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Like other Fatshark games before it,Warhammer 40,000: Darktidecarries a few inspirations from its Vermintide predecessors, most notably the Grimoires. These cursed books of Chaos would appear in obscure locations that were often hard to reach or at least required a bit of panicky platforming over large drops to find.
They’ve re-appeared in Darktide and are just as fiddly to find since the maps are much more massive now and if you don’t know how the new Grimoire system works you’ll be left frustrated as it’s much harder to track them down now. So if you’re left scratching your head trying to find these blighted books, then here’s a helpful Grimoire guide.
What Is A Grimoire?
If you’re new to the “Tide” series by Fatshark then don’t worry asthe Grimoire system is pretty straightforward to explain. In previous games, these books wouldearn you some extra XP, but once they were picked up they would lower your healthby a set amount whilst also taking up an inventory slot.
They would appear in specific locations and your group usually had amaximum of three to find in each level. However, in Darktide things have been given a slight revamp. This time aroundthe Grimoire’s locations are completely randomand they’ll only appear in missions that request them in the extra task section at the bottom of the level description.
The Difference Between Grimoires And Scriptures
Whilst Grimoires are the main book you’ll encounter whilst running around in the Underhive, there isalso another type of collectible called a Scripture. They’re similar to Grimoires but with a few alterations from those cursed tomes of Nurgle.
For example,Scriptures also spawn completely randomly on levelsthat have them as secondary collectibles, just like Grimoires. However, they tend to appear more often in Chests, whilst Grimoires only spawn out in the wilds of the levels. They alsodo not cause Corruption when they’re carried, and unlike Grimoires they can beplaced down on the ground and recollectedwhilst you’re sorting your inventory.
The Downsides Of Grimoires
Now that Scriptures are covered, it’s worth going overthe negative effects of Grimoiresas having something corrupted by Chaos shoved into your pockets is going to have some pretty detrimental downsides. For starters,Grimoires are horrifically tainted and evil booksand with that comes “Corruption”.
Corruption in Darktide is a gameplay mechanic that takes the form of areduction in the maximum capacity of your life bar. With how easy it is to land on that last magic pixel from one sneaky Underhiver smack, having less in your health bar to work with can be pretty dangerous. This effect isonly active as long as the Grimoire is in your inventoryand stacks with the more books you have.
Grimoires also take up an inventory slot, which might not seem too drastic but it’s a spot that could be used for a Medical Bag or Ammo Case that could help the team. Finally, theycan’t be placed down once they’re picked up. So it’s recommended that a designated Grimoire carrier is selected in the Fireteam as just grabbing one on a whim will usually backfire in the long run.
It is possible tocounter Corruption with the right Talisman setups. Preferably those thatreduce Corruption scaling or boost your max number of Health Bar blocks.
How To Find Grimoire’s In Darktide
As previously mentioned,the Grimoire locations in Darktide have been sadistically randomized, so now it’s much harder to find them. With the levels so utterly massive, all the tiny nooks and hiding spots that they could be dumped so numerous, and with the constant pressure of hordes, Specialists, and Elites,it’s very rare that you’ll manage to find one on your first try.
To the point where you’ll often be driven to insanity trying to piece together the potential locations where they might appear. Or more often than not, you’ll juststumble onto one lying next to a barrel or tucked away on an iron girderin a spot you wouldn’t realize is explorable until you accidentally fall onto it.
However, there is a silver lining asthere seems to be a pattern to their spawn locations. But again,it’s a coin flip on which spot it will appearin on your particular run. Thankfully the Darktide Community has been extremely active since this system was introduced and there’s acomprehensive listthat containsevery potential general vague spawn location for Grimoiresfound so far.
Plus, it’s updated every time someone finds a new spot or a new map is added. However, it’s worth taking that information with a grain of salt as it’snot completely foolproof since the Grimoire’s locations are constantly randomized. So a lot of spots that are listed might not necessarily be regular spots to find them in your game, or they can be completely wrong as the locations often reshuffle with patches. So you’ll regularly end up wasting a ton of time sincethe whole process of finding one successfully is just a coin flip.
Book Hunting Tips
But it’s not all doom and gloom as yes,Hunting for Grimoires boils down to luckon whether you’ll find them or not, butthere are some things you can do to improve your odds.
So it’s worth going over afew tips that might help you find these cursed booksas well as a few handy things worth knowing once you have one in your hands.
Do Not Interact With The Grimoire
The first and perhaps most important tip for hunting down Grimoires is that once you find and pick one up,you should not interact with it afterward. Don’t even scroll to it in your inventory,just leave it alone.
This is because it’sextremely easy to unintentionally destroy the book. For example, all you need to do to cause yourself agony is tohold the Grimoire in your active hand, then hold down the fire button,and after a few seconds, the book will be accidentally destroyed. Whilst that won’t be much of an issue you’ll run into on console, if you’re playing on PC it’s justone accidental mouse-scroll in the wrong direction that can result in a banished bookand an unhappy team.
Destroying the book requiresholding down the attack button for three seconds. So if you’re going mad in melee or are being a tad trigger-happy, watch out for what item you’re scrolling onto.
You Need All Of Them
A simple little stipulation that is often overlooked in Darktide’s book collecting tasks is thatyou need all of the requested Grims or Scriptures for the bonus reward at the end to count.
So for example, if your team managed to only collect one but the mission requests two or more, and a teammate manages to die or disconnect whilst carrying them then yourprize of extra XP is not going to count. Which can be a pain if you’re gunning for that little experience bump or are trying toknock out book collecting for your Daily or Weekly Tasks.
Check Everywhere
Sincethe locations of the Grimoires are completely randomizedit’s worth keeping your head on a swivel as you stomp around the Underhive. The books can spawn absolutely anywhere, soexplore every area of the map as you go throughit if you can.
Normally if you play with randoms they’ll justbunny-hop ahead of you whilst ignoring the books. So it’s recommended to either play with friends,talk to your new teammates about the books,or just hop into a mission that has a Grimoire as a secondary objective and hope for the best. Then as you’re going around,check every nook and cranny, behind trash or other architectureas they could be anywhere.
Call Out When You Find One
It’s very important that youcall out to your teammates when you find a Grimoireas those carrying the books will need to be protected at all times until you all extract at the end of the mission. If you don’t,you will all regret it.
This is becauseanyone that’s carrying a Grimoire that’s either killed by a member of Chaos or diesfrom say, falling off a ledge or getting overconfident in a horde willpermanently lose the book. Unlike Vermintide where you could justrecover the lost Grimoire from a teammate’s corpse, now they’re gone for good if anyone drops.So no extra rewards. Therefore it’s vital that you let people know when you’re carrying one as you’re now a high-priority team member.
Look For The Green Glow
One final tip that might help you find Grimoires a little easier is that you shouldkeep an eye out for their signature green glow. It’s not a massively helpful tip, but if you keep your eyes peeled for thatnoxious tint glinting in the gloomthen you’ll find a Grimoire tucked away nearby.
It’s not too noticeable on some of the brighter maps, buton the gloomy tunnel-filled missions or those that are barely lit,you’ll be able to spot them a little easier. It’s not much, but it can make scanning a room for Grimoires quicker if youwatch for that eerie green Ghostlight.
