Manuscripts are the kind of collectible that most players blow right past during a first run. They show up as small sparkly spots tucked into corners of rooms, sitting on shelves, or resting on the floor of dungeons you sprinted through without looking twice. In The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, there are over 30 of them spread across four distinct time periods, and tracking them all down earns you the History's Tapestry trophy/achievement. None of them affect gameplay directly, but they build out the world's history and character backstories in ways the main story never stops to explain.
What are manuscripts and why collect them?
Manuscripts are written notes, journals, research records, and historical texts left behind by characters across the game's different ages. They appear as glowing interactive spots on the ground, on bookshelves, on desks, and on crates. Picking one up adds it to your collection, which you can revisit at any time by heading to the bookshelf on the second floor of the Orphanage in the Kingdom of Huther during the Age of Safekeeping.
They provide zero combat bonuses or stat upgrades. The only mechanical reward is the History's Tapestry achievement for collecting every single one. That said, the lore they contain fills in a lot of gaps about the Kingdom of Huther, the Myu, characters like Kaifried, Ikarus, Diona, and Marnie, and the history of the world across its different eras.
Orphanage bookshelf review spot
How many manuscripts are there in total?
There are at least 31 confirmed manuscripts in the game, spread across the Age of Safekeeping, Age of Reconstruction, Age of Magic, and Age of Budding. Several of them are tied to story progression, meaning you can only reach them after specific boss fights, key items, or questline triggers. A handful are locked behind the True Ending path entirely and will not appear until you've defeated the final boss on that route.
All manuscript locations
The list below is organized by age to make backtracking easier. Within each age, town-based manuscripts come first, followed by dungeon finds.
Age of Safekeeping manuscripts
| Manuscript | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| History of the Kingdom of Huther, Vol. I | House along the southwestern edge of Huther | On a bookshelf |
| History of the Kingdom of Huther, Vol. II | Castle Huther mess hall (westernmost room) | Search the shelf |
| History of the Kingdom of Huther, Vol. III | Kaifried's Manse, second floor, northeastern Huther | On a bookshelf |
| One Historian's Journal | Euygene's room, Castle Huther | Under a desk, top right corner |
| Ancient Text | Euygene's room, Castle Huther | Sparkly spot between two shelves; requires completing "A Spear with a Past" and "A Good Old Bow" first |
| A Guide to the Temple of Trials | Temple of Trials, east of Southern Westerea guidepost | On the floor along the eastern edge of the entry room; requires the Heavy Hammer from Age of Reconstruction |
| An Epistle from the Hero King | Rainbow Lotus dungeon, Innermost Area | Floor along the western edge of the room after defeating The Lord of the Maw |
| A Traveler's Notes on the Wood | Grandtree dungeon, Second Level | Sparkling among grass on the northern end of the level |
| Memorandum on Permilleshrooms | Eastern Caves | Near the southern exit to Neverwither; requires the Eastern Caves Key |
| Report on Newly Discovered Epigraph | Northern Tower, Sublevel Three | Same room as the adventurer's guidepost; only accessible at the end of the main questline |
| Log of a Former Forthewor Researcher | Northern Tower, Sublevel One | Westernmost room, against the western wall; True Ending path only |
| The Tale of the Grey Hero | Mount Phoenix, Third Level | Search the ground to the northeast after taking the stairs up from the second level |
| Gogyo's Diary | Kaifried's Manse second floor, northeastern Huther | On the desk; only appears after defeating the final boss on the True Ending path |
| Marnie's Diary | Euygene's study, Castle Huther | Floor near a bookshelf in the southwestern corner; True Ending path only |
| Diona's Diary | Princess Hueria's room, Castle Huther | Floor in the southwestern corner; True Ending path only |
Ancient Text in Euygene's room
Age of Reconstruction manuscripts
| Manuscript | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| History of the Myu, Vol. I | Mount Phoenix dungeon, First Level ledge | Accessible only after defeating the Salathmadra boss; part of the Tracing Needle questline |
| A Guide to Holy Places | Southern Caves, Marshland Exit | On the ground near a ladder; hard to miss during the "Head to the southern caves" objective |
| A Traveler's Notes on the Marsh | Rainbow Lotus dungeon, Sublevel One | Head west and south from the northeastern corner stairs on the First Level |
| A Traveler's Notes on the Sand | Geared Ruins, Second Level | Jump across spinning gears to the eastern ledge; manuscript on the southern edge opposite four pots |
| Research Records of Calotesia's Ancestor | Calotesia's Lab, Littlehope Village | On the floor near bookshelves |
| Fausta's Research Report | House near the ruined mansion, northern Littlehope Village | On a crate |
| Diona's Medical Record | Doctor's House, southeastern Littlehope Village | On a shelf |
| Beast Tribe Research Log | Ruined hut west of Littlehope Village, Western Hucarea | Just northwest of the Eastern Eddartrayl adventuring guidepost |
| Kaifried's Journal | Northern Tower, Sublevel Two | On the floor by a pillar along the circular platform edge; after the second encounter with Kaifried |
Calotesia's Lab manuscript pickup
Age of Magic manuscripts
| Manuscript | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A Traveler's Notes on the Door | Room immediately after the Doorway of Time | Search the northeastern corner of the arrival room |
| A Traveler's Notes on the Ice | Dragonpillar dungeon, Sublevel One | On the largest of three islands along the southern end; requires the Vacuum spell to open the gate |
| A Traveler's Notes on the Fire | Mount Phoenix, First Level | Floor along the eastern edge, just east and south of the stairs down |
| Ikarus's Memoirs | Ikarus's Manor, Weyzn, second floor | Southwestern corner bookshelf; only available after the Northern Tower events with Ikarus, Hildebrandt, and Mao |
Age of Budding manuscripts
| Manuscript | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Laws of Hitoyori | Chief's House, northern edge of town | The house where Kai's Wife and Kai's Son live, not the Meeting Hall |
| Hitoyori's Beginnings | House east of the Magicite Shop, Hitoyori | On the floor |
| History of the Myu, Vol. II | Mount Phoenix dungeon, Sublevel One | Southeastern corner; requires jumping across sinking platforms over magma |
Which manuscripts are easy to miss?
Several manuscripts have conditions attached that make them genuinely easy to skip:
- Ancient Text requires finishing both the "A Spear with a Past" and "A Good Old Bow" side quests before it appears in Euygene's room. Come back after completing both.
- A Guide to the Temple of Trials requires you to acquire the Heavy Hammer in the Age of Reconstruction first, then return to the Age of Safekeeping.
- Log of a Former Forthewor Researcher is only accessible if you're on the True Ending path. If you're not, it simply won't be there.
- Ikarus's Memoirs only unlocks after specific story events at the Northern Tower in the Age of Magic, so you'll need to backtrack to Weyzn after those scenes play out.
- A Traveler's Notes on the Ice in the Dragonpillar dungeon requires the Vacuum spell to solve a gate puzzle before you can even reach the islands where it sits.
For more collectibles and strategy content, the full strategy guides collection for The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales covers everything from shrine locations to treasure chests. If you enjoy this kind of action adventure game with deep lore and collectible hunting, there's plenty more to explore on the The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales game page.
