Tomb Raider 7: Legend

LEVEL 4: GHANA (WEST AFRICA) - PURSUING JAMES RUTLAND

Items: health packs, grenades, assault rifle, shotgun, grenade launcher, ammunition
Enemies: mercenaries, leopards, Rutland
Rewards: 5 bronze, 4 silver, 1 gold
Time Trial: 20:00

The level begins with a short cut scene ("Hunting Rutland in Ghana"), in which Lara ditches the Ducati and slides down a hill to a path through the undergrowth. So far, she says, no sign of Rutland. Over the headset, Zip mentions that according to Winston, Lara's father worked this site before she was born. Lara doesn't find the connection remarkable.

THE WATERFALL:

From CHECKPOINT 1, follow the path to a cliff above the falls.

In a second, longer cut scene ("The Postcard Business"), Lara spots the bad guys across the gorge.

Jump or dive off the ledge into the pool. Take care to jump out from the edge a bit, or Lara could crash into the shallows at the edge of the pool. Before climbing out of the water, pick up a couple of rewards. First, when facing the drawbridge mechanism on the little island, swim to the right side of the pool until you spot something shiny on the bottom. Swim down to pick up bronze reward (1/5). Swim back toward the island then on past it. You'll find another bronze reward (2/5) on the bottom of the pool. Tapping Interact while swimming helps Lara fight the current, but it's not enough to get the silver reward in the tunnel beneath the island. There's something else you must do first.

Climb out of the water on the island with the drawbridge. Cross CHECKPOINT 2, climb the rocks to the right of the drawbridge and jump to grab the dangling rope. This pulls out the pin that was locking the bridge in place. Climb down the rope a bit, turn to face the drawbridge and start swinging back and forth until Lara kicks the bridge, knocking it open and triggering the next cut scene. (Thanks to Philippe and Catherine for this tip.)

If that doesn't work for you, instead climb the rocks and jump to grab the rope. Face the drawbridge and start swinging back and forth. As Lara swings back, drop off the rope. She will then land facing the drawbridge. Quickly use the magnetic grapple to pull the drawbridge down before the pin drops back into place.

In a spectacular cinematic ("Grand Entrance"), the waterfall parts, revealing the ruins hidden behind it. James Rutland had help getting inside, so he's a step ahead of Lara at this point. They banter briefly, veiled threats are exchanged, and he goes inside.

Before entering the ruins, jump back into the water and get the previously unreachable silver reward (1/4) in the tunnel below the island. Then climb back onto the island, cross the bridge and enter the building.

SHORTCUTS FOR ENTERING THE RUINS:

There are a couple of shortcuts here that may be helpful in a time trial, since both allow you to bypass about half the level. The explanations are a bit lengthy, so I have included them on separate pages: shortcut #1 and shortcut #2.

INSIDE THE RUINS (lower levels):

Follow the hall past CHECKPOINT 3 to a small pool. The rushing water prevents Lara from swimming across, so use the magnetic grapple to pull the raft toward Lara. Hop onto the raft and jump to grab the first dangling rope. Swing and jump to grab the second rope and then swing to the opposite ledge. Or, jump to grab the first rope, then just swing toward the far side of the pool and drop into the water. Once she is beyond the grating where the water comes in, Lara can swim to the other side.

Continue along the passageway. Lara says she's seen this before in her father's sketchbook. Around the corner and up the stairs you encounter one of Rutland's henchmen. He's got a shotgun, so don't get too close. He drops the SHOTGUN (or ammo) plus a grenade and possibly a health pack when he dies. Take what you need and continue past a broken spear trap and around another corner.

The spears in the next trap no longer function, but the pressure pad in the floor still controls the door. Stand on the left side of the hall, squarely facing the gap between the second set of spears. Run across the pad, jump over the first set of spears, run straight through the gap between the second set, roll under the third set and then roll under the door before it closes.

WATERWHEEL ROOM:

When you arrive, this room is crawling with mercenaries. CHECKPOINT 4 is just beyond the entrance.

NOTE: I recommend saving the game after this checkpoint. The next checkpoint registers when the last mercenary falls. If you play on from there and Lara dies before checkpoint 6, the game will reload at checkpoint 5, and any items the mercenaries dropped, including the things you collected, will be gone. If you've saved, you can reload the game, replay the battle to get the items and then continue. Otherwise, be sure to pick up as much stuff as you can before killing the last mercenary, or be careful not to die before reaching checkpoint 6.

First, the layout of the room: When you enter there are 5 soldiers on the other side of the small stream two on the right, one on the left and two on the ledge above. Once they notice Lara, they begin shooting and throwing grenades. Also, one of the soldiers on the ledge has a machine gun.

A small stream runs across the middle of the room. There's a metal bridge on the right to cross easily, and if Lara has weapons drawn, she can jump down into the trench and back up on the other side. There are various fuel barrels that can be exploded (by pressing Interact when the environmental hazard icon appears) to kill or damage nearby enemies. Take care not to stand too close to these, however, since Lara will take damage too.

Now a little strategy in case you need it: Just inside the room there's a stack of crates. You may want to hide behind them at first, wait for the man on the lower left to move close to the fuel barrel below the ledge, then blow it up. This won't destroy the machine gun, but it should kill the man below and possibly one of the men above.

NOTE: If the man on the left moves to the right instead, rather than trying to blow up the ledge, wait until he's close to the other two men on the lower level and then throw a grenade into the group.

The mercenaries will be fully alerted now. So run out from behind the right side of the crates and quickly toss a grenade at the men on the other side of the little metal bridge. If they don't die immediately, run toward them shooting. Continue forward to the far, right corner of the room, where there's a ledge that will enable you to climb to the upper level. Ignore the reward for now. Turn left and immediately take out the machine gunner and his companion, if they're not already dead.

When the fifth man dies, 3 more soldiers appear near the entrance. You can kill them with the machine gun if you like. Approach it and press Interact to grab on. Move the mouse or stick to aim, and fire as usual. Press Interact again to let go. Or, just shoot them with your own weapons, moving back and forth to avoid their gunfire.

NOTE: If you've used a different strategy and Lara is still on the side of the stream near the entrance when the last of the soldiers on the lower level dies, 2 more men will enter through the gate below the ledge, instead of the 3 soldiers near the entrance mentioned above.

CHECKPOINT 5 registers when you kill the last mercenary. (If you reload, Lara is positioned near the entrance.) In addition to the health packs, grenades and rifle clips dropped by the mercenaries, pick up the bronze reward (3/5) at the corner of the ledge where you climbed up.

NOTE: If Lara dies between checkpoints 5 and 6, be sure to pick up that reward again.

REPAIRING THE FIRST WATERWHEEL & CLIMBING TO THE EXIT:

As you explore, Lara comments on the jammed waterwheel. Fixing it will be your next task. Notice the 2 white columns near the waterwheel. One of them is broken off and stuck in the wheel. To get things going again, climb back onto the ledge and jump to grab the dangling rope. Slide down the rope a little, turn and swing toward the white column. Keep swinging until Lara swings high enough to kick the stone. Or, use the machine gun to shoot the column, knocking it into the waterwheel and freeing the mechanism.

A cut scene shows the waterwheel beginning to turn once again, powering various traps. Notice that the second waterwheel is still stationary and the traps on that side of the room are not moving.

If you broke the white column by swinging on the rope, Lara will still be hanging there. Swing and jump to grab one of the horizontal spikes on the now moving waterwheel. Otherwise, jump from the low step where the column was to grab one of the waterwheel spikes. Allow the wheel to turn. When it begins to move upward, start swinging around the spike. When the spike moves above the level of the ledge ahead, jump off and grab the second dangling rope. Use the rope to swing over to the ledge.

Turn right and jump onto the metal platform suspended from the ceiling. Grapple the broken column on the opposite ledge and pull the platform, with Lara on it, toward the other ledge. Jump from the suspended platform to grab the next dangling rope.

NOTE: If instead of going directly to the rope, you jump over to the ledge near the TRAPPED HALLWAY, Lara says she'll have to activate the traps to pass through. Lara falls and needs to climb back up, return to the moving waterwheel, jump to the rope, swing to the corner ledge and use the grapple to pull the suspended platform back toward you. Then continue as before.

Once Lara is hanging from the rope near the stationary waterwheel, turn to face it, swing and jump to grab the nearest horizontal spike on the waterwheel. Swing around and jump to grab the next spike. From there, swing and jump to the broken ladder directly ahead. Climb to the top and go around the opening in the floor past CHECKPOINT 6 to the next ladder.

Climb to the top. Jump to grab the crevice on the left. Jump straight up to grab the next crevice. Traverse to the left around the corner. Jump straight up to grab a third ladder. (You can see through this one into the long, vertical shaft behind it.) CHECKPOINT 7 registers at the top.

FIRST SET OF BALANCED BLOCKS:

Follow the passage to a room with a raft but no water. Kill the leopard from the entrance. Then drop down into the room, head to the right and grab the edge of the broken staircase. Pull up onto the ledge and follow it around to the opposite side of the room, where you'll find a bronze reward (4/5) in a corner beneath the pair of suspended stone blocks.

There's a rough stone ledge next to the reward. Go around behind it and climb on top of it. Jump to grab the edge of the nearer block and pull up. Lara's weight carries the first block down, causing the second block to rise. Wait for the second block to move a little higher than the first. Then jump onto it. As the second block descends, run across it and jump to grab the ladder. If you're too slow, drop down and try again. Climb the ladder to CHECKPOINT 8.

A brief cut scene reveals clues to the puzzle ahead.

The pool or cistern below is divided by a wall with a gap in the middle. Cross the ledge with CHECKPOINT 8 and jump into pool on the far side. (There is also a series of crevices in the rock here where you could climb down, but that's not necessary.) Swim to the far left corner and climb out on the low ledge. Go up the broken steps to the right to find a silver reward (2/4).

Then swim across the pool, through the gap in the wall and then to the right. Climb out of the water. Hop onto the raft and attach the magnetic grapple to the broken pillar ahead. Pull to move the raft toward the pillar. When you reach the gap between the two pools, release the grapple and hook it onto another shiny pillar in the next room. Pull the raft up against the second pillar. Release the grapple and jump from the raft to the ledge. Here you'll find another pair of balanced blocks.

SECOND SET OF BALANCED BLOCKS:

Climb the ladder on the left. Jump back onto the first block. Again, Lara's weight carries this block down and raises the second block. When the second block moves level with the first, run and jump onto it. Then quickly run across it and jump to grab the ledge ahead. If Lara falls, move out from under the second block quickly or it will crush her when it descends.

The ledge beyond the second block has CHECKPOINT 9 and a bronze reward (5/5) hidden behind the square pillar near the wall.

After getting the statuette, jump forward off the ledge and quickly press the Jump key again to grapple-swing through the small waterfall to the next ledge. You're now above the room where you killed the leopard.

Jump to grab a notch in the square pillar against the left wall. Climb around to the front of the pillar. Drop to grab another handhold below. Climb around to the right side of the pillar. Jump straight up to grab another handhold. Jump to the right to grab a crevice in the wall. Drop to grab the crevice below. Climb to the right, jumping past a gap in the crevice, continue to the right, then jump up to grab a higher handhold. Climb along this crevice as far as possible. Then jump to the right to grab the ledge. Pull up at CHECKPOINT 10.

OPENING THE SLUICE GATE:

Now you've reached the mechanism that controls the flow of water. On the center ledge, high above where you first came in, is a device in the shape of a woman with outstretched arms. Her "heart" is a sun symbol that can be pulled out using the magnetic grapple, but this can only be done if the metal shackles holding the statue's arms are first retracted. Flanking the center ledge are 2 revolving ledges. The corner ledges each have a pressure pad, which controls both the arm shackle and the revolving ledge on the same side. So, to make the mechanism work, you need to depress both pressure pads and then use the grapple to pull out the sun symbol.

Begin by stepping on the first pressure pad near CHECKPOINT 10. This turns the first revolving ledge, dumping the big stone block onto the ledge below. It also retracts the shackle on the mechanism's right arm, but only as long as Lara remains on the pad. Step off it now and wait for the rotating ledge to return to its original position. Then jump across the ledges to the far corner. Move the carved stone block onto the second pressure pad. This turns the second revolving ledge and retracts the shackle on the left arm. With the block depressing the pad, the ledge and shackle remain in place.

Jump back across the ledges to the other corner, where you started. Now face the center ledge and stand on the first pressure pad again. Wait until the revolving ledge has moved as far as it will go. Then run and jump onto it as it begins to turn back. Try to land on the revolving ledge just as it moves past its vertical position. Otherwise Lara may fall. Keep going forward and jump to the center ledge. Quickly turn to face the mechanism and use the magnetic grapple to pull out the sun symbol before the shackle on the left closes.

A brief cut scene shows the sluice gate opening and water beginning to flow. Then CHECKPOINT 11 registers.

If you are too slow, just jump back to the corner ledge and try again. If Lara falls, climb onto the dark stone block below the left corner ledge (i.e., the block that had been on the revolving ledge). Jump to grab a crack in the wall, jump up to grab the handhold above, traverse around the corner to the left, then jump up twice to reach the ledge with the first pressure pad.

RETURNING TO THE WATERWHEEL ROOM:

Once you've completed the puzzle and gotten the water flowing, jump into the pool. Now follow the water leaving the room to the grate above the ladder where you initially climbed into this area. (If Lara dies before the next checkpoint, the game reloads here.) Climb down the ladder, let go and grab the crevice below. Then let go again to drop to the floor onto CHECKPOINT 12. Head forward to the top of the third (lowest) ladder. Climb back down to the WATERWHEEL ROOM.

Another cut scene shows the second waterwheel turning and powering the nearby traps.

Jump from the bottom of the ladder to grab one of the horizontal spikes on the waterwheel. Ride the wheel around and jump to grab the dangling rope. Then swing over to the ledge. If Lara falls, just stand beneath the waterwheel, jump to grab one of the spikes and try again.

TRAPPED HALLWAY:

Enter the hall, passing CHECKPOINT 13, and position Lara at the middle of the hallway, facing the spear trap, close but not touching it. Run or roll through just as the spears begin to retract. If you start at the spot where the autosave places Lara and roll forward once, she stops just before the next set of spears. Repeat the process for each set of spears, running or rolling through at the center just as the spears retract. (It may help to tilt the camera a bit so you're looking down on the spears from behind Lara. Then when the ones behind her close, you can still see clearly.)

The next trap involves a set of spinning blades. The exchange between Zip and Lara hints at a strategy. To get through safely, move the carved stone block away from the wall and then push it ahead of Lara through the blades. This can be done either by pushing the block straight down the center of the passageway or along one wall. The first method can be a little tricky. If the block is off center, the blades can knock it sideways and slice into Lara. Pushing the block along one wall is more reliable as long as you stop as soon as both blades on that side are embedded in the block. Then climb on top of the block and jump over the blades on the other side. Or, carefully run around the block once the blades on the other wall have moved off.

NOTE: If you're daring, or in a hurry, as in Time Trial mode, try waiting until the blades move apart and then roll under the high set and jump over the low set. It requires more precise timing but saves precious seconds.

Follow the hall to another spinning blade trap. Since you can't get the first carved block up the stairs, you'll need to find another. Turn away from the trap and scan the wall ahead. There's another dark brown movable block recessed into the wall. Pull it out and use it to get through the blade trap as you did the previous one. Here pushing the block along the left wall seems to work best.

ROLLING BOULDER TRAP:

Continue past CHECKPOINT 14, up a flight of stairs, around a corner and down another flight of stairs. Just before the next spear trap, a cut scene interrupts. Lara feels a rumbling as a huge boulder rolls toward her from behind. When the cut scene ends, you must react immediately. Hold the Forward key continuously (or press forward on the left stick) to run straight ahead. Do not try to steer left or right. Just roll under the first set of spears and continue running straight forward. Then roll under the second set of spears. Keep running straight ahead, jump to clear the spike pit, and run on into the doorway ahead. If you go too slowly, get stuck on the spears, or fall into the pit, Lara dies. Once you reach the doorway, another brief cut scene shows how she escapes. Proceed to the exit and CHECKPOINT 15.

NOTE: I want to thank Scott J. for this simple but easily overlooked strategy. It works perfectly on the PC, and PS2 and Xbox players have also reported having good luck with it.

OUTSIDE THE RUINS:

Lara emerges on a ledge high above the entrance. To the left is a ladder. Jump across the opening in the floor to grab the rungs and climb down to find a silver reward (3/4). Lara can scale the Andes, but apparently she can't scramble over some broken pillars, so climb back up the ladder.

NOTES: If Lara dies before reaching the next checkpoint, remember to get the silver reward again. Or, after you've obtained it re-enter the trapped hallway. Jump across the spike pit and run up the hall just to CHECKPOINT 14. Don't worry; there's no boulder this time. Then return outside to CHECKPOINT 15, which will register again.

If Lara falls into the water or if you missed any of the first 3 rewards in the pool, you can retrieve them now and climb back up. See the beginning of the walkthrough for the locations of the rewards. When you have them all, use CHECKPOINT 2 on the island with the drawbridge. Then face the ruins and swim to the small ledge at water level between the drawbridge and the right end of the pool. Climb the ledges and jump back over to the building. When you first visited this area, a big rock blocked this path, but the rolling boulder dislodged it. (For additional details, see the page about the second shortcut at the start of the level.) Once you've reached the lower level of the ruins, climb the ladder near where you found silver reward #3 and use CHECKPOINT 15 again.

SCALING THE FRONT OF THE RUINS:

From CHECKPOINT 15, just outside the TRAPPED HALLWAY, jump to grab the horizontal pole. Swing around and jump to grab a handhold on the square column ahead. Climb around the corner to the left and jump straight up to grab the handhold above. Climb to the left around the next corner. Lean back (left) and jump across the gap to grab a handhold on the next square column. There's a loose boulder directly overhead, but it won't fall until Lara grabs the handhold above. So climb just a little to the left if necessary and jump straight up to grab that ledge. Then immediately jump back to grab the horizontal pole before the boulder falls and crushes Lara. Once Lara is hanging from the pole, she's safe. Swing and jump to grab the next horizontal pole. Swing, jump and grab the ledge beyond. Then climb onto the ledge above.

Here, Lara loses radio contact with the guys. Move around to the right, passing CHECKPOINT 16, and face the suspended platform. Jump onto it and ride it down to a lower level. When it stops, jump from the platform to grab the ledge ahead; pull up. Run across the ledge and jump to grab the next suspended platform. Pull up to stand on it. The second platform doesn't move, so take a running jump down to the next ledge and CHECKPOINT 17. Again, Lara gets no signal from her headset.

Turn around to face the building. Scanning this area with the binoculars in RAD mode reveals a few unstable spots, but Lara can get past them. First, jump from where the uneven ledge juts out to grab the nearest horizontal pole. Swing around it and jump to grab the rough stone projection beyond. Traverse to the left so Lara is clinging to the face of the building. Rubble falling from above signals danger, but the loose boulder won't start to fall until Lara grabs the handhold above. Make sure she is positioned below the right end of that handhold, jump up to grab it, then immediately jump to the right to grab the next horizontal pole before the boulder falls.

Swing around the pole and jump to grab the next higher pole. Turn back to face the third pole in this group. Swing and jump to grab it. Then swing around and jump to grab a narrow ledge on the square column ahead. Another boulder falls from above, so quickly climb around the corner to the left to get out of the way. (Or jump back to the pole. Then, when the boulder falls, swing back to the handhold and climb around to the left.) Jump up to grab a higher handhold. Climb around the next corner and then jump back to land on the wide ledge. Enter the ruins again here.

INSIDE THE RUINS (upper levels):

Follow the hallway past CHECKPOINT 18.

In a short cut scene ("Dearest Amelia"), Lara picks up a shiny object from the floor, which turns out to be a brooch given to her mother by her father. She still can't raise Zip over the radio, so she presses on.

Turn on the PLS and head down the dark stairs. Use the magnetic grapple to swing across the 2 spike pits. Approach the next corner cautiously. Two mercenaries guard a wooden bridge spanning a deep pit. A metal box on the left before the bridge provides some cover. If you don't need the health or ammo they may drop, you can kill these two with minimal fuss: Sneak up to the metal box and peer out toward the bridge. Draw pistols and use manual aim to target the large rectangular block on the ceiling above the bridge. A few shots will drop the block onto the bridge, sending the mercenaries into the pit. When you kill the first two men, a third solider appears on the other side of the bridge. Take him out and then grapple-swing across the pit. (Thanks to both Gary and Roger B. for pointing this out.)

Alternately, if you're low on supplies, shoot the soldiers so their bodies don't fall into the pit. Then cross over and pick up any dropped items (health packs, rifle ammo, grenades). Continue to the next room.

BIG ROOM WITH WATERFALLS & WOODEN BRIDGE:

Enter the room, pass CHECKPOINT 19 and turn right. The brownish door beside the small waterfall conceals the final silver reward (4/4). To reach it, swing across the horizontal poles to the square pillar in the corner. Climb to the left and jump past the gushing water to grab another handhold. Then drop onto the ledge. Stay up on this little step, out of harm's way, and use a grenade to blow open the door. Get the reward and return to the handhold above the small step. Climb to the right and jump past the cascade to the corner pillar.

Climb up the corner pillar: first straight up, then around the corner to the left, then straight up twice, then around the corner to the right, then up once more. When you've climbed as high as you can, jump back to grab the horizontal pole. Swing and jump to the next pole. Finally, swing and jump to the ledge with the fuel barrels.

NOTE: You may want to save the game here. The next fight can be a bit tricky, and this is the last chance to stock up on ammo and health before the upcoming fight with James Rutland. If you save before taking on the mercenaries and it doesn't go the way you want it to, you can reload and try again.

COMBAT IN THE WATERFALL ROOM:

You may find a better strategy for dealing with the numerous mercenaries in this area, but here's mine: Stand next to the stream a near the metal bridge and fuel barrels. Watch the men below and when one of them walks out onto the bridge, kick one of the barrels into the stream (Interact). It will go over the falls and explode, destroying the bridge and killing the man. (If you're not proficient with rope swinging, skip the business with the barrel so the wooden bridge will remain intact.)

Cross the metal bridge, taking care not to fall in. If that happens, Lara will be swept over the falls and killed. Run forward toward the far wall (i.e., the left side of the room when facing the mercenaries). There's a small staircase leading down to the ledge below. Move down just as far as the landing. Turn right to face the front of the room. Then you can strafe out to the left to shoot the 2 soldiers waiting here and move back to the right when you need to reload. (If you don't destroy the bridge, the third man here usually crosses the bridge to the other side, but look out for him just in case.) Move forward along the ledge but stay to the right, next to the stairs and out of view of all but one of the men on the far ledge. As soon as you can get a lock on the man ahead on the left, shoot him.

Now there should be 3 or 4 mercenaries remaining, depending on whether you killed that first man by destroying the bridge. Move forward until you can target the man in the white shirt. Take him out quickly, since he's carrying a grenade launcher. This is especially important if you haven't already destroyed the bridge. Do not step out onto the bridge until he's dead, since he can blow it out from under Lara. You may want to take cover in the corner behind the metal boxes on the left. They don't offer complete protection, but they seem to help a little. Once the grenade launcher guy is dead, move out and deal with the last 2 or 3 mercenaries.

Cross the wooden bridge. Or, if the bridge has been destroyed, use the 3 dangling ropes to swing across. Then turn left and cross the metal bridge to the exit door, picking rifle ammo, health packs and grenades as you go. You can also get the GRENADE LAUNCHER here if you want it.

NOTE: When crossing the wooden bridge, do not step on the seam where the bridge meets the far ledge. If you do, Lara may get stuck between the textures. Then you'll have to quit the game and reload.

IMPORTANT: The checkpoints in this area are not placed very well. In order to make sure you have all rewards and are ready for the upcoming boss fight, be sure to pick up any dropped health packs and ammo, and choose between the ASSAULT RIFLE and the GRENADE LAUNCHER before crossing the next checkpoint. If Lara dies in the next room and the game reloads, all of the items the mercenaries dropped will have disappeared.

Also, before moving on, make sure you have silver reward #4. If Lara died while fighting the mercenaries, and the game reloaded at CHECKPOINT 19, you may have forgotten to get it a second time. If you missed it before, you can still get it now.

ROOM WITH BROKEN STAIRS & ROPE:

When you have everything you need to finish the level, go through the exit from the waterfall room (i.e., where the guy with the grenade launcher was standing). Cross CHECKPOINT 20, and advance with pistols drawn. A leopard lurks in the shadows, but you can kill it with pistols if you back out while shooting. It won't follow Lara into the waterfall room. If it doesn't die right away, move in again to target it and back out shooting. Once it's dead, re-enter the room.

GOLD REWARD:

There's one last reward behind the big, brown doors but, unlike the others, these are blast-proof. You'll have to find another way to open them. Grab the bottom of the broken stairs on the left and pull up. Run up the stairs to the broken area to trigger a rolling boulder from above. Then run off the stairs to the right to avoid being flattened. To save time, try to jump and grab the dangling rope in the process. If you can't catch the rope, don't worry. Just drop to the floor and wait for a second boulder to pass before climbing back up. Then jump from the staircase to the rope.

Adjust Lara's position on the rope and swing over to the right staircase. Run up the stairs just a short way to trigger a third boulder. As soon as you hear the rumbling or see the screen start to shake, either run down the stairs into the small alcove, or keep running up the stairs and duck into the alcove ahead on the right. You could also jump back to the rope, or just run off the edge near the rope. Once the boulder passes, continue up the flight of stairs on the right.

Stand on the pressure pad to open the door ahead, but don't go through yet. This same pad also opens the big doors below. Stand on the pad until the door in front of you has opened fully. Then you'll know the ones down below are also open. Both doors start to close as soon as Lara steps off the pad. So run down either set of stairs, hop down to the floor below the rope, and run through the big doors before they close. Once you reach the gold reward (1/1), the lower doors remain open. Climb back up to the pressure pad, use it to open the exit and run/roll through to CHECKPOINT 21.

Upon entering the final room of the level, a cut scene ("The Ghalali Key") shows Lara confronting Rutland. He tells her about the key used to reassemble the sword. He also says that Amanda's believes Lara's father found this key. But before Lara can get more information out of him, he starts showing off his fragment's special powers.

FIGHTING RUTLAND:

Depending on how you play it, this battle can be quite a bit harder than the one with Takamoto. James Rutland is not only tough and fast; he also has the ability to heal himself during battle, using the four ledges around the edge of the room. He slashes with his sword fragment in close combat, injuring Lara and knocking her off balance, and he throws grenades from a distance.

You may be able to defeat him very easily, however, using this quick-and-dirty strategy:

• Make sure you've picked up 4 grenades in the waterfall room before starting this fight. Equip the assault rifle or grenade launcher. Either weapon will work if you're playing on Easy or Medium difficulty, but the grenade launcher is better on the Hard setting, since Rutland is a little tougher.
• As soon as the cut scene ends, target Rutland (i.e., in Standard Combat Mode, point the camera toward him and hold the Target Lock button). He will be standing on one of the ledges. Just before he jumps down, throw a grenade. It should land right underneath him. If you time it correctly, the grenade will explode just as he hits the ground, knocking him off balance.
• Continue holding Target Lock and throwing grenades as quickly as you can until you run out. Then immediately follow up with rifle fire or launched grenades. As long as that first grenade knocks him down and you continue hitting him without pause, he won't be able to get up and jump back onto the ledge to heal. You can kill him this way in about 10 seconds.
• Alternately, shoot Rutland with pistols or the rifle, while evading his attacks, until he returns to one of the ledges to heal. Keep a lock on him. Then, just as he is about to jump back down, start throwing grenades and shooting as described above.

If you are unable to defeat Rutland using the grenade method, or if you just want to test your skills, try the traditional strategy, which seems to be what the designers intended.

• Start with pistols and save your more powerful weapon and grenades for the final stage of the fight. Also, try and conserve health packs as much as possible. Only use one if Lara has less than half her health remaining.
• Run, jump and roll to stay out of Rutland's way as much as possible. Don't let him get Lara up against a wall, try to avoid his grenades and keep shooting at him whenever you get an opportunity. In the early part of the fight, it's more important to conserve Lara's health than to injure Rutland, though you do want to weaken him somewhat so he'll retreat temporarily.
• Once he's lost about a third of his health, he'll leap up onto one of the ledges to heal. As soon as he does this for the first time, you will be able to target the red crystals on the underside of each ledge. Do this by holding Interact, as you would when shooting an environmental hazard. Quickly shoot one of the crystals to reveal a shiny grapple point.
• Immediately holster your weapons, grapple the ledge and press Interact to pull it down. By the time you finish, Rutland should be back at full health and ready to continue fighting. You can sometimes gain a few extra seconds by pulling down the ledge on which he's standing. When it falls, he'll take a moment to get up, during which you can continue to fire.
• You can either try and shoot all the crystals before pulling down the ledges or concentrate on completely destroying one ledge at a time. If you're agile, you may be able to dodge Rutland's attacks while working on the ledges, but I found it easier to shoot him with pistols until he retreats. Then use that time to destroy as many ledges as possible.
• Once all four ledges are gone, Rutland can no longer regenerate, so you can pull out the heavy artillery. If you've been careful, you should have at least one health pack left. (Oh, how I pine for the days of unlimited saves and the bottomless backpack!) Continue to attack while dodging his grenades and avoiding his slashing attacks.
• When he loses a third of his health, he may run toward the wall, as though getting ready to jump onto a ledge. If this happens, start lobbing grenades at him. You may be able to finish him off this way. Otherwise, just keep plugging away until he finally falls.

Here's another alternate strategy, which doesn't always work but is useful when it does:

• First blast Rutland with pistols until he jumps onto one of the ledges to heal. Then quickly roll under that particular ledge and crouch Lara beneath the angled support. Rutland may or may not be distracted by this and decide to stay up above. If he's not fooled and jumps down, either reload and try again or continue shooting him until he retreats to another ledge and try again.
• If he remains on the ledge above, stand up and inch out from under the support just a bit. You can now take your time shooting the crystals and pulling down the other three ledges.
• Sometimes Lara will target the ledge directly above instead of one of the others. If this happens, use manual aim to shoot then grapple the correct ledge.
• Finally, shoot the crystal above and then use the grapple to pull down the last ledge, where Rutland is standing. Run out and blast him with your weapon of choice. Since he can't heal himself without the ledges, the fight should be fairly short. If you can blast him with grenades then guns before he manages to scramble out of the rubble, you may be able to finish him off before he can even attack.

Thanks to Alf for this strategy.

When Rutland is near death, a cut scene ("Two Shards") interrupts. As he kneels injured on the floor, Lara checks the fit between his fragment and the one she recovered from Takamoto. She deduces that the sword was designed to come apart and be reassembled using the Ghalali key. Before Lara leaves him to ponder a future without her in it, Rutland informs her that Amanda, believing Richard Croft did find the key, is now searching Croft Manor to find it.

A second cinematic ("Hasty Departure") shows Lara racing away from the ruins on her motorcycle. At last she's able to contact her friends, who tell her Amanda has come and gone. The trail now leads to Kazakhstan, where Soviet scientists had apparently been studying another piece of the sword.