Archives

A complete walkthrough for the Archives section of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, detailing item locations, puzzles, and story progression.

Upon entering the Archives, head right into the "Libra Rari" or "Rare Books" room. Pick up the piece of paper on the table to learn about Daniel's expedition with Professor Herbert searching for the "Tin Hinan".

Exit and enter the "Catalogi" or "Catalogues" room. Find a note on the left shelf detailing a contract for Wilhelm employed by Alexander. Open the table drawers to find a tinderbox. Proceed through the door into the hallway and enter the "Studium" or "Study".

In the Study, open the drawers of the table on the far side to find another tinderbox and a piece of paper. This paper continues Daniel's diary, describing an expedition where he and his men were trapped by a rockfall in an underground passage.

Leave the Study and enter the "Libri Veteres" or "Old Tomes" room. A book will fall on its own. Behind the table, open the chest for a tinderbox and oil, and open the furnace for another tinderbox.

Return to the hallway and turn right towards the "Historia Loci" or "Local History" room. You cannot enter directly and will need to find another way. Continue down the hall into a large room with a piano. Turn left from where you entered this area and proceed forward. Enter the room on the left. On the right, find a table with a bottle of oil. Continue to the "Delineatae Imagines Tabulatis" or "Floor Plans" room.

In the center of the Floor Plans room, look left for a board with paper. This triggers a flashback of Daniel and Alexander discussing structural weaknesses. Open the chest in the far corner for oil and a tinderbox.

The next room is "Tabulae" or "Maps". The ceiling collapses as you approach. Enter the room, open the table drawers for a tinderbox, and pick up the paper on the table. Daniel collapses, triggering an interactive flashback where you find and grab a glowing orb.

Exit the room and notice a damaged wall on the left. It's fragile but not breakable by hand. Find something to throw at it or repeatedly click it to break it open. Jump into the next room for another flashback about a secret room mechanism in the Local History room.

Secret Door in the Local History Room

Enter the Local History room. Pick up the oil bottle from the shelf in front of you. On the far left, find a piece of paper inside a glass case. Throw a book or object at the case to break it and retrieve the paper.

On the far side, a shelf hides a secret room. To move it, pull three books quickly. The first book is on the shelf to the left of the entrance. The second and third books are on the shelf facing the main door, one near the secret door and the other near the glass cases. Pulling these reveals the secret door.

Enter the new room. Open a cabinet door on the left and leave it ajar. Check the table drawers for another piece of paper, detailing Wilhelm's kidnapping activities and the sheriff's investigation. Take the key from the table – it's for the Wine Cellar. The door will then be busted open.

Exiting The Archives

Exit through the newly opened door, turn left, and proceed straight.