There are a total of
50 relics. You can get 49 during the story, and one is available after the story.
The achievement unlocks when you have all 50 in your inventory. This is also the first obstacle:
You must not solve the big relic puzzle in Iraq until you have this achievement! Otherwise, only a save rollback will help, and if this is not enough or not working, you have to start a new game save or wait for a patch.
During the story, you will solve smaller relic puzzles; make sure you solve them to get the relics back! You can also remove the relics by hand; simply turn them to the neutral position and pull them out.
Relics can be found in Vatican, Gizeh, Sukhothai and Iraq, and they are tracked by the "Riddle of the Ancients" quests. There are also maps available that show you the relic locations on your map (more information below).
If you collect the relics after the story, it is also important that you make sure the game saves before you change areas; otherwise, the collected relics will not be saved.
Vatican
You can find 10 relics in the Vatican.
Preparation:To get all 10 relics, you must first complete the following fieldworks / steps. Why? The Fieldworks unlock areas that you need to complete "Secrets of Giants", which gives you 1 relic as a reward (and an achievement).
TA achievement- "The Stolen Cat Mummy" (Vatican main story)
- "A Mad Priest" fieldwork (Letter on desk in Vatican Post Office)
- "A Nun in Trouble" fieldwork (Automatically during Story)
- "Savage Discovery" fieldwork (Document on left side in a tent in Belvedere Courtyard)
For one of the relics (number 4 on my map), you also urgently need a torch or lighter. I recommend playing to Gizeh first, buying the lighter there (part of the story), and then going back to the Vatican and collecting the relics.
Relic Map Location:The Vatican relic map can be obtained as a reward for solving the "House of God" mystery. It is located in the Apostolic Palace, which can be accessed from the Belvedere Courtyard by climbing up the scaffolding and ledges at the construction site. The puzzle is found in a room beyond an open window. The solution involves manipulating a model of St. Peter's Basilica to reveal hidden compartments. Here is a short video in the spoiler with the location and solution of the puzzle.
My Relic Map:8 relics in the Vatican are located in two underground areas: the Underground Excavation Site (5) and the Fountain of Confession (3). The remaining two relics are as follows: one is a reward for completing another quest as I mention above, and the other is in a crypt under the library in the Vatican, which you visit during the main story. The numbers on the map correspond to the numbers in my video and timeline.
Video Guide:In my video, I show you nearly all paths after the Vatican story to each of the relics, so that you don't have to search or ask yourself, 'How do I get there now?' Please keep in mind that you need the content completed which I mention in the Preparation to reach the areas."
Gizeh
You can find 15 relics in Gizeh.
Preparation:You don't need much preparation in Gizeh. Of course, you should have completed the story called "The Idol of Ra" here to unlock all areas. I also strongly recommend that you collect the Wehrmacht uniform -
Video Guide if needed -This will make your life on the map much easier.
A relic is once again the reward for a quest. The quest is called "Belongs in a Museum" and you have to find 10 Stelae on the map. Nawal will give you the location of the Stelae and then more over time (hand in the Stelae you have already collected to her). Overall, the things are not really hard to find when you are at the marked location.
You should also complete the quest "Sanctuary of the Guardians" to unlock all the areas under the Sphinx.
Relic Map Location:You can find the relic map near number 9 on the map in a spot with three dogs. There is a tent, and in front of it, you will find the book.
Picture of the locationMy Relic Map:Most of the relics are on the (surface) map. Numbers 10-13 are in the Underground Cave, which was part of the story. As I mentioned, complete the story, unlock all the puzzles there, and then come back. Numbers 05-08 are under / near the Sphinx. The area is unlocked via the "Sanctuary of the Guardians" quest. The numbers on the map correspond to the numbers in my video and timeline.
Video Guide:In my video, I show you nearly all paths after the Gizeh story to each of the relics, so that you don't have to search or ask yourself, 'How do I get there now?' also the path out of caves etc. Please keep in mind that you need the content completed which I mention in the Preparation to reach the areas."
Sukhothai
You can find 24 relics in Sukhothai.
Preparation:Sukhothai requires a lot of preparation to collect all relics. Please complete these quests first to unlock all the areas we need:
- "The Blessed Pearl" (Sukhothai main story)
- "A Study in Fear" (You get automatically)
- "The Kid who Vanished" (From Sunan in Village)
- "Lost in the Past" (From Sunan in Village)
- Optional: Royal Army Uniform - Location Video if needed
Also, one relic (Number 24 on my map) is again a reward of a mystery called "The Serpent's Chest". You can start the quest in Voss' camp at the chest in a larger tent on the right side. You have to find three ancient keys in the Vatican, Gizeh, and Shanghai to open the chest and get the relic -
Video guide if needed.Important:Six of the relics are hidden behind the Cogwheel puzzles. You have to solve these puzzles in a certain order to obtain small cogwheels that you need for the next cogwheel puzzle and so on. We start with three small cogwheels after the story in Sukhothai and end with 10 cogwheels for the last cogwheel puzzle.
Many people will not have taken the first three cogwheels from the story puzzle (where you open the path to the hidden pyramid). You have to go back there and take out your cogwheels! Very important! During my video guide, we pass it and pick them up because there are some relics in the pyramid.
You also have to take the cogwheels with you every time after you have solved a puzzle! Otherwise, you'll have to go back and find the puzzle where your cogwheels are.
Relic Map Location:You can find the relic map for Sukhothai during the "Elephant in the Room" mystery, which is located at Voss' camp in the north -
Video Guide if needed.My Relic Map:Numbers 18-23 are the Cogwheels puzzles, which you have to complete in a certain order as written. Number 24 is the Serpent's chest.
Numbers 08-10 are not displayed on your map even if you have the relic map. These three relics are located in the underground. So if you are missing relics in Sukhothai, look there first.
Video Guide:In my video, I show you nearly all paths after the Sukhothai story to each of the relics, so that you don't have to search or ask yourself, 'How do I get there now?' also the path out of caves etc. Please keep in mind that you need the content completed which I mention in the Preparation to reach the areas."
Iraq
In Iraq you can find the last relic after completing the main story. It is located in the only tent in the Noah's Ark area on the table right at the entrance (where the cutscene started when you first entered the tent)
As soon as you pick up this relic, the achievement should unlock. After that you can do the big relic puzzle in Iraq and see a secret ending.
Video Guide:In the spoiler is my video for last relic location, the door puzzle solution and the secret ending.