The Hyrule Compendium inBreath of the Wildmay bring to mind the Pictographs and Nintendo Gallery fromWind Waker. Players can track materials by registering photos to the compendium. Those just startingBotWmay notice that the Sheikah Slate is equipped with four runes. The Camera Rune and the upgraded Sheikah Sensor will require some work.
Players will want to snap a picture of every monster - bosses included - inBreath of the Wild, but only if they want to complete the Hyrule Compendium. Some monsters can’t be fought again, which means if Link didn’t get their picture, they’re gone for that playthrough. However, their picture can still be registered in the compendium at the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab.
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Where is Hateno Ancient Tech Lab?
Upon leaving the Great Plateau, players will be pushed to visit Impa inKakariko Village. Doing so will then direct themto the Ancient Tech LabinHateno Village. This lies just beyondFort Hateno, which is east ofDueling Peaks Stable. Along the path, players will see theHateno Tower. While it’s not a requirement, it’s recommended to climb and Activate the Tower in order to make the East Necluda visible on the map.
In Hateno Village, there’s theMyahm Agana Shrine. Activate this to unlock the village’s Travel Point, then start climbing the path up the cliff. At the summit, players will find the Ancient Tech Lab.
Upgrading the Sheikah Sensor
Before players can upgrade and unlock Sheikah Slate functions, they’ll need tolight the forge of the Ancient Tech Lab. Look down from the Tech Lab hill for aforge with a blue fire. Players will need atorch or wooden weaponfor this next part. Glide on down to the forge and light the torch. Look around, and there will bestone lanternsleading through Hateno Village and back up to the lab.
Playersdon’tneed to lighteverylantern, but they’ll want to light some of them to prevent the flame from going out. Also, the blue fire is not waterproof, so itwillgo outif it rains. If this happens, rest at the inn or start a fire where it isn’t raining (such as indoors) and wait until morning/noon/night.
Light the forge at the Ancient Tech Lab, then go inside and speak toPurah. She’ll be able to unlock the Camera Rune for Link as well as the photo album. The album is connected tothe Locked Mementos main quest, but worry about that later. For now, speak to Purah again toupgrade the Sheikah Sensorto theSheikah Sensor+. This upgrade requiresthree Ancient Screws, which can be farmed fromGuardiansincluding"dead" Guardians. “Dead” Guardians can be found inFort Hatenoand even at theTemple of Time.
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How to Unlock Compendium Photos
Once players have the Sheikah Sensor+, speak to Purah’s assistant,Symin, and get the “Sunshroom Sensing” side quest. Players will need totake a picture of the Sunshroom growing out back, and show it to Symin. From there, go to theRetsam Forest(north of the Tech Lab) and gather three Sunshrooms. Return to Symin to complete “Sunshroom Sensing.”
Talk to Symin once more to start the walkthrough in. Follow along with the prompts, and a photo will beadded to the Hyrule Compendium. As Purah says, this photo is free, so if Link wants another photo from Symin, he’ll need to pay up. Unfortunately for those that didn’t get photos during boss fights, this is the only way to complete the Compendium.Some photos are onlyavailable after clearing “Destroy Ganon” main quest. These include the Ganon Blights, Master Kohga, Calamity Ganon, and Dark Beast Ganon.
After Ganon has been defeated, save and then reload the file (it should have astarnext to it), thenwarp back to Hateno Ancient Tech Lab. Every Elite Photo should be available now.
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Every Picture and Their Price
There arefive categories of pictures. Each one of them is100 Rupeeswith theElite Enemy Picturescosting500 Rupees. The main ones to focus on here are the Elite Enemy Pictures since they’re the easiest to miss. Pictures in different categories (ex: Other Picture) can be taken just about anywhere, any time.
Are Elite Enemy Pictures Worth Buying?
Elite Enemy Pictures are really only worth the 500 Rupees a piece if players want to complete the Compendium. The Blights and other bosses can’t be tracked with the Sheikah Sensor. Furthermore, the reward for completing the Hyrule Compendium is theClassified EnvelopeKey Item. It has just as much use as Hestu’sreward for the Korok Seeds.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildis available for Nintendo Switch.
