Eithne DOS 2 Guide — Location, Quest and Lore in Divinity Original Sin 2

Eithne is an undead librarian and merchant of rare arcane knowledge in Divinity Original Sin 2, found in a ruined building in the Cloisterwood (a forested area of Reaper's Coast, Act 2). She's unique among the game's NPCs because she was created by the community: Eithne won a GOG.com design contest as the "GOG hero" and was fully voiced, written and integrated into the game with her own quest — Eithne the Trader, in which she asks you to bring her a Corpse Explosion skill book so she can end her undead existence. This guide covers who she is, where to find her, how the quest plays out, and the lore that makes her one of the most quietly tragic characters in the game.

Official resources: dos2.wiki — Eithne · IGN wiki — Eithne the Trader quest · GOG forum — Meet Eithne, the GOG hero · GameGrin — the community hero announcement · Steam store page

Who Is Eithne?

Eithne is an undead woman who chose undeath deliberately — she once traded away everything to preserve rare and forbidden knowledge, and now wanders Rivellon as a dealer in "books to trade and books to sell — mostly rare and arcane knowledge better left unlearnt," as her original GOG contest description put it. She carries a massive rucksack of tomes, wears a mask (like most undead in DOS2, who are reviled in society), and sells some of the most useful skill books in Act 2.

What makes her genuinely famous in the community is her real-world origin. As a reward for backing the DOS2 Kickstarter campaign, GOG.com was given the chance to work with Larian Studios on a unique in-game NPC designed by the GOG community. After months of forum brainstorming, art contests and writing contests, three finalists went to a community vote — Eithne (undead librarian), Fadeland Johns (veteran adventurer) and Doryld "The Doryld" Surpass (a self-proclaimed messiah). Eithne won with 59% of the vote, and writer Charlene Putney turned the community concept into a fully voiced quest character (GOG's official announcement documents the whole process, and GameGrin covered the reveal).

Official source: GOG.com — "Meet Eithne, the community-inspired GOG hero" — "In the end, it was Eithne – an undead librarian, merchant of rare and arcane knowledge – who emerged the clear winner with 59% of all votes. She became the official GOG hero made possible by the community!"

Where to Find Eithne

Eithne appears in Act 2 (Reaper's Coast). Specifically:

• Location: a small ruined stone building in the Cloisterwood — IGN's quest page describes it as "an area south of the Cloisterwood, where a small stone building lays in ruins, with books all about it." The Cloisterwood is the forested region of Reaper's Coast, most easily reached from the east side of the map.
• What you'll see: an undead woman surrounded by scattered books, alone in the ruins. Talking to her starts the Eithne the Trader quest.

There's no combat here and no trick — it's a pure dialogue quest. If you've already cleared the Cloisterwood without finding her, the building is south of the main forest path; dos2.wiki's Eithne page has the map position.

Eithne the Trader — Quest Walkthrough

The quest is short, quiet, and heavier than it looks:

1. Talk to Eithne in the ruined building. She explains that she wants to stop being undead — and that the only way she knows is to learn the Corpse Explosion skill and use it on herself. She asks you to bring her the skill book.
2. Get the Corpse Explosion skill book. If you don't already have one, craft it: combine any Pyrokinetic skill book with any Necromancer skill book in the crafting menu. Both are sold cheaply by vendors in Driftwood (and the recipe works with any non-source books — combining source books instead yields Mass Corpse Explosion, which does not satisfy the quest, per player reports on the Steam discussions).
3. Trade the book to her — open the trade window and give it to her (selling it to her for 0 gold works). She thanks you, says she intends to free herself of her undead existence, and leaves.
4. Find her remains. The journal updates to point you to her rendezvous point in the Stonegarden graveyard — follow the marker to a crypt, where you'll find Eithne's remains. The quest completes there.

What Happens to Eithne (and Why It Matters)

The quest's resolution is the point: Eithne doesn't want treasure or revenge — she wants the knowledge that will let her die. The Corpse Explosion skill, which the game treats as a combat tool for blowing up corpses, becomes for her an act of self-deliverance. You find her in the Stonegarden crypt, her rucksack of forbidden books beside her, and the quest closes with the sense that she finally got what she traded everything for. It's a small vignette that shows the game's tonal range — the same game that hands you six full origin stories to replay also spends a whole side quest on a stranger who just wants to stop existing.

Player discussion around Eithne (the Steam thread on her quest is a good sample) tends to land on the same note: it's a small, sad vignette that shows the game's tonal range — and it's a reminder that DOS2's undead are people with histories, not just combat mechanics. Her willingness to learn death is also a neat lore echo of the game's broader themes: in a world where the gods are dead and undeath is a curse, Eithne is one of the few characters who chooses what her existence means.

Eithne's Wares and Value

Before (or instead of) completing her quest, Eithne is one of Act 2's better book merchants:

• She sells Necromancer and Pyrokinetic skill books (the schools you need for the Corpse Explosion recipe she asks for — she's literally selling you the tools of her own ending).
• Her stock includes rarer skill books than the Driftwood vendors carry at the same level, which makes her worth a visit even if you skip her quest.
• Like all vendors, her inventory restocks on level-ups and she respawns her gold — the standard Thievery/bartering loop applies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Eithne in Divinity Original Sin 2?

An undead librarian and rare-book merchant in Act 2, and the "GOG hero" — a fully voiced NPC designed by the GOG.com community through a design contest and integrated into the game with her own quest. She won the community vote with 59%.

Where is Eithne in DOS2?

In a ruined stone building in the Cloisterwood, a forested area of Reaper's Coast (Act 2), south of the main Cloisterwood path. She's surrounded by books and starts the quest on dialogue.

How do I complete Eithne the Trader quest in DOS2?

Talk to her, get or craft a Corpse Explosion skill book (Pyrokinetic book + Necromancer book), trade it to her, then follow the journal marker to her remains in the Stonegarden graveyard to finish the quest.

How do you make the Corpse Explosion skill book in DOS2?

Combine any non-source Pyrokinetic skill book with any non-source Necromancer skill book in the crafting menu. Source-tier books craft Mass Corpse Explosion instead, which won't work for Eithne's quest.

What happens to Eithne in DOS2?

She uses the Corpse Explosion book on herself to end her undead existence. You find her remains in a Stonegarden crypt, and the quest closes there — it's one of the game's quietest and most memorable small stories. If you want more Act 2 context, the campaign guide maps the whole act.

Related Guides

• Divinity Original Sin 2 Characters Guide — All Origin Characters
• Divinity Original Sin 2 Guide — Acts, Walkthrough and Progression
• Divinity Original Sin 2 Build Guide — Best Builds & Stats
• Divinity Original Sin 2 RPG Guide — Genre, Gameplay and Systems
• Divinity Original Sin 2 Respec Guide — Magic Mirror and Rebuilds

Last updated: August 13, 2026.