What is Scribing in ESO?

Scribing introduces new unlockable skills to the existing skill lines. Each new skill can be modified to your liking.

How Does ESO Scribing Work?

Scribing might seem complicated at first, but it will become easier to understand as you delve more into it. What you need is a skill to customize (Grimoire), three Scripts (Focus, Signature and Affix) for the effects and Luminous Ink (crafting currency) to decide what your skill does.

The Skills and Scripts are collectables which means you are able to use them forever on that character once collected. The Luminous Ink will need to be farmed or bought as each skill consumes one ink per script. After you’ve scribed your new skill it can be found in it’s respective skill line and the new Scribing tab in your skill assignment window.

Grimoires

Grimoires are the skills you scribe your effects into. You need to complete “The Wing of the Indrik” questline to be able to buy Grimoires. Grimoires also require having completed specific achievements related to the skill line associated with the Grimoire. You only need the achievement on one character.

Each Grimoire costs 50k gold when you buy it for the first time and 10k gold if you have acquired that Grimoire on another character.

Scripts

Each Script holds a unique effect that you can apply to your skill. Scripts can be looted or purchased through a variety of means detailed below. Once a Script is in your inventory, you can consume it to permanently unlock that Script effect at the Scribing Altar for that character. There are three types of Scripts: Focus, Signature and Affix.

You are able to buy and loot a script on one of your characters and transfer it to your other character by depositing it in your bank. All players, regardless of Gold Road ownership, have a very small chance to receive Scripts via world drops, which are unbound and tradeable.

100% Guaranteed Script drop for the first daily and a 25% chance for a repeated daily. No duplicate Scripts until you have received all on that character (These are tradeable to other characters on your account). Read the daily quest guide on ESO-HUB to locate all the daily quest givers.

Focus

Focus Scripts add the main effect to your skill. This might change the type of damage the skill does, or whether the ability targets enemies or allies. Focus Scripts also determine the cost of the ability and whether it takes Magicka or Stamina to use.

Focus Scripts will start dropping from the dailies below and can be bought after you have unlocked the Sigil of the Luminary Gryphon on one character.

Signature

Signature Scripts can enhance the effects of the Focus Script, trigger a unique interaction with an existing mechanic, or add secondary attributes to the Scribed Skill.

Signature Scripts will start dropping from the dailies below and can be bought after you have unlocked the Sigil of the Luminary Dragon on one character.

Affix

Affix Scripts adds a major/minor buff/debuff depending on the targets the resulting Skill affects.

Affix Scripts will start dropping from the dailies below and can be bought after you have unlocked the Sigil of the Luminary Netch on one character.

Luminous Ink

Luminous Ink is the crafting currency and is required to complete the Scribing process, sealing the magic within your chosen Grimoire and Scripts. Each Script added or changed on a Scribed Skill consumes one Luminous Ink.

After completing the quest “The Wing of the Indrik”, Luminous Ink will rarely drop from defeated enemies. After completing the quest “The Wing of the Netch”, Luminous Ink will rarely drop from harvesting crafting materials.

How do you unlock Scribing in ESO?

Anyone can loot Scripts from defeating enemies, but purchasing the Gold Road Chapter is required to access the Scribing system. Additionally, your character must be at least level 30, or have at least one Champion Point, in order to access Scribing. You will need to complete the tutorial quest “Second Era of Scribing” to be able to scribe and for the Luminous Ink to start dropping in the world. Once you’ve completed a questline and unlocked its Sigil on one character, all of your other character will be able to earn scripts and Luminous Ink from the sources of that sigil.  

You can find a full list of quests on the ESO Scribing Quest Walkthrough page.

Is Scribing Another Term for Spellcrafting?

Spellcrafting has been high on the list of many ESO players' most desired features for ESO for many years, and many are asking if Scribing is simply another name for Spellcrafting. 

The best answer to this question is "not quite". Spellcrafting in other games like TES IV: Oblivion gave players a great deal of free reign to reshape the magic system and create spells as they saw fit. Scribing on the other hand gives you some free reign, but you must stay within certain constraints, you cannot freely pick and choose any effects from the game and mash them together, you can only work with what is offered by the Grimoires and Scripts available in the game.

Responding to questions on the matter, Zenimax explicitly stated that Scribing is not Spellcrafting, but a "precursor to Spellcrafting". There are two interpretations of this statement - either this means that Scribing is a test-run and full Spellcrafting is going to be added eventually, or it is merely referring to the lore surrounding Spellcrafting - ESO is set around 1,000 years before the other Elder Scrolls games, and the mages of Tamriel haven't yet attained sufficient mastery over magic to devise entirely new spells as they see fit. 

How Can I Get Started with Scribing? 

The Scholarium is located beneath the island Eyevea. You can access The Scholarium in two ways:

Eyevea was founded as a sanctuary for magic by Ulfsild’s husband, Archmagus Shalidor.