Darkest Dungeon 2: How to defeat The Librarian

Welcome back, fellow adventurers! Today, we’ll provide a comprehensive guide to defeating Darkest Dungeon 2’s The Librarian. Please note that this article contains spoilers about the fight mechanics and abilities.

Facing the Librarian in Darkest Dungeon 2

The Librarian, a formidable and enigmatic foe, is notorious for his relentless book-burning and devastating attacks. This Darkest Dungeon 2 guide article provides an in-depth analysis of his moveset and offers strategies for overcoming the challenges he presents.

By understanding his abilities and how to counteract them, adventurers can minimize the damage to their party and successfully defeat this book-burning menace.

The Enrage Timer

The Librarian begins by burning the stack of books directly before him. Starting in rank four, he targets the books in rank three. The Librarian reduces the book’s HP to the next nearest increment of 15, so a stack of books with 45 HP is reduced to 30, while a stack of 40 HP is also reduced to 30.

Incidental damage to the books does not affect the speed at which he burns them. However, burning the books randomly assigns one stress damage to one of your heroes, setting up an enrage timer that we’ll discuss later.

The Librarian employs three primary attacks, using them twice per turn

1. Mandatory Reading: The Librarian can use this damaging attack from any of the back three ranks, inflicting 6-10 damage, applying stress, and applying a burn for two turns.
2. Burnout: This ability is only used if the Librarian is in the front rank. Although he has a 200% move resistance, he can end up in the front rank if you push his books around. Burnout moves him backward, deals 4-8 damage to both front-rank heroes, lights them on fire, and grants him a dodge.
3. Smokestack: The Librarian uses this ability from any of the back ranks, targeting any of your heroes. It grants him a dodge while applying a blind and vulnerable debuff to your hero. This can make your damage less consistent against him.

Two additional abilities in the Librarian’s arsenal

1. Categorize: Used less frequently than Smokestack and Mandatory Reading, Categorize shuffles your party, potentially disrupting your strategy.
2. Burning Bright: The most dangerous ability is only used from the front rank and when no books are left. This enrage timer attack deals 3-6 damage to all heroes, lights them on fire, and grants the Librarian a dodge token. Avoiding this attack is crucial for success.

Combat Strategy

Dealing Backline Damage

• The first and primary piece of the strategy is understanding how you will deal with your backline damage.
• Selecting abilities that allow you to get that damage to the backline will significantly improve your chances of success.

• You must ensure enough damage to defeat the boss before he reaches the front. Healing and spamming burning bright moves can leave you in a difficult position.
• One effective approach to dealing damage is utilizing Damage Over Time (DOT) abilities, as these can act quickly on the boss due to his three actions per turn. For example, a plague grenade can deliver its total damage before it even becomes time to reapply it, providing excellent value.

Controlling Blinds and Stripping Dodge Tokens

• Another critical aspect of the strategy is controlling where the blinds go and stripping away the boss’s Dodge tokens.
• Certain heroes excel at these tasks, and the key is to ensure that your tank can take the brunt of the blinded attacks.
• In contrast, your other heroes can successfully land their abilities. The ability to strip away Dodge tokens can help make the battle more consistent.

Managing Book Damage

While focusing on dealing damage to the boss is essential, you should also be mindful of the damage you deal to the books.

Using abilities like Plague Grenade and Abyssal Artillery are relatively safe options, but be cautious about dealing excessive damage to the books. Unlucky crits can remove turns you would otherwise have, harming your overall strategy.

Moving and Killing Books

• In the current incarnation of the Librarian, it’s generally not advantageous to actively destroy book stacks to prevent burning bright attacks.
• However, you can sometimes shuffle book stacks out of the way to delay burning bright moves. This tactic can be helpful, but it’s usually better to focus on dealing damage to the boss quickly.

Preparing for Enrage

• Finally, it’s crucial to remember that the Librarian heals when he enrages, which occurs when all the books are gone. His HP pool increases, and if you’re unprepared, this can lead to a dangerous situation for your squishier heroes.
• The key is to take him down before the books are exhausted, ensuring a triumphant victory against this challenging boss.

As you progress through Darkest Dungeon 2, remember that adaptability is vital. Being prepared to adjust your strategy according to the situation will significantly increase your chances of success.

Good luck, adventurers, and may your torches burn bright as you conquer the challenges that await you in the depths of the Darkest Dungeon 2.

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