Guide

September 4, 2025

Hell is Us: Unlock the Historian Achievement / Trophy Guide

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Use our Hell is Us: Unlock the Historian Achievement / Trophy Guide to get find all the research items related to Hadea.

Hell is Us is third-person action-adventure game that aims to “return to the roots of adventure games” by getting players to rely on their instincts rather than way points and map markers. It’s ambitious and quite rewarding to make progress and discover stuff off the beaten path.

There’s a whole host of puzzles, mysteries and strange items to be found in the world of Hadea, where Hell is Us is set. Not to mention weird looking enemies too!

With that in mind, we’ve pulled together some guides which we hope are helpful. The Hell is Us Beginner’s Guide aims to give you some top tips of how to get the best start.

Think we’ve missed any? Drop them in the comments below!

Hell is Us: Unlock the Historian Achievement / Trophy Guide

As you explore the world of Hadea, the country at the centre of Hell is Us, you’ll learn a lot about the history of the game. This is done in a number of ways, including information from characters, documents lying around, and our area of interest, research items!

Finding research items will help you. On your travels you’ll meet an NPC Tania Alver, who will join you on your adventures after completing the first visit to the Vyssa Hills area. When she gets into your APC you will unlock the ability to analyse research items that you find.

Finding enough of them will help Tania research items using the Ziel Network. The result of which will occasionally reveal the location of Vaults of Forbidden Knowledge, hidden tombs with lots of goodies inside.

Not only that, but finding all the research items in the game will unlock you the “Well-Read” achievement / trophy. There’s also an achievement / trophy for each of the six categories of research item:

“Historian” – perform research on all items related to Hadea
“War Correspondent” – perform research on all items related to the Civil War
“Conspiracy Theorist” – perform research on all items related to the Conspiracy
“Gentleman Scholar” – perform research on all items related to the Order of the Eye
“Demonologist” – perform research on all items related to Lymbic Invasions
“Sworn to Secrecy” – perform research on all items related to the Vigil

You won’t know which items are in which category for definite until you have gone to Tania and had them researched at the APC. You will know you’ve done them all as Tania will present you with a paper she has written from those items. The achievement / trophy should then unlock.

“Historian” Research Items

There are 7 research items related to Hadea.

Please note that these are listed in the order they appear in the ‘Research’ tab of the datapad. Not necessarily in the order they were found.

Ancient Censer (Unification Censer) (1 / 7)

In the town of Jova, head to where the military is set up. You’re looking for the truck in the middle where the fiddler is sat for the “Performance of a Lifetime” Good Deed.

To the left of where the fiddler should be sat, look to the side of a truck to find the research item.

Bronze Eye (Bronze Eye Headpiece) (2 / 7)

This can be found in Acasa Marshes. You need to head to Pathem Abbey. From your APC, head to the back right of the map. You spot the abbey by the large golden eye shape symbol above the structure.

Head into the entrance down the left of the structure to find the side entrance. Head past the entrance and head directly to the back of the path where you hit a fence. To the right behind the tree is the research item.

Scorched Bell (Lost Temple Bell of Palom) (3 / 7)

You can get this research item early on in the game. It’s located in Senedra Forest. As you explore, you’ll come across a broken truck half-buried into the floor. To the right are some wind chimes. Head to the left, away from the chimes and head forward, veering to the right. You’ll come across some ruins. The research item is in a chest through a doorway in the ruins.

Terracotta Oil Lamp (Light of Sethyris) (4 / 7)

This can be found in Acasa Marshes. You need to head to Pathem Abbey. From your APC, head to the back right of the map. You spot the abbey by the large golden eye shape symbol above the structure.

Head into the entrance down the left of the structure to find the side entrance. Head in, and up the ladder on the left. You can then drop down the side, where the enemy is. Follow the route down and down the ladder. You should be able to spot a Timeloop through a door, it’ll have a red glow.

You need to collapse the Timeloop. It’s a Theta type Timeloop, so you’ll need to defeat all the Timeloop Guardians in the area, and have a Theta Amine Prism. Once you’ve collapsed it, it’s on the right, indicated by a white orb.

Pottery Fragment (Pottery Fragment – Eye of God) (5 / 7)

This item can be found in the Lethe – National Library location. You’ll get this for completing the ‘Suspicious Activity – Mystery’. You will need to locate the set of car keys with the Wolf keychain. Once you’ve got that, head outside to the car park where you start the area. With your back to the library, head to the upper left corner and seek out a blue and red truck. Use the keys and you’ll get a cap and the research item.

To find the car keys, from the beginning of the area. Enter the building and head to the right upstairs. Take a right and right again to find the staff room. Enter the key code 5055 to enter. At the back left in a locker is a note and the car keys.

Ancient Scroll (Sabin’s Thesis) (6 / 7)

This one is located in Senedra Forest. If you’re starting at the APC, head up the dirt slope to the area with the trenches. Head to the right into the ruins. You will need to unlock the door using the Lymbic Rod lock. You’ll need two rod’s of grief (blue rods).

On entering, you’ll find the Senedra Forest Timeloop. To the right of the Timeloop, in a bookcase full of scrolls, you’ll spot the research item.

Clay Vase (Vase of the Eighth Tribe) (7 / 7)

This is located in Vyssa Hills. You will not be able to reach this research item until Act 2. During your search for the Keystone of Ecstasy you will have to return to Vyssa Hills. It is when you have the Snake Emblem. You will need to collect a golden snake, moon and palm token.

The research item is in the room that opens when using the the golden palm token. It is the third one. The entrance is in the same area as the Francis’ Church Timeloop. Head into the room, down the slope and you’ll find something of an alter. Head to the right and the item is in a box.