Introduction
Inscription is a primary profession. You can only learn 2 primary professions.
Most Inscription recipes use herbs, Milled into pigments. Herbs can be gathered by someone else and traded, so you do not need to learn Herbalism as your 2nd primary profession. However, if Herbalism and Inscription are trained together, you will gather more than enough herbs to raise your Inscription skill. Herbalism is one of the fastest professions to develop: At level 77 (with "epic" flight in Outland and Northrend), Herbalism takes about 6 hours from 1 to 450 - longer if there is a lot of competition for herbs. It is also easy to train as you do other tasks, such as completing quests.
You must be part of The Burning Crusade ((have the first expansion installed)) to learn Inscription beyond skill 300. To learn Inscription beyond skill 375, you must have felt the Wrath of the Lich King ((have the second expansion installed)).
Trainers
Inscription trainers are found in:
- Main cities of old Azeroth - just ask a guard. These teach up to Artisan rank, and recipes up to around skill 300.
- Hellfire Peninsula in Outland - the Alliance trainer is at the top of the "mage tower" in Honor Hold. A master trainer bookcase can also be found on the Scryer's tier in Shattrath City (there is no known equivalent for the Aldor). These teach up to Master rank, all recipes up to 345 skill, and the 350-skill recipes that do not require Ink of the Sea.
- The 4 arrival ports in Northrend: Valgarde (Howling Fjord) and Valiance Keep (Borean Tundra) for Alliance, and Vengeance Landing (Howling Fjord) and Warsong Hold (Borean Tundra) for Horde. Neutral trainers can be found in Dalaran, which floats above Crystalsong Forest, and the Argent Tournament in Icecrown. These teach all ranks and trainable recipes.
Trainers or nearby vendors also sell Inscription goods and materials, including Inking Sets.
Rank Requirements
Like other professions, there is a maximum skill level that you may achieve at each profession rank. To progress further, you will need to train a new rank from the trainer. Each rank has a minimum personal ((character)) level and Inscription skill level: You must attain both before you can train the new rank. The table below summarises the requirements:
| Rank | Minimum character level | Minimum Inscription skill | Maximum Inscription skill | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice Scribe | 5 | - | 75 | 1s |
| Journeyman Scribe | 10 | 50 | 150 | 10s |
| Expert Scribe | 20 | 125 | 225 | 50s |
| Artisan Scribe | 35 | 200 | 300 | 5g |
| Master Scribe | 50 | 275 | 375 | 10g |
| Grand Master Scribe | 65 | 350 | 450 | 35g |
Costs assume no reputation-related reductions. Exalted reduces costs by a fifth (20%).
All ranks are learnt from trainers: There are no quests.
Abilities
There are 2 known types of trained ability:
| Item | Cost to Train | Minimum Inscription Skill | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Milling | - | 1 | Crush 5 herbs. Skill varies by herb type - learn more. |
 | Master's Inscription | 7g 50s | 400 | Permanently add stats to shoulder armor. Can only be applied to your own armor, and doing so will cause it to become soulbound. Several Master's Inscriptions are known. |
At skill 75, Inscribers can learn Minor Inscription Research. At skill 385, Inscibers can learn to conduct Northrend Inscription Research. Each type of research has a chance of discovering new glyphs (minor and major respectively).
Learn More
- Why Inscribe? - Reasons to take Inscription as a profession.
- Research - Documents what is known about Inscription Research and discoveries
- Introduction to Northrend - Explore the continent of Northrend: Locations and how to get there.
