| This article has been updated for Kenshi version 1.0.8. |
Ancient Science Books are needed for researching various Technologies. They are a fairly common item spawned using the Artifacts system.
This item is illegal in The Holy Nation faction, and thus caution is advised before entering their towns with one.
The technologies written about in these books are the base which formed the foundation of the Second Empire, a flourishing empire of archaeology and science dedicated to unearthing the remnants of the First Empire. Now, many centuries after their fall, the Machinists study these books and the remnants of both empires.
Where to obtain[]
Ancient Science Books are spread out over the world. Several shops in the world do sell them, but very few. Shops that have a chance of selling them are Scraphouse and Travel and Repairs Shop.
As the name tells you, they are ancient and the few books that are available to buy have probably been found by some brave adventurer. To find a larger quantity, you yourself have to go out and seek them out.
Locations they can be found:
And several other locations. Problem is that these locations are often heavily guarded by hostile enemies.
You need a total of 154 Ancient Science Book to research everything.
Tips[]
There are a few ruins which don't have any strong hostile enemies as guards and can provide new players or weaker group some books early in the game:
- Workshop Complex in The Grid is unguarded by any hostiles, but due to close proximity to The Crater, small stray bands of Beak Things (2-3) can be found patrolling the complex sometimes. Requires a skilled lockpicker or a few sets of tools.
- Leaning Tower in the Floodlands is unguarded, but only has a few books.
- The "bread crumb trail" made by Cannibals leading to the Suspicious Lab has a very low respawn rate of 1-2 days, making it the best sustainable source of Ancient Science Books and perhaps the best contribution of Cannibal tribes to society.