Watch Dogs Legion relics explained: What are they for and are they worth getting?

Watch Dogs Legion relics
(Image credit: Ubisoft)

You'll collect a lot of things as you play through Ubisoft's latest hack-em-up but the Watch Dogs Legion relics are one of the more confusing things to pick up as you explore. Some are just lying around, at least one is a vital part of a mission, but Watch Dogs Legion never really makes it clear what a relic is or why it's important. If indeed it actually is. So let's take a look at these odd London collectibles and see what's going on.

We have plenty more Watch Dogs Legion guides at the following links:

Watch Dogs Legion review | Watch Dogs Legion tips | Watch Dogs Legion map | Watch Dogs Legion length | Watch Dogs Legion multiplayer | Watch Dogs Legion crossplay | Watch Dogs Legion masks | Watch Dogs Legion relics | Watch Dogs Legion best recruits | Watch Dogs Legion best starting character | Watch Dogs Legion best tech upgrades | Watch Dogs Legion Stormzy mission | Watch Dogs Legion photograph evidence | Watch Dogs Legion Finding Bagley

What are the Watch Dogs Legion relics? 

Watch Dogs Legion relics

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

The honest answer here is that the Watch Dogs Legion relics don't really mean, or do, anything. They're just a range of objects that sort of flesh out the story, just in a very inconsistent way. For example one relic is a vital part of continuing a mission, while there's a whole set elsewhere that fills out a little extra detail to a single mission, but are completely non-essential. There are some with an extensive backstory you can view via the in-game menu, fleshing out a history and explanation as to how they came to be, others just have little more than a name to confirm that, yes, it is the thing you can see it is. 

Aside from the one mission specific relic, you never really have to, or are ever told to get them, you just find them scattered around various locations the plot sends you to. So what's the point? These things are just collectibles and no more. They were probably originally planned to be more important, or more informative, to the story. But, somewhere along development, they just became… things, you can collect, for reasons, that occasionally fill in a bit of backstory. There is a trophy or achievement for finding 15 of them, but after there's nothing to them beyond fueling your curiosity. So grab one if you see it, but don't worry too much about it when there are guards breathing down your neck and an armed drone flying overhead. 

Leon Hurley
Managing editor for guides

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for guides, which means I run GamesRadar's guides and tips content. I also write reviews, previews and features, largely about horror, action adventure, FPS and open world games. I previously worked on Kotaku, and the Official PlayStation Magazine and website.