In indie horror roguelike deck-builder Inscryption, the cards’ abilities are represented as Sigils, which players can use to their advantage as they battle the game’s twisted bosses. Throughout the game, these card effects are discovered as players make their way through three completely different acts by creating and recreating decks with different combos and strategies. However, like the rest of the game and its many mysteries, there’s often more to these Sigils than meets the eye.
Each card in Inscryption can have more than one Sigil, but some cards don’t naturally have any. However, one of Inscryption’s intriguing mechanics allows players to transfer Sigils from one card to another and create unique cards with combinations of multiple Sigils that can benefit one another. This will enable players to build unique card decks despite having a set number of cards available, especially in the game’s first act. Players can check the ability of each Sigil at any time in Inscryption’s rulebook or by right-clicking on the Sigil of the card itself.
Inscryption’s acts introduce new Sigils as its mechanics shift and change throughout the game. Some Sigils appear in multiple acts, while others are unique to each one, and players will have to construct three entirely different decks throughout the game that utilize the abilities these Sigils represent. There are a total of 79 Sigils throughout the entirety of the game, which players will become familiar with as they build their decks and discover the secrets that Inscryption hides deep within its code.
Sigils That Appear In Every Act Of Inscryption
There are new cards that players can use to build their decks in each act of Inscryption, but there are 12 Sigils that stick around through the entire game. These Sigils are core mechanics of many deck-builders and card games, such as Airborne, which is similar to Flying in games like Magic: The Gathering. As players progress and new Sigils are introduced, they’ll develop new combinations and strategies to put these recurring Sigils to good use.
- Airborne: attack the opponent directly by flying over any opposing creatures.
- Mighty Leap: block opposing creatures with the Airborne Sigil.
- Touch of Death: any creature damaged by this card dies regardless of its HP.
- Bifurcated Strike: strike opposing spaces to the left and right of the space directly across from creatures with this Sigil.
- Trifurcated Strike: strike opposing space to the left, right, and directly across from creatures with this Sigil.
- Sprinter: creature will move in the direction the Sigil indicates at the end of the owner’s turn.
- Burrower: a creature with this Sigil will move to an empty space that would be struck to block and take the hit instead.
- Unkillable: a copy of a card with this Sigil will be created in the player’s hand when it dies.
- Sharp Quills: creatures that strike this card are dealt a single point of damage.
- Hefty: creature will move in the direction the Sigil indicates at the end of the owner’s turn, and any creatures in its way will be pushed in the same direction.
- Guardian: When an opposing creature is played across from an empty space, creatures with this Sigil will move to that space to block it from attacking the player directly.
- Repulsive: creatures that would attack creatures with this Sigil do not.
All Sigils In Inscryption Act I
There are 18 unique Sigils in Act I of Inscryption, and with plenty of opportunities to sacrifice cards to transfer their Sigils to others, there is a near-infinite combination of decks that players can create in this first act alone. Additionally, players will be able to create Death Cards each time they fall in one of Leshy’s encounters, allowing them to create an extremely powerful card with multiple Sigils depending on what cards they’ve gathered in the game at their time of death. However, this mechanic is unique to the first act, and players, unfortunately, can’t bring their Death Cards into Acts II and III.
- Many Lives: creatures with this Sigil do not die when sacrificed.
- Stinky: creatures across from a card with this Sigil lose 1 power.
- Fledgling: after the number of turns indicated on this Sigil, the creature will transform into a stronger creature. Some cards transform into a different form entirely or have hidden abilities, but most transform into an “Elder Form” with an +1 attack power and +2 health.
- Waterborne: the creature submerges itself during the opponent’s turn, and opposing creatures attack their owner directly.
- Worthy Sacrifice: when sacrificed, cards with this Sigil count as 3 blood instead of 1.
- Bone King: creatures with this Sigil grant 4 bones when they die instead of 1.
- Trinket Bearer: when played, creatures with this Sigil grant the player a random item if they don’t have 3 items already.
- Fecundity: a copy of a card with this Sigil will be created in the player’s hand when it’s played.
- Bellist: a 0/1 chime is created on each empty space next to a card with this Sigil when it’s played. The Daus card has this Sigil naturally, and while this Sigil can be transferred to other cards, The Daus has a unique ability that causes it to strike any creature that attacks one of its Chimes.
- Leader: any creature next to a card with this Sigil gains +1 power.
- Ant Spawner: a card with this Sigil will add a Worker Ant card to the player’s hand when it’s played. The Worker Ant costs 1 blood to play and has 2 health, and its attack power is equal to the number of ants on its side of the board.
- Bees Within: a card with this Sigil will add a Bee card to the player’s hand when it’s struck.
- Rabbit Hole: a card with this Sigil will add a 0/1 Rabbit card to the player’s hand when it’s played.
- Dam Builder: a Dam is created in each empty space next to a card with this Sigil when it’s played.
- Hoarder: when a card with this Sigil is played, the player can search their deck for any card and put it in their hand.
- Loose Tail: when a card with this Sigil would be struck, it loses its tail and moves to the right, leaving the tail in the space to take the hit.
- Corpse Eater: when a creature is killed in combat, if a card in its owner’s hand has this Sigil, it’s automatically played in that space. A card with this Sigil and the Unkillable Sigil can immediately replace itself.
- Frozen Away: if a card with this Sigil dies, the frozen creature thaws and is played in its place.
All Sigils In Inscryption Act II
With the introduction of four different deck types in Insctyption’s second act, there are 31 new Sigils that players will discover as they battle it out against the four Scrybes. Most of these are unique to their corresponding deck type as each deck type focuses more on the deck’s energy resource than Sigils, and unlike the other acts, players cannot transfer Sigils to other cards in Act II. Amorphous, Frozen Away, Rabbit Hole, Fledgling, Fecundity, Bone King, Many Lives, Worthy Sacrifice, and Waterborne return from Act I, but do not reappear later in Act III.
- Bone Digger: a card with this Sigil will grant 1 bone at the end of its owner’s turn.
- Brittle: creatures with this Sigil die after attacking.
- Skeleton Crew: the creature will move in the direction indicated by the Sigil at the end of its owner’s turn, and a 1/1 Skeleton with the Brittle Sigil will spawn in the empty space.
- Double Death: when another creature belonging to the owner of a card with this Sigils dies, it’s brought back to life and immediately dies again.
- Enlarge: The card owner with this Sigil can pay 2 Bones to give it +1 power and health.
- Disentomb: The card owner with this Sigil can pay 1 Bone to add a Skeleton to their hand.
- Marrow Sucker: The card owner with this Sigil can pay 2 Bones to heal it.
- Handy: cards with this Sigil will allow the player to discard their hand and draw 4 new cards.
- Green Mox: cards with this Sigil grant a Green Gem to their owner.
- Orange Mox: cards with this Sigil grant an Orange Gem to their owner.
- Blue Mox: cards with this Sigil grant a Blue Gem to their owner.
- Great Mox: cards with this Sigil grant their owner a Green, Orange, and Blue Gem.
- Gem Animator: while cards with this Sigil are on the board, all Mox cards on its owner’s side gain +1 power.
- Mental Gemnastics: when a card with this Sigil is played, its owner draws cards equal to the number of Mox cards on the board.
- Gem Dependant: if there are no Mox cards on the owner’s side of the board, cards with this Sigil die.
- Ruby Heart: a card with this Sigil is replaced by a Ruby Mox when it dies.
- Looter: The card owner with this Sigil can draw a card for each point of damage it deals directly to the opponent.
- True Scholar: if the card owner with this Sigil has a Blue Gem, they can sacrifice it to draw 3 cards.
- Squirrel Shredder: the creature will move in the direction indicated by the Sigil at the end of its owner’s turn, and a 0/1 Squirrel will spawn in the empty space.
- Stimulate: The card owner with this Sigil can pay 3 Energy to give it +1 power and health.
- Attack Conduit: if a card with this Sigil completes a circuit, other creatures within the circuit gain +1 power.
- Spawn Conduit: if a card with this Sigil completes a circuit, empty spaces within the circuit spawn L33PBOTS when the owner’s turn ends.
- Healing Conduit: if a card with this Sigil completes a circuit, other creatures within the circuit are healed when the owner’s turn ends.
- Energy Conduit: if a card with this Sigil completes a circuit, the owner’s energy never depletes.
- Null Conduit: a card with this Sigil can complete a circuit that has no effect.
- Battery Bearer: cards with this Sigil grant an Energy Cell to their owner when played.
- Detonator: when it dies, a card with this Sigil will explode, dealing 10 damage to the opposing creature as well as adjacent friendly creatures.
- Sentry: creatures that move into the space across from a card with this Sigil are dealt 1 damage.
- Bomb Spewer: cards with this Sigil fill every empty space on the board with 1/1 Explode Bots with the Detonator Sigil when played.
- Power Dice: The card owner with this Sigil can pay 1 Energy to set its power to a random number between 1 and 6.
- Energy Gun: The card owner with this Sigil can pay 1 Energy to deal 1 damage to the creature opposing it.
- Bonehorn: The card owner with this Sigil can pay 1 Energy to gain 3 Bones.
All Sigils In Inscryption Act III
Along with 18 new Sigils that are introduced in the third act of Inscryption, 9 return from Act II despite not being present in Act I. These include Brittle, Green Mox, Orange Mox, Blue Mox, Attack Conduit, Null Conduit, Battery Bearer, Detonator, and Sentry. Stinky also returns from Act I after being absent in Act II.
- Sniper: The card owner with this Sigil can pick the space it attacks.
- Nano Armor: a card with this Sigil blocks the damage it would take the first time it’s attacked.
- Overclocked: this Sigil increases the power of a card, but the card will be permanently removed from the player’s deck if it dies.
- Bomb Latch: when a card with this Sigil dies, it will allow its owner to give the Detonator Sigil to one of their creatures.
- Brittle Latch: when a card with this Sigil dies, it will allow its owner to give the Brittle Sigil to one of their creatures.
- Shield Latch: when a card with this Sigil dies, it will allow its owner to give the Nano Armor Sigil to one of their creatures.
- Transformer: a card with this Sigil will transform into or out of Beast mode at the beginning of its owner’s turn.
- Gem Detonator: Gem Vessels on the owner’s side of the board Detonate when they die.
- Gem Guardian: Gem Vessels on the owner’s side of the board gain Nano Armor when a card with this Sigil is played.
- Vessel Printer: The card owner with this Sigil draws a card from their Empty Vessel pile when it’s struck.
- Swapper: a card with this Sigil swaps its power and health when it takes damage.
- Annoying: creatures opposing a card with this Sigil gain +1 power.
- Gem Spawn Conduit: if a card with this Sigil completes a circuit, Gem Vessels spawn on empty spaces within the circuit when the owner’s turn ends.
- Buff When Powered: if a card with this Sigil is within a circuit, its power increases by +2.
- Trifurcated When Powered: if a card with this Sigil is within a circuit, it strikes the opposing space and adjacent opposing spaces when it attacks.
- Gift When Powered: if a card with this Sigil dies within a circuit, a random card is added to its owner’s hand.
- Gift Bearer: a random card is created in the owner’s hand when a card with this Sigil dies.
- Clinger: a card with this Sigil will move as close as possible to other creatures on the board when they’re played.