Tomb Raider 8: Underworld

LEVEL 7: ARCTIC SEA - PART 2: OUT OF TIME

Enter the huge cavern ahead. Hop down off the ledge and follow the walkway forward to trigger a cut scene.

Cinematic: Lara steps out onto one of the curved walkways surrounding the Midgard Serpent device. She spots Natla on the level above and hurls a lightning bolt in her direction.

"Shut it down!" Lara orders.

But Natla has other plans. She explains to Lara that Jörmungandr is not the device itself but rather a network of tectonic ridges encircling the world's oceans. The device is merely a means to set off a cataclysmic seismic reaction along these ridges.

"When this relic unleashes its fury below," Natla says, "the very seams of the planet will burst. 'The Midgard Serpent will rise up and spew poison into the air, and all the world will be consumed by fire and ash.'" Even as she quotes the Eddas to Lara, she sets the machine in motion. "Ragnarök!" she shouts triumphantly. "The seventh age is upon us!"

Then, to prevent Lara from interfering, Natla throws a fireball down at her. But Lara tumbles nimbly out of the way. Now she must stop what she's accidentally started.

THE MIDGARD SERPENT DEVICE:

The goal in this area is to destroy the device so Natla will not be able to use it. To do this, you must knock down the two buttresses holding up the CENTRAL STRUCTURE. These are the angled structures with the blue glyphs on them.

The first step in this process is to move two carved panels in order to expose the two power nodes at the top of each of the huge stone towers supporting the buttresses. Once they are exposed, you'll be able to destroy the power nodes and, thus, the device itself. Below I have described what I hope is the most direct route to each panel and node.

MIDGARD SERPENT DEVICE - MIDDLE LEVEL:

At the start of the level, step forward to the edge of the circular walkway. Wait for one of the small, moving platforms to approach and jump forward to grab it. Pull up and turn to face out toward the perimeter of the room.

DESCENDING TO THE LOWER LEVEL:

Wait for the platform to move around to the section of the walkway with the metal ring mounted on it. Grapple that ring and step off the platform.

NOTE: If instead you jump onto the ledge above the metal ring, you'll trigger a situational adrenaline sequence. Natla moves in to hover above and behind Lara and launches a fireball. Jump out of the way. After the sequence finishes, hang from the edge of the ledge, near the metal ring. Let go and quickly press (Square) to grapple the ring.

Alternately, if you have trouble jumping onto the moving platform at the beginning, try this instead: From the starting point on the curved walkway, turn right and run along the walkway. Jump across the gap and continue to the end of the walkway, where it protrudes slightly toward the center of the room. When you reach the edge the situational adrenaline sequence occurs, as described above. Jump towards the back of the walkway to avoid Natla's fireball. When you regain full control, move to the protruding edge of the walkway and jump onto one of the moving platforms. Turn around to face the curved walkway, grapple the metal ring and step off the edge of the moving platform. If you miss the ring the first time, just wait for the platform to make a full circle around the room and try again. (Thanks to John W. for this.)

Once Lara is hanging from the ring, let out the cable to lower Lara to the lower level. There's no need to swing forward onto the higher ledge here, since you'll only be climbing down anyway. Just extend the cable as far as it will go then detach it and drop to the floor. (Alternately, when hanging from the cable, swing forward slightly and release the cable to drop onto the higher ledge. Then turn around to face the central structure and jump down to the ledge below.)

Once you've reached the lower ledge and are facing the center of the room, turn right and move to the edge of the ledge. Jump across the toxic pool onto the small, wedge-shaped ledge ahead. Then jump to grab the higher ledge beyond. Pull up and take care not to step forward into the hole in the ledge just ahead.

A brief situational adrenaline sequence happens here. Natla appears above and hurls a fireball down at Lara. Quickly jump to the right, toward the outer edge of the ledge, to get out of the way. If you jump forward, you risk falling off the edge of the narrow ledge.

Note how the outer end of this ledge is broken off, so it doesn't extend all the way out to the carved panel at the base of the buttress support. That's not a problem, though. You'll be able to push the panel from above a little later on.

You'll need to make your way over to the buttress support on the opposite side of the circle now, though. Start by moving back to the narrow end of this ledge. Then jump down to the next ledge, which is right at water level. Take care not to step off into the pool by accident. Move around behind the column to the other side of the ledge and jump to the next wedge-shaped ledge, then to the ledge beyond it. Go around the column here and jump to grab the higher ledge ahead. Pull up and turn right.

EXPOSING THE FIRST POWER NODE:

Go to the end of the ledge and push the carved stone panel with the blue glyphs as far as it will go.

In the subsequent cut scene, the camera pans up the buttress support to the top, where the power node is located. You can't see it, but pushing the panel has exposed this power node. If you'd climbed up to it earlier, you would not have been able to do anything with it.

CLIMBING THE FIRST BUTTRESS SUPPORT:

There's no need to go all the way back to the grapple ring. To reach the MIDDLE LEVEL, just chimney jump up the sides of the alcove with the carved panel to grab one of the handholds above. If Lara grabs the one on the right, jump back to grab the one on the left. Then jump up twice to grab the ledge at the base of the buttress support. Climb around to the left until you can pull up onto the small, rectangular ledge jutting out from the front of the support.

Face the buttress support and grab the nearest handhold. Climb to the left and jump up to grab the handhold above. Climb around the corner to the left and jump to the handhold above. Climb all the way to the left and then jump left to grab the next handhold. Climb around to the back of the buttress support. Then jump up twice to reach the highest handhold here. Climb then jump to the left to clear the gap on the back of the support. Then climb around the corner to the other side of the support.

Keep climbing upward and to the left until you come around to the front of the buttress support once more. Climb along the last corner handhold all the way to the left—there's no need to drop onto the small ledge—and jump to the left to grab onto the ledge on the other side of the gap. Climb to the left a little more and then pull up onto the walkway.

DESTROYING THE FIRST POWER NODE:

Now you're on the MIDDLE LEVEL once more. Turn right and go around to the back of the buttress support. Climb on top of the block with handholds on it. Turn right and climb the next set of handholds to the top of the buttress support. Hop down into the low area at the base of the buttress. Grapple the metal ring and yank it out, destroying the power node.

A cut scene shows how the destruction of the power node causes the angled buttress above to break into fragments, which are then added to the rings of moving platforms.

Cinematic: The scene shifts to the entrance. Amanda arrives pursued by a huge Yeti thrall. She stumbles and falls from the ledge but staggers to her feet and manages to hold off the thralls using the power of the Wraith Stone. Natla soon notices this and sends a fireball hurtling toward Amanda. Before she can get up again, we see more thralls lumbering along the hallway.

Climb back down to the curved walkway at the base of the buttress support the way you came. Follow the walkway forward to the wide gap in the floor with the metal ring mounted on the ceiling above. Grapple the ring and swing across the gap to the other side.

EXPOSING THE SECOND POWER NODE:

Continue forward along the curved walkway to the second buttress support. This is the one that you couldn't reach on the lower level because the ledge leading to the carved panel was broken. Go around to the front of it and push the carved panel there as far as it will go.

Another brief cut scene shows the top of the support where the power node is located.

You cannot reach the top of this support from below. Instead you'll need to take a roundabout route. Begin by running back along the curved walkway to the gap with the metal ring above.

NOTE: You can take a slight shortcut here if you like. Grapple the ring on the ceiling above the gap once more. Retract the cable so Lara is hanging about a third of the way down from the ceiling to the ledge. Turn to face the wall and then turn about 45 degrees to the right, so she's squarely facing the square, brown column attached to the outer (rightmost) edge of the wall. Notice the light-colored stone band at the top of this column. Swing back and forth to build momentum. Then jump to grab it. Then pull up, turn left and climb onto the ledge above. If this is too difficult, or you just prefer climbing to grapple swinging, take the normal route described below.

Before the gap with the metal ring above, look to the left. There are two light-colored, horizontal handholds on the outer corner of the back wall. Jump to grab the lower of these handholds. Jump up to the higher one. Then climb around to the back of the wall. Climb to the left end of this handhold. Then jump across to the next one. Jump up to grab the handhold above and then climb to the left until you can pull up onto the small ledge above. Turn right and climb onto the ledge ahead. From there, climb to the wide platform on top of the wall.

MIDGARD SERPENT DEVICE - UPPER LEVEL AND MOVING PLATFORMS:

Move toward the edge nearest the center of the room. This triggers another situational adrenaline sequence. Natla throws yet another fireball, which Lara must dodge. Fortunately there's plenty of room here to jump out of the way. When it's safe to move, step to the front edge of the ledge.

Wait for one of the moving platforms in the ring nearer the ledge to approach. (You can't reach the platforms in the farther ring from here.) Jump onto it. As it moves around the circle, step to the inner edge and carefully jump onto one of the moving platforms in the inner ring.

CLIMBING THE CENTRAL STRUCTURE:

Move to the inner edge of the platform. When it moves past the panel with the many light-colored handholds, jump forward to grab it. Climb until Lara is holding onto the top handhold in the first group. Jump straight up to grab the lowest handhold in the next group. Climb along this handhold to the left. Then climb to the uppermost handhold in this group. Climb along it to the right and around the corner to the side of the panel. Jump straight up to reach the next group of handholds. Climb back around to the front of the panel and onto the left. Climb to the highest handhold in this group and then jump to grab the long ledge above.

DESTROYING THE SECOND POWER NODE:

Traverse along this ledge to the right. (The left side is broken.) Keep climbing to the right until Lara is hanging above the sloping buttress. Then let go to land on it. Slide all the way down to the buttress support below. Turn to face the power node. Grapple the metal ring and pull it out.

Final Cinematics: The second buttress falls apart just as the first one did. Now, with nothing supporting it, the central structure begins to wobble. Natla, outraged, flies down to the base of the tower and tries to prop it up. Lara sees what she's doing and hurls Mjolnir down toward her. Her aim is true; the hammer strikes with a huge flash, knocking Natla into the pool below. The tower tumbles down after her.

As the walkways crumble and the water level rises, Lara runs for the exit. She finds Amanda lying on the floor and tries to help her up, but Amanda shoves her away.

"After killing the Midgard Serpent, Thor dies from its venom anyway," Amanda taunts.

"Not if you clear the corridor and get us out of here," Lara replies. Amanda tries, but the Wraith Stone is apparently drained.

"Out of juice," she says. "Just like Bolivia. The good news is we saved the world. The bad news is now we're going to die here. . . just like your mother."

Lara turns toward Amanda, ready to strike, but stops short. Amanda's mention of Bolivia and Amelia has given Lara an idea. Just like the ruins where she last fought Amanda, and the ones in Tibet where her mother was lost, this room contains a circle of standing stones and a portal. She runs to this dais with Amanda limping after her.

Lara examines the sword in the stone. "Mother must have tried to use it to escape but didn't know how." She presses the sword into the stone, raising the ring-shaped portal. The glyphs on the standing stones begin to glow red.

"If pulling out these artifacts always brings you here, what will happen if I'm already here?" she wonders aloud.

"Maybe you'll go to hell," Amanda snarls.

At first Lara doesn't understand why the portal has not activated. Then she spots a chunk of one of the steles lying on the floor. She lifts it back into place but finds she can't hold it there and reach the sword at the same time.

"Damn it! I can't reach the sword." Then realization dawns. "But you can," she tells Amanda.

Amanda looks at her skeptically. "What about you?"

"I can reach you if you hold out your hand."

"You trust me?" Amanda is incredulous.

"We're out of time!"

Amanda's conscience struggles with her hatred and selfishness. Then, miraculously, conscience wins. "Now!" she yells, as she yanks the sword from the stone and simultaneously reaches for Lara's hand.

Thousands of miles away, in a ruined monastery in Tibet, another portal is activated. Lara and Amanda tumble out onto the floor. As Lara picks up the sword, Amanda clutches the Wraith Stone, now recharged. The two old adversaries eye each other warily.

"So it's back to this, is it?" Lara asks.

"What? You think we're even?" Amanda replies.

Lara stows the sword behind her, allowing Amanda the upper hand. "Will killing me make us even?"

Amanda ponders this for a moment then limps away, leaving Lara alone in front of the broken pedestal. Lara picks up a few tattered sheets of paper. We see that they are leaves from her old journal with childlike drawings of Yetis.

"Goodbye, Mother," she says softly. "Rest in peace."

As she leaves the ruins, the camera pans up to a hole in the roof, and we see snow falling from a darkening sky.

- THE END -