You've probably spent hours galloping across the rolling hills of England, axes swinging, only to realize your settlement's Hidden Ones Bureau is basically a glorified storage closet. Hytham is just sitting there. He wants those codex pages AC Valhalla fans keep hearing about.
It's a grind. Honestly, hunting down these six specific scraps of parchment is one of the most tedious yet lore-heavy tasks in the game. If you’re a long-time fan of the series, these pages aren't just collectibles; they are the bridge between Eivor’s Viking romp and the broader Assassin’s Creed mythos, specifically detailing how the Hidden Ones transitioned into the Assassins we know from the earlier games.
💡 You might also like: Finding the Hippogriff Marks the Spot Treasure Without Losing Your Mind
But let’s be real. You aren’t here for a history lesson. You're here because you’re stuck behind a locked door in Londinium or you can’t find the entrance to a ruin in the middle of a forest.
Why the Codex Pages Actually Matter
Most players think the reward for the codex pages AC Valhalla questline is just the Hidden Ones' armor set. That's part of it. The armor is great for stealth builds—it looks sleek and gives you that classic hooded silhouette—but the real "juice" is the letter you unlock at the end.
If you manage to collect all six and turn them in to Hytham, he mentions a certain "Master." No spoilers, but the payoff connects Eivor to the legendary origins of the Creed in a way that makes the 80-hour campaign feel a bit more cohesive. If you skip these, you’re basically playing a Viking simulator. If you find them, you’re playing Assassin’s Creed.
The struggle is that these pages are hidden in "Bureaus." These aren't marked clearly on your map like a fast-travel point. They appear as gold icons, usually labeled as gear, but the entrances are almost always environmental puzzles involving oil jars, breakable wooden floors, or underwater tunnels.
The Londinium Bureau (Lunden)
Lunden is a mess. It's crowded, vertical, and the Bureau here is tucked away in the northeastern corner of the city. Look for a massive circular wooden fence. You’ll see some scaffolding and some Roman ruins that look like they've seen better days.
Don't bother looking for a front door. You have to climb to the top of the wooden structure and look down. There’s a leap of faith into a pool of water. Once you're submerged, you’ll see a breakable wall underwater. Smash it.
The trick here is the "hanging" puzzle. You'll find yourself in a room with a locked door and a glass window. You can see the codex page right there, mocking you. You have to parkour across the hanging wooden platforms to get a line of sight through a metal grate. Aim your bow at the red oil jars on the other side.
Boom. The explosion unlocks the door. It’s classic Ubisoft level design—frustrating until it’s simple.
Camulodunum Bureau (Colcestre)
This one is located in Essexe. It’s arguably the most annoying one because of the "key" hunt.
First, find the ruined area with the statues. You’ll need to blow up a floor using an oil jar. If you can’t find an oil jar nearby, check the stalls or the surrounding ruins—they’re usually tucked behind a wall. Once you’re in the basement, you’ll hit a flooded corridor.
Here is where people get lost:
- You’ll reach a locked door that requires a key.
- The key is in a completely different submerged room.
- You have to swim through a tunnel, surface in a room with a barred door, and grab the key from a desk.
Once you have the key, head back. You’ll eventually reach a room where you have to shoot a door bolt through a literal fence. It feels a bit like a "pixel hunt" with your bow. Keep your Odin’s Sight active. It highlights the red glow of the bolt, making it way easier to hit the shot.
Eboracum Bureau (Jorvik)
Jorvik is cold, but the Bureau is actually quite cozy once you get inside. You’ll find the entrance in a graveyard in the southeastern part of the city. There’s a breakable floor—standard stuff for codex pages AC Valhalla seekers.
This Bureau is a giant water puzzle. You’ll be jumping across floating crates. If Eivor falls in, it’s not a big deal, but it’s slow. The main room is huge and contains the Hidden Ones' Robes.
The codex page itself is in a side room. You’ll need another key. Look for it on top of a bookshelf in the main library area. It’s easy to miss because the room is dark and cluttered. Use a torch. Seriously, just throw a torch on the floor; it lights up the area much better than the pulses from Odin’s Sight.
Temple of Ceres Bureau (Forest of Dean)
Gloucestershire holds the Temple of Ceres. This Bureau is heavily focused on "The Poison."
The entire place is filled with green, hallucinogenic gas. If you stay in it too long, your health bar starts to evaporate. You can clear the gas temporarily by throwing a torch into it—it causes a small explosion that dissipates the vapor.
👉 See also: Why Super Smash Bros Melee Stages Still Drive Pro Players Crazy After 20 Years
The layout is a bit of a labyrinth. You’ll find a lot of breakable walls and hidden crawlspaces. Eventually, you’ll reach a room with a giant statue and a chest. The codex page is sitting on a desk near the back.
Interestingly, the notes found here discuss the decline of the Roman Empire and the Hidden Ones' struggle to maintain relevance. It’s some of the best writing in the game, honestly. Don't just grab the page and run; read the notes. They give context to why the Bureau was abandoned in the first place.
Venta Belgarum Bureau (Wincestre)
Wincestre is a late-game area, so don't try to rush this one if you’re low level. The guards will flatten you.
The entrance is a literal hole in the ground surrounded by Roman pillars. Once you drop down, you’ll find a massive flooded hallway. This isn't just a quick swim. You have to navigate a series of underwater turns.
At the end, you'll reach a room with several oil jars. You need to carry one of these jars through a series of obstacles to blow up a wall at the far end of the hall.
Pro Tip: Don't run. If you jump or move too fast, Eivor might drop the jar, and it’ll break. Slow and steady wins the race.
Temple of Apollo Bureau (Belandun)
Last one. This is in Suthsexe. The ruins are pretty prominent, but the entrance is tucked away in a corner of the foundation.
You’ll find a lot of "moveable" objects here. You know the ones—the big stone blocks you have to slide back and forth. You need to move a block to reach a high opening, then shoot a lock through a grate.
This Bureau feels the most like a traditional tomb. It's dusty, quiet, and straightforward. The page is at the very end on an altar. Once you have all six, the quest log will update, telling you to return to Ravensthorpe.
What Happens When You Give Them to Hytham?
Returning the codex pages AC Valhalla to Hytham is the "A Brief History of the Hidden Ones" quest.
Hytham won't just take them and say thanks. He’ll tell you to go talk to Reda (the little kid who runs the Thousand Eyes shop). This is where the lore hits the fan. Reda has a letter. It’s a letter from Bayek of Siwa.
Yes, the protagonist from Assassin’s Creed Origins.
The letter explains the philosophy of the Creed and serves as a direct link across centuries. For fans who played Origins, this is a massive emotional payoff. It confirms that even though Eivor isn't technically an "Assassin" (she's a Viking ally), she is carrying the literal history of the Brotherhood in her pockets.
Common Mistakes and Glitches
I’ve seen a lot of people complain that the pages don't show up in their inventory.
Check your "Quest Items" tab, not your general inventory. Also, sometimes a Bureau entrance might seem "glitched" because a jar won't spawn. If that happens, fast travel away and come back. The game usually resets the environmental assets.
Another tip: if you’re struggling with the parkour, check your settings. Sometimes turning off "Guaranteed Assassination" or messing with the camera sensitivity can actually help you navigate the tight corners of these underground ruins more effectively.
Actionable Steps for Completionists
If you want to knock this out in one sitting, follow this order to save on travel time:
- Start in Lunden: It’s central and easy to access early.
- Head to Colcestre (Essexe): Just a short ride East.
- Ride North to Jorvik: Grab the Eboracum page while doing the Jorvik story arc.
- Swing West to the Forest of Dean: Grab the Gloucestershire page.
- Finish in the South: Hit Suthsexe and then Wincestre.
Once you have all six, don’t just fast travel to the settlement. Take the pages to Hytham, then immediately go speak to Reda. The Hidden Ones' armor set is one of the most versatile in the game because of its crit chance bonuses, so it’s worth upgrading at the blacksmith immediately.
The quest might feel like a scavenger hunt, but it’s the primary way the game acknowledges its own title. Without these pages, Eivor is just a warrior. With them, she’s a keeper of secrets.
Go talk to Hytham. He’s been waiting in that bureau for a long time.