In this guide, I’ll share the methods I used to tackle two of the hardest achievements in Librarian Tidy Up the Arcane Library: Anti-Magic Master and Efficiency Librarian. These tips focus on saving time, sorting smarter, and avoiding unnecessary wandering through the library.
Hardest Achievements: Anti-Magic Master & Efficiency Librarian
If you are tired of wandering between shelves and losing time, these strategies should help you approach both achievements with a clearer plan. The two main goals here are completing the library without Major Magic for Anti-Magic Master and finishing under 3 hours for Efficiency Librarian.
The No Major Magic run also works as excellent practice for the speedrun because it forces you to learn the library layout, book patterns, colors, and shelf locations.
Achievement: Anti-Magic Master
I started this achievement right after buying the game, and it took me around 4 hours just to unlock all the Minor Magics. At first, I sorted books by color, but instead of throwing them directly onto the floor, I randomly stacked them on shelves first. This helped me create a visible “palette” of the blue books I had found.
Once I could clearly see them, I picked out matching colors and moved them to their correct sections. Whenever a shelf cleared up, I made another lap around the map, grabbed more blue books, and repeated the same process.
When I could not find enough blue books anymore, I moved on to the next color. That full run took me just under 15 hours. If I were to do it again, I would change the route to make it much faster.
Get All Minor Magics First
My first recommendation is simple: make all Minor Magics your top priority. Unlocking them first gives you a much smoother foundation for the rest of the run.
Start With the Outliers
I recommend starting with the book types that stand out the most. For me, these were:
- Romance Novels — 2L
- Math — 2D
- Mystery/Detectives — 2M
- Daily Magic — 2C
These sections are easier to recognize compared to more subtle book groups, so handling them early helps reduce clutter.
Sort by Color, But Do Not Start With Blue
Sorting by color is useful, but I would not start with blue books. In my experience, blue was not the best opening choice.
White books are much easier to spot, especially Heal Magic (1K) and Holy Magic (1L). These are also right across from each other, which means you do not need to wander around the map too much at the beginning.
After that, I suggest moving to 1C — Curses and Dispels.
From there, I had good results looking for:
- Warriors — 2A
- Archery — 2B
- Purple books, including Magical Artifacts, Enchanting, and Illusion Magic
The hardest books for me to find were the black books for Stealth. On the other hand, 1M — Destruction Magic books are easier to notice because of their specific pattern.
Learn the Book Patterns
Finding a pattern is difficult at first, and it takes patience. Start with the most distinct designs before moving to the more subtle ones.
Books with unique icons are much easier to recognize. For example, a book like Reclamation of Mind is simple to pick out from a pile of white books because of its visual design.
Try to keep books circulating and shelves filled. The more you expose and move books around, the easier it becomes to notice the ones you need.
Use Visual Sorting First
I found it much faster to rely on cover art, colors, and patterns instead of reading every title. Treat the text as a secondary tool.
Visual sorting saves a lot of time, especially once your eyes adjust to the different book groups.
Memorize the Library Layout
Try to remember where each section is located. This makes a massive difference because it cuts down on aimless wandering.
The more familiar you are with the layout, the faster you can move books to the right shelves without constantly checking where to go next.
Use the Great Drop Later in the Run
After around 500 books, consider throwing everything from the top floor down to the bottom.
I did not do this immediately because I did not want to bury books at the bottom of the piles, but later in the run it can help speed things up.
Use a Bird’s-Eye View
Jumping and using a “helicopter view” helps you spot colors more easily. If you get stuck, walk directly over the piles and change your viewing angle.
Sometimes a different angle reveals books that were right in front of you but hidden by the pile layout.
Take Breaks When Needed
After 1–2 hours, your focus will drop. When that happens, you may start missing obvious patterns directly in front of you.
Taking a short break can help you reset and return with better focus.
Achievement: Efficiency Librarian Under 3 Hours
I finished the library in 1:55. The No Major Magic run was the best practice I could have done because I already knew where every section was and what the books looked like.
Because of that, I completed the Under 3 Hours run on my first try.
Grab All Keys First
For the speedrun, start by collecting all the keys. This gives you access to what you need before focusing heavily on sorting.
Start With the Outliers Again
Just like in the Anti-Magic Master run, begin with the standout categories:
- Romance Novels — 2L
- Math — 2D
- Mystery/Detectives — 2M
- Daily Magic — 2C
After that, move on to the white books for Heal Magic and Holy Magic.
The first 8–10 levels are the most important, so try to make that early phase as efficient as possible.
Level Up Insight Early
Level up Insight as soon as possible. I recommend getting it to at least Level 8 quickly to speed up progression.
Prioritize 3-book to 5-book series while doing this. If you are struggling with sorting, unlock Sort (Major Magic 1) and raise it to around level 1–5.
Focus on Auto-Shelving and Assemble
Auto-shelving and Assemble are the most valuable tools for this achievement. These are Major Magic 4 and 5, and I recommend maxing them out as soon as possible after maxing Insight.
Spam Major Magic 4 and 5 at Level 10
Once both are at Level 10, keep using Auto-shelve and Assemble.
At this point, I did not even need the Shelf Guide because I already knew the layout. However, if you are lost, checking a location guide can help. The game pauses when you do, so you will not lose time.
I finished under 2 hours at a relaxed pace without seriously trying to speedrun. With better efficiency, this achievement can easily be pushed down to around 1:30.
Good luck clearing the library!