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PTS Update 49 - Feedback Thread for Skill Scrolls

ZOS_Kevin
ZOS_Kevin
Community Manager
This is the official feedback thread for new Skill Scrolls. Specific feedback that the team is looking for includes the following:
  • How useful have Skill Scrolls been?
  • How motivated to acquire and use them?
  • Which Skills would you like to see in the future?
  • Do you have any other general feedback?
Community Manager for ZeniMax Online Studio and Elder Scrolls OnlineDev Tracker | Service Alerts | ESO Twitter
Staff Post
  • Major_Toughness
    Major_Toughness
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    Please make them unusable when Battlespirit is active. The option to have extra skills (and buffs) compared to your opponents via scrolls make no sense in a PvP format.

    I would rather they did not exist at all, but that's not very constructive feedback.
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  • Erickson9610
    Erickson9610
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    Skill Scrolls have been moderately useful. I could imagine how I'd use them if I could use them in Werewolf form.

    I would be motivated to acquire and use them if werewolves were supposed to be able to use them. Since I don't play in my human form, I won't have a chance to use them.

    I want to see skills like Expert Hunter and Accelerate be added if Skill Scrolls are limited to self targeting buff skills. If skills that require a target can be used, I'd also like to see offensive skills like Soul Trap or Entropy. If Class skills are allowed, then I'd love to see some iconic elemental magic like Sun Fire or Mages' Fury. I think Necromancer abilities would be highly sought after because of the existence of necromancy spells in the singleplayer games — Blighted Blastbones and Skeletal Mage would be good candidates in this case. If Skill Scrolls allow curse-specific skills to be cast without the need to have that curse, Hircine's Bounty and Vampiric Drain would make the most sense. Other utility skills like Shadow Cloak or Extended Ritual would be nice.

    I think that Werewolf should be allowed to use Skill Scrolls. At the very least, they should be allowed to use Skill Scrolls if Skill Scrolls based on Werewolf abilities (such as Hircine's Bounty) were to be made.
    Edited by Erickson9610 on January 23, 2026 5:22PM
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  • MashmalloMan
    MashmalloMan
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    I really love the concept, but the execution as it stands leaves a lot to be desired.

    On one hand, they're so rare, while also being an 11th skill slot for free DPS, that you run the risk of a toxic playstyle of constantly farming this content to use them for score pushing where sustain from pots is less of a concern. Score pushing should be relatively excessible, I can't see these super rare scrolls being excessible for the every day player.

    On the other hand, this is super cool. It brings ESO full circle by making it feel like a true ES experience. If only Staves we're optional and we had a way to cast with empty hands or 1h + magic, wink wink? Potions are inevitably getting reworked later this year, but as it stands skills like Forward Momentum and Quick Cloak feel like balanced and valid choices to potions.

    What I don't want is skill scrolls to be this super exclusive, ridiculously expensive, toxic item, that we feel forced to farm for hours on end, just to burn through a stack in a failed trial run. I also wouldn't want this gigantic advantage that only rich PVP players could afford, making it a bit pay 2 win. Both of those would feel terrible.

    The only way I see skill scrolls having a future in ESO is if they are treated at the same level of power, and value, as potions:
    • It needs a crafting line. We should be able to combine x, y, z for x4 scrolls to easily make 200x a stack. This means a hireling and resource nodes on the map. Some can be expensive, but majority are affordable.
    • Some basic, but decent options should be available through traders the same way tri pots or weapon power pots are. AKA you could buy them for gold or alliance. Not every skill, but some key ones.
    • Generally, cooldowns should match the duration of the effects. Absorb Missle for example feels useless as a 6s duration, 20s cooldown, but Forward Momentum and Quick Cloak feel advantagous.
    • Consider making these only useable in PVE, the opportunity/cost of your skill slots and flexibility for use cases in PVP is way too high. I'm not sure it can be balanced there appropriately, obviously it would be cool if it was, but I'm just saying to consider it.

    Hell I'd even love some experimentation. Maybe ultimates are available, but don't work in PVP or Leaderboard content, and they have super high cooldowns like 200 seconds, general rule could be 100% of their ult cost.
    Edited by MashmalloMan on January 23, 2026 6:12PM
    @MashmalloMan - PC NA

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  • React
    React
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    Would rather these be limited to night market, where their power level/ease of acquisition doesn't affect the overall game.

    I've got concerns about how they'd affect PVP. PVP suffers severely from a lack of meaningful rewards, and most people bleed money pvping just on the cost of potions, food, and poisons. Not to mention the cost of actually making builds these days.

    If we now had to spend money or time to acquire these scrolls in order to be competitive, it would just add another layer of frustration and barrier to entry for competitive PVP.

    I know that the endgame PVE folks seem to share this same concern, too.
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  • Malyore
    Malyore
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    I really love the concept, but the execution as it stands leaves a lot to be desired.

    On one hand, they're so rare, while also being an 11th skill slot for free DPS, that you run the risk of a toxic playstyle of constantly farming this content to use them for score pushing where sustain from pots is less of a concern. Score pushing should be relatively excessible, I can't see these super rare scrolls being excessible for the every day player.

    On the other hand, this is super cool. It brings ESO full circle by making it feel like a true ES experience. If only Staves we're optional and we had a way to cast with empty hands or 1h + magic, wink wink? Potions are inevitably getting reworked later this year, but as it stands skills like Forward Momentum and Quick Cloak feel like balanced and valid choices to potions.

    What I don't want is skill scrolls to be this super exclusive, ridiculously expensive, toxic item, that we feel forced to farm for hours on end, just to burn through a stack in a failed trial run. I also wouldn't want this gigantic advantage that only rich PVP players could afford, making it a bit pay 2 win. Both of those would feel terrible.

    The only way I see skill scrolls having a future in ESO is if they are treated at the same level of power, and value, as potions:
    • It needs a crafting line. We should be able to combine x, y, z for x4 scrolls to easily make 200x a stack. This means a hireling and resource nodes on the map. Some can be expensive, but majority are affordable.
    • Some basic, but decent options should be available through traders the same way tri pots or weapon power pots are. AKA you could buy them for gold or alliance. Not every skill, but some key ones.
    • Generally, cooldowns should match the duration of the effects. Absorb Missle for example feels useless as a 6s duration, 20s cooldown, but Forward Momentum and Quick Cloak feel advantagous.
    • Consider making these only useable in PVE, the opportunity/cost of your skill slots and flexibility for use cases in PVP is way too high. I'm not sure it can be balanced there appropriately, obviously it would be cool if it was, but I'm just saying to consider it.

    Hell I'd even love some experimentation. Maybe ultimates are available, but don't work in PVP or Leaderboard content, and they have super high cooldowns like 200 seconds, general rule could be 100% of their ult cost.

    I agree the push with scrolls should be making them more accessible in general gameplay, while excluding them in competitive play (PvP, leaderboards). With this though, I think they should still be usable in things like IA and Arenas to assist in gameplay– just remove the leaderboard score so it isn't one additional min/max thing for score chasers to worry about.

    I like the idea of crafting them... perhaps they could even be extended from the enchanting line? Or from the scribing system? As well as having some basic ones being purchasable.

    I love the idea of having skill scrolls and wouldn't want them to be so rare and sought after that they become not fun. They should be an enhancement to gameplay, and feel good to use... Earned, while neither worrisome nor frivolous.
    Edited by Malyore on January 23, 2026 8:36PM
  • Erickson9610
    Erickson9610
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    Malyore wrote: »
    I like the idea of crafting them... perhaps they could even be extended from the enchanting line? Or from the scribing system?

    Maybe they come from the upcoming Sage's Vault?
    PC/NA — Lone Werewolf, the EP Templar Werewolf

    Werewolf Should be Allowed to Sneak
    Please give us Werewolf Skill Styles (for customizing our fur color), Grimoires/Scribing skills (to fill in the holes in our builds), and Companions (to transform with).
  • Malyore
    Malyore
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    Malyore wrote: »
    I really love the concept, but the execution as it stands leaves a lot to be desired.

    On one hand, they're so rare, while also being an 11th skill slot for free DPS, that you run the risk of a toxic playstyle of constantly farming this content to use them for score pushing where sustain from pots is less of a concern. Score pushing should be relatively excessible, I can't see these super rare scrolls being excessible for the every day player.

    On the other hand, this is super cool. It brings ESO full circle by making it feel like a true ES experience. If only Staves we're optional and we had a way to cast with empty hands or 1h + magic, wink wink? Potions are inevitably getting reworked later this year, but as it stands skills like Forward Momentum and Quick Cloak feel like balanced and valid choices to potions.

    What I don't want is skill scrolls to be this super exclusive, ridiculously expensive, toxic item, that we feel forced to farm for hours on end, just to burn through a stack in a failed trial run. I also wouldn't want this gigantic advantage that only rich PVP players could afford, making it a bit pay 2 win. Both of those would feel terrible.

    The only way I see skill scrolls having a future in ESO is if they are treated at the same level of power, and value, as potions:
    • It needs a crafting line. We should be able to combine x, y, z for x4 scrolls to easily make 200x a stack. This means a hireling and resource nodes on the map. Some can be expensive, but majority are affordable.
    • Some basic, but decent options should be available through traders the same way tri pots or weapon power pots are. AKA you could buy them for gold or alliance. Not every skill, but some key ones.
    • Generally, cooldowns should match the duration of the effects. Absorb Missle for example feels useless as a 6s duration, 20s cooldown, but Forward Momentum and Quick Cloak feel advantagous.
    • Consider making these only useable in PVE, the opportunity/cost of your skill slots and flexibility for use cases in PVP is way too high. I'm not sure it can be balanced there appropriately, obviously it would be cool if it was, but I'm just saying to consider it.

    Hell I'd even love some experimentation. Maybe ultimates are available, but don't work in PVP or Leaderboard content, and they have super high cooldowns like 200 seconds, general rule could be 100% of their ult cost.

    I agree the push with scrolls should be making them more accessible in general gameplay, while excluding them in competitive play (PvP, leaderboards). With this though, I think they should still be usable in things like IA and Arenas to assist in gameplay– just remove the leaderboard score so it isn't one additional min/max thing for score chasers to worry about.

    I like the idea of crafting them... perhaps they could even be extended from the enchanting line? Or from the scribing system? As well as having some basic ones being purchasable.

    I love the idea of having skill scrolls and wouldn't want them to be so rare and sought after that they become not fun. They should be an enhancement to gameplay, and feel good to use... Earned, while neither worrisome nor frivolous.

    I want to add, I'm also not opposed to making them non-consumable if they are only found in the Night Market. Meaning a scroll can be reused, especially considering how many times a skill can be used in just a couple of minutes of combat rotation. This combat is very different compared to other TES games, so scrolls usage may need to operate differently as well.

    Perhaps having it function like the weapon enchantment system: After a scroll's expenditure, it needs recharged with soul gems, time, luminous ink, etc.
    Edited by Malyore on January 23, 2026 8:46PM
  • tomofhyrule
    tomofhyrule
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    Malyore wrote: »
    I like the idea of crafting them... perhaps they could even be extended from the enchanting line? Or from the scribing system?

    Maybe they come from the upcoming Sage's Vault?

    Huh, that would make sense for a new “system” in crafting scrolls.

    I feel like if that were the case that these were craftable (or otherwise easily sourced), then people would have fewer objections.

    In that case though, I don’t understand why it’s being released now before the system does. That’d be like giving a handful of people the Banner Bearer skill because they got a trial trifecta before Scribing went to the masses. It creates a massive imbalance in accessibility to the content to a small subset of people (that would be most likely to put them even further above others and enable toxicity to people who don’t have the disposable time or skill to get it themselves)
  • Emeratis
    Emeratis
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    I too would like to see them be more recipe/craftable based system. Crafting hasn't gotten much new in years and it would be a nice thing to freshen things up without the main worry about crafting and inventory related concerns. I still want to see atronach essences and elemental poisons/potions down the line but this would be a good thing to scratch the itch for crafters and buy more time for better inventory QOL changes for other things.

    For restrictions, I'm admittedly torn. I don't want to see toxic playstyles encouraged where the scrolls are a must have and/or push an edge that becomes expected in trials. At the same time, I do not want to see them be so useless they are essentially inventory junk. A safe bet could be copying the recent restrictions for free respecs anywhere here because I don't see this being an overly large problem in IA which already takes hours and has it's own system of upgrades in the form of consumable verses that you can also farm up and hoard. Another option is potentially to allow it in leaderboard content but balance it against potions (with it having the same cooldown as potions and maybe even can be affected by traits and cooldowns that affect potions). This could lead to more pick and choose options in the consumable slot and a potential tradeoff of power or sustain for use of an extra skill.

    Just spitballing some ideas here and voicing some concerns about balancing them either way. I think these drops offer a pleasant surprise that could evolve into a new system or new ways to play if we are willing to explore potential as well as manage concerns.
    Edited by Emeratis on January 23, 2026 9:33PM
  • Finisherofwar
    Finisherofwar
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    These skill scrolls are going to consume alot of bag space considering there are so many of them so please add them to the items that can go into the craft bag.
  • Soarora
    Soarora
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    ZOS_Kevin wrote: »
    This is the official feedback thread for new Skill Scrolls. Specific feedback that the team is looking for includes the following:
    • How useful have Skill Scrolls been?
    • How motivated to acquire and use them?
    • Which Skills would you like to see in the future?
    • Do you have any other general feedback?

    I don’t see why I would use them. I think they’re just going to take up inventory space. The only way I think it’d be balanced is if they’re not literally the skills on a consumable but a way to get some buffs that aren’t sourced from potions (like major resolve). Or it can be used to help deal with the necessity of subclassing by making the functionality of “necessary” skills into spell scrolls (group major resolve, for instance).

    I agree with the others that the way it’s sourced feels unhealthy. However, instead of crafting, I think there’s potential to make this a very lucrative gold sink by having them be sold by an NPC. Or having a material be sold by an NPC required to craft them (and maybe make some more use of luminous ink).
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  • Jestir
    Jestir
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    Incredibly cool thing and finally brings in a second type of commonly used in combat consumable

    But it's gonna need to be more widely available in some way and balanced pretty heavy handedly
  • Radiate77
    Radiate77
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    Skill Scrolls need to be heavier than potions, what I mean by that; is that they need a steeper requirement. Potions can be swapped on a whim, but these can not function that way.

    How do you fix this?

    You only allow a player to swap to different scrolls outside of combat. I speak for a lot of people when I say that if these fly through functionally the same as potions, they will overtake them, and creating artificial scarcity by being consumable, and having their materials hard to source when these eventually become a system, will not solve this.

    Dedicated players will farm these out, and the gap between a fully prepared player and someone still learning will widen to a chasm.

    How would I like to see these?

    In an ideal scenario, these Scrolls would be an entire crafting system, but instead of functioning as a consumable, give them a slot in your equipment and make them permanent. This will prevent them from being swapped around in the middle of combat.

    Anybody who’s been around these forums this last year when I finally decided to start chiming in, will tell you that I am the biggest advocate for freedom of ESO from it’s MMO bindings, and I advocate for this game to feel like a true Elder Scrolls whenever I can… that said, this is the only ground I’d give. Scrolls were not popular in the previous titles, there’s still a chance for them to be in ESO.
    Edited by Radiate77 on January 24, 2026 4:04AM
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