As we all know, the launch of each new chapter of Elder Scrolls Online will bring a series of new exploration areas and tasks, or introduce some new mechanisms or systems to bring players a different gaming experience.
For example, in High Isle, the developers introduced Tales of Tribute card game, Blackwood chapter brought Companions System, and Summerset provided players with Jewelcrafting system.
The most important update in the upcoming Gold Road chapter is Scribing System, which changes the game to a great extent by giving more variety to the crafting of builds and bringing a series of complex quest lines.
In this guide, we will introduce the operating mechanism of Scribing System and its related quest line, and talk about our views on this system.
Scribing System Explained
As a typical RPG in ESO, game balance is extremely difficult, and the skill customization system in the game is not as free as Spellcrafting system in Gates of Oblivion, but this does not mean that it lacks depth.
Players have access to over 4,000 combinations of scripts and grimoires in the game, and the system automatically filters out combinations that are overly powerful or useless. This means that as long as you have enough ESO Gold, you can complete the most powerful build based on your play style.
The 11 new skills are introduced into the game as grimoires, with one for each weapon, world and guild skill line. These grimoires are the basis of Scribing Skills, and the same grimoire can lead to some completely different results by combining three scripts.
What Do The Different Types Of Scripts Do?
These scripts are divided into three levels: Focus Scripts, Signature Scripts, and Affix Scripts.
Focus Scripts largely define where the ability fits in the build, determining its damage type and resources used, and some abilities can even be transformed into taunts or crowd control abilities.
Signature Scripts provide synergies such as damage and healing over time or increased movement speed.
Affix Scripts typically add buffs or debuffs, such as Prophecy, Savagery, or Lifesteal.
While it’s unlikely that a player’s build will revolve entirely around scribed grimoire abilities, the system is a great way to shore up weaknesses in your build or gain new abilities.
Often, players struggling with survivability might choose to add something with Lifesteal functionality to their repertoire, or an attention-seeking tank might want to put together an extra taunt that doubles as a defensive buff.
Signature Scripts can even completely change the appearance of the ability. We tried various elements of Elemental Explosion and then changed it to a red explosion when we modified it with the physical damage script.
Luminaries Questline
The quest line that comes with Scribing System is one of the most memorable quests we’ve done in Elder Scrolls Online in years, especially because it introduces new lore about the mysterious and sacred Luminaries.
Luminaries are important to the overall game loop. There are four Luminaries here, giving players a reason to jump through hoops in any order they choose to follow this storyline.
Just finding each Luminaries was quite a journey, as we had to determine the location of the key fragments by deciphering clues in the book, leading to a brief search for hidden objects mini-game at the destination.
Once we finally found a Luminary, they asked players to complete some in-game challenges. These might involve clearing a specific area of Delves or Dark Anchors, killing enough of a specific species, or even participating in a PVP battleground.
While it offloads some of the mission work onto existing game content, we actually appreciate the way it allows us to explore overlooked areas and create motivation to participate in other content.
We expect the entire questline to take players about six hours in total, although getting to know Scribing System can take up a lot of time. From what we’ve seen, this massive new system and its engaging questline are the highlights of an already strong chapter.
That’s everything we know so far about Scribing System in the upcoming Gold Road chapter. Mastering them ahead of time will give you a head start when it comes to new expansions!
