Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong – How to Solve Red Salon Bookcase Puzzle

Last Updated: May 18th, 2022

Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong does a stellar job at testing your problem-solving skills, sometimes to the point of frustration, best exemplified by the Red Salon bookcase puzzle. We’re here to help if you’re feeling stuck.

You can find the puzzle during Leysha‘s visit to the Red Salon during level 7. After picking up a staff access card at the bar, take the elevator to the basement, veer right, and enter the door at the end of a well-lit hallway. Inside, you’ll find a room-spanning bookcase with five yellow numbered books by Sigmund Freud.

Freud Book Puzzle

Mousing over the books reveals a pull prompt – something you’ll encounter often in Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong.

You can track down the correct pull order by reading Dr. Dunham’s notes on the computer in the office right next door. Pull books number 5 (V), then 3 (III), then 4 (IV) to trigger a mechanism that reveals a hidden compartment with the next step of the puzzle.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong – Swan Music Box Puzzle

Next up is a row of four swans and a music box. The swans need to face the correct direction to solve the puzzle.

When reading Dunham’s computer notes, you may have stumbled on mentions of Oedipus and also noticed four paintings of the tragic Greek hero in the bookcase room. The two are linked and will help you solve the puzzle.

In each of the paintings, Oedipus is pointing. The numbers under the paintings relate to the swans under the music box. To solve the puzzle, you’ll need to position the swans according to where Oedipus is pointing in each of the paintings.

Oedipus’ pointing is a little ambiguous, and deciphering the correct position can be tricky, especially as the swans turn in 45° increments.

Here’s the answer to solve Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong’s Red Salon bookcase puzzle.

Enter them correctly to gain access to Richard’s secret drug-brewing lab.

That wraps up our guide to the Red Salon bookcase puzzle. Need help with the Emem’s prison elevator puzzle? Head here.