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Lara Croft

Tomb Raider 7: Legend

LEVEL 6: ENGLAND - KING ARTHUR'S TOMB?

Items: health packs, grenades, assault rifle, submachine gun, shotgun, grenade launcher, ammunition
Enemies: mercenaries, dogs, giant serpent
Rewards: 9 bronze, 5 silver, 1 gold
Time Trial: 27:00

IMPORTANT: The only health packs available in this level are toward the end, after the boss fight. Unless you're very nimble with the controls, Lara will take some damage during that battle. So I highly recommend not using any health packs as you go along. Instead, if Lara is badly injured but still alive, try to make it to the next checkpoint. Then just save and reload, and she'll be restored to full health.

BUG NOTES: There are several potential bugs in this level. One can prevent you from obtaining a reward. The others prevent you from continuing in the game at all. I suggest making several saves in new slots as you go. Then you can try reverting to earlier checkpoints if either bug does occur. Details appear in the relevant sections below.

The initial cinematic ("Destination: Cornwall") shows Lara's rendezvous with Zip and Alister at a derelict tourist attraction called Professor Worth's King Arthur Museum. Alister mentions rumors that a real tomb was discovered here some years ago. Lara apparently agrees it's worth checking out.

ENTERING THE MUSEUM:

CHECKPOINT 1 is at the start. Here Lara looks up to the right at a grate on the wall above the "Gift Shop" sign. Use the magnetic grapple to pull out the grate. Move the wooden crate from inside the gift shop under the opening and use it to climb up into the hole. Shoot the small wooden box to get the bronze reward (1/9) inside. Use the grapple to pull out the metal grate at floor level. Duck through the opening and drop into the alley behind the building, where you'll find CHECKPOINT 2.

BACK ALLEY:

Go forward to the iron fence. To get over it, jump to grab the top of the window nearest the fence. Jump up to grab a higher handhold. Traverse to the left above the fence and drop down. Throw the switch on the electrical box to restore power. This also causes current to spark from the wire dangling into the puddle on the other side of the fence.

Climb the drainpipe in the corner and jump to the right to grab the ledge. Traverse to the right above the fence, drop and grab the top of the window below, and then jump from window to window above the electrified puddle all the way to the right. Jump to the right once more to clear the puddle. With the power on, the door now works. Re-enter the building and go through the first room and around to the left. Pull the "sword in the stone" to open the wooden door. Go through to CHECKPOINT 3.

KING ARTHUR'S COURT EXHIBIT:

Throughout this area, you can press buttons to activate the various exhibits. These elicit anguished comments about historical inaccuracy from Alister and a few jokes from Zip. Mind the hole in the floor. If Lara does fall through, there's a pile of debris and a makeshift ladder she can use to climb out.

To the right of the hole, opposite the exhibit with the 3 knights, there's a square opening in the wall. Jump over the gap in the floor to grab the edge of this opening. Pull up and hop down into the room beyond. Shoot the box to get another bronze reward (2/9). To get out, climb into the opening, tap Forward to drop and hang from the edge, then jump back to land on the floor beyond the gap.

To get over the big hole in the floor, stand on the planks laid across it, facing the 2 horizontal signposts sticking out of the wall. Jump to grab the first one. Swing around it and jump to grab the second signpost, which swings toward the right wall. Before it swings back, jump to grab the horizontal pole protruding from the back wall (and now directly behind Lara). If the second signpost swings back before you can jump off, jump back to the first signpost, turn around and try again. From the horizontal pole on the back wall, swing and jump to grab the top of the wooden door ahead. (It's easy to miss this particular grab and end up hanging by one hand. If that happens, don't forget to press Interact to do a saving grab.) The door opens downward like a drawbridge. As it starts to descend, jump back to the pole. Then quickly turn around, swing around the pole and jump into the opening before the door closes again. If you miss the jump through the wooden door, climb out of the pit and repeat the whole sequence.

Beyond the exhibit about Excalibur, there's another hole in the floor. Use pistols set on manual aim to shoot the shiny ring above the makeshift shrine, which looks like it's made from a rowboat. The boat falls down over the hole, forming a ledge. Jump onto it and from there to the floor beyond. Again, if Lara falls, there's a ladder made of boards that can be used to climb out of the pit.

Before leaving this room, duck or roll through the small, square duct at floor level to the right of the diorama with the knights dueling. There you'll find another bronze reward (3/9) in a wooden box. Get it and come back out.

Pull the sword-in-the-stone switch next to the door. This time, the door malfunctions and the wooden panel next to it splinters. To open the door, grapple the counterweight beside the door and pull to raise it. Then detach the grapple and roll through before the door closes.

WAREHOUSE WITH CRATES & FORKLIFT:

CHECKPOINT 4 is near the forklift, which you'll now use to find a couple of rewards and open the exit. First, use the grapple to pull out the metal grate high on the wall.

NOTE: At this point, you may want to use the grapple to drag the metal grate off to one side to prevent the forklift from getting stuck on it when you start driving around.

Press Interact to get on and off the forklift. Use direction keys to drive around and H/K (L1/R1 or L2/R2 on the PS2, LT/LB or RT/RB on the Xbox) to raise and lower the fork. (The Controls page has details.) In case you've never seen a real forklift in action, note how each crate is set on a wooden pallet with a hollow spot where the fork fits. To move a crate, lower the fork and drive the forklift straight at the center of the crate to fit the fork into the pallet. If you hook the crate off center, it will be harder to pick up. Once the fork is in position, raise it and drive slowly to where you want to place the crate. Then lower the fork and back away.

There's already one wooden crate on the forklift when you enter. Use the forklift to move it into the corner beneath the opening where the grate was. It doesn't need to be positioned too precisely. Now use the forklift to pick up another crate. Maneuver the forklift so the crate it's holding is directly beneath the grate. Raise the fork to its highest position. Then step off. Climb onto the first crate you moved. Then climb onto the crate on the forklift. From there, you should be able to reach the opening. Stacking two crates below the opening and then placing a third nearby to use as a step also works but takes longer.

The professor's office is inside. There's a silver reward (1/5) in plain sight, and by examining the notes on the desk, Lara discovers that the historian who created this "museum" may have known more than the cheesy exhibits let on. Perhaps the real tomb is nearby.

Climb back down to the forklift and use it to barge through the opening behind the stacked crates. Drive on down the stairs.

CENOTAPH & SECRET PASSAGE:

Lara and the guys discuss the difference between a tomb and a cenotaph, this being the latter. Ram the forklift into the crypt directly opposite the entrance, revealing a silver reward (2/5).

Now drive the forklift into the crates near the rough section of wall on the left side of the room (use binoculars in RAD mode if you're having trouble spotting this) and smash through to a hidden passageway. Ignore Alister's warnings for now and continue, crossing CHECKPOINT 5.

Raise the fork and drive through the spear traps. Lara will not be injured. When you come to the closed gate, lower the fork, drive toward the gate and then raise the fork all the way to lift the gate. Drive on through another spear trap and continue forward, smashing through the wall.

An interactive cut scene begins. Press the control indicated by the icon that appears on-screen to save Lara from a long fall. The correct controls are:

PC: Up
PS2: X
Xbox: A
PSP: X
GameCube: A

TALL ROOM WITH BROKEN STAIRS:

CHECKPOINT 6 is triggered once you survive the cut scene. There are 2 bronze rewards (4/9 and 5/9) in alcoves, one to the right of the entrance, one on the far wall to the left. These can be retrieved using the magnetic grapple. Once you have them, go down the broken stairs on the left. Watch your (Lara's) step. It's a long way down.

IMPORTANT: The way the next checkpoint is positioned relative to the nearby reward is problematic. The checkpoint registers just before you get bronze #6. If Lara subsequently dies, the game reloads at checkpoint 7, placing her in a position where you can no longer get that reward. It's probably a good idea to save manually after checkpoint 6. Then if Lara dies anywhere in this room, reload the checkpoint 6 save, get all three bronze rewards (4-6) again and continue to checkpoint 8 before saving again. If you're playing the PC or PSP game and have already run into this problem, you're welcome to download my savegame files for England, which include checkpoint 8. Instructions are linked to that same page.

To get down, first take a running jump from the stairs to grab the sill of the small alcove on the left wall. Climb to the right and jump to grab the narrow ledge beyond. Quickly climb toward the corner before the ledge crumbles. The broken stairs below are also unstable, so as soon as Lara lands turn and run to the bottom of the stairs. Then jump the gap to the solid landing in the next corner.

Move to the bottom of the stairs and jump to grab the horizontal pole jutting out of the wall above. Adjust Lara's position left to right then swing and jump to the tall, narrow alcove on the far side of the room. Drop and hang from the edge. Climb to the right and jump to grab the narrow ledge with the row of windows above. This long ledge crumbles as Lara goes. So tap Interact to move more quickly as you climb to the right. When you reach the corner, triggering CHECKPOINT 7, don't drop down onto the staircase. Instead, pull up into the alcove above. Run to the left, behind the row of windows, to find another bronze reward (6/9). Return to the opening near the corner and drop down onto the ledge.

Jump from the stairs to the dangling chain. Climb down a bit, adjust Lara's angle, then swing and jump to the broken stairs in the middle of the far wall. The stairs begin to collapse, so quickly turn right and take a running jump to the solid landing in the corner.

Alternately, swing from the chain to the alcove on the left wall. Climb to the right and drop to grab the niche below. Climb to the right again and then drop down to the next niche. Note that the sills of these small niches start to break away when Lara grabs them, so you must move quickly. Position Lara near the middle of the lowest alcove and then jump back to land on the broken stairs. Before they collapse, run down and jump to the solid landing in the corner.

Once you reach the solid landing, move to the bottom of the stairs and jump to grab the alcove on the left wall. Climb to the right around the corner and drop into the alcove. Hang from the edge of the alcove, climb to the right a bit if necessary, drop onto the angled rock below and slide down to floor.

NOTE: On one side of the room there's a movable panel with the Roman numeral III carved into it. This is part of the gold reward puzzle, but you can leave it alone for now since you'll return here at the end of the level.

CORRIDORS WITH FLAME TRAPS:

Go up the stairs past CHECKPOINT 8 to a gap with a pool of flaming oil below. Take a running jump across the gap either on the right side or diagonally from jutting corner to corner.

Continue to a series of flame traps in the floor. The first set of traps consists of a grate with flames that cycle on and off, then an area of burning coals, then another grate with intermittent flame, then more hot coals and finally a grate with no flames. To avoid stepping on the burning coals or a grate with active flames, first use the grapple to hook the metal cage sitting on the burner ahead. Pull it toward Lara. Then carefully position it on the first grate without letting Lara's feet touch the flames. Climb on top of the cage. Now watch the cycling flames. Jump over the hot coals onto the middle grate just as the flames are about to go out. As soon as Lara lands on the grate, run and jump over the next section of coals onto the third grate, which has no flames below, and continue to the safe floor ahead. Once you've passed the first trap, turn around and use the grapple to retrieve the cage so you can use it to get over the second flame trap the same way.

When you've cleared the second set of flames, use the grapple to pull the cage along after you. Push it up against the gate and use it to climb over into the next room. CHECKPOINT 9 is just inside.

ROOMS WITH SPINNING BLADE TRAPS:

The other doorways leading out of this room are blocked by spinning blades. Each set of blades can be stopped temporarily by positioning a cage in the doorway. Pull the lever to raise the gate you just climbed over so you can retrieve the first metal cage. There's a second cage in the room to the right. To get it, push the first cage beneath the blades in the doorway to stop them. If you position the cage on the right side of the opening, you can use the grapple to pull the second cage through the gap beside the first one.

Next, use either cage to halt the blades in the doorway on the left (i.e., nearest the lever and on the left when Lara's back is to the open gate). Retrieve the silver reward (3/5) inside and come back out.

Now push either cage beneath the blades in the middle doorway (i.e., opposite the open gate). Position the cage on one side of the opening so there's room on one side. Then either push the other cage through or use the grapple to pull it into the next room.

This larger room has high ledges on both sides and another set of spinning blades at the far end.

NOTE: There are movable stone panels on both of the high ledges. Like the one at the bottom of the tall room with the broken stairs, these panels are also used in obtaining the gold reward. Since you'll be returning this way at the end of the level, you can ignore them for now.

Push one cage beneath the blades on the other side of the room, go through and use the grapple to pull the other cage after you.

SECOND CORRIDOR WITH FLAME TRAP:

This flame trap is a bit larger than the previous ones. It is possible to cross it using only one of the metal cages (push the cage onto the first grate and then take a running dive off the cage), but it's much easier with two. Push one cage onto the first grate. Then line up the second cage right behind it and keep pushing so you have two cages in a row, covering two of the grates. Climb on top of the cages, run across them and jump to clear the flames. On the other side, use the lever to open the door and run through.

POOL AND PRESSURE PAD-TRIGGERED GATE:

Follow the hallway to CHECKPOINT 10. Just ahead is a pressure pad that opens the gate at the end of the hall. The problem is the gate closes if there is no weight on the pad. To get something to hold it open and get a reward on the way enter the room to the left, swim across the pool and climb out on the right side.

Stand facing the barred alcove with the bronze reward (7/9) so the dangling chandelier is between Lara and the reward. Use the magnetic grapple to pull the chandelier. Then release so it swings toward the alcove, breaking the bars. Use the grapple to snag the reward.

Grapple the second chandelier above the pool and pull it toward Lara. Then release the cable so the chandelier swings toward the alcove on the opposite wall, breaking the bars there. Use the grapple to pull the coffin in the alcove down into the water. Jump or climb on top of the coffin. Turn to face the entrance and grapple the metal sconce on the right wall. Press Interact to pull Lara along on top of the floating coffin.

When you reach that sconce, release the cable and grapple the sconce in the hallway beyond the pressure pad. Keep pulling to bring the coffin right up to the edge of the pool. Release the grapple, hop off the coffin, turn around and grapple it. Step back a bit. Then pull the coffin out of the water and onto the pressure pad. Now go through the gate at the end of the hall and continue to CHECKPOINT 11.

FLOODED PASSAGEWAYS:

At the checkpoint (1), just below the grating Lara is standing on, you can see a sparkling reward. Jump into the water (2). Swim against the current (tap Interact to swim faster) into the space below the grating to get the bronze cross (indicated on the map by an orange dot). Surface for air and then swim across the passage to pull the underwater lever (3) on the opposite wall. This opens the gate to the right (4), where you'll find another floating coffin.

NOTE: The rewards in this area are bronze reward (8/9) and silver reward (4/5). The numbers are left out of the description to avoid confusion with the numbers in the diagram.

Swim to the coffin and climb on top of it. As the current carries the coffin along the passageway, jump into the opening above on the right (5). If you miss it, climb back onto the coffin and use the grapple to hook one of the wall sconces. Then pull the coffin, with Lara on it, back to the opening and try the jump again.

Hop down into the water on the other side of the opening. Swim forward, turn left, swim forward toward another metal gate (9), then turn left again. At the end of this passage is yet another gate, beyond which you can see the coffin Lara was just riding. On the right, just below the surface of the water, is another lever (6). Pull it to open the gate (7).

Get on top of the coffin again and float along with the current to the intersection near the metal gate where the water is flowing out of this area. (9) Turn so that gate is behind Lara and you'll see a silver cross (indicated on the map by a blue dot) in a raised alcove at the end of the passageway straight ahead. (8) Grapple the sconce beside the alcove and pull the coffin back along the passage toward the alcove. When you've pulled the coffin as close as possible, release the cable and jump up onto the ledge. Grab the reward and quickly jump back down onto the coffin. (If the coffin floats away while you're getting the reward, swim over to it, climb on top, grapple the sconce near the alcove where the reward was, and pull to drag the coffin back that way.)

Turn so the alcove where you got the reward is behind Lara. Grapple the sconce next to the gate ahead, where the water flows out of this area (9), and pull. Position the coffin close enough to the gate so you can jump on top of it. Then jump into the water on the other side and let the current carry Lara away (10).

A brief cut scene shows Lara going over a waterfall into a large pool.

SUBTERRANEAN LAKE & TOMB ENTRANCE:

Swim across the lake toward the building and climb out of the water.

BUG WARNING: There is a bug following the next section, which can be triggered by playing with the levers before entering the tomb. You need to do a fairly specific wrong thing to trigger the bug, but just to be safe, do not pull any of the levers at this time. See the next bug warning for more info. Also, if you haven't already done so, you may want to save in a new slot before entering the tomb.

The temple door is locked, so Lara will have to find another way in. The lovely ledges are enticing, but before starting to climb, use the magnetic grapple to arrange the 2 lampposts so they'll be useful. Position the lamppost to the right of the entrance so its end points toward the lake. Move the one on the left so it is parallel to the base of the ramp. On the far left, when facing the building, there's a tall, square platform with luminescent blue bands that serve as handholds. Climb on top of the platform to CHECKPOINT 12.

Turn right and jump to grab the horizontal bar. Swing around it and jump onto the ramp. Slide just a little and jump to grab the lamppost. Lara's weight causes it to rotate back to the left. Swing around the bar, jump, and then quickly press Jump again to grapple the lantern high above the door. Swing forward and jump to detach the cable and grab the second lamppost. It also rotates back to its original position. Swing around it and jump to grab the narrow stone step ahead. Pull up. Climb onto the higher step and jump to grab the horizontal crevice. Climb to the right and then jump to grab the light-colored windowsill above. Climb to the right and jump to grab the next sill. Climb along the second windowsill. Then jump to the right (not backward) to grab the gold chain. Climb to the top of the chain and jump onto the roof to trigger CHECKPOINT 13.

ON THE ROOF OF THE TOMB:

Cross the rooftop, past the belfry with the dangling rope, to the far side where it's quite dark. Just before the roof slopes upward, look to the right to find another silver reward (5/5). Return to the belfry, jump to grab the dangling bell rope and drop down into the tomb.

Lara examines the King's crypt and those of his knights. Lara and her helpers have a lengthy discussion on the archetypal nature of the Arthur-Merlin legend. (This cut scene is titled "Myth Becomes Fact".)

THE KNIGHTS' FINAL RESTING PLACE:

Approach Sir Bedivere's crypt in the row of crypts on the left when facing the King's glowing sarcophagus. (It is carved with the old spelling, "BEDWYR".)

In another shorter cut scene ("Bedivere's Legacy"), Lara reads aloud how Bedivere returned a fragment of Excalibur to Arthur. The subject of Avalon the mystical island realm to which Arthur supposedly traveled after his death also arises.

Now, to retrieve the sword fragment and open the door. Grasp the end of Bedivere's crypt and pull it across the floor. Notice the two columns in the middle of the room. One is broken off at the top. Push the chunk of crypt up against the broken column.

EASTER EGG:

If you look closely at the rubble on the floor where the two pieces of Bedivere's crypt separate, you'll notice inscriptions that include the words "Crystal Dynamics". You can use the binoculars for a closer look.

Stand facing the exit with Lara's back toward King Arthur's remains, so the dangling chandelier and silver bell are between Lara and the door, and the broken column is on Lara's left. Use the magnetic grapple to pull the chandelier as far as possible toward Lara. Release it and run to the chunk of stone you just moved. Use it to climb onto the broken pillar, turn right and jump to grab the rope with the iron counterweight. Lara's weight pulls it down, raising the bell. If you've pulled the chandelier hard enough, it will then swing forward and strike the bell.

A cut scene ensues, in which the bell's reverberating ring shatters the sarcophagus and opens the exit. Lara takes the piece of Excalibur, with apologies to the King of course. But before she can share her triumph, Lara hears her friends over the headset, and they're in trouble. (This cinematic is called "The Final Piece".)

BATTLING THE SERPENT:

CHECKPOINT 14 registers after the cut scene. Exit the building and prepare for a confrontation. As Lara nears the broken bridge, a huge serpent rises from the water. It cannot be defeated with normal weapons. Instead, you must use the objects at hand to bring it down, while dodging its spitting attacks and staying away from its powerful jaws.

There are 4 levers and 4 large, cylindrical bells on little islands out in the pool. Each lever is just reachable with the magnetic grapple from the shore or the broken bridge. Grappling and pulling a lever causes a metal cage to drop from above. The goal is to shoot each of the bells repeatedly with pistols so the ringing sound will mesmerize the serpent. Then quickly holster your guns, grapple the lever next to the bell and pull to drop the cage on the serpent's head. This must be done four times in all. Each time you succeed, the serpent destroys that particular bell and cage and loses a fourth of its health.

Simpler said than done, naturally. Below are step-by-step instructions, as well as some general tips.

BUG WARNING: There is a bug here, in which one or more of the cages get stuck and won't drop when you pull the corresponding levers. Eidos Interactive has an official support page on this issue. Apparently this bug is triggered if the player attempts to grapple the lever at the precise moment that the cage reaches its highest possible position. If that occurs, it then becomes impossible to pull the lever again.

PREVENTION: Do not grapple any of the levers levers before entering the tomb, and once you're in the midst of the serpent battle, do not press the grapple key repeatedly.

SOLUTION: If you've already encountered the bug, you'll need to reload a save made before you triggered it, whether that was before entering the tomb or before the fight with the serpent. PC and PSP users can download a savegame of mine if necessary. Then replay this section using the 'prevention' tips in the previous paragraph.

One player suggested using the Action Replay Max for the PS2. Apparently the 'Debug Level Select' cheat fixes this glitch. I have not used it myself so I cannot guarantee it will work. In any case, I would not recommend buying it just to fix this bug, but if you already have an Action Replay, you could give it a shot.

Step-by-step instructions for defeating the serpent:

  • Before leaving the tomb, save the game, preferably in a new slot. Then, if the fight goes badly, just reload and start again. Do not overwrite a previous save made before entering the subterranean lake, since you may need it if you encounter the bug mentioned above.
  • Also, try setting the combat mode to Advanced Hold (if it's not already). This makes the part where you have to shoot, holster weapons and quickly throw the grapple (as described below) much easier.
  • The serpent emerges from the pool on the right. So run toward the near right bell first. If you start shooting at the bell as soon as the initial cut scene ends, you may be able to distract the serpent before it even notices Lara. (A few players have suggested starting to shoot the bell before the cut scene, but this didn't make a difference for me, playing the PC version.)
  • Keep shooting at the bell continuously as you move in close enough for the targeting reticule to turn red (when using pistols). This will also ensure that Lara is close enough to reach the lever with the grapple when the time comes.
  • As you shoot, you'll see reverberating sound waves start to emanate from the bell. When the sound becomes loud enough, the serpent will turn toward the bell, ignoring Lara for a short time.
  • As soon as you see the serpent start to turn toward the bell, stop shooting and holster Lara's guns. There's no need to wait for the serpent to be completely mesmerized. You'll have a little more time this way.
  • As noted above, if you set the combat mode to Advanced Hold, as soon as you release the fire button, Lara holsters her guns and you can immediately grapple the lever without having to press an extra button. If you're using standard or advanced toggle mode, press the Target Lock button (G/L1/LT) to holster guns.
  • As soon as Lara's guns are away, press the Grapple button. Press firmly but only once. Lara should grapple the lever.
  • Then press Interact to pull on the cable, cranking the lever forward and dropping the cage on the serpent's head.
  • You need to work quickly to grapple and pull the lever before the serpent turns its attention back to Lara, but it's important to work methodically as well. Whichever combat mode you're using, don't tap the holster/grapple/pull buttons repeatedly. It's tempting in the heat of battle, but a firm press on each button with a brief pause between works better. Frantically tapping the grapple key can actually cause the bug mentioned above.
  • When you do this correctly, a short cut scene shows the cage dropping on the serpent's head. The beast then angrily smashes the bell, losing about a quarter of its health in the process.
  • As soon as you regain control of Lara following the cut scene, start running toward the bell on the left nearest the shore, shooting as you go to start it ringing. The serpent will submerge and come up next to the left bell. If necesary, strafe back and forth along the shore to avoid the snake's spitting and headbutt attacks, but keep shooting the bell. When the serpent turns toward the source of the sound, repeat the holster...grapple...pull sequence.
  • Do the same for the remaining bells and cages. When the fourth cage drops on the snake's head, it falls back into the pool, its body forming a bridge to the exit.
Some general tips (in no particular order):
  • If Lara falls in the water, the serpent will scoop her up and fling her back toward the entrance to the tomb. This causes quite a bit of damage, so try to avoid it, especially if you don't have extra health packs.
  • If you succeed in pulling a lever but the cage misses the serpent, move on to a different bell and lever. Or run inside the building and back out again, giving the dropped cage time to reset before you try again.
  • Generally the order in which you drop the cages doesn't matter. However, I've had the best results starting with the one on the near right, where the serpent first comes out of the water, then moving to the near left. Then finally dealing with the two beyond the end of the broken bridge.
  • Several other players have recommended working from right to left, beginning with the bell near where the serpent comes up, then moving onto the bridge for the second and third, then back to the shore for the fourth (leftmost) bell.
  • If you have trouble with the two levers at the end of the broken bridge (as described in the next note), you may want to start with the one that causes the most trouble for you (usually the far left). Then, if all goes well, continue with the others.
  • When working on the two levers at the end of the broken bridge, sometimes Lara will grapple the wrong lever. To prevent this, point the camera directly at the correct lever (using the mouse or right stick), so that the other lever is not visible, and then grapple. If you can't see the other lever, Lara generally won't aim for it. It also helps to stand close to the end of the bridge, on or just behind the cracked area.
  • Note that there is no grapple icon on the levers, as there is on most other objects that can be grappled. Even so, you do not need to use manual aim here. As long as you follow the other steps above, Lara should grapple each lever when you press the Grapple button.
  • Several PlayStation users have recommend holding down the Grapple button (Square) while working the other controls. That doesn't seem to work on the PC game, but maybe it helps on the consoles.
  • A few players recommend using the rifle instead of pistols. It does allow you to target the bells from farther away, but sometimes the grapple won't reach that far and you'll need to run in closer anyway. Try it if you like, but I prefer the pistols.
  • Adjust the screen brightness if necessary. It's awfully dark down here. The Options menu includes a Calibration screen for changing brightness and contrast settings. Or, just turn up your monitor/TV.
  • Turn down the volume. If, like me, you get worked up by dramatic music, eliminate that distraction.

BACK TOWARD THE START:

When the serpent is finally defeated, swim to the lever beyond the left end of the broken bridge. Climb out of the water near the huge gear. Then hop up onto the serpent's body. Move along to the bend in its neck where you can jump up to grab a stone ledge. Climb up to the exit and follow the passageway to CHECKPOINT 15.

NOTE: If you're out of health packs after the serpent battle, you can get an extra one by killing Lara on purpose at the pit ahead. When you jump into the pit, the game reloads at the nearby checkpoint and Lara has full health plus one health pack. Just be sure to do this only once. After that, reloading only gets you full health, no extra health pack.

Grapple-swing across the pit. Then take a running jump to grab the horizontal pole above the next pit. Swing around the pole and jump to the other side. Slide down the slope and jump to clear the gap.

An interactive cut scene interrupts. As soon as each icon appears on-screen, quickly press the control indicated to help Lara escape from the serpent, which was apparently only unconscious before. The correct controls are:

PC: Up, Left, Right
PS2: X, Square, Triangle
Xbox: A, X, Y
PSP: X, Triangle, R
GameCube: A, X, Y
When the cut scene ends, a bronze cross is clearly visible behind the portcullis ahead. Shoot the shiny ring at the top center of the gate to free the chain. Use either of the decorative shields mounted on the sides of the gate to climb up and grab the top edge. Traverse to the center and jump straight up to grab the chain. Swing over the top of the gate and drop down to claim the last bronze reward (9/9).

Climb back up to the chain, turn around and swing to the high ledge on the wall opposite the gate. This is CHECKPOINT 16. Use the lever to open the door next to it. Slide down the ramp into the next room.

BUG WARNING: There's another bug, as far as I know confined to the Xbox 360 game, in which the game freezes when pulling the lever or sliding down this slope. So far I know of no fix except to reload an earlier save and try again.

ROOMS WITH FLAME TRAPS & SPINNING BLADES (AGAIN):

Two mercenaries lurk in the hall below on the left. The lever just below the ledge controls the flame trap in that hallway. If you like, you can wait for the mercs to walk over the trap and then toast them by pulling the lever. However, you won't get any of their belongings if you do this. Shooting them or hitting both with a well-aimed grenade can provide you with a SHOTGUN and/or ammo, health and grenades.

Turn the flame trap off if you turned it on. Then follow the hall back to the room with the spinning blades. Take out the second pair of mercenaries on the ledge to the left. One of them throws grenades and will jump down to the floor if he has a chance. When you've dealt with him, you can use the metal cage for cover as you take out the other man.

GOLD REWARD:

Obtaining the final reward is a multi-step process. You won't have to go out of your way, though, since the gold reward is on the way to the exit. Begin by using the metal cage to climb up onto the ledge opposite the one where the soldiers were. On the right is a movable panel inscribed with the Roman numeral I. Push the panel as far as it will go.

Climb back down to the floor. Then move one of the cages beneath the opposite ledge. The grapple is useful here for dragging the cage quickly. Climb up and retrieve any items the mercenaries dropped health, grenades, SUBMACHINE GUN and/or ammo The level is almost over, but there are a number of enemies ahead. You may want to take SMG here, since lots of ammo is available. Push the movable panel with the Roman numeral II all the way in.

NOTE: When I played this section on the PC, I was able to use the panels out of order. However, several players have written to tell me that when they used the panels out of order, they'd spring back out. Pressing them in the correct order (I, II then III) always seems to work.

Go to the opposite end of the ledge and look down into the small room below. The spinning blades there should be blocked by a metal cage, which the soldiers apparently moved there. If that is the case, drop down and go under the blades into the room with the lever where you came in earlier.

If the blades below are still moving, instead drop back down into the room where you just were. Move one of the other cages to block the blades in the middle doorway (i.e., opposite the hall with the flame trap) and go through there.

Cross CHECKPOINT 17 and advance carefully into the hallway with the next set of flame traps. There's one soldier lurking behind the bars straight ahead and another mercenary down the hall beyond the flame traps. Deal with both before attempting to cross the flames.

Now the intermittent flames below the grates are off. So you don't need the cages to cross as long as you jump carefully over the areas with burning coals. Note that Lara will jump farther and higher with pistols drawn.

Don't forget to pick up any goodies the soldiers may have dropped as you go. These include a SHOTGUN, SUBMACHINE GUN and/or ammo.

Beyond the second flame trap, continue to the steps above the pool of flaming oil. Kill the mercenary on the other side (one grenade should do the trick) and then take a running jump across the gap. Pick up whatever the soldier dropped (MACHINE GUN or ammo, health, grenade) and continue past CHECKPOINT 18.

TALL ROOM WITH BROKEN STAIRS (AGAIN):

This time things are a little different. A mercenary with a grenade launcher is guarding the room. Kill him quickly and take his GRENADE LAUNCHER if you want it.

GOLD REWARD:

Before getting on the elevator, locate the movable panel with the Roman numeral III. Push it as far as it will go. As long as you've also pushed the other two panels in the previous area, a secret compartment on the next wall will open. The gold reward (1/1) is inside.

NOTE: If you didn't push all three panels, it is still possible to do so. Just backtrack to the ROOM WITH SPINNING BLADES and check that section of the walkthrough for details.

BUG WARNING: Once you've activated the elevator, as described in the next section, do not try to jump to any of the side ledges or staircases. When you reach the top, do not try to make the jump from the stairs to the elevator with guns drawn. And take extra care not to fall off the ledge while fighting the enemies at the top. Lara is able to fall much farther without injury if she is holding a weapon. If she falls and manages to survive the landing, she'll be trapped below with no way to call the elevator back down and no way to continue. Even if you reload at checkpoint 18, the elevator will still be up above. The only solution is to reload an earlier save and try again.

Climb onto the elevator and press the button to ride up. At the top, there's a soldier shooting at Lara from the ledge near the entrance. Kill him. Then jump from the elevator to the broken staircase.

Alternately, to get from the elevator to the stairs, grapple the metal cage behind the grating to the right of the stairs, pull on the cable and release. Once the platform is swinging, jump to grab the alcove above the one with the cage, and from there jump over to the stairs.

Climb the stairs, pick up the SMG or ammo the soldier may have dropped and enter the hallway leading back to the CENOTAPH. This CHECKPOINT 19.

Follow the hallway back the way you came when you were driving the forklift earlier. You'll encounter 3 mercenaries and 2 pit bulls as you go. You can use the crates for cover or jump on top to avoid being bitten by the dogs. Or, just get each dog's attention and back away firing, then move in to kill the handler. Pick up any grenades, health packs and SMG ammo they drop. You can also get a MACHINE GUN here if you don't already have one. CHECKPOINT 20 is just before the next room.

CENOTAPH (AGAIN):

Inside 2 soldiers in riot gear guard some equipment. As in Kazakhstan, you can use grenades to kill them quickly. Or try the aerial attack: run forward and when you get close to an enemy, begin firing and tap Jump twice. As Lara sails over the man's head in slow motion, press the Fire button a couple of times to finish him off. Repeat with the second soldier. Pick up SMG ammo, grenades and possibly health packs and move on.

ROOM WITH CRATES & FORKLIFT (AGAIN):

The 2 soldiers here are the rank-and-file variety (no riot shields). As soon as you kill them, the level ends.

Zip and Alister are under guard near the van. The soldier watching them hears a commotion inside and goes to investigate. He comes out dead. Lara and friends then head for home. (This cinematic is titled "Team Reunited".)

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