Warhammer 40K Darktide Grimoire Guide - What Are They, Where to Find, and More

The Grimoire is back again from Vermintide, and players in Warhammer 40k Darktide will find that they are far more impactful now compared to what they did back then albeit deadlier than ever before.

In this Darktide Grimoire guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about grimoires in Warhammer 40k Darktide. Specifically, what do they do, where to find them, how do they compare to grimoires found in Vermintide, and why do they matter?

For the uninitiated, Grimoires are collectibles that enhance gameplay through a risk-and-reward system. The act of picking up a Grimoire is tantamount to losing nearly a quarter of the team’s max health to Corruption. This, in turn, makes the mission harder as not only did your team lose a chunk of health almost immediately but they are slowly gaining more Corruption the longer the books are held.

What do Grimoires do in Darktide?

As general rule of thumb, grimoires can only be found on missions where the sub-objective is to locate them. (Indicated by the Diamond icon at the bottom left of the mission icon.) Picking them up adds a small bonus to player XP and Ordo Dockets at the end of the mission.

The current threshold of one grimoire is 25% of your max health. Picking up two will reduce it to half. Grimoires and scriptures both look like books and take up the inventory slot that is usually reserved for medkits and ammo boxes.

There are a maximum of two grimoires you can find during a mission. Picking up both of them doubles the Corruption effect on the team’s health. Ensuring that your team is running the rest of the mission with less than 50% health.

But all is not lost.

Interacting with a medicae station is the surest bet to removing all built-up Corruption. They can heal you up to the max but as long as you carry the book in your possession, the team’s health will almost immediately go down to the initial threshold.

If you are in possession of a grimoire, you are unable to pick up any medkits or ammo crates. You also cannot simply drop a grimoire once you pick it up. Only by “casting” the book and destroying it will you be able to open up the utility slot.

Where to Find Grimoires in Darktide?

Grimoires are typically found within side areas such as crevices and corners that are not part of the critical path. The books emit a bright green glow that’s easily visible even from afar. (There is currently a glitch wherein players can the book’s glow through walls.)

The thing that complicates the finding of grimoires and scriptures in Darktide is the fact that each book can spawn from multiple possible spawn locations. So, you’re going to have to keep your eyes peeled no matter what. As long as you’re keeping an eye on those dark corners, you should be able to see at least one every mission.

Another thing to keep in mind is that each map is cut up into a small number of sections with drop points separating them. The most common drop points are sheer ledge drops. Others are more like an elevator ride or a moving staircase. This should narrow your search area by a small amount.

Differences Between Grimoires and Scriptures in Darktide

In Darktide, you can find a maximum of three scriptures or two grimoires per map.

Scriptures, much like grimoires, take up the third inventory slot. But unlike the grimoire, picking up a scripture won’t result in the team gaining Corruption.

The objective marker is very clear that you will either be picking up scriptures OR grimoires. Whereas in Vermintide, the possibility for you to pick up both exists.

As for the writing of this guide, the icons for both books are identical. We don’t know if that’s ever going to change but for the sake of readability, we hope that it does. Maps that feature grimoires and scriptures are marked with a diamond icon in the mission selection menu. You’ll only know what kind of secondary mission you’ll get by first clicking on the mission.

Differences Between Vermintide 2 Grimoires and Darktide Grimoires

The first difference between them is that grimoires in Darktide do not spawn in fixed locations. There is a fixed number of possible spawn locations for each map. The spawn locations are generally separated by drop points. From our observations, it seems there is at least 1 possible location per section.

Grimoires in Vermintide apply a base permanent reduction to the party’s max health and that’s it. The Darktide Grimoire takes that health gradually. A sudden drop upon picking up the book and approximately one health per 10 seconds will be taken away due to corruption. And that effect is compounded when two books are in the team’s possession. Giving you more reason to finish the mission as soon as possible.

Why Do Grimoires Matter in Darktide?

Back in Vermintide, picking up grimoires give a small bonus at the end of the level and some small treasure reward. Outside of that, the books served little purpose and picking them up has then become a novelty. Especially when some of them require parkour skills to get to their hiding spots.

In Darktide, collecting grimoires serves nearly the same function. You’ll get a very small bump in Ordo Dockets and experience points. But if you happen to get a weekly contract to pick up 5 grimoires, you’ll have every reason in the game to find them as quickly as possible. Hopefully not to the detriment of the whole team and the mission.

Remember, you still need to stick together no matter what, and lingering around in no man’s land is the fastest way to get killed.

And that’s it for our Darktide Grimoire guide. I hope this knowledge comes in handy as you are set to take on the enemies of the Imperium.

Check out our other Warhammer 40K Darktide guides:

Also, check out this video from Youtuber GamerMasons where he gives an overview of Warhammer 40000 Darktide grimoires and their effects on health.