A Plague Tale Requiem has 10 Secret Chest Locations. Finding all Secret Chests unlocks the Explorer trophy and achievement. They are hidden workbenches that require a Knife to open.
None of the Secret Chests are missable. You can still get all of them via Chapter Select after the story or in New Game+. Everything is carried over into New Game+. Unlike other Collectibles they are not tracked in Chapter Select or in the Codex. If you miss one you should replay the Chapter immediately to not lose track. Your total count can be checked via the trophy tracker but it doesn’t show which ones exactly you are missing.
IMPORTANT – SEMI-MISSABLE IF YOU DON’T HAVE KNIVES: You need Knives (see Knife Locations) to open the Secret Chests. Don’t break knives on enemies! They are one-use only and break when doing a single kill. Always keep 1 Knife in your inventory to open the next Secret Chest. Sometimes you automatically use a knife against melee enemies to prevent a killing blow, when that happens restart the checkpoint immediately. If you reach a Secret Chest but don’t have a knife, you must replay from the last Knife Location onward via Chapter Select. More knives spawn on Narrative Difficulty (Easy) and fewer spawn on higher difficulties. For this reason it’s highly recommended to play on the lowest difficulty to get all possible knives.
» For All-in-One Collectible Guide including all other types see: A Plague Tale Requiem All-in-One Collectible Guide.
Chapter 1: Under a New Sun
NO SECRET CHESTS IN THIS CHAPTER!
Chapter 2: Newcomers
NO SECRET CHESTS IN THIS CHAPTER!
Chapter 3: A Burden of Blood
Secret Chest #1
Sub-Chapter: The Warehouse
Objective: Escape the fort
Inside the warehouse, after getting back your sling and knife, it’s directly across from where you picked these up (top right corner of the warehouse). It’s in plain sight and hard to miss. The Secret Chests are all locked and require 1 breakable knife to open, they contain a workbench and a lot of crafting parts. There are 10 of these “Secret Chests” (workbenches), so going forward always keep 1 knife for opening these. Never break the knives on enemies.
Chapter 4: Protector’s Duty (1 Hugo’s Herbarium, 2 Souvenirs)
Secret Chest #2
Sub-Chapter: Risky Itinerary
Objective: Reach the order’s boat
After the 1st enemy encounter of this chapter, you come to a rat-infested area. When you can push a cart with a burning brazier on it, push it to the left end of the area where a ladder is, then climb up the ladder to find the locked workbench chest on top. As usual you need a knife to open it, one was found during the previous enemy encounter, see above.
Chapter 5: In Our Wake
Secret Chest #3
Sub-Chapter: Reaction ferry
Objective: Find a way to reach the boat
After using the moving platform to get across the river, shoot the counterweight to rip off the chain that’s blocking the river. Then the fence on the side will get destroyed, allowing you to explore the beach. Go behind the house where you just shot the counterweight, there’s a ladder behind it that leads upstairs to the attic. The secret chest is in there. You need the knife from the previous Souvenir location to open it, if you missed the knife you must replay Chapter 5 from the start via Chapter Select in order to open the Chest with it.
Chapter 6: Leaving all Behind
Secret Chest #4
Sub-Chapter: Call of the rats
Objective: Find a way out of the building
After leaving the quarry there’s a bigger enemy encounter in an outside desert-like area. After the encounter you enter a building. Immediately after you’re inside this building, crouch under the shelves in the right corner (there’s a piece of tarp hanging from the shelf, it’s a slightly hidden path). After crouching through you will find the Secret Chest. Use the knife you found in the previous encounter to open it, as usual it reveals a workbench and some upgrade parts. DON’T GO THROUGH THE NEXT DOOR TO A ROOM WITH BURNED CORPSES YET.
Chapter 7: Felons
Secret Chest #5
Sub-Chapter: More Rats
Objective: Find the smuggler’s hideout
After an enemy encounter in a cave, when you reach the end of the encounter (after there are no more rats in your way) go right to crouch into a boat. It has the secret chest on it. As usual it requires a knife to open, one was found with the Herbarium at the start of Chapter 7. DON’T INTERACT WITH THE COFFIN THAT’S BLOCKING THE PATH WHERE A LIT TORCH IS – the boat is to the right of the coffin.
Chapter 8: A Sea of Promises
NO SECRET CHESTS IN THIS CHAPTER!
Chapter 9: Tales and Revelations
Secret Chest #6
Sub-Chapter: Exploration
Objective: Follow the bird statues
In the huge exploration area, head towards the mountain with the two big peaks. Just before heading up the path to the mountain, on the left is a ruined tower. Shoot through its window to hit the lock on the door. Then you can enter the door, directly behind it is a knife (if you already have a knife, then pick it up after opening the Secret Chest). Climb up the ladder to find a Secret Chest and break it open with the knife.
Secret Chest #7
Sub-Chapter: On the mountain
Objective: Find a way around the checkpoint
While on the mountain, you will come to a road that’s blocked by goats. Go up the path to their left, climb up the ledge at the end of it. Then on the next path immediately after this, halfway on the path you can climb up on the left (see image below). If you no longer have a knife you must replay the chapter, there was one in the tower with Secret Chest #6 (even if you only open 1 chest per run via chapter select it still counts both in the trophy tracker).
Chapter 10: Bloodline
Secret Chest #8
Sub-Chapter: In the courtyard
Objective: Use Sophia’s prism
When you have to get through a rat-infested courtyard, Sophia will use her crystal to light the way. After lighting up the 2nd brazier, there is a tower in the right corner of the area. Command Sophia to use her crystal from the 2nd brazier 
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and walk over to the tower entrance. The chest is upstairs in that tower. (To get back out go downstairs and command Sophia to use her crystal on the fire again).
Chapter 11: The Cradle of Centuries
Secret Chest #9
Sub-Chapter: Rat tank
Objective: Explore the rest of the underground area
After solving a story puzzle to open a big gate locked by 4 metal bars, you will have to go through a rat-infested room. Immediately after the rats, you must climb up two ledges and use your slingshot to break chains so you can squeeze through them. Immediately after squeezing through the chains, turn left to squeeze through a 2nd set of chains, behind which you find the secret chest.
Chapter 12: The Life We Deserve
NO SECRET CHESTS IN THIS CHAPTER!
Chapter 13: Nothing Left
Secret Chest #10
Sub-Chapter: Ruined village
Objective: Reach the port
After the 2nd enemy encounter area in the chapter, you will find a cart that you must push for story purposes (mandatory to advance, unmissable). Instead of pushing it directly 180° opposite of where the cart stood, you must push it to where you came from. Then climb up and open the door upstairs to find the chest.
Chapter 14: Healing our Wounds
NO SECRET CHESTS IN THIS CHAPTER!
Chapter 15: Dying Sun
NO SECRET CHESTS IN THIS CHAPTER!
Chapter 16: King Hugo
NO SECRET CHESTS IN THIS CHAPTER!
Chapter 17: Legacy of De Rune Family
NO SECRET CHESTS IN THIS CHAPTER!
That’s all of the Secret Chests in A Plague Tale Requiem. For all other Collectibles see A Plague Tale Requiem Collectibles Guide.
I collected all the chests but didn’t get the trophy. The console menu showed only one open chest, although I collected all the other items without any problems. Restarting the chapter and reopening gave nothing. 1 out of 10. I will try a new game + or just go through a new one again.
I think it’s kinda dumb that the game tracks/carries over the feathers, flowers and souvenirs – even allowing you to get anything missing via chapter select – but not these chests. You should never have to do an entire play through just to get a collectible you missed.
You can collect the chests with chapter selection. IT just won’t tell you how many in-game but your trophy list will
I did go through the video for the collectibles. At the same time I also did whatever chests I could that I wasn’t 100% sure I had. At the end I didn’t get this either and it says 9/10 for me. I didn’t check before starting what it was at, but I’m assuming maybe I went for a collectable in an area I already had the chest but restarting the chapter nulled the chest meaning I should’ve collected it again, just so the game saves it. That’s the only think I can think of.
Apparently i was stuck with 8/10 at first, i was on ng+ and i picked up one that i knew i missed the first time round. I picked it up on ng+ and assumed it was recorded but when i reloaded the old save file (first playthrough) and picked it up again, my trophy popped. So, anyone who’s trying to get it might wanna try using the first playthrough file to pop this trophy.