ESO Infinite Archive Guide: 5 Tips for Quick Progression

Tip #1: Create a Solo Build

First off, creating a Solo build is something that I highly recommend to anyone trying out the Infinite Archives. A solo build will have more Tanky and Self/ Group healing abilities slotted along with damage abilities. You can use skills you enjoy for your build that will enhance your build so you can survive on your own! Make sure to also check out the Mage’s Guild, Fighter’s Guild, and Undaunted skill lines if you want more variety. If you are playing with someone else you can compare notes on what skills you have slotted so you can make up for what the other person is missing. If one of you dies, you will be able to sustain yourself till you can revive them.

In the Infinite Archive, you will find enemies like trash mobs, bosses after every cycle (after 2 stages), and Marauders. Cycle bosses can be from Dungeons, Overland content, and trials. Cycle bosses and Marauders are more difficult to defeat than the mobs and may have some challenging mechanics. Now that you know what you are up against, you can create a base for your build! Make sure to test it out in the Archives to see if everything feels right once you’re ready.

Tip #2: Choosing Verses & Visions

Second, we have your Verses and Visions. A Verse is a temporary “buff” or upgrade that will run out when the stage is over and you must choose a new one. A Vision is a buff that will last till you finish your Infinite Archive run or use up all three Threads or “lives”. Verses and Visions can be offensive, defensive, or for utility so you can decide if you want a damage buff or help with restoring health or resources. You have a little more flexibility with your Verses since they expire so you can experiment with different ones. My favorite Verses to use are Class Embodiment which buffs the damage your class skills do by 50% and Gilded Sleight which is an activatable Synergy that does Physical Damage and drops extra gold!

I highly recommend choosing your Vision strategically, make sure you read the description of each Vision and pick one that is more helpful for your kit. Extended Favor and Hearty Vitality are two of my favorite Visions. Extended Favor increases the duration of Major and Minor effects by 50% per stack. Hearty Vitality is great if you want a Health bonus, it increases your Max Health by 5% per stack.

Tip #3: Portals to Unknown Regions

Up next, we have Portals to Unknown Regions in the Infinite Archives. There are 5 possible mini-games you may encounter, each with 5 difficulty levels. These optional mini-games are random like everything else in the Archive but will start on the easiest level till you beat it. If you fail a puzzle or round you will simply step back through a portal to the next stage. If you win, you (and your group member) will receive a muniment chest and another set of Verses for the next stage. Knowing what to do for each mode ahead of time will help you so you aren’t stuck or confused if you decide to give them a shot!

Five Game Modes:

Theatre of War: In this mini-game, you will face an Arcanist in combat. Every level will have different mechanics like dodging AOEs, interrupting the Arcanist, and green crystals on the harder levels that will kill you quickly if you don’t destroy them. (Similar to the World Boss Runemaster Xiomara in Apocrypha)

Filer’s Wing: The Filer’s Wing is another game mode where you are turned into a watcher and have your skills changed. Your skills will include an AOE, a light to guide you to the Tomeshells, a speed boost to escape enemies, a Stun ability, and an AOE ink ability. You will have to navigate a maze and kill Tomeshells while also avoiding whirlwind AOEs and enemies that will chase you that you can kill or immobilize.

Haefal’s Butchery: In this mini-game, you will be turned into a goat that has to escape The Butcher and collect sweet rolls. Once you have collected all the sweet rolls you will be able to fight him off. Don’t let him catch you or it’s game over! This in my opinion is one of the most fun experiences I’ve had so far in the Archives.

Treacherous Crossing: This minigame requires you to hit switches in the correct order so you can pass through a hallway filled with ink. You have more time as a Solo player to press the switches than you do with 2 people, so keep that in mind! The higher levels have more complicated patterns.

Echoing Den: In this game mode, you will have to guide souls back to the center of the room before the timer runs out. You will have to walk and slowly guide the souls, if you run the soul will return to the original spot.

Tip #4: Permanent Upgrades/Rewards

Getting permanent upgrades for your character can be helpful when you are doing an Infinite Archives. You can use your Archival Fortunes to purchase permanent upgrades that can be unlocked by completing achievements in the Archive. You can find these upgrades available for sale from Filer Tezurs.

The upgrades I liked the most were Aramril’s Training and Filer Kor’s Truesight. Aramils’ Training improves the strength of the visions you get. The Filer Kor’s Truesight upgrade will allow you to have a third Vision choice. Make sure to have a look at the upgrades available, they can make a significant difference in your Infinite Archives runs! The other vendor Filer Ool, sells leads and class set items that are also worth checking out. There are sets for every class in ESO that can drop from enemies or chests in the Infinite Archive.

Tip #5: Practice!

Overall, the most important tip is to get yourself into the Infinite Archives and practice! Now that you have a general understanding of what to expect in the Infinite Archive, you can check it out for yourself. Don’t worry about dying and having to start over, when I first started playing this game mode it took me a few runs to adjust to this style of combat. If you’re worried about going in alone, bring a friend or Companion with you! You can find a guild mate or use the group finder if you want to find someone to run it with you as well.

The Infinite Archives is supposed to be fun yet challenging so don’t worry about your score or how far you can make it early on. Learn the basics and enjoy yourself!