One of the main storyline missions in the new Zelda is the Breath of the Wild Captured Memories quest. Impa in the Kakariko Village gives you 12 photographs Zelda took with your Sheikah Slate and believes that revisiting those locations will unlock memories for Link.
These locations are scattered all over Hyrule and the memories they reveal are crucial to you understanding the overarching storyline of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. When you’re looking to unlock those memories, travel to the area you think it’s in, and then look out for the glowing golden markers that indicate you’ve reached the right patch. They look like this:
How to find all the Breath of the Wild Captured Memories
We won’t spoil the story fragments they reveal, but here is a handy guide to the Breath of the Wild Captured Memories locations across Hyrule. Obviously, though, this article comes with a MILD SPOILER WARNING for some of the locations and characters within Breath of the Wild.
Memory One – Sacred Ground Ruins
To access the first memory in your photo album, it’s actually right in front of Hyrule Castle. Teleport to the Central Tower and fly towards the semi-circular markings on the map and the point is glowing in the centre.
Memory Two – Lake Kolomo
The second memory is one of the easiest to discover in Breath of the Wild as it’s positioned near to the Great Plateau where you start your game. If you head to the west of Lake Kolomo, there’s a small path that leads towards the lake. Head to the end of it and then turn to your left. Look for a small ridge that juts up and the memory is right behind it.
Memory Three – Ancient Columns
Captured Memory number three is actually right near the Tena Ko’sah Shrine to the west of the Tabantha Bridge and Tabantha Stable. You’ll need to do a little climbing to get to it if you want to avoid the wandering beam of the ancient ones, but it’s worth it.
Memory Four – Kara Kara Bazaar
We actually stumbled across this one naturally on our journey to Calamity Ganon. It’s on the approach to the Kara Kara Bazaar as you move towards Gerudo Town to free Divine Beast Vah Naboris. It’s right down in the bottom left-hand corner of the map in that vast expanse of desert. It’s hard to miss if you follow the path to the Bazaar.
Memory Five – Eldin Canyon
In the shadow of Death Mountain is another of the Breath of the Wild Captured Memories, but it’s a very misleading clue. The actual location of the memory doesn’t actually give you a view of what you can see in the photograph above. Instead, look for an outcrop that you can see on the map above and you’ll see the glowing portal. Tricksy little Impa.
Memory Six – Irch Plain
To find this Captured Memory, teleport to the Monya Toma Shrine north of the Ridgeland Tower. After that, head slightly south-east to the pool of water shaped like a kidney. Keep your eyes peeled for a large tree standing alone like the one above and the portal will appear when you near the tree.
Memory Seven – West Nucluda
It’s easiest to access this seventh memory by heading to the Ja Baij Shrine on the Great Plateau, climbing the walls to the east and then gliding your way down to the strange bird-shaped Deya Lake. If you head to the west of the fattest part and climb the slopes a little, you’ll see this big tree just waiting for you.
Memory Eight – Hyrule Castle
This is one of the harder memories to access as it’s actually deep with Hyrule Castle. If you’re heading here to defeat Ganon, look out for the tall tower to the right of the main castle. Reach here and you’ll be able to run along the small walkway to reach the Captured Memory spot. However, actually getting here will be a treacherous road.
Memory Nine – Spring of Power
Up in the top right-hand corner of the map is the location of memory nine. Before the two paths join up again, there’s an almost brain-like watery patch on the map. It’s actually a worshipping area recessed into the land. You’ll find memory nine’s portal here before the goddess statue.
Memory Ten – Sanidin Park Ruins
Although it might look like a chess piece or an homage to Link’s faithful steed Epona, this memory is all about Zelda and her strength. In order to find out exactly what’s going on, you’ll need to travel east from the Mogg Latan Shrine to the horseshoe-shaped grey outline on the map near the Regencia River. You’ll spot the horse statue from a distance away.
Memory Eleven – Lanayru Road – East Gate
On the very right-hand side of the triangular lake east of Kakariko Village is a series of stone archways. If you head to the furthest one and make your way towards the lake, the memory trigger is right before the second archway.
Memory Twelve – Hyrule Field
If you head north from the Hila Rao Shrine and the crazy flower lady, you can follow the river on the left hand-side to a little woodland area. Head inland, following the path through the trees and you’ll notice a rocky outcrop. Near here on the path is the memory trigger, although we found it a little tricky to discover at first.
Impa and the Secret Captured Memories
If you return to Impa after you’ve unlocked all 12 memories, she’ll actually give you a clue to find the secret 13th memory. Finding this one will give you a secret scene during the game’s finale, so it’s worth finding.
Here’s where it’s located:
Secret Memory 13
As Impa mentions when she shows you the final photo, it’s not actually that far from Kakariko Village. It’s directly due south from there, right near the Duelling Peaks Stable. Keep your eyes peeled for a lot of Guardian Stalker corpses around the bottom two patches of water on Blatchery Plain. The Captured Memory location is right in the centre between these two pools.