Far Cry 3 Letters of the Lost represent another type of collectibles that can be acquired when players activate a radio tower.
Just like the Memory Cards, these Far Cry 3 collectibles also give players money and items to sell, but their purpose is to offer information about the Japanese occupation of Rook Island, during WWII.
Letters of the Lost are simple letters that can be found alongside mummified bodies. The bodies can be located in various places across the islands, but they are usually inside abandoned bunkers or outposts.
While they are fairly easy to collect, some of them are better hidden than others, and require more exploration to determine their exact locations.
In Far Cry 3, there are 20 hidden Letters of the Lost collectables, and finding all of them will award players with better items than money:
6 Letters of the Lost – Signature Weapon: Japanese Tanto.
“The tanto is a Japanese dagger that was carried by the samurai. Wielding one of these will increase the damage dealt in melee combat.”
20 Letters of the Lost – Achievement: Dead Letters
The following Far Cry 3 guide details the locations of all Letters of the Lost and also provides more information about their content.
Players may also look out for Relics while searching for Letters of the Lost, or for Memory Cards if they are nearby.
Letters of the Lost 1 – Sato’s Letter
“My Dearest Keiko,
By the time you read this, I will be dead and you will be a grown woman. Your mother will give you this letter when she believes you are ready to read it. I can only hope that shes spoken fondly of me and that you prayed to me at the shrine as I have prayed for you.
We keep ourselves busy with work and singing the Tekihaikuman. Do they still sing it in your time, I wonder? I hope your Japan is a place of peace and prosperity, not filled with the thousands of enemies in the songs we sing. We must vanish into the jungles.
Malaria has destroyed our ranks and were too few to defend the lines. Major mogi says we must ready ourselves for when the Americans land on our beaches, and drive them back to their graves in the water. In this we will be victorious if each of us offers nothing less than our lives.
Captain Jiro Sato”
Letters of the Lost 2 – Hyogo’s Letter
“My Dearest Ayumi,
I am delighted to write you again. We have been in the jungle for a few months. It is hot and sticky, but we are filling the jungle with traps and ambush points. Major Mogi says the American devils will land any day now. Private Tadao says the islands around us have fallen.
The Americans are too afraid to face us in the battle, so they send planes to break our backs. I trust Major Mogi. He has been a good leader, but he drives us very hard and expects nothing but the best. We are only too glad to give it. The burden of leadership must weigh heavily on him. He paces at night and when he doesnt think we see, he talks to himself. That is what duty does to us, my daughter.
It makes martyrs or madmen of us. Still, something bothers him, but I cannot ask what it is. It is not my place.
Private Arata Hyogo”
Letters of the Lost 3 – Mori’s Letter
“Mother,
We lost seven men since the last time I wrote to you, Itchi and Ken among them. They were like brothers. Ken was very funny. I wish you could have met him. Itchi was quiet and strong. Never complaining. The men need me to be strong and Major Mogi is becoming possessed.
It isnt proper to speak of such things, but I cannot share my fears with anyone here. Major Mogi has begun seeing enemies where there are none. No Americans have landed, and yet he sees them under every tree. Every bird is a Thunderbolt or Corsair, every shadow a bomb. He even accuses us of conspiring with the enemy. Im certain things will return to normal once we have word from home. The jungle deafens you with its ghosts.
Your Son, Lance Corporal Mori”
Letters of the Lost 4 – Ren’s Letter
“My brother Ito,
A terrible thing has happened. Major Mogi went mad and began shooting the men. I dont know how it happened, but he was arguing with Private Tadao when he killed him with his pistol and then began firing on us.
We didnt know what to do. Were trained to kill the enemy, but he was our superior. We shot him. My thigh is infected and I am fighting fever.
There are a handful of us left. It is hard to think. I am so hot. I have given my letters to Private Isao and Kei. They are young and smart and they will make sure my words will find their way to you. Live well. Im sorry we argued as children. Im sorry I wasnt a better brother.
Ren”
Letters of the Lost 5 – Mogi’s First Letter
“General Yamagta,
I hope this letter finds you well on this Fall day. The weather here is sticky and unpleasant. You would find it invigorating, Im sure. Forgive me for this familiarity, but I wouldnt be the soldier I am today were it not for your example.
Although we have never met, I have lived my life by your discipline and loyalty to the Empire of Japan. I hope to make our Emperor proud by following in your steps. The Americans continue to bomb us like cowards. I have seen their smoke stacks traveling further north, skipping over us.
They know better that to invade us, the Neck is impregnable, but theyve destroyed our bunkers with lucky hits and what bombs havent killed, malaria has taken. Ive decided to take the men into the jungle as you did in the First Great War against the Germans. My duty is simple destroy the enemy. They shall find me ready and eager to spill their blood.
Major Kuro Mogi”
Letters of the Lost 6 – Mogi’s Second Letter
“General Yamagata,
The devils and their sorties have killed many of my soldiers. I cannot tell you the anger and frustration I feel to see their planes fly over us and be unable to answer them properly with anti-aircraft fire. Or watching an invisible demon like malaria ravage my ranks.
Ive heard stories that these islands were cursed, but I have thought it superstitious nonsense until today, when Private Tadao reported that the latest communications were too garbled to understand. He was so ashamed, he couldnt look me in the eyes.
Private Tadao isnt a good soldier. Ive had the men routinely beat him to instill shikata ga nai as they should have done in basic training, but hes never risen to the occasion.
Major Kuro Mogi”
Letters of the Lost 7 – Mogi’s Third Letter
“General Yamagata,
I am disappointed in my men, General Yamagata. I thought they could weather this better, but they have not. I can only imagine what I could have accomplished had I led your men as you did when you fought the Germans during the First World War.
I am sure I have mentioned Private Tadao. He cries like an infant when he thinks no one watches, but everyone sees. He sickens me with his weakness, and he now spreads it like an illness. The other men are sad for home. They protect him, coddle him, as if he will become a man this way.
I ask you, what use is a radioman if we have no high-powered radios to receive news. Private Tadao says that the radio relays on nearby islands have been destroyed, but I blame him.
Major Kuro Mogi”
Letters of the Lost 8 – Mogi’s Fourth Letter
“General Yamagata,
I am shocked and dismayed to report that what I had assumed was Private Tadaos incompetence is in fact sabotage. I was suspicious that none of the long-range radios were working, so I checked them. I am no expert in electronics, but even I could see that the tubes had been removed, the wires cut, and the battery missing. I thought him weak, not a saboteur.
He is too simple to be a spy. Regardless, he has betrayed his fellow soldiers, he has betrayed me, he has betrayed his oath to protect Japan, and he has betrayed the Imperial Family. I am going to execute Private Tadao, and if any of the men try to protect him, I will be forced to execute them as well.
Major Kuro Mogi”
Letters of the Lost 9 – Tadao’s First Letter
“My darling wife, my beautiful daughter,
I dont know why I am writing to you. I know youll never see these words, and if the Imperial Ancestors are merciful, youll never know of my shame. I cannot tell you what possessed me to disable those radios, but these men they are the only family I have left. When I heard the news, I felt like my heart had been cleaved.
How could I make them suffer as I had? And now that I havent told them, how can I have kept this from them? I wonder, when the bomb fell, were you tending in the garden? Were you feeding Aika? Did you feel anything? Did you even know what happened?
These questions haunt me, and I can only pray that you did not suffer. I pray that you died ignorant of what came next.
Tadao”
Letters of the Lost 10 – Tadao’s Second Letter
“My darling wife,
I dont know why I keep writing to you. Perhaps I am hoping you survived somehow. Perhaps I wish that I could come home and find you and Aika waiting for me. My heart wishes it with a terrible ache, but is suspect I know the truth: that you are gone.
And Aika. And Hiroshima. Major Mogi watches me with a hateful gaze. Its as if he knows the truth, but how can he? I cant bear to face him. Im afraid if he confronts me again, Ill break down and finally tell him everything about Hiroshima.
The men try to protect me from him, but what have I done? I was too scared to tell them the truth, and now its too late. In a moment of grief, I smashed the radios and betrayed everyone. Perhaps its better I die. Perhaps then I can be with you and Aika.
Tadao”
Letters of the Lost 11 – Shinji’s Letter
“Little Sister, These are my final words. I will commit seppuku once I finish this letter, it will be the last honorable thing I do. But before I die I must tell someone the truth. Tadao betrayed us. I read his letter. He sabotaged our radios after hearing of the bomb in Hiroshima. I cannot blame him.
He wished to spare us from the ugly truth. The Major wasnt as understanding. He executed Tadao and then turned his sidearm on anyone who protested.
We fought back, killing him, and now I am the only one left. Ren died last night from an infection. It pains me to know that I had a hand in killing Major Mogi, he was once a good man. I hope our ancestors understand how dire the situation was and have mercy on me, and I hope that one day can read these words and forgive me.
Goodbye.
Shinji”
Letters of the Lost 12 – Hayato’s First Letter
“To Colonel Imada Daichi
I hope your family is well. I apologize for stepping outside the chain of command, but I feel that Lieutenant Colonel Yamada Masahiro is not taking my worries seriously, and is thus unfit to continue commanding this facility and its experiments.
I must report that Project Tenka and Project Kyouken would have progressed much further if the Lieutenant Colonel would just listen to me. Instead, he has cut me out of his inner circle of advisors and has forbid me from communicating with anyone.
I have been forced to write multiple copies of my letters and give them to loyal soldiers and scientists in the hope that one reaches you. Please, I am a prisoner of the Lieutenant Colonels ambitions and unable to serve the Emperor because of his meddling.
Dr. Koga Hayato”
Letters of the Lost 13 – Hayato’s Second Letter
“To Colonel Imada Daichi I can only assume that my previous letters and the charges I have leveled against Lieutenant Colonel Yamada Masahiro and his continued incompetence have not yet reached you or you would have seen the truth and replaced the Lieutenant Colonel by now.
I believe that the Lieutenant Colonel has intercepted several of my letters already, and that he has sent men to search my room in secret. I see the truth of it now. He fears me. He is afraid of my success and covets the glory for himself when Project Tenka harnesses the power of lightning and Project Kyouken the fury of the animals. He knows I will bring a new sunrise to the Empire of Japan.
I fear I must protect the critical findings of my research from him and my team until you intercede in the matter. It is the only way to protect the Empire and the Emperor from his ambitions.
Dr. Koga Hayato”
Letters of the Lost 14 – Hayato’s Third Letter
“To Colonel Imada Daichi
Why have you not written to me? I am sure that you must have received at least one of the sixty-seven letters I sent to you. I have been a fool, a blind stupid fool. I confronted Lieutenant Colonel Yamada Masahiro about his attempts to sabotage me, but he feigned innocence and surprise. I understand now. He was not the man I had to worry about.
He is too dim-witted to challenge me. It was you. You ordered him to steal my research so that you alone could reap the glory. The decoration for the Order of the Rising Sun was to be my honor, but I see now that you want to deny me that privilege.
You have condemned Japan for your hubris, and I will not let you get away with it. You cannot keep me silenced.
Dr. Koga Hayato”
Letters of the Lost 15 – Hayato’s Fourth Letter
“To Colonel Imada Daichi
You wanted to sabotage me, but you did not expect me to sabotage you instead. By the time you have read this, I will have released the infected animals in the Kyouken lab and forced an overload in the Tenka generators.
And when the Imperial Japanese Army sends soldiers to uncover what happened, you will no longer be able to hide the truth, and I will be a hero of the Empire.
I only wish I could be there to see the look on you face when they come to arrest you, when they strip you of your rank, and drive your humiliated family into the streets. I want you to remember that you called this upon yourself….
Dr. Koga Hayato”
Letters of the Lost 16 – Masahiro’s Letter
“To Colonel Imada Daichi
Dr. Koga Hayato attempted to sabotage the projects, but he was shot while apprehended and we could not question him on the reasons for his actions.
Fortunately, there was no real harm to the projects, and I would appreciate a replacement for Dr. Koga as soon as possible.
Lieutenant Colonel Yamada Masahiro”
Letters of the Lost 17 – Hurk’s First Letter
“To whoever reads this,
Im Hurk. So, I found these old letters, right? In Japanese or something, but these ones were totally faded out and really hard to read, so I figured nobody would care what some dead army dude was saying about shit that happened during the Civil War.
No offense to dead army dudes family, but hes dead and I seriously need this paper. So if youre a dude or dudette reading this, please be on the lookout for a white and gray macaque monkey named Gilbert. I named him that. Gilbert is evil. I dont mean throwing crap at you evil.
I mean holding it so you can see it and then rubbing it in your face. I think that if Gilbert could talk, hed rub shit in your face while saying something clever like monkey see, monkey do. Yeah, totally bent. Anyway, he got away from me, right, and I need to get him back before–“
Letters of the Lost 18 – Hurk’s Second Letter
“To whoever reads this,
Its Hurk again. I ran out of space on that last piece of paper, so I was saying I needed to stop Gilbert before he started his rain (rein?) of terror, right? Too late. He already started. Gilberts got other monkeys following him like a pack, doing his bidding.
Its like watching cheerleaders, man. You know the way cheerleaders move around in a pack, right, always following that one really hot chick with the blond hair, the tight ass, and the perfect tits? And its like, every time they walk past you, they move like theyre slow motion, and they look at you like they dont even see you.
Totally Lacy Barnstrom hot, right? She was the head cheerleaders at my school, and I did shit to her yearbook pictures that totally got the pages all fucked up. Shit, Im out of space again.
Hurk”
Letters of the Lost 19 – Hurk’s Third Letter
“To whoever reads this,
Okay, so I got sidetracked by Lacy Barnstrom and her yearbook pics, but you would too if you knew her. Actually, I hear she makes porn now. Totally gotta check that shit out because dude! My angel is a centerfold! How awesome is that?
Anyways, I gotta stop Gilbert. See, I taught Gilbert how to pull the pins on grenades and how to throw them. And now I think he likes it. Hes gotten a taste for blowing shit up and hes teaching the other monkeys how to do it. Scratch that. I think hes teaching them how to pull the pins on grenades!
Sick, right? This monkey is off the vine, man. Anyways, Im following the sound of the explosions. Little dude cant run forever.
Hurk”
Letters of the Lost 20 – Hurk’s Fourth Letter
“To whoever reads this,
I found more washed out letters from Japanese Civil War dudes how many of them are there? Anyways, its over. I did it. I caught up to Gilbert and his pack of monkeys.
There werent many of them left, and the survivors they had that look in their eyes, the look that said you havent seen the shit Ive seen you werent there, man, you werent there! I had no choice.
I had to challenge Gilbert to dominance of the pack. It was the only way to save the survivors. Gilbert chose the weapons the grenades I brought, like I knew he would.
And thats how I beat him, because the one thing I never taught the little dude, was how to fuck with the timers. I dont think Ill ever forget the look on his face when I caught the grenade and threw it back.
That startled o face he made will haunt me for the rest of my life. But the packs free now the pack s free.
Hurk”
