Ultimate Guide to Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Adventure Book System

Introduction

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's Adventure Book system replaces traditional skill trees with a hunt for 78 hidden tomes. This guide breaks down exactly how to find them, unlock their perks, and combine them into powerful builds that will define your entire playthrough.

Understanding the Adventure Book System

How Adventure Books Work

Here's the deal: Indiana Jones doesn't level up in the traditional sense. Instead, every perk and ability is locked inside a physical book you have to find first. Once you spot one of those glowing collectibles sitting on a desk or tucked behind a crate, you're only halfway there - you still need to crack open the Skills menu and spend Adventure Points to actually learn the perk. That means you're constantly juggling between exploration and resource management.

With 78 books scattered across six major regions, it sounds overwhelming, but most of them are hiding in the three big sandbox areas: The Vatican, Gizeh, and Sukhothai. Each one grants a single permanent trait grouped into three families - Combat, Stealth, and Exploration. Grab the Haymaker book to bump your melee damage, or snag Cartographer to reveal map icons automatically. There's no skill tree to navigate, no prerequisites to worry about, just find it and buy it.

Earning Adventure Points Efficiently

If you want to power through the Adventure Book system, you'll need Adventure Points, and not all methods are created equal. Main story missions dump 3–5 AP per objective, while optional Adventure Quests hand out chunkier 6–8 AP rewards. Those are your bread and butter, but the real grind comes from collectibles.

Field Notes are your best friend here. Unlike most pickups that give a measly 1 AP, these single-page documents drop 20–50 AP each. Your most efficient loop is sweeping Vatican City streets first, then fast-traveling to the Gizeh night variant for another batch. Mystery Photos are another huge score - those golden camera icons net 30–60 AP each, and there are 42 of them total for around 1,800 AP. You can even snap a quick batch from the Marshall College library balcony without moving an inch, which is perfect for a fast boost.

For repeatable farming, mini-puzzles like lock-picks, cipher wheels, or fuse-box reroutes award 15–25 AP and respawn in certain hubs. The Sphinx tunnels fuse puzzle is the standout: you can rerun it every 90 seconds for roughly 80 AP per three-minute cycle. If you're serious about this, grab Scrounger early for a 10% chance at bonus AP on any pickup, and Efficient Explorer to cut stamina drain while you're sprinting through farming routes.

The Brawler Build: Fists-First Combat Specialist

Essential Brawler Books (Early Game)

Here is what you need to grab before you start throwing hands. The Brawler I book is your foundation - it cranks your unarmed and melee damage up by 25%, which turns Indy from a scrappy academic into a genuine threat. You can snag it early from the Vatican Black-Market shelf during mission 3, though it'll cost you 200 Adventure Points to unlock. If you miss it there, don't sweat it - the vendor starts selling it after mission 7 for just 1 AP per tier, which is way more manageable.

Next up is Punch Out I, and this is what keeps you in the fight because it restores stamina every time you knock an enemy out. Without it, you're gasping for breath after every brawl. You'll find it in the guard room where the Guard House key is, specifically on a nightstand next to a red bedroll, and it only costs 25 Adventure Points to unlock.

Finally, there is Haymaker Loop, which replaces your basic three-hit combo with a heavy finisher that automatically knocks standard enemies flat. You get this by returning four lost Adventure Notes to the monk in the Marshes side-quest 'Father & Son' in Gizeh, and activating it costs a measly 2 Adventure Points.

Book Name	Effect	Location	AP Cost
Brawler I	+25% unarmed/melee damage	Vatican Black-Market shelf (Mission 3) or vendor (post-Mission 7)	200 AP (or 1 AP/tier from vendor)
Punch Out I	Restores stamina on KOs	Guard room nightstand (by red bedroll)	25 AP
Haymaker Loop	Heavy finisher auto-knocks enemies down	Return 4 Adventure Notes to monk in 'Father & Son' (Gizeh Marshes)	2 AP

Mid-Game Brawler Progression

Once you have the basics sorted, it is time to start thinking about survivability. That is where the mid-game books come in, and they turn you from a glass cannon into an actual tank.

Slugger I is your first priority here - it cranks up the damage on your charged attacks, which means you can delete enemies faster instead of getting stuck in long slugfests. You will find it in the Village sub-area of Gizeh, up on the second floor of a mud-brick house behind the merchant's stall, and it only costs 1 Adventure Point to activate.

Then you will want to grab Block Head and Tough as Nails together because they stack. Block Head reduces melee damage by 10% and sits in the Worker's Area of Gizeh, inside the largest canvas tent at the crossroads camp. Tough as Nails adds another 10% reduction, and you can pick it up inside the left-hand storage room on the lower deck of the German airship 'Schwabenland'. Both cost 1 Adventure Point each, and with both active, you are suddenly 20% harder to kill - which is huge when you are in the thick of melee combat.

End-Game Brawler Capstones

By the time you are hitting the late game, these capstone books will complete your brawler fantasy and let you dominate any room you walk into.

Fortune & Glory is basically free money - it passively gives enemies a 15% chance to drop extra Adventure Points on defeat, so you are constantly feeding your upgrade addiction. The catch? You need to snag it from the manager's office of that neon-lit gambling den in Shanghai's 'The Purple Star Wharf', and you will need the Wharf Key to get in. The good news is it does not cost any AP to activate.

Contragolpe (Counter-strike) is your defensive answer - it unlocks a timed parry that auto-staggers enemies, which opens them up for instant takedowns. You can actually grab this one ridiculously early in the Marshall College basement, sitting on a metal shelf between two crate stacks in the prologue, and it only costs 1 Adventure Point to activate.

Then there is Fúria de Aventureiro (Adventurer's Fury), which is what lets you go infinite. It refunds stamina on successful melee combos, so you can keep chaining attacks without ever running dry. You will find it inside an empty munitions box at the buried Frenchmen's stash east of Nawal's tent in Gizeh, and it costs 1 Adventure Point.

Brawler Playstyle & Combat Tips

Here is how to actually fight like a brawler once you have your books sorted. First things first: always whip-grapple enemies who have guns. It rips the firearm away and stuns them for 2.5 seconds, which is your perfect window to sprint in and deliver a haymaker - especially if they are not wearing helmets.

Stamina management is make-or-break, so do not just mash buttons. Instead, use light→light→pause→heavy chains to conserve energy, and get good at timing your blocks because a successful parry staggers enemies and opens them up for takedowns.

Environmental objects are your best friends in a brawl. Chairs hit for 1.5× fist damage and break enemy guard, bottles cause bleed damage over time, and you can toss heavy artifacts to close gaps without losing movement speed.

Most importantly, you need to prioritize health upgrades if you want to survive up close. Shaping Up I–III will give you a total of +1 health bar, and Cutman II improves how fast your health bar regenerates. Both are S-tier essential for any serious brawler build.

The Survivalist Build: Stealth & Resource Master

If you're tired of shooting your way through every problem, the Survivalist build turns you into a ghost who patches his own wounds and never runs dry on supplies. It's not flashy, but you'll live longer than everyone else - which is the whole point, right?

Core Survivalist Books

These four books are your foundation, and grabbing them early changes everything. Most are tucked away in the Vatican, so get ready for another lap through those halls.

Book	What It Does	Where To Find It
Soft Footfall	Cuts your noise radius by about 40%, and it stacks with soft-sole outfits.	Inside the Biblioteca Segnatura, on the bottom shelf of the central reading desk.
Field Dressing	Speeds up med-kit animations by 50% and heals 25% more HP; bonus - it also doubles cloth scrap from wardrobes.	Return three stolen reliquaries to Sister Lucia in the Vatican.
Scrounger's Eye	Interactive objects glow from 4 meters farther away and outline through walls when you focus; also bumps sell-value loot spawns by ~15%.	Buy it from the black-market antiquarian behind the Vatican post office for 250 lire.
Hardy Constitution	Slashes all environmental damage by 20% and halves bleed timers.	Hidden in a sarcophagus just before the Vatican catacomb boss fight.

That Vatican run is a pain, especially the Secret Archives, but these books pay for themselves by the time you hit Gizeh.

Advanced Survivalist Techniques

Once you've got the basics down, these three advanced tomes turn you from sneaky to practically invisible. They're scattered across the globe, so you'll need to earn them.

• Improvised Tourniquet (Gizeh, northern bivouac tent - table by the ammo cache, after 'Supply Run'): Lets you apply bandages while sprinting and stops 50% of bleeding buildup. You can now patch yourself mid-chase instead of hiding in a corner.

• Monkey Bar Specialist (Sukhothai, Wat Saphan Hin bell tower - on a crate by the typewriter): Cuts stamina costs for shimmying and rope-swinging by 30%, and you can actually aim or whip-strike while hanging. This means vertical escapes aren't just possible, they're your best reset button.

• Ghost of the Expedition (Vatican Secret Archives - Restricted Stack; needs the Master Key from the night-cycle patrolling superior): Makes crouch-walking silent on every surface, shrinks enemy detection cones by 15%, and hands you one free 'vanish' per encounter. That's your get-out-of-jail-free card when someone spots you.

Stack all three and you can revive, bandage on the run, reset encounters via vertical escapes, and ghost past enemies in broad daylight. It's the complete stealth toolkit.

Survivalist Loadout & Gear Priorities

Books are half the equation. You need the right gear to make the build sing, and that means prioritizing silence, carry capacity, and a tight resource loop.

Your Weapon: The suppressed Browning Hi-Power is non-negotiable. Craft it at any workbench from Steel Scrap, Rubber Tube, and Fine Oil. The suppressor cuts muzzle noise by 65% and kills the flash, so dropping a sentry won't wake up the whole camp.

Your Outfit: The Explorer set is your best friend - it adds +2 small-item pouches and +1 large slot, bumping you to 6 small items and 3 large. Unlock it by photographing 15 Lost Survey Points (those white-and-red flags) across all hubs.

Your Tools: Always carry bandages (restore one health segment, stop bleeding) and antivenom (cures snake/scorpion poison and prevents 30 seconds of blurred vision). They're light and cheap to craft.

The Loop: Here's your 10-minute cycle - loot Gizeh officer tents (3 min), craft ammo/bandages/antivenom at the workbench (2 min), heal & save (1 min), fast-travel reset (4 min). Rinse and repeat, and you'll never want for supplies.

Pro Tip: Craft a Reinforced Satchel (2 canvas + 1 leather) for an extra quick-pouch slot. This lets you cycle between your suppressed HP, whip, and bandages without opening the radial menu, which keeps you moving when things go sideways.

That's the whole package. You're not just surviving anymore - you're controlling the pace of every encounter, and the expedition doesn't stand a chance.

The Archaeologist Build: Puzzle & Exploration Expert

If you're the type who'd rather decode glyphs than shoot your way out, this build's for you. The Archaeologist path turns Indiana into a proper puzzle-solver, letting you spot secrets most players walk right past.

Key Archaeologist Books

Your book collection defines this build, and four titles stand above the rest. Ancient Languages is your Rosetta Stone - rank 1 translates Latin, Greek, and Egyptian, which already gets you into places you shouldn't be. Rank 2 adds Sanskrit and Mayan while revealing hidden ink on scrolls, but rank 3 is where it gets spicy: you can read Sacred Dialects that open secret optional tombs. These aren't just side rooms; they're full of relics and shortcuts that make you feel like a real archaeologist.

Then there's Keen Eye, which basically gives you wall-hacks for hidden stuff. Rank 1 adds interact prompts on buried caches, but rank 2 is the MVP - it highlights loose bricks and pressure plates in your instinct vision. Rank 3 auto-tags relic crates behind destructible walls, cutting your search time by almost half, and that is the skill that pays for itself.

Field Photographer sounds boring until you realize rank 1 removes film consumption entirely, so you're not hunting for rolls every five minutes. Rank 2 is even better - photos of steles, murals, and relics auto-log Journal Entries, which saves you from camping every time you find something cool. That's 6-8 fewer camping triggers per chapter, which means more exploring, less menu-hopping.

Finally, Whip Mastery gives your signature tool some teeth. Rank 1 lets you silently yank weapons from enemies, rank 2 increases your swing radius by 25% for reaching those high balconies, and rank 3 adds a 'Crack & Bind' finisher that ties up elite commandos. It's non-lethal removal that actually works, which is perfect when you're trying to stay stealthy.

Archaeologist Progression Path

You can't grab everything at once, so here's the order that actually makes sense. First, get Keen Eye 1 as soon as you hit Vatican Chapter 2 - you'll have 3 Skill Points available, and this skill reveals hidden relic alcoves in the Catacombs that grant extra points. It pays for itself before you even leave the chapter.

After that, prioritize Ancient Languages 1 before Tanis Egypt in Chapter 4. This lets you read the Greek on the Ra Idol plinth, which skips the entire gear-wheel puzzle sequence. You're basically saving 20 minutes of frustration with one skill point.

Once you're in Nepal Chapter 6, grab Whip Mastery 1 and yank that mounted machine-gunner off the cliffside bunker. The stealth-clear bonus is worth 500 XP, which is enough for Field Photographer 1 before you even reach the monastery darkroom. You're building momentum now.

By Sakkara Step Pyramid in Chapter 8, you want Keen Eye 3 and Ancient Languages 3 combined. This reveals the 'Circle Cipher' mural, and photographing it with Field Photographer 2 auto-completes the global 'Great Circle' mystery. That's a massive time-saver.

The ultimate goal is Lifetime of Fieldwork, but this one's gated. You need at least one other maxed archaeologist line and 60% collectibles in two regions. Once you get it, you receive 'Legendary' tier bonuses like Keen Eye highlighting buried coins. It's worth it, but don't expect it early.

Archaeologist Research Kit & Tools

Your books are useless without the right gear. The Camera is non-negotiable - you can grab it after the prologue at the Vatican Post Office for 379 lire from Ernesto. It comes with 12 exposures, and extra rolls cost about 90 lire from black-market merchants. Just tap Up on the D-pad to equip it; you don't want to miss that perfect stele shot.

The Notebook is your mental map. It auto-updates with observations, but the real trick is holding R1/RB to pin a sketch of weak walls or loose ceiling hooks. Then you can quick-swap to chalk and mark a fake wire junction to lure guards over for a takedown. It's sneaky and brilliant.

Speaking of Chalk, it's unlimited and found on any workbench. Mark loose overhead cargo to whip-yank pulleys and drop crates silently, or sketch fake wires to lure guards into inspection range. You can even mark paths so you don't get lost in maze-like tombs.

For combat contingencies, master the whip-swing combo. Leap with L2 + X/A to transition into a swing, which gets you out of trouble fast. If you need to clear space, sprint then Slide + Melee for a drop-kick that knocks enemies into bystanders. It bowls them over and buys you a 3-second reload window, and it costs zero stamina. Perfect for when you're caught off-guard while lining up a photo.

Hybrid Builds & Advanced Combinations

Tomb Raider Brawler (Brawler + Survivalist)

Brawler is all about punching first and asking questions never - you'll get heavy punches, grapple counters, and the ability to pick up ad-hoc weapons like shovels, wrenches, or chair legs. The catch? These makeshift tools break after just 3-5 swings, and the tree doesn't have any health-increase nodes, so you're playing riskier than a pure tank.

That's where Survivalist patches the gaps. The Scrapper node automatically refunds 1-2 revolver bullets whenever you kill an enemy with a found weapon, keeping you ammo-neutral while you smash heads. At Tier-2, Dirt-Fighter lets you throw sand to blind pistol-wielding enemies and close the gap for a one-button finisher, which functions as a stealth opener that transitions straight into a brawl. At Tier-3, Bull Rush gives you a sprint-tackle that slams enemies into walls for an instant KO, and it can even create a new traversal hole if you hit a weak wall.

A practical level 10 hybrid looks like this: dump 7 points into Brawler for Dirt-Fighter, Bull Rush, and slower Adrenaline decay, then 3 points into Survivalist for Scrapper and Vigilant Eyes. You'll enter arenas unarmed, find weapons on the fly, blind-shoot, refund bullets, and finish with Bull Rush.

Scholar Adventurer (Archaeologist + Survivalist)

If you're the type who needs every single collectible, this is your build. Scrivener reveals all page silhouettes on the map, cutting your search time by about 40% and turning the interactive map into guide-quality overlays. Pair that with Keen Eye, which makes interact prompts appear 2 meters sooner and makes hidden collectibles glint white every 10 seconds while you're aiming, so you'll never walk past a secret again.

For puzzle-solving, Ancient Languages lets you decipher glyphs without the notebook mini-game and reveals the true solution to puzzle dials, cutting rotation steps in half. You'll obtain this one by translating three steles in the Sudan side-quest 'Lost Monastery.'

Defensively, Soft Footfall from Survivalist II grants slow health regen and doubled food effects, and on Hard difficulty, it stacks to give you 1 HP every 7 seconds outside combat. You'll be stealthy, sustainable, and completionist-friendly.

30-Point Jack-of-All-Trades Build

At level cap, you can craft a true generalist. Here's the full breakdown and where to find each skill book:

Brawler Branch (10 points):

• Bare-Knuckle Champ (Vatican catacombs, behind sliding sarcophagus puzzle): +50% heavy punch damage and hidden stamina refund on perfect dodge follow-ups
• Whip Yank (Marshall College basement trunk post-Nepal): Tap whip-stun while unarmed to pull enemies into a free heavy punch
• Tough as Nails (Gizeh dig-site barracks upper bunk at night): +25% health and hidden 15% reduction to fire/explosive damage

Survivalist Branch (10 points):

• Soft Footfall (Shambala ruins, yeti cave on frozen corpse - bring a torch): Crouch-walk 40% faster, sprint 15% quieter, enemies detect you from ~20% farther away
• Field Dressing (Reich airship cargo bay medical cabinet): Bandages restore 60% instead of 35%, stop bleeding in 1 second
• Monkey Bar Specialist (Vatican rooftops, flagpole platform before bell-tower zip-line): Climb speed +30%, stamina drain while hanging –50%, can reload while dangling

Archaeologist Branch (10 points):

• Keen Eye (Marshall College attic using chalkboard code 4-2-7 from Indy's office): Interact prompts 2m sooner, hidden collectibles glint white every 10s while aiming
• Ancient Languages (Sudan 'Lost Monastery' side-quest): Deciphers glyphs without mini-game, reveals true puzzle dial solutions
• Methodical Approach (Berlin museum director's desk drawer during gala): Slow-motion takedown window +1s, can drag bodies while crouch-sprinting

Luckily, respecs are free until you complete the story, so you can experiment all you want. Post-game, you can revisit locations to keep collecting if you missed any books.

Progression Guide & Book Location Tips

Early Game Priority Books (All Builds)

Don't blow your Adventure Points on flashy upgrades right away - grab these three foundation books first because they'll make everything else easier. Shaping Up I is your bread and butter; it bumps your melee damage by 15% and resets your fist combos faster, so you can down basic Nazis in two punches instead of four. That's only 250 points, which you'll have after looting the initial dig site and finishing the first side-quest note hunt.

Next, pick up Moxie I for 400 points. It gives you a last-chance parry window and 10% faster stamina regen, which means you can stay in the scrum longer when those annoying crowd spawns hit. Scrounge the Vatican sewers for the two 'lost satchel' collectibles - they're worth 150 points each, so you'll hit 400 in no time.

Finally, save up for Lucky Hat I at 600 points. It boosts rare loot drops by 20% and secretly gives lock-picks a 5% durability buff, which stacks with later gear perks. The real kicker? Armored captains start dropping Adventure Books you'll need for mid-tier skills, so this book pays for itself by Chapter 2.

Region-Specific Book Locations

Here's the catch: some perk books are region-locked, and once you board the plane out, you're locked out until New Game+. In the Vatican, grab Brawler 1 from the Secret Archives - it's sitting on a desk next to two filing cabinets in a small side office on the ground floor. Over in Gizeh, Slugger I (the suppressed-pistol headshot damage boost) is tucked inside the Workers' Barracks. Go through the northern door, hang a left, and check the bottom bunk of the second bed frame. In Sukhothai, the Handyman book hides in the Abandoned Temple northeast of the rice paddies; drop through the collapsed roof and you'll spot it on a stone shelf beside a chained elephant statue. Miss any of these and you're out of luck until your next run.

If you're a completionist, buy the Exploration Book maps from each region's vendor - Ernesto in Vatican, Asmaa in Gizeh, and Tongdang in Sukhothai. These consumables reveal every remaining Adventure Book on your map, so you won't have to guess.

Missable Books & Respec Information

Watch out for time-sensitive books that vanish with story progress. Choirboy's Catechism is only available in the choir loft above the Sistine Chapel after you 'Disrupt the Sermon' and before you speak to Gina and leave for the catacombs. Swiss Guard Drill Manual is worse - it's in the Papal armory behind the Sala Regia, but the door locks permanently once you hand the uniform over to Locus during 'Borrow a Uniform.'

If you screw up your build or want to experiment, Antonello the Altar Server hangs out behind the gift-shop kiosk in St. Peter's Square. He'll respec you for 250 Rival Intelligence currency. The good news is you can respec for free until you finish the main story; after that, you'll have to pay. Vatican holds 475 total Rival Intelligence, which is enough for one full reset with 225 left over - just don't blow it all before you hit Gizeh, because that plane ride seals the Vatican for good.

Build Comparison & Final Recommendations

So you've got your head around the basics - now let's talk about which builds actually work and why. This is where your early choices start to snowball into either a power fantasy or a headache, and trust me, you don't want to realize you're in the wrong build twenty hours deep.

Archetype Strengths & Weaknesses

Here's the deal: each archetype in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle plays so differently that your choice changes the entire game feel, so you need to know what you're signing up for.

Archetype	What Makes It Strong	Where It Falls Apart
Brawler	High melee DPS and barely any consumable use, which means more money for gear	Completely helpless in long-range fights - your whip can only reach so far
Survivalist	Best sustainability and stealth that makes combat optional, so you rarely die	Puzzle clearance is painfully slow, so you'll spend extra minutes on every mechanism
Archaeologist	Fastest story completion and resource-rich, letting you buy whatever you want	Weakest direct combat, so fair fights will end with you reloading checkpoints

That table isn't just theory - it's the difference between breezing through Vatican City and getting stuck in the Nepal trenches, so pick wisely.

Recommended Builds by Playstyle

Your build should match how you want to experience the story, not what some guide tells you is 'meta,' so here are the setups that actually deliver.

If you're new to the game, start with the 30-point Explorer-Brawler hybrid. It gives you enough exploration perks to find secrets while keeping combat straightforward, which means you won't hit a brick wall when the difficulty ramps up in Act 2.

For players who want to punch everything on Hard difficulty, go Pure Brawler and grab Tough as Nails, Counter-Strike, Whip Trip, Resourceful, Iron Fists, and Second Wind. This setup turns Indy into an unkillable combo machine who never runs out of stamina, so you can chain finishers forever.

Stealth enthusiasts should commit to Pure Survivalist with Soft Footsteps, Improvised Takedown, Scrounger, Quick Recovery, and Shadow Blend. You'll ghost entire levels without breaking a sweat, and the resource generation means you'll always have molotovs for emergencies.

Completionists gunning for 100% need the Archaeologist Plus package: Keen Eye, Field Notes, Relic Hunter, plus the Savage Field Suit outfit. You'll spot collectibles through walls and cut your backtracking in half, which saves literal hours.

Final Tips & Advanced Strategies

Here's the stuff that'll separate you from the average player and make your second playthrough feel like a victory lap.

First, treat food buffs like the renewable resources they are. Farm the Vatican refectory, Nepal crates, and Iraq tents before major missions. When you've got twenty apples in your pocket, you can trade health for aggressive plays and still come out ahead, which completely changes the risk-reward calculus.

Second, book priority is non-negotiable. Grab 'Anatomy of the Body' and 'Manual of Physical Exercise' before anything else. Health and stamina are the backbone of every build, and these two books max them out fast, letting you survive mistakes that would otherwise kill you.

Third, stop worrying about commitment. The December 2025 update made respec effectively free through New Game+, so you can try a wacky hybrid build without penalty. If it doesn't work, just restart and get your points back, which means experimentation is finally viable.

And finally, always check vendors - especially Ernesto in Vatican City - for Exploration Books. These reveal collectibles on your map before you find them, which cuts your completion time in half. Buy them the moment they show up, or you'll be kicking yourself during endgame cleanup.

Conclusion

Mastering the Adventure Book system is the key to customizing your ideal Indiana Jones. Whether you're a brawler, a survivalist, or an archaeologist, the right combination of books and strategies will let you conquer any challenge. Now, go find those books and forge your own legend.