Overview
An In-Depth Guide on Librarians.
Information about the Guide
This guide has a sole purpose to educate people on the Librarians and to show players the best and the worst ways for dealing with the Librarians.This guide should be interesting to both new and experienced players of the Metro.All of the written information was assembled by the guide creator (danisoff).All of the pictures were taken from the internet where they were freely available for free use.You can download all of the pictures from my guide but the text is mine and I forbid any copying of the text.All of the information used in the guide is from my personal experience playing the game and from some Metro official sites.If you need more information be free to ask in the comment section and I will respond in the shortest time possible.If you are in a hurry, you can contact me directly on my steam profile, or you can join my Discord and ask there.
Note some of the pictures are from the original Metro.That doesn’t make any difference, I used some of the old pictures because they looked cooler.
I hope you enjoin the guide and please do not forget to rate it when you are finished with your reading.
Discord[discord.gg]
Steam Group
-danisoff
Behavior and Basic Biology
In both canons, Librarians are much less deformed than other mutants of the Metro, resembling ordinary Gorillas in both posture and overall physical appearance, though they are much larger and have longer and thinner arms. In the game however, they have a fearsome visage, as their faces, somewhat humanoid, have one lip that covers their shark-like teeth and snout. This is caused from the nose and upper lip of their human progenitors fusing over successive generations. They are very territorial and will confront anything that appears to be a threat. They show signs of aggression by roaring and raising their upper lip, showing their teeth as a deterrent like most modern primates do. They are so powerful and territorial that they will even fight a demon if it enters the Library.Notorious for being some of the most dangerous monsters that inhabit the wastes of Moscow, librarians are very difficult enemies, resilient enough to withstand multiple point-blank shots even from one of the powerful weapons like the Duplet, and whose attacks can kill Artyom and the Stalker of Kshatriya with a few quick vicious sweeps. They are quite agile and capable of performing high jumps through the building despite their size, and most importantly they have enormous physical strength, at least somewhat on par with the demons, and more than enough to tear apart a human being with their elongated fingers and claws. They are one of, if not- the most intelligent mutants found in the surface of Moscow.
They also appear to be omnivorous as they have cultivated large amounts of plants in several areas around. Librarians’ place in the apocalyptic Moscow ecology is entirely unknown, given their rather reclusive behaviour. However, due to the fact that librarians are some of the few mutants that have the capacity and power of actively battling demons, their position is likely that of a apex predators – similarly to pre-war humans.
There also two different types of metro librarians. Most players don’t know or are not aware that there is a so called Black Librarian.
Black Librarian
These librarians are only found underground. They are often found sleeping in nests of torn-up books and can still be stared down or avoided. They are more aggressive but have the same health.The Black Librarian is more prevalent in the Metro Last Light Game on the level Kshatriya.On the already mentioned level, we can see it in a chamber near the room where you can find the metro map.
In the Next pictures we can see the difference between the Black and the Common Metro Librarian.On Left is The Common Librarian.
Metro Last Light Librarians
The librarians of Metro Last Light’s Faction Pack partially differ in physical stature to their 2033 counterparts. While before the librarian held similarities to that of a massive gorilla, never before has the comparison been more accurate. Last Light librarians are thicker in size, in particular to the arm and torso, and, keeping in step with the nuclear spring are slightly browner in coloration. They also display the distinctly gorilla-like behavior of beating their chests as a sign of aggression toward the Stalker.Gameplay wise, librarians appear to have undergone moderate changes – mostly to make them more manageable “glass-cannon” sort of enemies when the player’s equipment is minimal. Staring down a librarian, once a tactic that required some skill and patience, is now a far more automatic feature of the seemingly less-aggressive librarians. This is exemplified in that librarians now have a tendency to flee mid-combat, only to return moments later in varying levels of hostility. This can sometimes lead to moments in which they are able to be stared down, even after taking considerable damage. To further make them easier enemies, librarians can not only be completely bypassed by sneaking, but do not hold up tremendously well under fire In the Tower Pack that was released on September 3rd, they can be fought in the final simulation area. Here, the player goes against 3 but separately. It is highly recommended they should be fought with spawned teammates and using the placed mini-gun. But players should be careful as numerous nosalises’ may swarm while fighting against the Librarians.
In the Next pictures we can see the Metro Last Light Librarian.
Librarians in the Novels
Librarians are one of the enemies Artyom actually encounters face to face in the book. They very quickly attack Artyom, Melnik, Ten, and Daniel when they enter the main hall of the library. They are described identically to their appearance in the game (however, the game model lacks the pointed ears). Black librarians, or any other variation, however, are not encountered. Librarians are depicted as quasi-sentient creatures that hunt and move in packs of two or more individuals. Also, they are intelligent enough to imitate human speech with frightening accuracy, though whether they understand what they say or not is unknown. This could suggest that Librarians were ordinary human beings before the destruction of Moscow, and that the severe irradiation of the city drastically mutated them. Later, Daniel is killed by a librarian sticking its claw through his stomach from behind. Interestingly, when Daniel then talks, the librarian mimics the words, and then starts mixing them and telling Artyom to “go away” – suggesting librarians retain a high level of intelligence. Librarians are also fond of growing huge plants as a form of agriculture in the novel, again suggesting high-intelligence. Unlike the game, librarians also venture outside into the Library courtyard but still they go no further than this.
One the pictures we can see the numerous designees of the novels.
Flashlight Method
Staring Down
All librarians in Metro 2033 and Last Light have been tested, and can all be stared down with enough practice, skill, and luck. The player can have Artyom or the Stalker avoid all by following Miller’s advice and staring them down; stare into one’s eyes long enough and it will back down and retreat for a short period.
Librarians are not set off by the readying, aiming, or holstering of a weapon, nor by the raising of the watch but taking the gasmask on or off while staring at them will usually break eye contact.
When engaging a librarian of any variety, the approach is vital – it’s best that Artyom start the encounter at a safe distance and on the terms of the player. Advanced players of Metro 2033 will find situations easier to predict and control, and thus, easier to manage when they are intentionally walking down certain corridors with viewpoints ready for an oncoming librarian, or intentionally stepping on glass or bone while turned to a single librarian.
Proximity is also key when handling a librarian. Artyom should never be closer than a meter to the librarian, lest risk attack. Conversely, he should never be too far – further than around three meters – or risk it approaching him- a danger for the two ending up too close together. If the librarian gets nervous it will walk towards whatever it feels threatening, Miller advises taking a step or two back or risk turning it hostile.
It is good to keep in mind that after being stared down, the Librarian will proceed to the nearest open (these usually being holes in the overall structure or openable doors) to leave the room were the player is. During this the player must keep the eye contact with the beast until it leaves the room entirely or else the Librarian will simply turn back and attack the player anyways. Beyond that, if the nearest exit is near the player, the Librarian will walk to it anyways, making it possible for the beast get close enough to the Artyom to cause it to go hostile, thus making it a good idea to move away from the exit while keeping eye contact.
Similar strategies can be applied to the black librarians of Metro 2033. Staring them down is very possible, though players report the rules of engagement for black librarians to be much “stricter” than those of the common librarian, as these are more hostile in nature. Constant eye-contact is a must, and movement should be pre-planned. For sleeping librarians, stealth (or sneak attacks in Last Light) is the best tactic, but if Artyom or the Stalker is wearing the heavy armor, or he has awoken them, he cannot sneak past them, and will have to fight or run.
Killing Librarians in The Metro
The only reason you should ever try do kill a librarian is the achievement called Heavy Reader. Any other reason in not justified in Metro Redux 2033.If you still want to kill the librarian just follow the instructions and the video.
Point-blank shots to the head from shotguns, MGR-loaded rifles, or pneumatic weapons are effective against these beasts. Polis is the final shop in the game, so MGR have no retail use after this point.
The best weapon to use on Ranger Hardcore is the Helsing as it is very accurate, taking aim and firing at the head while over-pressurized will kill one in two bolts, which can be retrieved afterwards. One can kill a Librarian by firing roughly 4-5 shots to the head from a fully charged Hellbreath .
The easiest weapon to use in Metro 2033 is the Heavy Automatic Shotgun. Five to six consecutive headshots are sufficient in Ranger Hardcore difficulty. Another strategy is if Artyom is wearing the Heavy Armor and doesn’t have the Heavy Automatic Shotgun, the Automatic Shotgun is another sound solution as long as you aim for the head.
Another ammo-saving, viable and highly effective strategy is to use the Throwing Knives, as their extremely high damage in Ranger difficulty allows for the use of a one-two attack on the Librarians, first during the initial stare-down straight to their faces, and then a follow-up as they recoil from the first attack. A maximum of 3-4 knives anywhere are required to take one down, but using the aforementioned tactic can reduce that to only two.
If one does not wish to chance losing their throwing knives due to possibly missing and having it go in an inaccessible area, sticking the beast with 2 Sticky Grenades will kill it with ease. It is strongly advised to make sure one has ample room to run before throwing them, as the Librarian will begin to chase Artyom with the grenade still attached, bringing the blast radius with it.
My opinion on dealing with the Librarians
My honest Opinion is to use the flashlight method. When playing on the higher difficulties you will need to conserve as much ammo as possible, so wasting valuable ammo on a Librarian which you can pass with ease with the flashlight method has no logic. By killing them you will just anger them even more and you will make yourself a high valued target for the Librarians. The only place I can recommend killing them is when your are getting the Heavy Reader achievement or when collecting money in Metro Last Light (Kshatriyas Mission).
