The Best ESO Tank Scribing Spells
With scribing becoming free for all ESO players on July 10th 2025, now is the perfect time to dive into this powerful custom skill system — especially if you’re a tank.
Originally introduced with the Gold Road chapter, scribing allows you to create custom abilities using Focus, Signature, and Affix scripts. With over 4,000 possible combinations, this system opens up a whole new level of flexibility for tank builds.
Whether you’re focused on survival, group support, crowd control, or utility, tanks can now build around their needs more than ever before. Even classes that were previously considered suboptimal for tanking can now hold their own with the right scribed tools.
In this updated 2025 guide, we break down the best scribed spells for ESO tanks being used right now across Trials, Dungeons, and Arena content. From ultimate generation and damage shields to taunts, pulls, and debuffs, these are the top picks for mastering tanking with the scribing system.
Chilling Explosion
Script Skill: Elemental Explosion
Focus Script: Frost Damage
Signature: Assassin’s Misery
Affix: Brittle
Niche AoE Trash Skill
Chilling Explosion is a situational but powerful AoE tool for trash pulls. It inflicts a stack of valuable debuffs on all enemies hit — including Minor Brittle to increase their Critical Damage taken, as well as Burning, Chill, and Concussion to boost overall group DPS.
While not essential in every situation, this spell can make a big difference if your group is struggling to clear trash packs quickly in dungeons or trials. Add it to your toolkit when you’re looking to speed things up and give your damage dealers a helping hand.
Warding Burst
Script Base: Soul Burst
Focus Script: Damage Shield
Signature: Sage’s Remedy
Affix: Courage
Reliable Group Shielding + Courage Buff
Warding Burst offers a strong, scalable group-wide damage shield that works especially well for tanks thanks to its max health scaling. On top of that, it applies a steady healing-over-time effect, keeping your group topped up during heavy damage phases.
What makes this skill stand out, though, is the Minor Courage affix, which boosts your group’s Weapon and Spell Damage. It’s a reliable way to passively enhance DPS while doing your job as a tank. The Signature Script isn’t crucial here, feel free to swap it if needed. The real value comes from the Courage buff.
Leashing Soul
Script Base: Wield Soul
Focus Script: Pull
Signature: Druid’s Resurgence
Affix: Vitality (Flex: Maim, Cowardice, Breach)
Your Go-To Pull Skill
Leashing Soul is one of the most versatile tools in a tank’s toolkit. It pulls enemies to you, taunts them, and instantly returns both Magicka and Stamina, making it more than just a control ability. Used correctly, it doubles as a hidden sustain tool that’s especially valuable for newer tanks or stamina-heavy fights.
If you cast it using Magicka (which you’ll naturally recover while blocking), it refunds Stamina, even while blocking, letting you squeeze out some extra sustain during tough encounters. The Affix is flexible too: go with Major Vitality for survival, or swap to Maim or Cowardice for reducing enemies damage output.
Heroic Torch
Script Base: Torchbearer
Focus Script: Generate Ultimate
Signature: Gladiator’s Tenacity
Affix: Heroism
Niche Utility: Ultimate Gen + Damage Reduction
Heroic Torch is a situational spell that can shine in the right setup. It grants Major Heroism, steadily generating Ultimate for both you and your group, while also offering a layer of damage reduction, making it ideal for fights where survivability and ult uptime go hand-in-hand.
It’s most valuable in coordinated Trial groups or boss encounters that revolve around fast Ultimate rotations, like Warhorn chains or defensive ult spam. Not a core part of every tank build, but a great tool to keep in your back pocket when the situation calls for it.
Chilling Trample
Script Base: Trample
Focus Script: Frost Damage (not essential)
Signature: Assassin’s Misery
Affix: Heroism (Optional: Expedition for speed fights)
Strong Heroism Generator and Enemy Debuff
Chilling Trample deals AoE Frost damage while applying several powerful status effects including Burning, Chill, and Concussion when paired with Assassin’s Misery. But the real strength of this spell lies in the Major Heroism affix, giving you a steady stream of Ultimate regeneration.
It’s a great pick for sustained fights and fits perfectly into Warhorn-based rotations or any build that thrives on frequent ultimate usage. The Focus Script isn’t critical here, it’s the Heroism and the layered debuffs that make this spell a standout.
Goading Throw
Script Base: Shield Throw
Focus Script: Taunt
Signature: Sage’s Remedy
Affix: Flex (Maim, Interrupt, Resolve, Evasion, Vitality, Cowardice)
Versatile Taunt with Flex Affix Options
Goading Throw is a reliable taunt with one major strength — flexibility. The spell’s Affix Script can be fully tailored to the situation: use Maim to reduce enemy damage, Interrupt for a ranged interrupt, Resolve for a boost to your resistances, or even Vitality or Cowardice depending on needs.
It’s a strong option to keep in your rotation, especially if you want a customisable taunt that brings added utility beyond just aggro control. Swap out the affix freely to match your role or encounter.
Warding Contingency
Script Base: Ulfsild’s Contingency
Focus Script: Damage Shield
Signature: Gladiator’s Tenacity
Affix: Protection (Flex: Intellect and Endurance)
Group Defensive Utility Skill
Warding Contingency is a strong defensive tool that grants your group a reactive damage shield when you use an ability. It’s ideal for fights where mitigation is key.
The Affix Script here is flexible, use Protection for a guaranteed boost to survivability, or swap to Intellect and Endurance for extra resource recovery if you already have Minor Protection from another source. A dependable support skill that adds real value in prolonged encounters.
Arch Angel
Article details provided by Arch Angel from The Tank Club Discord
