Photography and Compendium Guide — Completing the Hyrule Compendium

The Hyrule Compendium is a photographic encyclopedia cataloging every creature, monster, material, weapon, and treasure in Tears of the Kingdom. Filling it out unlocks the powerful Sensor+ tracking feature and provides a comprehensive reference for everything in the game. This guide covers how to complete all five categories efficiently.

---

How the Compendium Works

Use the Camera function on your Purah Pad to photograph any subject. A successful photo registers the subject in the Compendium if it is a new entry. Each entry records:

• The subject's name and description
• Where it can commonly be found
• Its properties (materials list sell prices, weapons list attack values, etc.)

Taking Good Photos

• Get close — the subject must be clearly visible and centered in the frame
• One subject per photo — if multiple valid subjects are in frame, the game registers the most prominent one
• Subjects must be visible — you cannot photograph enemies behind walls or materials inside chests
• Dead enemies do not count — photograph living enemies before killing them
• Environmental context does not matter — a photo taken in rain, at night, or from an odd angle still registers as long as the subject is clear

Tip: Take photos before combat. Once you start fighting, enemies become harder to photograph cleanly. Crouch, zoom in, snap the photo, then engage.

---

Unlocking Sensor+

The Sensor+ upgrade is the most valuable reward from the Compendium system. It allows you to set any photographed Compendium entry as a tracking target — the Purah Pad beeps when you are near that item, enemy, or material.

How to Unlock Sensor+

Complete the "Camera Work in the Depths" side adventure:

1. Talk to Josha at Lookout Landing
2. She sends you into the Depths to investigate a specific location
3. Take a photo of the target she describes
4. Return to Josha — she upgrades your Sensor to Sensor+

Tip: Complete this quest as early as possible. Sensor+ transforms exploration — you can track shrines, rare materials, specific enemies, or Korok puzzle triggers across all of Hyrule.

Best Sensor+ Targets by Activity

| Activity | Track This | |----------|-----------| | Shrine hunting | Shrine (photograph any shrine entrance) | | Korok seed farming | Acorn or Pinwheel | | Material farming | The specific material you need | | Enemy hunting | The specific enemy variant | | Treasure hunting | Treasure Chest | | Depths navigation | Lightroot |

---

The Five Compendium Categories

1. Creatures (Fauna)

Includes all animals, birds, fish, insects, and frogs across Hyrule.

Total entries: ~90+

Hard-to-find entries:

• Blupee — Glowing blue rabbit that appears near caves at night. Extremely skittish — photograph from distance with zoom before approaching
• Lord of the Mountain — Appears on Satori Mountain (glowing peak visible from afar) rarely at night. Use zoom and photograph before it flees
• Stalhorse — Skeletal horse that spawns on the Tabantha Bridge at night. Must photograph before dawn despawns it
• Golden Horse — Found during a specific side quest near Gerudo. One-time spawn — photograph during the quest

Tip: Carry your camera ready at all times during exploration. Many rare creatures are encountered once and never seen again in the same place.

2. Monsters

All enemy types including variants (Red Bokoblin, Blue Bokoblin, etc. are separate entries).

Total entries: ~110+

Hard-to-find entries:

• Gloom Hands — Found in the Depths and at specific surface locations. Photograph before engaging (they rush you immediately)
• Phantom Ganon — Spawns only after defeating Gloom Hands. Photograph quickly after spawning
• Silver Lynel — Late-game Depths variant. Photograph before the fight begins
• King Gleeok — Rare overworld boss at specific locations. Use zoom from distance
• Stalnox — Skeletal Hinox variant that spawns at night in specific locations. Photograph before dawn

3. Materials

All collectible items — monster parts, ores, plants, cooking ingredients, and Zonai materials.

Total entries: ~180+

Hard-to-find entries:

• Star Fragment — Photograph when one falls at night (they glow on the ground)
• Light Dragon's Tear — Collect from the Light Dragon's eye. Extremely rare spawn
• Gloom Spawn — Dark material dropped by Gloom-covered enemies in the Depths
• Large Zonai Charge — Found in sky island chests and Construct drops

4. Equipment (Weapons, Bows, Shields)

All findable weapons, bows, and shields including fused variants.

Total entries: ~170+

Important note: Fused weapons register as their BASE weapon type, not the fused version. A Royal Claymore with a Lynel Horn attached registers as "Royal Claymore."

Hard-to-find entries:

• Savage Lynel equipment — Only dropped by White-Maned and Silver Lynels
• Royal Guard weapons — Found in Hyrule Castle
• Gloom weapons — Carried by Phantom Ganon
• Dusk Bow / Twilight equipment — Amiibo-exclusive drops

5. Treasures

All treasure chest types and unique collectibles.

Total entries: ~15+

This is the smallest category. Most entries fill naturally through exploration.

---

Efficient Compendium Completion Strategy

Phase 1 — Photograph Everything You See (Passive)

During normal gameplay, make it a habit to photograph every new creature, enemy, and material before interacting with it. This fills 60-70% of the Compendium naturally.

Phase 2 — Target Missing Entries (Active)

Open the Compendium and scroll through each category. Missing entries show as silhouettes with "???" names. For each missing entry:

1. Check if you know where that creature/enemy/material spawns
2. If yes, travel there and photograph it
3. If no, use context clues from nearby entries (similar enemies often spawn in the same regions)

Phase 3 — Buy Remaining Entries

The Hateno Ancient Tech Lab sells Compendium photos for 100 rupees each after a certain story milestone. This is the fallback for entries you cannot find or photograph yourself.

Tip: Only buy entries for subjects you truly cannot find. Purchased entries work identically for Sensor+ tracking, but finding and photographing subjects yourself is more satisfying and saves rupees.

---

Rare Photo Tips

• Night-only subjects: Many creatures and monsters only spawn at night (9 PM to 5 AM). Set a campfire, wait until night, then hunt for nocturnal subjects.
• Weather-dependent subjects: Some fish and insects only appear in rain. Some enemies have weather-specific variants (Thunder-element enemies in storms).
• Depths-exclusive subjects: Several enemy variants and materials only exist underground. Plan Depths photography sessions alongside Lightroot activation runs.
• Dragon parts: Each dragon body part (scale, claw, fang, horn) is a separate entry. You need to photograph the dragon AND collect each part type individually.
• Amiibo exclusives: Some equipment entries require Amiibo scanning. If you do not have Amiibo, purchase these entries from the Tech Lab.

---

Quick Reference Checklist

• [ ] Unlock Camera (automatic during Great Sky Island tutorial)
• [ ] Complete "Camera Work in the Depths" for Sensor+
• [ ] Photograph every new enemy BEFORE fighting
• [ ] Photograph all cooking ingredients as you collect them
• [ ] Night photography sessions for nocturnal creatures
• [ ] Depths photography sessions for underground-exclusive entries
• [ ] Dragon photography (all 4 dragons, all body parts)
• [ ] Buy remaining entries from Hateno Tech Lab as last resort

---

See also: Purah Pad Guide | Depths Survival Guide | Dragon Farming Guide | 100 Percent Guide