.
- Templar: Gain Lightweaver for 4 seconds, increasing your Armor and snaring you by 50%. If you are at 50% or less Health, gain 1 Ultimate.
- Warden: Create an 8 meter area under your target once every 10 seconds that snares enemies by 70% and charms after 3 seconds. If no enemies are charmed, you restore 1000 Magicka and Stamina.
How to Start Scribing Skills in ESO?
Start and complete The Second Era of Scribing quest to access the Scribing Altar and a few bases Grimoire and the Scripts. To Scribe a Skill, head to Scholarium beneath Eyevea and interact with the Altar by pressing E (default PC key bind). Select the Grimoire, apply the scribes you wish to craft from the Scribing menu, and press R (default PC key bind) to craft your first skill.
You can use Scribing Altar to develop as many skills as you want. The only limitation is Luminous inks because you need a specific amount of this resource to scribe skills.
Also, note that you need the Gold Road chapter to use the scribing feature, which is part of this expansion.
How to Start “The Second Era of Scribing” quest?
Go to the West Weald zone added with the goals rad chapter in the southwest of Tamriel and look for Adept Irnard Rirnil. He should be in the Mages Guild. He is an adept who can give you “The Second Era of Scribing” quest. Once you start it, follow the instructions and questline to learn more about scribing and learn the basic mechanics. You will also be transported to Scholarium to unlock Scribing and a few basic scripts and grimoires in ESO.
Ensure you also completed “The Wing of the Indrik” quest to get more scripts, a boost of precious Luminous Ink, and access to Chronicler Firandil Merchant in Scholarium. There, you will be able to buy more Grimoires (50000 Gold each). It’s expensive, especially for new players, so ensure you save some gold.
How to get Luminous Ink in ESO?
Luminous Ink can be obtained by completing the scribing questline, exploring eso, harvesting nodes, and crafting writs. The first time you will be introduced to Luminous Ink during the “The Wing of the Indrik” scribing quest. That’s also when you will get some Luminous Ink to kickstart you with your scribing.
Luminous Ink is a unique resource or a currency you use to create spells with scribing. Every script costs a specific amount of Ink. So you need 3 per spell to fully upgrade it and use all three slots while scribing. You can see your Luminous Ink cost while scribing at the bottom of the scribing interface. For Example, in the image above, we needed only 2 Luminous Inks to craft that Sundering Tremple spell from the Alliance War skill line.
You can also replace the script in your scribing spell using Luminous Ink.
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