What do Old Books do in Enshrouded?

There are a lot of loot items in Enshrouded. One of the most mysterious you’ll find are Old Books, which don’t seem to have any immediate use. Here, I’ll tell you what Old Books do in Enshrouded.

How to Use Old Books in Enshrouded

Old Books don’t initially have any use until you rescue the Alchemist in Enshrouded. As a result, you must progress for a few hours, reach Level 3, craft the Glider and Grappling Hook, and complete the Ancient Spire — Springlands.

Once the Alchemist is at your base, enter his vendor screen and navigate to the bottom. “Books” is the only option in the “Decorative” section. You must collect 80 units of Old Books to craft three distinct Collections of Books or spend 20 units of Old Books to craft a single Book.

No matter which Books you make, Old Books are entirely decorative and serve no gameplay purpose. I was disappointed to discover they don’t provide any additional Comfort to your home or give any other bonuses. You can only use Old Books to create decorations to beautify your base and add charm to an otherwise lifeless stone house (like the ones I made for all my NPC allies, including the Blacksmith).

Where to Find Old Books in Enshrouded

As for finding Old Books in Enshrouded to make newer Books, the best places to find Old Books are in the ruins of the previous civilization. I look on shelves with books on them, but they can be elsewhere. If you see the Disassemble prompt appear, you can gather one or two units of Old Books per loot location. Other ruins, like the burned-out houses and homesteads, can also have plenty of shelves with Old Books on them.

There’s no weight limit in Enshrouded yet, but there’s a stack limit of 50 Old Books that automatically creates a second stack with more Old Books once met. If your inventory is full, you must either delete something or Salvage one of your weapons to make space. You can also leave the Old Book where you found it, but where is the fun in that, I ask you?

Until you situate yourself in Enshrouded, I don’t recommend collecting Old Books or crafting them into regular Books. They do nothing more than take up space in your inventory and storage chests. If you have a plan for a giant library in the future, however, getting a head start on your book collection might be a good idea so you won’t have to hunt for them later.

And with that, you know what Old Books are for in Enshrouded. A bit underwhelming, I know, and if I find any additional uses for them, I’ll be sure to update this guide. For more content on the game, check out our Enshrouded guides hub.