ESO Scribing Database

ESO Scribing Database. A list of all available Grimoires, Focus Scripts, Signature Scripts and Affix Scripts for the ESO Scribing system.

1. What is Scribing in ESO?

The Elder Scrolls Online's take on spellcrafting

The Scribing system in Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is a feature introduced with the Gold Road Chapter and closely tied to the Mages Guild. It enables players to collect, build, and customize unique skills—called Scribed Skills—to diversify combat and support roles.

To access Scribing, you must own the Gold Road Chapter. Scribing is a free base game feature as of july 2025.

2. How to unlock Scribing in ESO

The scribing questline can be started one of three ways:

  • In the Collections > Collectibles > Update menu, right-click the Scribing icon.
  • Speak to Adept Irnard Rirnil, located outside any Mages Guild building.
  • Read the pamphlet On Behalf of the Mages Guild of all Tamriel posted on the wall west of the Skingrad City Wayshrine.

The first quest, The Second Era of Scribing, requires a character level of at least 30 (or access to Champion Points). After completing all Scribing quests on one character, subsequent characters only need to finish the first quest to gain most benefits—such as Luminous Ink drops, Script drops, and access to Script vendors (Chronicler Firandil in the Scholarium and Filer Ool in the Infinite Archive).

3. Scribing Quests in ESO

There are six quests in the Scribing questline in ESO. While your main character must complete all six to unlock the full system, alt characters only need the introductory quest.

Quest Achievement Notes
The Second Era of Scribing A Patrol to Last a Lifetime
  • Earns the Wield Soul Grimoire
  • Awards the How to Scribe book (collectible furnishing)
  • Rewards: Soul Trap, Orchid Purple Skill Style
  • Scholarium Door & Study Furnishing (15,000 Gold)
The Wing of the Indrik The Responsibility of Power
  • Sigil of the Luminary Indrik upgrade
  • Unlocks the Scholarium's Training Room
  • Unlocks Chronicler Firandil (sells Grimoires & Scripts)
  • All characters can loot Luminous Ink from enemies
  • Scholarium Door & Indrik Furnishing (20,000 Gold)
The Wing of the Netch Stay Buoyant, Be Joyous
  • Sigil of the Luminary Netch upgrade
  • Earn Affix scripts from:
    • Imperial City daily district quest rewards
    • Undaunted daily delves (Bolgrul)
    • DLC incursion daily quests (e.g., Abyssal Geysers)
  • Purchase Affix scripts from vendors
  • All characters receive Luminous Ink from harvesting nodes
  • Scholarium Door & Netch Furnishing (20,000 Gold)
The Wing of the Gryphon Feathered Knight, Furred Thief
  • Sigil of the Luminary Gryphon upgrade
  • Earn Focus scripts from:
    • Rewards for the Worthy containers
    • Mages Guild daily quests (Alvur Baren)
    • DLC delve daily quests
  • Purchase Focus scripts from vendor
  • Scholarium Door & Gryphon Furnishing (20,000 Gold)
The Wing of the Dragon This One's a Puzzler
  • Sigil of the Luminary Dragon upgrade
  • Earn Signature scripts from:
    • Cyrodiil town & mission board quest rewards
    • Fighters Guild daily quests (Cardea Gallus)
    • DLC world boss daily quests
  • Purchase Signature scripts from vendors
  • Collect nine free scripts from base-game Mages Guilds
  • Scholarium Door & Dragon Furnishing (20,000 Gold)
The Wing of the Crow Beyond the Locked Door
  • Earns the Soul Burst Grimoire
  • Subsequent chars can purchase it or earn free by completing all quests
  • Rewards: Barrier, Turquoise Blue Skill Style, True-Sight Viewing Emote, 1 Skill Point
  • Scholarium Ward Furnishing (65,000 Gold)

4. Scribing skills in ESO

Scribed Skills integrate directly into your existing skill bars, costing Magicka or Stamina depending on the selected Grimoire + Focus combination. Unlike traditional skills:

  • No skill points are required to unlock or morph scribed skills.
  • No experience-based leveling is needed—customize or rescribe at will (each modification costs 1 Luminous Ink per changed script).
  • Each Grimoire allows only one active scribed skill at a time per character; others remain stored in your Archive.
  • Scribed weapon skills require the appropriate weapon equipped.

The name and icon of a scribed skill depend on the chosen Focus Script; some Affix and Signature Scripts can alter its visual effect. Any passive skills tied to the Grimoire’s skill line become active when you slot the scribed skill.

Scribing Archive

Once you scribe a skill, it’s saved in the Archive at the Scribing Altar (Scholarium). You can revert to any previous version—each change consumes Ink based on the amount of changed scripts.

The Archive is character-specific (scripts themselves are not shared). Each Grimoire has between 280 and 504 valid script combinations — 8494 possible skills (some combinations disallowed).

5. Luminous Ink - ESO

Luminous Ink Icon

Luminous Ink is the core crafting material for Scribing. ESO Plus subscribers store it automatically in their Crafting Bag’s miscellaneous slot—freeing up inventory space and making ink accessible to all characters.

Crafting a new scribed skill costs 3 Luminous Ink (one per script type). Modifying an existing skill costs 1 Ink per changed script. These are obtained from:

Luminous Ink does not drop from survey nodes. As of Update 43, it can also rarely drop from treasure chests and heavy sacks if you have the Dragon Luminary’s Blessing or Gryphon Luminary’s Blessing.

7. Grimoires - ESO

Grimoires are books that unlock new skills for scribing. There are 12 total. Purchase each once per character from Chronicler Firandil in the Scholarium and use it from inventory to unlock in the Scribing interface.

Most Grimoires cost 50000 Gold for the first purchase and 10000 Gold for subsequent copies of the same grimoire. Exceptions for this are Wield Soul and Soul Burst which can be obtained for free by doing their respecive quests.

Grimoire Skill Line Requirement
Banner Bearer Grimoire Banner Bearer Support
Elemental Explosion Grimoire Elemental Explosion Destruction Staff Reach Rank 25 in the Destruction Staff Weapon Skill Line.
Mender's Bond Grimoire Mender's Bond Restoration Staff Reach Rank 25 in the Restoration Staff Weapon Skill Line.
Shield Throw Grimoire Shield Throw One Hand and Shield Reach Rank 25 in the One-Hand and Shield Weapon Skill Line.
Smash Grimoire Smash Two Handed Reach Rank 25 in the Two-Handed Weapon Skill Line.
Soul Burst Grimoire Soul Burst Soul Magic Complete the final quest in the Scribing quest line.
Torchbearer Grimoire Torchbearer Fighters Guild Reach Rank 5 in the Fighters Guild Skill Line.
Trample Grimoire Trample Assault Reach Rank 5 in the Assault and Support skill lines.
Traveling Knife Grimoire Traveling Knife Dual Wield Reach Rank 25 in the Dual Wield Weapon Skill Line.
Ulfsild's Contingency Grimoire Ulfsild's Contingency Mages Guild Reach Rank 5 in the Mages Guild Skill Line.
Vault Grimoire Vault Bow Reach Rank 25 in the Bow Weapon skill line.
Wield Soul Grimoire Wield Soul Soul Magic Complete the Scribing tutorial quest.

8. Scribing scripts - ESO

To scribe a skill, you need three scripts: Focus, Signature and Affix. Each combination of scripts + Grimoire yields a unique skill - 8494 total possible variations.

Scripts are learned when used from inventory. In the Scribing UI (Scholarium Altar), tick “Usable” to filter only your known scripts. Unticking shows all compatible scripts (even unlearned).

Reward coffers curate drops so that each character learns every script of that type before random repeats. For mailed coffers (like Premium Undaunted supplies), curation is based on who opened the mail; for container-delivered scripts, it’s based on who opened the container.

8.1 Sources of Scripts

Players can obtain tradable (unbound) scripts by looting enemies (low drop chance) even without Gold Road Chapter. Bound, untradable scripts come from:

  • Scribing quest rewards
  • Free scripts at certain base-game Mages Guilds
  • Daily quest coffers (capped, curated drops)
  • Purchase from specialized Script Vendors

Scribing Quest Rewards

Two Scribing quests award scripts automatically:

The Second Era of Scribing grants:

The Wing of the Indrik grants:

Free Scripts from Mages Guild Locations

After obtaining the Sigil of the Luminary Dragon, a handbill “The Largesse of the Archmagister” appears opposite Chronicler Firandil (Scholarium). Nine free scripts (3 Focus, 3 Signature, 3 Affix) are scattered across base-game Mages Guilds. Scripts respawn if taken and banked without using—allowing one character to collect copies for alts.

Nine Daily Quest Rewards

After one character completes all Scribing quests, three handbills (Gryphon, Dragon, Netch Analysis) appear opposite Chronicler Firandil. They detail nine daily sources (3 Focus, 3 Signature, 3 Affix). Once you have the Sigils (Gryphon, Dragon, Netch), the first coffer from each source daily guarantees a curated script; subsequent coffers have a 25% chance.

The nine sources:

  • PvP Activities:
    • Rewards for the Worthy coffers
    • Daily Cyrodiil town & mission board quest rewards
    • Imperial City daily district quest rewards
  • Guild Daily Quests:
    • Mages Guild (Alvur Baren)
    • Fighters Guild (Cardea Gallus)
    • Undaunted delve quests (Bolgrul)
  • DLC Zone Daily Quests:
    • DLC dive/delve quest
    • Kill a DLC-zone world boss
    • Complete a DLC-zone incursion (e.g., Harrowstorms)
Note: Guaranteed drops come from looting the coffer, not turning in the quest. You can store unopened coffers to open one from each source per day for maximum guaranteed scripts.

Other Reward Coffers

Besides the nine daily sources, other activities drop scripts:

  • Dungeons, Trials, and Arenas (some guarantee Affix scripts in Premium Undaunted supplies).
  • Infinite Archive rewards.
  • PvP reward coffers (e.g., Tel Var, Battlegrounds).

Premium Undaunted Exploration Supplies:

  • First normal random daily dungeon: guaranteed Affix script + 1 Class Script Scrap.
  • First veteran/random daily dungeon (veteran HRM): guaranteed Affix script + 2 Class Script Scraps.

Script Vendors

After obtaining the Sigils (Gryphon, Dragon, Netch), buy bound scripts from:

Each vendor’s inventory rotates weekly (every Tuesday). Only scripts you haven’t learned appear. First copies cost more; subsequent copies are discounted.

Script Type Gold Price Archival Fortunes Price Tel Var Stones Price
Focus Script 40000 / 8000 15000 / 3000 75000 / 15000
Signature Script 60000 / 12000 20000 / 4000 100000 / 20000
Affix Script 20000 / 4000 10000 / 2000 50000 / 10000
Class Mastery Signature script purchasable after earning the A Signature with Class achievement (50 Class Script Scraps).

8.2 Focus Scripts

Focus Scripts determine a scribed skill’s name, resource cost (Magicka or Stamina), and primary function. Some Focus scripts cannot pair with certain Signature/Affix scripts (e.g., offensive vs. defensive restrictions).

After obtaining the Sigil of the Luminary Gryphon, Focus scripts drop from:

  • Rewards for the Worthy containers (PvP)
  • Mages Guild daily quests (Alvur Baren)us
  • DLC zone daily delve quests
All looted Focus scripts are bound and curated per character. The first coffer from each source daily gives a guaranteed Focus script; subsequent coffers have a 25% chance.
Script Name Compatible Grimoires
Physical Damage Icon Physical Damage
Poison Damage Icon Poison Damage
Disease Damage Icon Disease Damage
Bleed Damage Icon Bleed Damage
Magic Damage Icon Magic Damage
Shock Damage Icon Shock Damage
Frost Damage Icon Frost Damage
Flame Damage Icon Flame Damage
Trauma Icon Trauma
Multi-Target Icon Multi-Target
Taunt Icon Taunt
Knockback Icon Knockback
Pull Icon Pull
Immobilize Icon Immobilize
Stun Icon Stun
Dispel Icon Dispel
Healing Icon Healing
Restore Resources Icon Restore Resources
Damage Shield Icon Damage Shield
Generate Ultimate Icon Generate Ultimate
Mitigation Icon Mitigation

8.3 Signature Scripts

Signature Scripts add unique mechanics—enhanced effects, secondary triggers, or interactions. After the Sigil of the Luminary Dragon, Signature scripts drop from:

  • Daily Cyrodiil town & mission board quest coffers
  • Fighters Guild daily quests (Cardea Gallus)
  • DLC zone world boss daily quests
Bound and curated per character; first coffer per source daily guarantees one; subsequent coffers have a 25% chance.
Script Name Compatible Grimoires
Lingering Torment Icon Lingering Torment
Hunter's Snare Icon Hunter's Snare
Knight's Valor Icon Knight's Valor
Leeching Thirst Icon Leeching Thirst
Immobilizing Strike Icon Immobilizing Strike
Assassin's Misery Icon Assassin's Misery
Anchorite's Cruelty Icon Anchorite's Cruelty
Class Mastery Icon Class Mastery
Sage's Remedy Icon Sage's Remedy
Warmage's Defense Icon Warmage's Defense
Druid's Resurgence Icon Druid's Resurgence
Thief's Swiftness Icon Thief's Swiftness
Crusader's Defiance Icon Crusader's Defiance
Fencer's Parry Icon Fencer's Parry
Gladiator's Tenacity Icon Gladiator's Tenacity
Anchorite's Potency Icon Anchorite's Potency
Wayfarer's Mastery Icon Wayfarer's Mastery
Warrior's Opportunity Icon Warrior's Opportunity
Cavalier's Charge Icon Cavalier's Charge
Growing Impact Icon Growing Impact

8.4 Affix Scripts

Affix Scripts add buffs or debuffs to scribed skills. After obtaining the Sigil of the Luminary Netch, Affix scripts drop from:

  • Imperial City daily district quest coffers
  • Undaunted daily delves (Bolgrul)
  • DLC incursion daily quests
Bound and curated per character; first coffer per source daily gives one; subsequent have 25% chance.
Script Name Compatible Grimoires
Off Balance Icon Off Balance
Interrupt Icon Interrupt
Savagery and Prophecy Icon Savagery and Prophecy
Expedition Icon Expedition
Resolve Icon Resolve
Evasion Icon Evasion
Vitality Icon Vitality
Berserk Icon Berserk
Brutality and Sorcery Icon Brutality and Sorcery
Empower Icon Empower
Protection Icon Protection
Courage Icon Courage
Heroism Icon Heroism
Intellect and Endurance Icon Intellect and Endurance
Force Icon Force
Vulnerability Icon Vulnerability
Maim Icon Maim
Cowardice Icon Cowardice
Enervation Icon Enervation
Mangle Icon Mangle
Breach Icon Breach
Lifesteal Icon Lifesteal
Defile Icon Defile
Brittle Icon Brittle
Uncertainty Icon Uncertainty
Magickasteal Icon Magickasteal

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions from other players
Do I need Gold Road to use Spellcrafting?
Yes, Spellcrafting will only be available to players with the new Gold Road Chapter. You need access to the Chapter to begin the quest related to Scribing and pick up the associated skill line. 
What is Scribing in ESO?
Scribing is a system introduced in the Gold Road Chapter of ESO that allows players to create and customize unique abilities by combining various components. This system enables you to craft skills tailored to your playstyle, offering a wide range of effects and combinations.
How do I unlock Scribing?
To unlock the Scribing system, you need to complete the Luminary Wing questlines. These questlines introduce you to the mechanics of Scribing and grant access to its features upon completion. Check out this guide by Edenprime
How do I obtain new Scripts?
Scripts are obtained through various in-game activities, including daily quests, PvP rewards, and other challenges. Each type of Script is associated with specific activities, and completing these tasks will reward you with new Scripts to use in your Scribing endeavors. 
Can I reset or change my scripted abilities later?
Yes, you can modify your scribed abilities at any time by returning to the Scribing Altar in The Scholarium. This flexibility allows you to experiment with different combinations to find the setup that best suits your playstyle.