The Ultimate Guide to 100% Completion in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Chasing 100% completion in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle means tackling 333 collectibles across 14 distinct categories. From puzzle-locked Ancient Relics to hidden Radio Frequencies, this guide breaks down every item, its purpose, and the most efficient strategies to find them all without losing your mind. ## The 14 Collectible Categories Explained So you're staring at that 100% completion tracker and wondering what fresh hell you've signed up for. Great Circle has 14 collectible categories that all feed into the same progress bar, totaling 333 interactions - yeah, it's a lot. Here's what you're actually hunting. Ancient Relics are the heavyweight champs: 50 total, split across the Vatican (10), Gizeh (15), Sukhothai (24), and Iraq (1). These aren't just shiny objects - they're tied to the Riddles of the Ancients side-quest, which means each one is buried behind puzzles that'll test your sanity. Lost Artifacts are the smaller fry - coins, idols, and other antiquities that pad your Journal's 'Artifacts' tab. They don't do much except give you something to sell when you're cash-poor in Cairo, but they still count toward completion. Cogwheels are the real prize - only 10 of these brass gears exist, tucked inside mechanism boxes. Trade three to the antique dealer in Rome and you'll get permanent whip upgrades, which is probably the only collectible reward that actually changes how you play. Don't skip these. The note-based collectibles will clog your Journal faster than you'd expect. Journal Notes (103) are automatic - Indy writes them at story beats, so you literally cannot miss them. Field Notes (112), though, you have to pick up manually, and they're worth the effort because they explain puzzle mechanics or hint at secrets nearby. Then there are Chapter Notes - 42 multi-page bundles, one per story chapter. Collect all pages in a set and you unlock a black-and-white flashback reel in the 'Lost Expeditions' menu, which is cool but totally optional if you're just here for the 100%. Adventure Books are the instant-gratification collectibles. All 43 of these period manuals grant immediate character perks - grab 'Pugilist's Weekly' and your melee damage gets a permanent buff, no crafting required. Inscription Photographs (14) are for the completionist photographer in you: use Indy's 1937 Leica on glowing wall inscriptions, complete a full set, and you'll decipher a proto-language that awards the 'Epigrapher' outfit . Stelae are 12 stone slabs carved with circular maps; document each one and they layer onto the global 'Great Circle' overlay, slowly revealing the full pilgrimage route. It's satisfying in a 'connect the dots' way, except the dots weigh a ton. Some collectibles are pure busywork until they're not. Fieldworks (59) are tool-box junk - broken surveying chains, dented sextants - that are useless alone. But sell a complete sub-set to the Cairo fence and you unlock a unique revolver skin. Mysteries (28) are location-based micro-quests that only trigger after specific environmental sequences. Finish all of them and you get 'Occult Investigator' , a perk that slows enemy detection in stealth zones. Discoveries (296) are one-off spectacles - abandoned camps, hidden rock-art panels - that flag when you enter their radius. They give small XP bursts and stack toward the 'Seasoned Explorer' achievement. Radio Frequencies (8) are the weirdest collectible: shortwave numbers stations you dial on any portable radio. Log 10 distinct broadcasts and you'll triangulate a clandestine supply drop with rare upgrade parts and a unique fedora colorway. Because Indy needs his drip. Puzzle Solutions (81) aren't physical items, but the game counts them anyway - every time you solve a mural or align celestial dials, the solution gets stamped in your journal for later fast-travel. And finally, Boxing Champions: 9 pit-fights across the regions. Each victory awards a perk like 'Punch Out I', which restores stamina when you knock out an enemy. Nothing says 'archaeology' like beating someone senseless. ## Tracking Progress: Journal and Map Systems Alright, so you know what you're hunting. Now let's talk about how to track it all without losing your mind, because the in-game systems are... decent, but not perfect. The Journal is your best friend - if you know how to use it. Press R3 (or your equivalent) in the map view to activate the 'Missing in Current Chapter' filter, which is the fastest way to see what you're actually missing without combing every corridor manually. The 'Travels' tab in the pause menu breaks down progress by type and region, so you can see at a glance that you're 3 Cogwheels short in Gizeh or whatever. Here's the thing, though: the vanilla parchment icons are trash. They don't update correctly half the time, which is why Map Genie exists. The community tool has interactive checklists that sync with your progress, and its R3 filter is way more reliable than the game's. If you're serious about 100%, you'll want Map Genie open on your phone or second monitor. If you prefer staying in-game, Adventure Books sold by vendors will mark collectible locations on your map - but they cost regional currency, so you're buying information you could get for free online. Still, it's an option. The good news? Nothing is missable. After the story, you can free-roam to finish side quests and revisit every area. The bad news? Some sections like the Singa office lock after you complete them. If you miss collectibles there, they get relocated to the regional hub for that mission, so you can still grab them later. One major bug to watch for: the infamous 'stuck at 96%' issue. If you hit this, re-trace the Blessed Pearl / Vatican Lockbox area with the R3 filter active - those two spots account for 99% of 'stuck' reports. For the 'Archivist' achievement, trust the Journal count, not the map icons. The trophy pops after you collect the final note and reload the main menu. If it doesn't, save and quit - the Journal progress header updates correctly on reload. ## Region-by-Region Collectible Breakdown Let's break down where everything's hiding across the Great Circle, because each region has its own flavor of collectibles and some are way easier to miss than others. We'll start with the prologue where you're still learning the ropes, then hit the major hubs where the real hunting begins. Just remember - that final region has a hard cutoff, so don't sleep on those last few items. ### Marshall College (Prologue) - 10 Collectibles Your adventure kicks off at Marshall College, and here's the harsh truth: these 10 prologue collectibles are the most commonly missed items in the entire game. The burglary sequence moves fast, you're still learning the controls, and those Adventure Notes blend into the professor's office like they belong there. But you've got to grab them now because once you leave campus, there's no coming back. The key items are the Giant's Pendant and Cat Mummy Photograph, which you'll actually need to stash in your suitcase to progress the story. Don't worry, we'll pinpoint each location so you don't restart the game just to pick up a note you walked past. ### Vatican City - 50+ Collectibles Once you hit Vatican City, the collectible floodgates open wide. We're talking over 200 locations spread across 8 Mystery sets, 18 Discoveries, and 10 Ancient Relics for the 'Riddles of the Ancients' quest. The standout chase here is the Vatican Cipher mystery chain - complete it and you'll unlock a fresh whip skin that looks absolutely killer. You'll also want to hunt down those 10 Ancient Relics since they reward a unique explorer's satchel skin. Honestly, between deciphering codes and scaling the holy architecture, you could lose hours here before even touching the main story missions. ### Gizeh (Egypt) - 60+ Collectibles Gizeh's sun-baked plateau is a treasure hunter's paradise with 227 spots to discover, but that desert heat makes thorough exploration a real slog. You'll be spelunking through dig shafts and exploring hidden burial niches for dozens of Discoveries and Artifacts. The Sigil of the Sun mystery is worth the detour, and completionists need to grab 15 Ancient Relics here for the Riddles quest - most are tucked deep in tombs where sunlight never reaches. Keep your whip handy for those hard-to-reach ledges and always check behind sarcophagi because the devs love hiding notes in morbid spots. ### The Himalayas - 40+ Collectibles The Himalayas are brutal not because of the item count - you've only got 16 collectibles - but because this entire region is a one-way trip with zero backtracking. Every single Adventure Note, Field Note, and Medicine Bottle has to be grabbed during the 'A Harsh Climb' mission or they're gone forever. The blizzard makes spotting items nearly impossible, and the thin air means you can't dawdle. We'll highlight the ice crevasses and cliff edges where stuff tends to hide, but honestly, this is the most stressful collection run in the game so take your time despite the atmosphere freaking you out. ### Shanghai - 30+ Collectibles Shanghai's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it chapter with just 7 collectibles, but don't skip them. The city's rooftops hide the Marco Polo's Lost Satchel mystery, and finishing that chain rewards the Explorer outfit - honestly one of the sharpest looks in the game. Since this mission is completely linear and ends the moment you step onto Gina's junk boat, you'll want to grab all 7 Adventure Notes and the lone Adventure Book before moving forward. The vertical rooftop navigation can be disorienting, so we'll map out the exact path to avoid any maddening backtracking. ### Sukhothai (Thailand) - 55+ Collectibles Sukhothai's jungle ruins will have you wading through flooded crypts and scaling crumbling temples for a whopping 24 Ancient Relics. This region is absolutely dense with 7 full Mystery sets, including the Path of Tigers and Monkey Business chains that have some genuinely clever puzzle rewards. You'll need to find 24 Ancient Relics and 10 Small Cogwheels just to progress some of the regional puzzles. The thick canopy makes spotting items a nightmare since everything blends into the green, but that's what we're here for - just don't forget to check inside every tiger statue because the devs have a weird sense of humor. ### Iraq (Ziggurat of Ur) - 45+ Collectibles Critical warning: Iraq is not revisitable after the story finale. The Ziggurat of Ur marks the end of your journey, and you've got 16 final collectibles to clean up before the credits roll. This includes the 50th and final Ancient Relic hiding in Voss's tent, but it won't even spawn unless you've collected the other 49 first. Miss anything here and you're staring down a complete replay for that 100% completion. We've got a rock-solid checklist for the 14 Adventure Notes, 1 Adventure Book, and that crucial final Relic so you don't tank your completion run at the literal finish line. ## Essential Collectible Hunting Strategies ### Early Game: Foundation Building (Chapters 1-3) First things first: get your maps. The moment you touch down in the Vatican after the opening mission, track down Ernesto in the Post Office courtyard. He's got three Exploration Books - Vatican Mysteries, Roman Relics, and Notes & Letters - for pocket change, which you can literally pickpocket off the guards wandering around. A few lifts later and you'll have about 90 lire, more than enough to grab all three books. Now, about that tutorial area: Marshall College is your 10-item warm-up, and thankfully it's completely missable-proof. You can clean it out in under 15 minutes without any tools by climbing some scaffolding and lock-picking a single drawer, so don't stress about it early on. Here's the real pro tip that'll save you hours later: photograph everything before you loot it. Your journal auto-tags the exact location the second you snap the shot, which means even if you die before grabbing the item, it still counts. That's free progress insurance. - Grab Ernesto's Exploration Books immediately; they're cheap and unlock every collectible icon on your map - Pickpocket every guard in the Vatican for quick starting cash - Photo-first, loot-second; the journal tracks locations permanently after a snapshot - Don't overthink Marshall College - it's a 15-minute job with zero missables ### Mid Game: Mystery Chain Completion (Chapters 4-7) This is where you need to pay attention, because the game doesn't mess around. The moment you climb that Zeppelin ladder in Chapter 10, every single one of the 14 Mystery chains auto-fails and any progress you've made evaporates. Poof. Luckily, you can track this. The Field Notes > Mysteries tab will gray out entries the instant a chain becomes unavailable, which is your warning sign that you've crossed the point-of-no-return. Your pre-Zeppelin checklist: 1. Create a manual save in the Zeppelin courtyard before touching the ladder - this is your only safety net 2. Check the Mysteries tab - if anything's grayed out, reload that save immediately 3. Use the World Atlas (unlocked after the main story) to sweep regions in order: Vatican → Giza → Sukhothai → Shanghai → Marshall → any time-of-day puzzles you missed 4. Finish every chain before that ladder climb; no partial credit survives ### Late Game: Cleanup & Backtracking (Chapters 8-10) Once the credits roll, you're not locked out of cleanup. Select Replay Map from your journal and you'll warp to a neutral safe zone inside any region you've visited. All collectibles and side quests stay intact, so you can mop up at your leisure. But there are exceptions, and they're annoying. The Nazi Zeppelin interior locks permanently after you leave, though the game flags any unique Artifact or Journal Note in your tracker before you hit that point-of-no-return prompt. Same deal with the Sukhothai hotel and Singa office interiors - they get barricaded post-story, but you can still reach everything via exterior loops or newly unlocked stairwells. For the real obscure corners, hunt down the black-market dealer. He sells Relocation Hubs for 200 pesetas each, which let you drop custom fast-travel checkpoints. Super handy for places like the Giza sphinx ridge. Cleanup warnings: - Zeppelin: grab everything before you exit; interiors lock forever - Sukhothai hotel/Singa office: barricaded, but exterior paths still work - Buy Relocation Hubs for hard-to-reach spots in Giza - Always check your tracker before leaving a region permanently ### New Game+ Considerations Here's where things get interesting. Standard collectibles - Journal Notes, Photos, Adventure Books - all respawn in NG+ and show up as new, which means bonus XP and cash for grabbing them again. Mysteries carry over your progress from the previous playthrough. Fieldwork pickups are one-time-only per save file and do not respawn. The only way to re-obtain a Fieldwork reward is to start a completely new save file from scratch. Before you start NG+, do this: - Sell all your surplus trade goods (golden idols, gems) since cash carries over - Don't bother selling unique quest relics - they're unsellable and won't reappear anyway | Feature | Carries Over? | NG+ Behavior | |---------|---------------|--------------| | Standard Collectibles | No | Respawn with bonus XP/cash | | Mystery Progress | No | Resets to 0%; must restart chains | | Fieldwork Pickups | No | Cash/XP payout repeats, relic becomes cash | | Cash | Yes | Sell trade goods before NG+ to maximize | | Unique Quest Relics | Yes | Unsellable; don't reappear in NG+ | ## Ancient Relics: All 50 Locations & Solutions Let's be real - if you're going for 100% completion, these 50 Ancient Relics will eat your free time alive. They're scattered across four major hubs, and you cannot grab them all in one story playthrough because several are locked behind post-game free-roam. The breakdown looks like this: roughly 17 in Vatican, 20 in Giza, 13 in Sukhothai, and a single lonely one in Iraq. Every single relic feeds into the 'Riddles of the Ancients' quest-line, which means you'll need all 50 to see the secret ending. Here's the thing that'll save you hours: about 80% of these things hide underground. We're talking sewers, catacombs, buried temples, and WWII bunkers - basically anywhere with a loading screen and bad lighting. So you'll want to flip on Points-of-Interest in your Field Notes menu as soon as you can; relics auto-tag when you enter their sub-area, which is a lifesaver. And since most of these zones are darker than a tomb (pun intended), keep spamming your camera flash - relics glint like tiny disco balls in dark alcoves. Vatican highlights - Relic #01 sits in Nero's Rotating Room behind a floor trapdoor you'll miss if you're sprinting. Relic #06 forces you to dive under a flooded gate in the Basilica Catacombs, so hold your breath. And Relic #11 is a real jerk: it's on a secret mezzanine in the Vatican Library, but you can only reach it during the 'Index' story beat, so don't leave that mission prematurely. Giza keeps you busy - Relic #18 hides in Khentkaus Tomb behind a false-floor corridor; you'll need to smash some pottery to find the crawlspace. Relic #25 is a physics puzzle in the Solar Boat Museum, where you hang from an overhead pulley and shoot the rope to drop the prize. Sukhothai makes you work - Relic #38 sits behind a moveable Buddha block inside Wat Mahathat's central stupa, while Relic #44 demands a re-breather for an underwater culvert at Ramkhamhaeng Shrine. Iraq's single relic is in a Nazi digsite tent in the far corner, but you can't grab it until after the main story wraps - so remember to backtrack. Once you've got all 50, you'll face the Ancient Relic Puzzle beneath the Vatican in the Secret Vault. Four doors require 11, 12, 13, and 14 relics placed in specific orders. Door #1, for example, wants Bird, Scarab, Coin, Vase, Ankh, Laurel, Lyre, Dice, Dove, Arrow, Crab. Get them all right and you'll unlock the 'Relic Hunter' trophy plus that cryptic secret ending. --- ## Field Notes & Journal Entries: Complete Set If Ancient Relics are the main course, the 103 total notes are the side dishes you can't skip if you want that 'Historian' trophy. Vatican alone has 58 Field Notes, while Rome (The Order of Giants) contributes another 45 Journal Notes. The good news? None of them are missable. Even that one sketchy tomb area locks you out temporarily, but you can return later by descending into the excavation site and snapping a photo of the broken bulldozer - yeah, it's weird, but it works. Let's hit some Vatican standouts so you know what you're hunting. 'Valeria's Letter' is on a wooden crate inside the first sentry post after the stealth tutorial, so grab it before you choke out your first guard. 'Tales of Dread #1' lounges on a balcony table in Castel Sant'Angelo's ground-floor library, easy to spot if you're not rushing. And 'Adjusting Painting' is tucked on the third floor of the Apostolic Library, which means you'll need to unlock that area first. Rome's notes are equally spread out. 'Bulldozer Photo' is exactly what it sounds like - snap the broken bulldozer near the tomb ramp at the excavation site, and it counts. Some notes are quest-locked, but since you can free-roam after the credits, you're never permanently screwed. If you're a spreadsheet nerd, there's a Google workbook floating around that lists every single note by quest hub - Vatican City, Gizeh, Himalayas, Shanghai, Sukhothai, Hotel Khaimuk Saksit. It's not official, but it's exhaustive, and it'll keep you from pulling your hair out. --- ## Mystery Chains: Step-by-Step Solutions Vatican City hides 14 puzzles across four themed chains, and they're mandatory if you want those four relics for the big quest. Each chain is basically a mini-dungeon with levers, ciphers, and a whole lot of head-scratching. Chain 1: Sacred Wounds You'll examine three fresco fragments marked III, V, V, I. That sequence tells you to pull levers on a wall box in the same order (III-V-V-skip-I), then step on pressure plates representing a head, left hand, right hand, and feet (3-5-5-1). Your prize is the Ivory crucifix (Relic #1). Chain 2: Sistine Cipher First, photograph five planks with numbers 5-9-2-7-4. Spin the skylight dial to the same digits, then input V I II VII IV into the book cipher. That spits out the bronze palette (Relic #2). Chain 3: Papal Safe Sort six keys by the classical days of the week order: Moon-Mars-Mercury-Jupiter-Venus-Saturn. Open the matching locker, then pull shelf levers in sequence: A-IV-3 → C-II-9 → F-V-1. The vault combination is 11. Inside: silver papal seal (Relic #3). Chain 4: Passetto Sundial At exactly 16:00 in-game time, stand on the sundial so Indy's shadow touches marble X. Rotate mirrors to bounce beams onto matching mosaic animals (eagle, bull, lion, man). Finish with a 4x4 slider puzzle: up-up-left-down-right-up-left-down-down-right-up. Your reward is the golden angel statue (Relic #4). Once you've got all four, haul them to Antonio Benedetti to finish 'Riddles of the Ancients' and earn the Archivist's Satchel (+2 inventory slots) plus 500 XP. Quick bonus mysteries: 'House of God' in the Belvedere Courtyard has you fiddling with a white model building - move the lever left, grab a medallion, move it right, move it left again to reveal a golden chalice. Place that chalice at the center for the 'Vatican Relics' Exploration Book. 'Secret of Secrets' in the Sistine Chapel office wants you to read Nicoletti's Letter and Planetary Chart, then punch in safe code 4471 (44 from Saint Paul, 71 from Saint Peter) for a Hidden Note and the Cutman adventure book. --- ## Discovery Hotspots & Echo Locations There are 120 Discovery Hotspots total, and they're invisible until you literally stand in the exact right spot - no UI hints, no glow, nothing. The big-ticket items are the Echoes, audio reels tucked across 57 locations: Vatican, Peru, Sukhothai, Gizeh, plus 7 story-automatic triggers. Collect every Journal note and you'll nab the 'Archivist' achievement and a secret post-credits scene. Vatican Echoes - 'Echoes of the Past': Archive Stairwell - look for the reel-to-reel left running in an alcove. - 'Secret Frequencies': Radio Room balcony - grab the loose spool on the transmitter bench. Warning: this is mission-locked, so snag it while you're there. Gizeh Echoes - 'Desert Wire': German forward camp, tent #3 - field recorder under the map table (mission-locked). - 'Well of Echoes': Subterranean well - reel dropped beside the ladder (requires crank). Sukhothai Echoes - 'Temple Intercom': Central sanctuary roof - monk's reel still turning. - 'Cave Mouth Broadcast': Tiger Trail cave entrance - portable recorder wedged in a stalagmite. Peru Echoes - 'Jungle Static': Upper ridge camp (zipline start) - recorder covered in vines. - 'River Mouth Relay': Dock-side boathouse - water-logged case with intact reel. Here's the thing: you'll go insane trying to find these by sound alone. So you'll want the Echo Locator Exploration Book from Ernesto at the Vatican Post Office. Equip it, and hotspots appear as pulsing white circles on your map. It's not magic, but it's close enough. ## Trophy & Achievement Roadmap ### Collectible-Related Trophies Here's the deal with the big four collectible trophies - they're not as scary as they look, but each has its own quirks you should know about. Historian wants all 100 Historical Items (those notebook icons strewn through the campaign), and while that's a serious number, chapter-select lets you mop up anything you miss without starting over. Well-Read is the one that'll keep you on your toes, because you need to learn abilities from all 44 Adventure Books, and four of them can vanish if you blow past certain story points. Most stick around though, and the game tracks your progress so you can see exactly which chapters need another look. Field Researcher is way more chill - all 71 Journal entries are permanently available, so you literally cannot miss any, and chapter-select shows you exactly where the gaps are. Then there's Riddle Me This, which requires solving all 15 Ancient Relic puzzles in Gizeh. Collecting all 50 Ancient Relics across the game is required for 100% completion. ### Efficiency: Combining Trophy Runs You're in luck - there are some missable trophies and no difficulty gates, which means the whole list can be knocked out in a single 30-35 hour playthrough on the easiest setting. The real time-saver is stacking multiple trophies in key chapters. When you're in Vatican Rooftops (Ch. 4), Giza Dig Site (Ch. 6), and Sukhothai Flooded Temple (Ch. 8), go wild with exploration because hitting these zones efficiently can save you up to an hour of backtracking later. You pick up the camera in Chapter 3, and your Field Journal arrives in Chapter 5. Once that journal's in hand, sweep each hub once, then push through to the end - this keeps enemy respawns from messing with your cleanup. One final warning: there's a nasty bug with the final relic door. Don't slot any Relics in there until after 'Shadows out of Time' pops, or you'll lock yourself out of that trophy. And if 'Archivist' refuses to trigger, just snap another photo of the Fountain of Confession entrance - that usually fixes it. ## Tools & Resources for 100% Completion ### Interactive Maps & Checklists You've got three main options for tracking collectibles, and honestly, they work best when you combine them. Map Genie has the most complete interactive maps out there, letting you tick off each collectible in real time so your logbook stays perfect. The interface syncs with your progress, which means you can hide completed entries and focus on what's actually missing. If you're old-school like me, IGN's printable checklists are a lifesaver. They're grouped exactly how the in-game journal tracks progress, so you can print them out and mark things off with a pen while you play. No alt-tabbing required. Then there's PowerPyx's 100% video walkthrough, which splits everything into story missions and open hubs. Every pickup is timestamped and narrated, so if you're doing a single-pass cleanup, you can jump straight to the moment you need without scrubbing through hours of footage. ### In-Game Tools & Quality of Life Features The game actually hands you some surprisingly useful tools, but they're buried in menus and vendor inventories. First up: that photo mode GPS rumor isn't real. Instead, you'll use the physical camera item when you see a camera icon pop up on your HUD. Snap those shots for your photo log, and you're gold. Your journal is way more powerful than it looks. Each tab has a Region filter and a Missing toggle, which lets you hide everything you've already found. This turns your journal into a concise, area-specific checklist while you're standing in the Vatican or Sukhothai. The real MVP here are the Exploration Books. These are vendor-purchased (or found) maps that permanently reveal every remaining collectible icon for a region. You go from a needle-in-a-haystack hunt to a straightforward shopping list. You can buy them from vendors in the Vatican, Marshall College, Gizeh, Sukhothai, and Nepal. Each book costs Pesetas and reveals specific categories like Mysteries, Relics, or Photos, so grab the ones for your current zone and watch your map light up. With the right tools and a methodical approach, conquering all 333 collectibles is a challenging but achievable feat. Use your journal filters, leverage community maps, and tackle regions in order to systematically clear your list. Now, grab your whip and fedora - it's time to become a true relic hunter.