How to Beat the Dark Man Library Encounter – Alone in the Dark

The Dark Man casts a long shadow throughout Alone in the Dark. His presence can be seen or felt in just about every aspect of the game. However, he usually sticks to the shadows and haunts dreamscapes instead of engaging you in open confrontation. This all changes when you visit the Convent of Taroella in Chapter 3 and your direct goals intersect.

Seeing how your foe is a mysterious eldritch being from beyond the stars, bullets won’t do you much good here, and simply looking directly at him will drive you mad in no time. This guide then will help you get through your encounter with the Dark Man in one piece.

General Tips

Avoid looking directly at the Dark Man as you’re making your way through the library.
Whenever you see a pillar with a hollow cross on top, use the Key of Hubertus on it – this will always unlock a shortcut for you.
If you can’t run past the Dark Man without bumping into him and taking a lot of damage – wait him out behind some solid object.

Encounter Strategy

The Dark Man encounter begins when you grab the Key of Hubertus from an overgrown monk statue inside the great library. If you’re not careful and take a moment too long to get your bearings, you might die right away from just being too close to the Dark Man. What you need to do instead is find your way to the suspended room (Image 1). Which isn’t as easy as you’d imagine, considering the library’s general state of disrepair and the Dark Man chasing you.

alone in the dark the dark man suspended room 1 — (1)

You get a hint for how to survive when asking Juan – the sweater-wearing figment of Jeremy’s imagination – for advice on dealing with the Dark Man. When you do, he basically tells you not to pay the Dark Man any attention.

In practical terms, this means that as you’ll be making your way through the library, you will need to make sure not to look directly at the Dark Man. What complicates matters somewhat is that the Dark Man possesses a supernatural pull that will draw your camera towards him whatever you’re doing. You will need to be actively fighting against it as you move. Another wrinkle in your game plan is that should you get too close to the Dark Man where the black mist around him envelops you, the camera tricks won’t save you and you will start taking heavy damage you can’t even heal through straight away (represented by the purple hue of your health bar as shown on the image 2 below).

alone in the dark the dark man purple bar — (2)

To avoid taking any unnecessary damage and getting lost in the library, just as the cutscene ends, you should turn around and activate a pillar with a hollow cross (Image 3) by using the Key of Hubertus on it. This will lower a ladder and allow you to descend a level (Image 4).

alone in the dark the dark man pillar 1 — (3)

alone in the dark the dark man ladder 1 — (3)

Once you get down, go straight and then around that level of the library (Image 5) while dodging the Dark Man (Image 6) until you reach the first pillar you saw on your way up (Image 7). Activate it with the Key of Hubertus and go up the ladder that appears (Image 8).

alone in the dark the dark man path 1 — (5)

alone in the dark the dark man path 2 — (5)

Upstairs, you should move straight forward (Image 9) and through the open door. The next pillar is to your left (Image 10). But this is the spot where the Dark Man is likely to corner you. If he does, you should move right instead and wait him out behind a bit of cover that room so generously provides (Image 11). When he’s gone, you’ll be free to move on (Image 12).

alone in the dark the dark man path 3 — (9)

alone in the dark the dark man path 4 — (9)

Use the next pillar (Image 13) to lower another ladder (Image 14), go up, and the encounter is essentially over. You’ll find yourself on the top floor of the library, the tense music will stop, and the Dark Man will go back to the shadows. Simply leave the room you find yourself in (Image 15) and run around the floor (Image 16) until you reach the suspended room.

alone in the dark the dark man pillar 3 — (13)

alone in the dark the darm man ladder 3 — (13)

Once the suspended room is in view (Image 17), you’ll only need to activate one final pillar (Image 18). Instead of lowering a ladder, it will open the suspended room and allow you to grab the book inside (Image 19). It will also provide a convenient spot for the Dark Man to catch up with you (Image 20) and advance the game’s story by sending you all the way back to New Orleans after a quick cutscene with Ruth.