Completing the Erudin Library

If you’re a fan of clue, a want-to-be detective, or batman, you’re going to love the Erudin Library in EQ2′s Sentinel’s Fate. This new instanced dungeon gives players a chance to solve a murder mystery while they’re slaughtering in the name of fun and loot. This has ended up being my favorite zone thus far so I thought I would share a little bit on how to complete it. Be aware that this guide is full of spoilers so if you’re hoping to complete this without help, you shouldn’t read after the jump. To complete the zone correctly be sure you have found the murder weapon, two clues as to who the killer is, and the body. That is what you need to ensure a successful trip in. If you miss a single part you’re going to be in hot water when it is time to accuse the appropriate Erudite.

At the start of your murder mystery you’ll find that the inhabitants of the Erudin Library do not want you there. You’re not from their side of the tracks and they want you gone! In the pursuit of justice you may slaughter as you see fit. After all, you can’t solve a murder without committing a few hundred, right? Clearing the first room should be swift and you’ll find Archivist Fahim waiting in the middle for you. He is a bit cocky and assumes you’re a bunch of scrubs. When you engage him large bookshelves will rise from the floor and leave only a single way into the middle area. Be mindful of that at the start as they will break line of sight to your tank. Beyond that Fahim really is the scrub. He doesn’t do anything impressive and should easily be dispatched. Once he has fallen the book shelves will rearrange and make a staircase for you to ascend. Be mindful that you may find the body in this room, the Archives. You may also find a clue here so keep your eye out for different colored ?s. These are the clues I mentioned early.

Follow the book case up and clear the balcony area of the archives. When you work your way to the back side of the room you’ll see a teleporter. Once you know there aren’t any more clues you can hop into it and take it to the next area. In this area you’ll find a few mobs to kill but no named. You’ll also find the Pantry. This is another place that the murder could have occurred. Make sure there isn’t a body stuffed into something unusual in there. On the wall opposite the teleporter back down you’ll see a big symbol. Click on it and it will open the mesh grate that protects the stairs. You can then ascend once more. About midway up you’ll notice a door on the right. Head inside to find a Tesla coil that is pretty fun to see. You can also find a clue in here so be sure to check this room. At the top of the stairs you’ll find mobs once more and you’ll eventually end up at a large opening into the Observatory.

In the observatory you will find Shahrivar the Unquenchable waiting for you. He doesn’t have any tricks up his sleeve for the most part but he is quite capable of beating you senseless if you let him. Shahrivar hits pretty hard and does have a minor power drain so keep that in mind before engaging him. Beyond that you can just keep your tank healed up well and lay into him with your DPS. The fight would be quite difficult without any sort of mana regeneration. Hopefully, though, you can use Plan Thax* on him and be victorious. You may also find clues in the observatory along the walls and hidden behind little nooks and crannies. Be sure you police the room before heading out into the open area.

In this main area you’ll find a lot of mobs flying around on discs to your left. This includes Conservator Haidar who we’ll get to momentarily. On the right side you’re going to find the Stacks. This is another area where you can find clues or a body. You’re also going to find three servants who will help you figure out who the killer was. Each one will give you a list of names in regards to one of the clues you’ve found or the body. Once you have all three and you talk to each servant you can pretty much use the process of elimination to figure out the killer’s identity. Whoever each servant mentions is the killer in the Erudin Library! If you haven’t found the body and two clues yet you may have to come back.

Clear the stack areas before returning to the main part of the hall so that you may talk to the servants and hunt for clues. Once you’ve done this it is time to lay into Conservator Haidar. Unlike the previous named throughout the Erudin Library, Conservator Haidar has a dirty little trick up his sleeve. Ever so often he is going to curse three of your guild mates. This curse is no joke, either. When it goes off it is going to deal some serious damage. The longer the fight goes the bigger this curse appeared to be (at least to me). Your best bet here is to use overwhelming DPS and drop Haidar as soon as you can. He doesn’t have a lot of hit points or mitigation so it shouldn’t be too hard. Just be ready to group heal and ensure that your most important folks are cured. Once Haidar has died return to the stacks. Head into the far room where only one servant is. Behind him you’ll note that one of the library walls is click-able. Do so and it will reveal a stairway up.

When you reach the top of the stairs you’ll see a teleporter that seems to be a bit off color. Don’t immediately run into it because… ITS A TRAP. Prepare your group for an extended fight and be sure everyone is in the room. When you step on the teleporter an alarm will sound and some very nasty minotaurs will come running up the stairs. Defeat them and more will come! Once you’ve finished off all of the usual scrubs you’ll be assaulted by Zulfiqar the Indomitable! Like many of the other bosses he doesn’t have any gimmicks to note. Zulfiqar is just another mob that wants to beat you senseless and he does a good job of it too. Don’t let him have his way, though! Turn the tables, beat him down, and claim your reward. Once you’ve done so you can hop into the now useful teleporter and head up to the Grand Hall.

The grand hall does not have any named mobs in it but it does have a lot of triple ups that will come in pairs or more if you’re not careful. Use body aggro as much as possible to separate out the mobs. As you clear the area be sure to look for clues. You may even find the murder weapon here. When all the mobs have been dispatched click on the three wall symbols and a magical staircase will be built. If you don’t have your clues yet you need to venture back into the Erudin Library to find them. If you do have all your clues you can talk to Head Archivist Farooq to make your accusation. Much like in clue you need to say who did it, where and with what. Once you have done this the person you accuse will fly down and attack you. Each done does something slightly different but the ones I’ve fought aren’t overly hard. If you guess correctly they’ll say something like “I’d have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for you meddling adventurers.” If you guess wrong they’ll talk about your flawed logic. Defeating the correct one gives you a better shot at an exquisite chest. With the death of the murderer you’re now a hero despite the fact that you killed a hundred or so denizens of the Erudin Library!

* Plan Thax was developed back in the Iniquity days of raiding. The plan is complex but very useful. In essence it involves you reducing the mob’s hit points to 0 prior to it reducing yours to 0. This has been very successful in the past.