Inscriptions are a type of salvagable weapon upgrade. They were introduced with the release of the Nightfall campaign and replace some of the inherent weapon modifiers used in the Prophecies and Factions campaign, which are not salvagable. Inscriptions can only be salvaged from, and added to items found in the Nightfall Campaign or items from the finale of the Factions elite misisons: The Deep and Urgoz's Warren.
Acquisitions
There are no crafters or traders for inscriptions. They can only be obtained from loot.
You can salvage an inscription from any drop that has one. The inscription is a guaranteed salvage with Expert Salvage Kits, however the item has a chance of being destroyed in the process.
Inscriptions have an intrinsic value of 25 gold when sold to a merchant so it is generally worth using an Expert Salvage Kit to salvage the inscription from a cheaper object and selling it separately. An Identification Kit can also be used to reveal the actual value of the inscription. The difference is often higher than the cost of identifying the inscription.
Note: Items from Prophecies, Factions, and the Realms of the Gods have not been converted to the new system, which means their weapon modifiers cannot be salvaged as inscriptions!
Usage
To attach an inscription to a weapon double-click on the inscription (the mouse pointer appearance will change), then click on the item that you want to attach it to.
The target item must be of the designated type given in the description. Furthermore, it must have an inscription slot. This slot can either be free (in which case the description reads: "Inscription: None") or in use by an other inscription. In the latter case, the old inscription will be overwritten. If you want to keep the old inscription, you may salvage it to free the slot at the risk of the target item being destroyed.
Note: Items from Prophecies, Factions, and the Realms of the Gods have not been converted to the new system, which means they never come with an inscription slot!
Inscription Types
| Item type | Color | Icon |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Green (Silver) |
|
| Martial weapon | Blue (Metallic) | 
|
| Spellcasting weapon | Green (Copper) | 
|
| Focus item or Shield | Red (Bronze) | 
|
| Focus item | Yellow (Gold) | 
|
| Equippable item | Yellow (Gold) |
|
List of Inscriptions
The following is a list of all available inscriptions, sorted by bonus effect:
Combat bonuses
| Bonus | Range | Condition / Malus | Inscription Name | Item type: Inscribable ... | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage + ...% | +10..20% | while ... | Health is below 50% | "Vengeance is Mine" | Weapons |
| hexed | "Don't Fear the Reaper" | ||||
| +10..15% | in a Stance | "Dance with Death" | |||
| enchanted | "Guided by Fate" | ||||
| Health is above 50% | "Strength and Honor" | ||||
| +14..15% | attacking (Armor -10) |
"To the Pain!" | |||
| Malus: | Energy -5 | "Brawn Over Brains" | |||
| +10..15% | vs. | hexed foes | "Too Much Information" | ||
| Energy + ... | +5 | (always) | "I have the power!" | Martial weapons | |
| +5...7 | while ... | Health is below 50% | "Don't call it a comeback!" | Spellcasting weapons | |
| hexed | "I am Sorrow." | ||||
| +4...5 | enchanted | "Have Faith" | |||
| Health is above 50% | "Hale and Hearty" | ||||
| +10..15 | Malus: | Energy Regeneration -1 | "Seize the Day" | ||
| "Live for Today" | Focus Items | ||||
| Armor + ... | +5...10 | while ... | Health is below 50% | "Down But Not Out" | |
| hexed | "Be Just and Fear Not" | ||||
| +4...5 | enchanted | "Faith is My Shield" | |||
| Health is above 50% | "Hail to the King" | ||||
| attacking | "Might Makes Right" | ||||
| casting | "Knowing is Half the Battle." | ||||
| +4...5 | Malus: | Energy -5 | "Ignorance is Bliss" | ||
| Health -20 | "Life is Pain" | ||||
| vs. <damage type> |
elemental | "Man for All Seasons" | |||
| physical | "Survival of the Fittest" | ||||
| +5...10 | cold | "Leaf on the Wind" | Focus Items or Shields | ||
| earth | "Like a Rolling Stone" | ||||
| blunt | "Not the face!" | ||||
| lightning | "Riders On The Storm" | ||||
| slashing | "The Riddle of Steel" | ||||
| fire | "Sleep Now in the Fire" | ||||
| piercing | "Through Thick and Thin" | ||||
| Reduces <condition> on you by ... |
20% | Condition: | Disease | "Cast Out the Unclean" | |
| Bleeding | "Fear Cuts Deeper" | ||||
| Blind | "I Can See Clearly Now" | ||||
| Weakness | "Only the Strong Survive" | ||||
| Poison | "Pure of Heart" | ||||
| Dazed | "Soundness of Mind" | ||||
| Crippled | "Swift as the Wind" | ||||
| Deep Wound | "Strength of Body" | ||||
| Received physical damage ... |
-1...2 | while ... | in a Stance | "Run for your Life!" | |
| enchanted | "Sheltered by Faith" | ||||
| -1...3 | hexed | "Nothing to Fear" | |||
| -5 | Chance: 10...20% | "Luck of the Draw" | |||
Skill bonuses
| Effect | Chance: | Inscription Name | Item type: Inscribable ... |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halves casting time of spells of item's attribute | 10...20% | "Aptitude not Attitude" | Spellcasting weapons
|
| Halves skill recharge of spells of item's attribute | 15...20% | "Forget Me Not" | Focus Items
|
| Halves skill recharge of all spells | 7...10% | "Serenity Now" | |
| 5...10% | "Let the Memory Live Again" | Martial weapons
| |
| Halves casting time of all spells | "Don't Think Twice" | Weapons
| |
| Item's attribute +1 while using skills | 11%...20% | "Master of My Domain" | Focus Items or Shields
|
See also Weapon upgrades:
- Swift Staff Head (HCT spells)
- Wand Wrapping of Quickening (HSR spells)
- Wand Wrapping of Memory (HSR spells of item's attribute)
Other bonuses
| Bonus | Inscription name | Item type: Inscribable ... |
|---|---|---|
| Highly salvageable | "Measure for Measure" | Equippable items
|
| Improved sale value | "Show me the money!" |
Inscription trivia
Most, if not all, of the names of the inscriptions are suspected to be references to popular culture. However it is not known which reference is intended, and most of these inscriptions could be a reference to more than one definite source.