Techniques & Upgrades
Ten trophies about the Camera Obscura itself: its upgrades (and the long Gold for maxing them), the Phantom Exposé and Unbinding of Blood techniques, the vanishing traces, and the two special bead types.
Upgrades in numbers
| Item | What it does | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Prayer Beads | Raise the camera's and filters' normal upgrade tiers | From Chapter 2 onwards, all over the village |
| Transcendence Beads | Push upgrades past their normal limits | Nightmare runs only (the first is in the Kurosawa House Meditation Room), or 100,000 PP each in the shop after a clear |
| Reversion Beads | Refund every bead you've spent so you can rebuild the camera | The first is in the Kurosawa House hallway in Chapter 3 |
The trophies
The True Camera Obscura
GoldFull guideCollapseFully enhanced the Camera Obscura and its filters.
The True Camera Obscura
GoldFull guideCollapseHow to earn it
Fully upgrade the Camera Obscura and every filter. In total that's 420 Prayer Beads and 50 Transcendence Beads, so it can't be done in one run.
The farm: from a cleared save, start a New Game+, wait for the first autosave, go back to the menu, load that autosave and use Chapter Select to play the Final Chapter. The beads respawn; a focused Story run through the Final Chapter gives roughly 70–75 Prayer Beads. Do the same on Nightmare for Transcendence Beads, or buy them for 100,000 Photo Points each.
Tip
Leave this for the very end: by then your Nightmare run will have added a lot of beads.
Obscura Improvement
BronzeFull guideCollapseEnhanced the Camera Obscura for the first time.
Obscura Improvement
BronzeFull guideCollapseHow to earn it
Spend Prayer Beads on any Camera Obscura upgrade from the camera menu. The first beads are in Chapter 2: crawl under the fallen log while following the crimson butterfly toward Kayano, and they're on the ground on the other side.
Filter Improvement
BronzeFull guideCollapseEnhanced a <er for the first time.
Filter Improvement
BronzeFull guideCollapseHow to earn it
Spend Prayer Beads on any filter upgrade, from the same Camera Obscura menu.
Trace Chaser
BronzeFull guideCollapseObserved a vanishing trace for the first time.
Trace Chaser
BronzeFull guideCollapseHow to earn it
Story, start of Chapter 2. Leaving the Osaka House, a Specter leaves the Paraceptual Filter on the ground. A few steps on, a purple light shows through the camera: raise it, switch to the new filter and follow the vanishing trace.
Revealing The Unseen
BronzeFull guideCollapsePerformed a Phantom Exposé for the first time.
Revealing The Unseen
BronzeFull guideCollapseHow to earn it
Story, Chapter 3. A Phantom Exposé uses the Exposure Filter: take a photo that matches one in your Photo Record and whatever vanished comes back. The first is in the Kurosawa House Guest Room area, after you first escape the Kusabi.
Exposé Expert
BronzeFull guideCollapsePerformed every Phantom Exposé.
Exposé Expert
BronzeFull guideCollapseHow to earn it
Perform all 18 Phantom Exposés. Many are on the story path, but others are on optional detours, hidden paths and Side Story routes, so expect a few in the clean-up.
Sanguine Seal
BronzeFull guideCollapsePerformed an Unbinding of Blood for the first time.
Sanguine Seal
BronzeFull guideCollapseHow to earn it
Story, Chapter 4. Things sealed with bloody handprints open with an Unbinding of Blood: with the Radiant Filter, hold the Special Shot button until the charge is full, then release. You get the filter after using the Double Diamond Key on the Kurosawa House Storage Room.
Unbinding Enthusiast
BronzeFull guideCollapsePerformed every Unbinding of Blood.
Unbinding Enthusiast
BronzeFull guideCollapseHow to earn it
Perform all 30 Unbindings of Blood on the blood-sealed cupboards, jars, boxes and doors. Most are on the story path once you have the Radiant Filter in Chapter 4, but some are only reachable later.
Back To Basics
BronzeFull guideCollapseUsed Reversion Beads for the first time.
Back To Basics
BronzeFull guideCollapseHow to earn it
Use Reversion Beads once. The first are on the floor of the Kurosawa House hallway in Chapter 3, after the butterfly-lantern save point by the entrance. Using them refunds every bead you've spent, so you lose nothing.
A Better Camera
BronzeFull guideCollapseUsed Transcendence Beads for the first time.
A Better Camera
BronzeFull guideCollapseHow to earn it
Use a Transcendence Bead once. They only exist on Nightmare (the first is in the Kurosawa House Meditation Room) or in the shop for 100,000 Photo Points each after your first clear.
FAQ
How many Prayer Beads do you need for The True Camera Obscura?
420 Prayer Beads and 50 Transcendence Beads in total. Transcendence Beads only appear on Nightmare, or can be bought for 100,000 Photo Points each after your first clear.
How do you farm Prayer Beads?
From a cleared save, start a New Game+, let it autosave, quit, load that autosave and use Chapter Select to replay the Final Chapter. The beads respawn, and one focused run through the Final Chapter on Story gives roughly 70 to 75.
What's the difference between a Phantom Exposé and a Revenant?
Both use the Exposure Filter. A Phantom Exposé restores something that has vanished by matching a photo in your Photo Record; a Revenant is a hidden spirit you photograph. There are 18 Exposés and 39 Revenants.