Guide to the Antiquities System of ESO 2022

When the Greymoor DLC launched in 2020, it introduced the Antiquities System as a groundbreaking addition to Elder Scrolls Online’s gameplay mechanics. This treasure-hunting feature transformed how players interact with Tamriel’s ancient history.

ZeniMax Online Studios consistently releases DLC expansions to maintain ESO’s vibrant ecosystem. The Firesong Expansion, released November 1st, 2022, represents their ongoing commitment to enriching player experiences.

Whether you’re new to ESO or a seasoned veteran, this comprehensive guide provides everything needed to master the Antiquities System and acquire powerful mythic items.

What Is The Antiquities System

The Antiquities System revolutionized ESO gameplay by introducing archaeological exploration. Antiquities refer to ancient artifacts, structures, and objects from Tamriel’s distant past that players can discover and recover.

This system tasks players with locating lost relics buried throughout the Elder Scrolls universe. As an archaeologist-adventurer, your mission involves systematically uncovering these hidden treasures.

Beyond discovering decorative furnishings and cosmetic items, the system includes mythic items that provide some of the most substantial character stat enhancements available in the game.

Successful excavations yield valuable rewards that can be sold for gold or used to significantly boost combat effectiveness.

How Does the Antiquities System Work

1. Locate Leads for Antiquity Items

2. Scry Antiquity Items to Reveal Locations

3. Excavate Antiquity Items to Claim Rewards

This systematic approach transforms random treasure hunting into a structured archaeological profession within ESO.

Prerequisite Conditions

Accessing the Antiquities System requires either purchasing the Greymoor DLC expansion or maintaining an active ESO Plus subscription.

Initiating the Questline

Visit Verita Numida in ESO

Travel to Solitude in Western Skyrim and locate Verita Numida on the building’s upper level. Speaking with her initiates “The Antiquarian Circle” quest that unlocks the core system.

Completing this quest grants two essential skills—Scrying and Excavation—plus the Antiquarian’s Eye tool essential for treasure detection.

Though prepared to begin your archaeological career, an optional enhancement exists to deepen your understanding.

OPTIONAL ENHANCEMENT: Return to Verita Numida or consult Gabrielle Benele downstairs to begin “The Antiquarians’ Art” quest, providing detailed guidance on system mechanics.

Progression through higher-tier antiquities necessitates upgrading both scrying and excavation capabilities throughout your journey.

Locating Antiquity Leads

Understanding Antiquities Leads

Leads function as archaeological clues that reveal information about hidden antiquities throughout Tamriel. These discovery items spawn across numerous activities including merchant interactions, treasure chest looting, and world boss encounters.

The scrying skill becomes crucial after lead acquisition. This process involves interpreting leads to pinpoint antiquity excavation locations with precision.

Critical awareness: leads maintain strict regional boundaries. Even possessing a valid lead won’t enable scrying if you’re located in an incorrect zone. Successful scrying requires presence in the appropriate geographical region.

Access your available leads through the journal’s Antiquity Tab. The Available section displays leads specific to your current location.

Five Antiquities Lead Difficulty Tiers

The Antiquities System categorizes leads into five distinct difficulty levels, each represented by unique color coding:

• Green Leads: Simple Difficulty Level

• Blue Leads: Intermediate Challenge

• Purple Leads: Advanced Complexity

• Gold Leads: Master Tier Difficulty

• Orange Leads: Ultimate Challenge Level

Higher difficulty leads demand corresponding scrying skill levels. Without proper skill progression, accessing superior antiquities remains impossible.

Lead Expiration Mechanics

Antiquity leads feature temporary availability windows. Collected leads expire after 30 real-world days, requiring timely scrying before disappearance. Expired leads can be rediscovered through renewed exploration.

Important consideration: players without Greymoor DLC access can still accumulate leads throughout Tamriel but cannot scry them without the expansion.

ESO Scrying Puzzle Game

Activating scrying on an available lead initiates a strategic puzzle mini-game. Successful completion identifies potential excavation sites throughout the current zone.

ESO Scrying Mini Game

The scrying interface presents a hexagonal grid with glowing focal points requiring capture. Players begin with a control area and expand influence by claiming adjacent hexagons.

Hexagons feature various symbols, with gameplay constrained by limited turns. Primary objectives involve capturing maximum glowing foci by establishing path routes through hexagon claims.

Failed attempts or insufficient focus capture don’t permanently block progress. Players can retry with identical turn limitations, encouraging improved strategic planning.

Scrying success determines how many dig site locations (1-6) appear on your map. Among these, one contains the actual antiquity location.

Visit all identified dig sites and deploy the Antiquarian’s Eye to locate precise excavation points.

Correct dig site identification reveals dirt mounds with distinctive yellow/golden/orange luminous particles. Activating excavation on these mounds initiates the final mini-game phase.

ESO Excavation Archaeological Game

ESO Excavation Mini Game

The excavation challenge utilizes a 10×10 grid containing rock and soil layers requiring careful removal. Proper excavation technique prevents damage to fragile antiquities during recovery.

Advanced antiquity tiers demand enhanced excavation tools, unlocked through skill progression. Initially, players access basic equipment: Augur and Hand Brush.

Deploy the Augur tool to identify grid positions containing buried antiquities. Selecting grid squares displays colored indicators revealing proximity to artifacts.

• Red indicator: Significant distance from target

• Orange glow: Moderate proximity achieved

• Yellow signal: Close proximity to antiquity

• Green confirmation: Artifact directly beneath selected grid

After precise grid localization, employ the hand brush for systematic soil and rock removal. Continue excavation through successive layers until reaching and recovering the antiquity.

How to Get Mythic Items in ESO

Mythic Items represent the pinnacle rewards available through ESO’s Antiquities System. These legendary artifacts provide character enhancements that significantly impact both PvE and PvP combat effectiveness.

As the highest-tier antiquity category, mythic gear acquisition presents substantially greater challenges compared to furnishings, mounts, or standard artifacts.

Securing mythic items necessitates collecting five distinct leads of ultimate difficulty level. Each lead yields corresponding mythic gear fragments, with complete collection of all five fragments automatically adding the corresponding mythic item to your inventory.

Strategic lead management becomes crucial for mythic item hunters. Since leads expire after 30 days, prioritize ultimate difficulty leads to ensure completion before expiration. Consider creating a tracking system outside the game to monitor lead acquisition dates and prioritize scrying activities accordingly.

Efficiency optimization involves focusing skill point allocation on both scrying and excavation skill lines simultaneously. Balance progression to avoid bottlenecks where you can scry high-difficulty leads but lack the excavation capabilities to recover the artifacts successfully.

Common excavation mistakes include rushing the grid analysis phase or using excavation tools inefficiently. Always methodically use the Augur to narrow down possibilities before committing to physical excavation with the hand brush.

Advanced players should develop zone-rotation strategies, systematically moving between regions to maximize lead acquisition opportunities while managing existing lead expiration timelines.

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