The Librarian is the Lair Boss of the Sprawl. There he sits, burning books he once held precious. His fanaticism is extreme, and so are his abilities. If you’ve fallen victim to his fire, this Librarian fight guide’ll help you take exact revenge.
How to Defeat the Librarian in Darkest Dungeon 2
Burn, Baby, Burn Prevention
If you know you’ll have to face off against the Librarian to get into the Mountain, you’ll want to stock up on anything related to getting rid of Burn if you know you’re going to want to take on the Librarian. The Librarian ignites himself once he clears the stacks of books and starts casting party wide fire skills, causing Burn tokens to stack quickly. Useful Combat Items include:
- Ablative Powders
- Burn Salve
- Pustule Salve
- Medicinal Herbs
At the Inn, be sure to use the Inn items Soothing Poultice and Flapjacks to increase Burn Resistance and health on each party member. Equip any trinkets that buff resistance to Burn, like Dark Impulse.
Tackling the Librarian Fight
Once you’re prepared, head into the Sprawl. The Librarian is located in The Great Library Lair, so make sure you plot a route that heads there. Especially if this is your last region, you’ll need the Trophy in order to get access to the Mountain.
When you finally get into combat with the Librarian, there are a couple of things you want to focus on. The Librarian has three turns per round. He’ll use one of them to burn the book stack closest to him, inflicting stress on a random Hero. If he destroys a stack, he’ll use Burning Bright as a free action, inflicting two Burn on the whole party.
When he gets to first position, he’ll cast Ignite, healing himself and gaining another action. That’s a total of four attacks per round, most of them following one after the other. Even your tankiest team members will be melted with Burn stacks causing 10 or more damage a turn, never mind the actual damage inflicted by Burning Bright.
You want to defeat him before he gets through all of the stacks. To quickly end this battle, you need to have a team that can hit the third and fourth positions consistently and inflict Blight. The Librarian’s Blight resistance is only 30, making it the easiest DoT to inflict. Multiple Blight-inflicting characters on the team would make this a walk-in-the-park fight.
Best Party Compositions
The Plague Doctor is easily one of the best heroes for this fight. Not only can she cure Burn, but she can hit all enemy positions and inflict Blight. If you’ve got her Plague Grenade upgraded, and Early Experiment equipped along with the Spore Grenade Combat Item, she can potentially inflict 6 Blight per turn. You’ll especially want her to be on the Alchemist Path, if possible, for this fight as it increases Burn Resistance, Crit chance off Blight Skills, and Blight chance.
Librarian Fight Party Composition 1
A Blight focused party designed for taking down the Librarian. The Vestal is there for buffs and heals to keep the Blighters going.
- Plague Doctor: Battlefield Medicine, Noxious Blast, Plague Grenade, Ounce of Prevention, Cause of Death
- Vestal: Divine Grace, Divine Comfort, Ministrations, Consecration of Fortitude, Judgement
- Graverobber: Poison Dagger, Absinthe, Thrown Dagger
- Flagellant: Punish, Acid Rain, Suffer, Sepsis, Lash’s Gift
Librarian Fight Party Composition 2
A more balanced party for a variety of combat situations. It still features our heavy hitter the Plague Doctor, however, she’s accompanied by other ranged attackers as well as Riposte users.
- Plague Doctor: Battlefield Medicine, Noxious Blast, Plague Grenade, Ounce of Prevention, Cause of Death
- Jester: Battle Ballad, Inspiring Tune, Slice Off
- Highwayman: Pistol Shot, Duelist’s Advance, Open Vein
- Man-at-Arms: Crush, Defender, Bolster, Retribution, Stand Fast
These are some of the best team compositions to use when facing off against the Librarian. While it’s hard to create a party for a single encounter in DD2, if you have these characters on your team you’re sure to find success. Remember to Blight the Librarian as often as possible and have plenty of Burn cures on hand.
Librarian Boss Rewards
Once defeated, you’ll obtain the Librarian’s head as a Trophy. This is the key to getting into the Mountain. Trophies aren’t just keys, though. They provide significant bonuses when brought to an Inn or equipped to the Stagecoach. There are two versions of the Librarian Trophy, one of which you’ll be rewarded.
- The Unabridged Edition: 100% Location Scouting
- The Complete Catalogue: Apply on Crit: 3 Burn and Combat Start: 3 Burn (25%)
In addition to the Trophy you can receive these other rewards:
- +15 Flame
- Charred Books (currency)
- Relics
- 1 Random Trinket
- 1 Mastery
- -2 Loathing
- 1 Combat Item
- 1 Inn Item
- 1 Stagecoach Item
That’s all you need to know about how to beat the Librarian in Darkest Dungeon 2. For more battle guides, check out our growing DD2 guides library, fire free.
