ESO Enchanting — runes & glyphs, decoded
How the three-rune system works, and the exact gold-quality value of the glyphs people actually use — so you stop wasting runes on the wrong combination.
🎮 Works on console (no add-ons)✓ Current as of Update 50 (2026)
The three runes
Every glyph is crafted from exactly three runes: a Potency rune, an Essence rune, and an Aspect rune. Match the three and you get a glyph; the values below are for the top tier (CP160) at Gold (Legendary) quality.
- Potency rune. Sets whether the glyph INCREASES or REDUCES a stat, and the glyph's level requirement. Additive potency (e.g. Okori) = an “increase” glyph; Subtractive potency (e.g. Deni) = a “reduce” glyph. The gold-worthy top tier requires CP160.
- Essence rune. Sets WHAT the glyph affects — Health, Magicka, a damage element, Weapon Damage, and so on. (Same Essence rune can make a damage glyph on a weapon or a resistance glyph on jewelry, depending on the Potency.)
- Aspect rune. Sets the quality (color):
| Aspect rune | Quality | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Ta | Normal | White |
| Jejota | Fine | Green |
| Denata | Superior | Blue |
| Rekuta | Epic | Purple |
| Kuta | Legendary | Gold |
Weapon glyphs
| Glyph | Effect at gold (CP160) |
|---|---|
| Weapon Damage (Berserker) | Grants +268 Weapon & Spell Damage for 5s on hit. |
| Crushing (Crusher) | Reduces the target's Physical & Spell Resistance by 1247 for 5s. |
| Flame / Poison Damage | Deals 2045 Flame or Poison Damage. |
| Frost / Shock / Disease (Foulness) | Deals 1948 damage of that element. |
| Absorb Magicka / Stamina | Deals 1461 damage and restores 272 Magicka or Stamina. |
| Absorb Health | Deals 1461 Magic Damage and restores 675 Health. |
| Prismatic Onslaught | Deals 1461 Magic Damage; restores 338 Health, 136 Magicka & Stamina. |
| Weakening | Reduces the target's Weapon & Spell Damage by 268 for 5s. |
| Hardening | Grants a 2911-point damage shield for 5s. |
Armor glyphs
| Glyph | Effect at gold (CP160) |
|---|---|
| Health | +954 Maximum Health |
| Magicka | +868 Maximum Magicka |
| Stamina | +868 Maximum Stamina |
| Prismatic Defense (tank) | +367 Max Health, +334 Max Magicka, +334 Max Stamina |
| Magicka Recovery | +121 Magicka Recovery |
| Stamina Recovery | +121 Stamina Recovery |
Jewelry glyphs
| Glyph | Effect at gold (CP160) |
|---|---|
| Increase Physical Harm | +134 Weapon Damage |
| Increase Magical Harm | +134 Spell Damage |
| Increase Magicka Recovery | +121 Magicka Recovery |
| Increase Stamina Recovery | +121 Stamina Recovery |
| Reduce Spell Cost | Reduces the Magicka cost of abilities by 154 |
| Reduce Feat Cost | Reduces the Stamina cost of abilities by 154 |
| Prismatic Recovery | +60 Health, Magicka & Stamina Recovery |
| Bracing | Reduces the cost of Blocking by 154 (older community name: Glyph of Shielding) |
| Bashing | +422 Bash Damage |
Which glyph goes on which bar?
The slotting convention our build generator follows (from its published theorycraft rules):
| Slot | Standard pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| DPS front-bar weapon | Weapon/Spell Damage or an elemental damage glyph | Fires constantly under your light-attack weave. |
| DPS back-bar weapon | Infused + Weapon/Spell Damage glyph | Infused shortens the glyph cooldown; the +268 Weapon & Spell Damage window boosts the DoTs you cast from the back bar. |
| Tank back-bar weapon | Infused + Crusher | 1,247 resistance stripped (gold) — a standing group DPS gain. See the full penetration budget. |
| Armor (big pieces) | Max-stat or Prismatic Defense | Chest/legs/head carry the biggest armor-glyph values. |
| Jewelry | Recovery until sustain is comfortable, then Weapon/Spell Damage | The classic sustain-first, damage-second progression. |
Where Runes Come From & How the Enchanting Skill Line Fits In
All three rune types — Potency, Essence, and Aspect — are harvested from Runestone nodes scattered across Tamriel's overland zones, delves, and dungeons, using the Enchanting skill line's gathering ability. Higher-level areas tend to yield the higher-tier Potency runes required for CP160 (max-level) glyphs, so if you're only finding low-level runes, farming a higher-level zone or delve is usually the fix rather than a skill-line issue.
Leveling the Enchanting skill line itself does not change how strong a glyph is — that's fixed entirely by which Potency, Essence, and Aspect runes you combine, plus the quality tier (color) of the Aspect rune. What the skill line's passives do affect is your efficiency around crafting: things like extracting runes back out of a glyph you're deconstructing, improving your odds of successfully creating higher-tier glyphs, and increasing the runes you get per harvest node.
This means two players using the same Weapon Damage glyph at gold quality will see the identical effect regardless of their individual Enchanting skill level — the skill line is about resource efficiency and access, not about making any single glyph hit harder.
Common questions
Where do Potency, Essence, and Aspect runes come from?
All three rune types drop from Runestone nodes found throughout Tamriel — in overland zones, delves, and dungeons — and are harvested using the Enchanting skill line's gathering ability, the same way you'd harvest ore or wood. Higher-level zones and content tend to drop higher-tier Potency runes (needed for CP160/gold-quality glyphs), while common Essence and Aspect runes can also be bought from guild traders or other players when you're missing a specific combination.
Does leveling the Enchanting skill line change a glyph's effect or magnitude?
No. The strength of a glyph (its Weapon Damage bonus, Max Health value, etc.) is determined entirely by the Potency/Essence/Aspect rune combination and quality tier used to craft it — not by your character's Enchanting skill level. The Enchanting skill line's passives instead affect things like your chance to extract runes back out of an existing glyph, your ability to create higher-level glyphs, and reduced risk of wasting materials on a failed craft.
Can you get runes back from a glyph you no longer want?
Yes. The Enchanting skill line includes an extraction feature that lets you deconstruct an unwanted glyph to recover some of the runes used to make it, similar to deconstructing gear in other crafting lines. This is the main way to reclaim rare Potency runes from glyphs on gear you're replacing, rather than losing them entirely.