Honestly, Philip is the kind of character that makes you want to reach through your monitor and either give him a hug or a very firm slap. Usually both. If you’ve spent any time in Library of Ruina, you know this guy. He’s the Grade 5 Fixer from the Dawn Office who just... can’t seem to catch a break. Or rather, he catches every break and then immediately drops it on his own foot.
Most players remember him as the "running away guy." It's his thing. But there's a lot more to Philip Library of Ruina than just a meme about cowardice. He’s a walking case study on what happens when a normal, slightly insecure person is tossed into the meat grinder of the City.
He isn't a hero. He isn't even a particularly good villain for most of the game. He's just a guy who let his own guilt turn him into a literal monster.
The Dawn Office Disaster
When we first meet Philip, he’s the junior at the Dawn Office. He works under Salvador—a legendary veteran—and Yuna. It’s a cozy setup, or as cozy as things get in a world where people are regularly turned into canned meat. Philip has a massive crush on Yuna, and he clearly feels like the "third wheel" in terms of power and experience.
Then comes the invitation.
They enter the Library, and everything goes south. Salvador and Yuna get turned into books. Philip? He escapes. Not because he’s a strategic genius, but because Salvador literally forced him out using a teleportation device. This is the moment that defines him. He survived while his "family" died, and that guilt starts eating him alive immediately.
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He doesn't go home and mourn. He goes to the Wedge Office to beg for help. He wants revenge, or maybe he just wants to die alongside someone else so he doesn't have to feel like a coward anymore. But the Library is a hungry place. It eats the Wedge Office too. And once again, through a mix of luck and desperation, Philip finds himself the lone survivor.
The Crossroads: E.G.O vs. Distortion
This is where the lore gets really technical and, frankly, heartbreaking. In the Project Moon universe, when you hit your absolute breaking point, two things can happen. You either manifest E.G.O (a physical manifestation of your soul's resolve) or you Distort (you turn into a monster because you can't handle the truth of who you are).
Philip actually managed to manifest an incomplete E.G.O.
Think about that for a second. Most people in the City never even come close. He had the potential to be a "Color" level Fixer. But his E.G.O was unstable because it was fueled by self-loathing rather than self-acceptance. He didn't want to save people; he wanted to stop feeling like a failure.
When he finally confronts the Library again, he’s met by Oswald and Pluto—two members of the Reverberation Ensemble. They don't just fight him; they tear his mind apart. They show him that his "heroic" attempt at revenge is just a cover for his desire to be loved and praised. They play on his jealousy regarding Yuna and Salvador.
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He couldn't hold on. The E.G.O shattered, and Philip Distorted into The Crying Children.
Dealing with the Crying Children Boss Fight
If you're stuck on this fight, join the club. It’s a massive endurance test. You aren't just fighting one guy; you're fighting a hoard of weird, cherub-looking things that represent Philip’s inability to see, hear, or speak the truth.
- The Unseeing Child: Blinds your librarians, making it impossible to see who is attacking who.
- The Unhearing Child: Messes with your ability to intercept attacks.
- The Unspeaking Child: Generally just makes life miserable with high-pressure pages.
The trick most people miss is managing the Burn stacks. Philip loves fire. If you try to out-burn him using Malkuth’s floor, you might actually succeed, but you have to be careful. The "Feather Shield" phase is a nightmare. He takes reduced damage and reflects burn back at you.
Pro tip: Don't waste your high-cost cards when he's in his defensive stance. Wait for him to switch to "Searing Sword" or "Blazing Strike" mode. That's when he's vulnerable. If you don't stagger him during those offensive windows, his mass attacks will wipe your floor before you can say "Warp Train."
Why Philip is Actually the Best Written Character
A lot of the community calls Philip a "fraud" or a "crybaby." It’s a fun meme, but it misses the point.
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The City is full of absolute monsters like Roland or Gebura who have titanium-grade willpower. Philip is what a real person would be like in that setting. He’s mediocre. He’s scared. He wants to be better, but he keeps making the selfish choice because he’s terrified of being alone.
By the time he joins the Reverberation Ensemble as the "Unstable Library Book" version of himself, he’s barely even Philip anymore. He’s just a shell of fire and regret. When you finally put him down for good on the Floor of History, it doesn't feel like a grand victory. It feels like putting a wounded animal out of its misery.
Actionable Insights for Your Playthrough
If you are currently pushing through the Urban Nightmare or Star of the City segments involving Philip, keep these things in mind:
- Passive Attribution is Key: Since Philip relies heavily on Burn, attributing "Puffy Brume" (from the Smiling Faces) or any protection-based passives can help mitigate the chip damage.
- Focus Fire: In the Crying Children fight, don't spread your damage. Pick one child—usually the Unhearing one first—and delete it. Reducing the number of actions the enemy has is more important than lowering everyone's HP simultaneously.
- The Floor of History: Malkuth’s floor is practically designed for this arc. Use "Loyalty" and "Happy Memories" to keep your light levels up. You're going to need every drop of light for the later phases where the children merge into the large angel form.
- Don't Feel Bad for Losing: The Philip/Wedge Office gauntlet is one of the first major "walls" in the game. It's meant to teach you that you can't just "unga bunga" your way through every reception. You have to read the passives.
Philip’s story ends in the Library, but his impact on the City—specifically the 80,000 people he killed during his rampage in District 22—remains one of the most horrific events in the game's timeline. He wanted to be a hero, but he ended up being a catastrophe. That's the tragedy of Philip Library of Ruina. He was a good kid who just wasn't strong enough for the world he lived in.
To wrap this up, the best way to handle the Philip encounters is to treat them as a lesson in patience. Don't rush the stagger, watch the "Feather Shield" icons, and make sure your decks have enough draw power to survive the long haul.
Key Takeaways for Navigating the Philip Arc
- Observe Phase Shifts: Philip alternates between hyper-defensive and hyper-aggressive. Only dump your big damage during his aggressive turns to maximize stagger.
- Manage the Burn: Use pages that offer "Protection" or "Stagger Resist" recovery to counter the constant fire damage.
- Lore Context: Remember that Philip's Distortion is a direct result of the "White Nights and Dark Days" event; he is the perfect example of a "failed" E.G.O manifestation.
- Deck Building: Singleton decks (using pages like "Will of the City") are incredibly effective for the long-form Crying Children reception.