Complete Scribing Guide For ESO - Hack the Minotaur (2024)

With Scribing, players can collect and customize new skills, granting you even more ways to play your build your way! The Scribing System is part of the Elder Scrolls Online Gold Road chapter, releasing in June 2024.

What is the ESO Scribing System?

Scribing is a new feature introduced with the Gold Road Chapter in 2024. The primary focus of this system is to add new, customized skills to existing skill lines including the weapon skill line, guild, world and PVP skills to allow greater depth and roleplay options for builds! Read on to see how Scribing works in ESO!

How Does Scribing Work in ESO?

Scribing in ESO has three main components: Grimoires, Scripts, and Inks.

Grimoires

With Scribing, ESO players can customize special skills called Grimoires. Think of the Grimoire as a new skill added to existing skill lines. Scribing currently applies to the following skill lines in ESO:

• Destruction Staff
• Restoration Staff
• Dual Wield
• Two Hander
• Bow
• One Hand and Shield
• Fighters Guild
• Mages Guild
• Assault
• Soul Magic

Each skill line above has one customizable Grimoire skill with the exception of Soul Magic which has two. I expect that more skill lines will be added to this list in the future, and more skills may be added as well. This system can be easily expanded on in future DLC content.

Scripts

Each Grimoire can be customized with unique effects called Scripts. Three Scripts can slotted into each Grimoire, granting it specific damage types, unique effects, as well as standard ESO buffs and debuffs like Force or Vulnerability.

Scripts come in three levels: Focus Scripts, Signature Scripts, and Affix Scripts.

Focus Scripts

Focus scripts determine the main effect of the skill, including damage type, healing, or utility. Some examples of Focus Scripts include:

• Physical
• Poison
• Bleed
• Disease
• Frost
• Magic
• Multi-Target
• Pull
• Stun
• Taunt
• Immobilize
• Heal
• Damage Shield
• Mitigation
• Ultimate Generation

Remember that the Focus Script determines the primary function of the Scribed ability. So this is the most important choice you will make in Scribing. This choice can also lock out some options down below for Signature Scripts or Affix Scripts because some combinations are not possible.

Signature Scripts

The Signature Script allows you to tweak the skill to your build’s purpose even more with unique buffs and effects. Some Signature Scripts are even based on your specific class! Examples of Signature Scripts include adding additional effects such as:

• Damage Over Time
• Snare
• Life Leech
• Status Effect
• Class Mastery*
• Damage Shield
• Deflect
• Weapon Passive
• Bonus Damage
• Resource Restore
• Mobility
• Defiance
• Heal Over Time
• Block Mitigation
• Immobilize
• Soul Infusion

As you can see Secondary Scripts can be dependent on the skill line itself, with Weapon Passives unique to the Weapon you are currently using or even specific Soul Magic like Soul Infusion. You can expect to see a lot of variety here to further customize your skills in this new magic system.

Class Mastery Scripts

Here again, I should mention that each class in ESO has a unique Class Mastery Script, which can be applied in this Signature slot. Class Mastery Scripts currently giving the following bonuses:

• Arcanist Script: Creates a Crux
• Necromancer Script: 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.
• Warden Script: 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.
• Dragonknight Script: 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.
• Nightblade Script: 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 Script: 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 Script: Gain Lightweaver for 4 seconds, increasing your Armor and snaring you by 50%. If you are at 50% or less Health, gain 1 Ultimate.

Affix Scripts

Finally, Affix Scripts are focused on adding existing ESO buffs and debuffs as an extra effect to your new custom skill. Some known Affix effects include:

• Major Brutality and Sorcery (20% Weapon and Spell Damage)
• Minor Force (Critical Damage)
• Major Savagery and Prophecy (Critical Chance)
• Minor Expedition (move speed)
• Minor and Major Vulnerability (increased damage taken)
• Minor and Major Maim (reduced damage done)
• Minor Lifesteal (heal on attack)
• Minor and Major Evasion (reduced AOE damage)
• Off Balance (bonus heavy attack damage)
• Major Cowardice (reduce enemy Weapon and Spell Damage)
• Major Resolve (bonus Armor)
• Major Vitality (increased Healing Done)
• Minor Brittle (increased Critical Damage taken)
• Minor Breach (reduced enemy Armor)
• Minor Courage (increased Weapon and Spell Damage)

As you can see, there are dozens of possible combinations available here that will include many powerful buffs and debuffs, including effects such as Minor Force, Minor Maim, Minor Prophecy, and so on.

Inks

Inks are the expendable resource or material that players will need to craft skills or modify skills in the new Scribing system. We still don’t know much yet about how we’ll get this resource or how difficult Inks will be to acquire but no doubt more information will be coming soon. Check out even more details and examples in our video guide below!

Scribing Skills

The ESO Scribing System currently includes 11 unique skills, also called Grimoires. The list of available Grimoires is included below.

Elemental Explosion Skill Line: Destruction Staff	Channel the power in your staff to fling a bolt of volatile magic, causing an elemental explosion at the target location.
Traveling Knife Skill Line: 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.
Smash Skill Line: Two Handed	Drag your weapon along the ground to smash a cone in front of you.
Vault Skill Line: Bow	Fire a burst at your feet while flipping backwards 15 meters.
Shield Throw Skill Line: One Hand And Shield	Hurl your shield at an enemy, which then returns to you.
Mender’s Bond Skill Line: Restoration Staff	Tether yourself to an ally, manifesting a life link between you and them.
Wield Soul Skill Line: Soul Magic	Launch a concentrated blast of soul magic at a target.
Soul Burst Skill Line: Soul Magic	Unleash a powerful burst of soul magic around you.
Ulfsild’s Contingency Skill Line: Mages Guild	Imbue yourself with the magical runes of Ulfsild. These runes trigger when you cast an ability while under half Magicka or Stamina, causing a burst of magic around you.
Torchbearer Skill Line: Fighters Guild	Conjure an imbued torch and sweep the area in front of you three times with its power.
Trample Skill Line: Assault	Pierce the air with a shrill whistle, calling your mount forth to trample enemies in a line.

How To Unlock Scribing In ESO

Scribing is part of the Gold Road chapter for The Elder Scrolls Online, so players will need to purchase that chapter to unlock this new system.

ESO Scribing Lore

Scribing in The Elder Scrolls Online is the precursor to the full Spellcrafting system in other Elder Scrolls games such as Morrowind and Oblivion. We know that Scribing is a raw form of magic tied to the world of Tamriel. A new NPC called Ulfsild will guide the player through a variety of new quests to begin their scribing journey, helping them unlock the new spells as well as scripts to add unique buffs.

Skill Styling System in ESO

Skill Styling is also making its way to ESO as part of the Gold Road chapter this year. Skill Styling will allow players to apply additional colors and graphical effects to some of the most popular skills in the game including Wall Of Elements and Trap Beast. Skill Styles work as collectibles, and once acquired they will change the overall look of that one skill such as changing Wall Of Elements to a purple visual effect. So far, we only know of weapon skills having skill styles so it’s unknown if class skills will take advantage of this new system as well.

ESO Scribing Builds

Looking for the Best ESO Builds for Scribing? Look no further! The builds below have been optimized to use powerful Scribing Skills!