Tomb Raider: Chronicles

LEVEL 13: RED ALERT!

• Kills: 18
• Items: 16 plus Grappling Gun, 2 Key Bits
• Secrets: 3 Golden Rose Secrets*

*Note on Secrets: There are 36 golden roses in the game. If you find them all, after the credits you'll be able to access "Special Features" from the options menu. This is a collection of storyboards, etc., created during the game design.

**Note on Guards in Gas Chambers: You may encounter one or two guards here. I'm not sure what causes the appearance (or not) of the second guard.

IMPORTANT: Like all good final levels, this one is difficult. And, unlike previous Tomb Raider games, you have neither your unlimited-ammo pistols nor the luxury of accumulating equipment for a dozen or so levels beforehand. So be sure to conserve ammo and med-packs, or you may not finish. Whenever possible, I have described ways of handling things that are least damaging to Lara.

Also, there are a few serious potential bugs (at least in the PC version). These appear to be activated by saving your game in certain spots and can make it impossible to finish the game. I have made notes about all the bugs I have found under the relevant sections, but I may not have discovered everything. I recommend saving frequently and in different slots as you go along. That way, if a bug occurs, you'll be able to reload an earlier save and not have to replay too much. I apologize for including a few spoilers in the bug notes, but I'd rather leak a few surprises if it means helping people finish the game.

Cut scenes: Between the previous level and this one, we see Von Croy and an associate talking to a guard. After watching their intruder on a security monitor, Von Croy is able to identify Lara. Then there is a second brief cut scene of a helicopter hovering alongside the building shooting rockets.

OUTSIDE STAIRCASE: You begin the level on the outside stairs. Before taking a step, equip the HK rifle in sniper mode, pivot to the right and shoot the guy in the armored suit on the landing above. Remember, aim for the open faceplate. As long as you don't go up the stairs first, he won't notice Lara. When he falls, he takes out a section of staircase.

Don't go downstairs. When you approach, the stairs collapse. Go up the broken stairs to the landing where the armored-suit guy was standing. Turn right, take a running jump to grab the next landing and pull up. Go up to the next landing amid blasts from the hovering helicopter.

Start up the next set of stairs, which then collapse. Quickly press Action to grab the broken stairs. If you fall, jump straight up to grab the end of the broken stairs and climb them like a ladder. Climb to the left into the opening with the twisted metal bars. Here you'll find a golden rose (secret #1, 34/36). On the PC, at least, the fire is harmless. To exit, take a standing jump from the right side of the opening to grab the broken-stair ladder. Climb to the landing above. (Alternately, safety drop from the opening, jump up to grab the end of the broken stairs and climb up.)

When you reach the landing above the ladder, another blast from the helicopter destroys more of the stairs. Jump from the short section of broken stairs up to the next landing. From there, take a running jump to grab the next higher landing.

The next bit is a little tricky. Run onto the stairs, making sure Lara is angled a little to the left. That way when the stairs collapse Lara is facing up the slope. Slide back, grab the edge of the broken stairs and traverse to the right. Pull up and press Jump to back flip to the stairs below. Repeat the last two jumps to get back to the landing before the collapsed stairs. Then take another running jump to grab the landing with the flame and the jagged crack. Pull up. (Again, this fire is apparently harmless.)

ROOM BELOW GRATE: Press Action to kick open the cracked wall. Crawl through to a small room with a grate in the ceiling. The badly placed fixed camera complicates things, so stay in the crawlspace for a minute and use your ears. You'll hear a soldier patrolling above. When he moves off, go to the right side of the room so Lara isn't directly under the grate. Notice the one section of grate with a handle. This is a trapdoor. Watch until the soldier moves away again. Then stand under the trapdoor, jump up and grab the handle. Move back to the side again and wait for the soldier to return. Unless Lara is standing right under the grate, he won't notice her. You'll still need to use the HK's burst mode to shoot him, since the fixed camera prevents you from using the scope. (Use auto-aim and wait until Lara raises the rifle before shooting.)

Climb out through the trapdoor and go toward the crates.

Voiceover: Zip warns Lara of danger ahead and advises her to use the infrared setting on her shades.

HALLWAY WITH LASERS: If you take Zip's advice and equip the headset then press Action for infrared, you'll notice the hallway to the right is crisscrossed with 5 sets of invisible lasers. (The scope on the HK also reveals them.) Before attempting to get through, pick up some HK and grappling gun ammo on top of the crates. To make passing the lasers easier, equip the HK in sniper mode and shoot the red valve on the pipe at the end of the hall beyond the lasers. Steam escapes, making the lasers visible on one side.

Approach the lasers carefully. The lasers are not in synch, but each has a distinct pattern: on, off, on, longer off. If you watch the pattern you can run past each one in turn on the long-off phase. You can also use the white lines on the floor as a guide. After you pass each laser, don't approach the next white line, because that's where the next laser is. For the last line of lasers, be sure to move to the right to run through the doorway when the laser goes off.

FIRST ELEVATOR: In the hall beyond the lasers there are some crates to the left. You'll find a large med-pack on top. When you go toward the other end of the hall, the ELEVATOR doors open and a soldier comes out. Kill him, go into the elevator, and press the buttons to take a ride. Ready your weapon and turn around, since the doors on the other side of the car open and there's another soldier waiting. (NOTE: To conserve ammo, use sniper mode on both of these guys—or burst mode as long as you don't have a heavy trigger finger. Don't use the scope, which makes Lara an easy target. Just auto-aim and hop away from each soldier while firing.)

SHOOTING RANGE: Across from the elevator are two glass doors. These lead to the shooting ranges. The one on the right doesn't open yet, so go through the door on the left. Pick up the HK clips on the shelf and get ready for some target practice.

(NOTE: Save your game before beginning each of the shooting ranges. You have only one try to complete each perfectly. You may want to save in a separate slot before you start the second range, in case you change your mind.)

You must complete the first range in order to open the ARMORY and proceed in the level. As long as you destroy all the targets, this will happen. Completing the first range under the time limit will also open the door to the second shooting range. Completing the second range is optional but will enable you to get secret #2.

For the first range, press the button to activate the targets. Ready the HK (use sniper mode to conserve ammo) and use the scope to aim. In order to open the second shooting range, you need to destroy each target before it crosses the line on the floor nearest the window. So shoot them in this order: center, left, right, far left, far right.

Once you enter the second range, you can pick up more HK ammo on the shelf, but you'll be unable to exit until you complete the range flawlessly. Also, poison gas begins to leak in as soon as you activate the targets. So if Lara doesn't destroy all targets before they cross the middle line, she dies. The first seven targets pop up one at a time in this order: center, left, far right, right, left, far left, far right. If you shoot all of them, the last three targets pop up together. Shoot them in the order: center, left, right. If you don't see the last three targets, it means you made a mistake and need to reload your saved game.

(NOTE: Yes, this is extremely hard. It took me about 40 tries.)

ARMORY: After completing the shooting ranges, exit into the hall, turn right and go to the far end of the hall. The secret room is on the left. If you were able to open it, enter and pick up some HK clips and a golden rose (secret #2, 35/36). Avoid the weapon racks with the deadly red lasers. In the room across the hall there are more HK clips on the floor and a GRAPPLING GUN on the rack with the green lights. When you take the weapon, a soldier comes in. Kill him quickly. Again, avoid the racks with the red lasers. At the back left corner of the room is a shelf with some grappling gun ammo.

Once you take the grappling gun and the soldier comes in, the door through which you entered is sealed. You'll need to exit through the other door, which leads into a storeroom.

WELL-LIT STORAGE ROOM: Enter with your weapon drawn. Advance just until you hear dramatic music. A soldier emerges from behind the crates. He's wearing a helmet with a faceplate; so going for a headshot won't work. Shoot him in the chest about four times.

Climb up to the tallest crate to get some HK clips. Equip the GRAPPLING GUN and use the scope (Look) to aim for the grate where the vents converge on the ceiling. (The light in the center of the scope turns green when you're aiming at a viable target.) Shoot a grappling hook into the vent.

Hop down to the lower crate and take a standing jump to grab the rope. Swing toward the crumbing blue-black section of wall. Jump from the rope to grab the faint horizontal crack in the wall. Traverse to the metal duct on the right.

Before sliding down the chute, ready the HK in sniper mode, since 2 guys in armored suits are coming up the hall from the ELEVATOR. Shoot them through their open faceplates. Return to the elevator and press the button inside to return to the previous floor.

BACK AT THE HALLWAY NEAR THE LASERS: There's another soldier waiting near the crates at the end of the hall. If you set the HK set on sniper mode and walk carefully along the left wall, checking your scope every few steps, you can kill him with a well-aimed headshot before he notices Lara.

Return past the 5 laser traps as you did before. Continue to the grate with the trapdoor, drop through, and go back through the crawlspace to the OUTSIDE STAIRCASE.

Use the GRAPPLING GUN to target the lowest portion of the twisted, dangling stairs. (The light in the scope will turn green when you sight the correct spot. See these screenshots if you need help with this section.) Shoot a hook into the metal. Position Lara on the broken stairs so she's facing the dangling rope squarely. Take a standing jump from the edge of the broken stairs to grab the rope. Swing toward the opening with the twisted metal bars on the other side of the stairwell. Jump from the rope into the opening, slide down the slope and jump and grab the ledge above the fire. Pull up. (If Lara slides into the fire, she'll die.)

STOREROOM WITH SOLDIER: Crawl through the duct to an opening overlooking a small storage room. If you press the draw-weapons key, Lara will kneel, giving you a better view of the room below. If the soldier standing below notices Lara, he'll press a button on the wall activating a gun turret. If this happens, Lara will take a lot of damage before she can pull the switch that opens the exit and escape. To avoid that, crawl to the right edge of the opening and angle Lara to the right, facing the crate in the corner below. Press Jump to somersault out of the opening onto the crate. Equip the HK in sniper mode and take out the soldier with a single headshot. Drop down, pick up the large med-pack in the alcove and use the switch to open the door.

(BUG NOTE: Avoid saving your game between finishing the STOREROOM and exiting the LOBBY. If you save here, you may find that after riding the elevator down, the doors won't open, preventing you from entering the LOBBY, or that the metal doors at the top of the LOBBY don't open, preventing you from going on from there. If you do choose to save, use a new slot in case you activate the bug and need to reload.)

Go to the right and press the button to call the SECOND ELEVATOR. Enter and press the button inside to descend to the LOBBY.

When you exit the elevator, 2 swat-team guys descend from the ceiling on ropes. Hop back into the elevator while shooting. You can use sniper mode, but the guy on the right has a protective faceplate, so shoot him four times in the chest. Shoot the guy on the left once in the head.

Notice the DOOR TO THE HELIPAD with the white key receptacle at the top of the stairs. You'll need to find a key for this. To exit the LOBBY, walk to the top step, turn so Lara's back is to the helipad door and line her up facing the rope on the right. Take a running jump from the top step to grab the rope. Swing to the top of the stacked pink crates. Stand at the middle of the crate and jump straight up to grab the handles of the angled metal doors to open them. When the doors open, 2 more soldiers appear, one in the duct above and one down below near the door. You may want to take out the one up above, climb into the duct, then shoot the one below from relative safety.

(BUG NOTE: I found that these doors wouldn't open, but I was able to climb through them by grabbing the lower edge of the opening and pulling up. In this case, the second pair of soldiers does not appear. If you aren't able to do either, try reloading an earlier save and not saving between finishing the STOREROOM and exiting through the angled metal doors.)

Go through the ducts toward a button. The floor drops out from under Lara before she can press the button. Slide down the chute and turn around. Before hopping down from the duct into the hallway, take note of the ladder on the shaft ahead. You'll be exiting here later.

(BUG NOTE: This next section also has a potentially serious bug. Do not save your game between sliding down the chute and destroying the first cyborg. And be sure to destroy the cyborg using the method that involves shooting the valve, described below. Otherwise, you may be unable to complete the level. If you do choose to save, use a new slot in case you activate the bug and need to reload.)

Continue to a FOUR-WAY INTERSECTION. Lasers bar two of the doorways. Go through the door on the right. Inside this doorway there's another laser-trapped doorway to the left and a crawlspace to the right. Go through the crawlspace and climb the slats into a metal duct. When you approach the end of the duct, the vent swings open.

CYBORG ROOM: Walk to the end of the duct and allow the camera to shift to face Lara. You should see a cyborg lurking below. This room should be dry. If there is water on the floor when you first enter, the savegame bug has been activated and you'll need to go back to a previous save and try again.

Run off the right corner of the duct onto the pink crate below. If you're low on ammo, pick up the HK clips. Otherwise, save them for later to minimize the damage Lara takes from the cyborg. (NOTE: More ammo will appear here if you run out.)

While standing on the crate, turn around and use sniper mode to target the red valve on the back wall (below and a little to the right of the duct). Shoot the valve to burst the pipe and flood the room. You should see water gush out of the pipe, and the floor will now be covered with water. Shooting the valve should also open the vent high up on the opposite side of the room from the duct. Take a standing jump back into the duct and move away from the opening.

(NOTE: If you don't see a valve or if the vent doesn't open, the savegame bug has been activated and you'll need to reload an earlier save to finish. See the bug note above for more info. Once you shoot the valve, you can try saving your game. Just be sure to save in a new slot in case you activate the bug and need to reload.)

Now you can stay inside the duct and shoot at the cyborg from relative safety. Position Lara near the edge of the duct and use sniper mode—or burst mode as long as you don't lean on the trigger. If the cyborg looks up at Lara, hop away from the opening so he can't shoot at her. Then walk forward and keep plugging away at him each time he walks past. This requires a great deal of patience, but it helps conserve health for the difficult tasks ahead.

As the cyborg takes damage, his robotic skeleton will start to show. When his metal arm and leg are showing and he starts to crackle with blue electricity, he's nearing death. A few more shots and he'll short out and collapse.

(NOTE: Alternately, you can draw out the cyborg by dangling Lara from the edge of the duct then pulling up. Shoot the cyborg until he starts to spark, then hop down to the crate and shoot the valve. If after flooding the room the cyborg doesn't short out and die immediately, hop back into the duct and shoot him until he does.)

Once the cyborg is destroyed, you can save your game. (Again I recommend saving in a new slot in case anything else goes wrong.)

Do not hop down into the water near the dead cyborg or Lara will be electrocuted. Instead, carefully line up a running jump from the top of the crate to the black metal grate just to the right of the duct where you hid earlier. Start by walking Lara to the edge of the crate facing the sloped silver ducts. Position her in the middle of this edge. Then pivot her a little to the left to face the black metal ledge. Use the Look button to check the angle. Hop back once, check the angle again and adjust with left/right keys. Now take the running jump. Do not press Action or Lara will fall short and be killed. Instead, tap the left direction button in the air to pivot her toward the grate.

(NOTE: Some walkthroughs suggest doing a complicated series of jumps involving the angled silver ducts in the corner of the room. This is not necessary.)

Pick up the grappling gun ammo at the back of the black grate. Equip the GRAPPLING GUN and shoot a hook into the grate at the top of the room. (Again, the light in the scope will turn green when you sight the right spot.) Climb on top of the duct, walk to the edge, then take one hop back. Take a standing jump to grab the rope. Swing into the open grate at the top of the room. Go to the back of the alcove and use the switch to drain the room below.

(BUG NOTE: Do not save your game again after using the switch. If you reload, the room will be flooded and you won't be able to get the key. If you have already done this, try swinging to the switch and using it again. If that doesn't drain the room, you'll need to reload an earlier save.)

Take a running jump from the opening past the dangling rope to the top of the duct. Pick up another grappling hook, which has mysteriously appeared on the black grate. Then drop to the floor. Pick up the large med-pack and the KEY BIT the cyborg dropped.

Pulling the switch to drain the room also closed the vent over the duct, so you'll need to climb and swing back up to the alcove and pull the switch again to re-flood the room and re-open the duct. (Remember to avoid the electrified floor now as well.) Again, take a running jump from the opening to the top of the duct. Now hop down onto the crate and jump from there into the duct. Or, hang from the top edge of the duct, let go and press Action again to grab the bottom edge, then pull up.

Follow the duct and crawlspace back to the FOUR-WAY INTERSECTION. The lasers that were blocking the doorway straight ahead are deactivated now.

(BUG NOTE: There is another potential bug in the next section. Avoid saving your game between beginning the first run past the helicopter and when you trap the second cyborg. I was able to save at the button behind the bar and still complete the level, but others have reported not being able to do this. When this particular bug is activated, the second cyborg falls into one of the pits and is trapped there. You can't kill him, so you can't get the second KEY BIT and finish the level. If you do choose to save at any point during this tough section, use a new slot in case you activate the bug and need to reload. If you ran into the bug and don't want to revert to a much earlier save.)

GLASS-WALLED HALLWAY AND LOUNGES: As soon as you enter this hallway, the hovering helicopter lets loose a storm of machine gun fire. In addition to damaging Lara, this makes the yellow tanks explode, blowing away large sections of floor and hurting Lara if she is nearby.

(NOTE: You can use the HK set on sniper mode to destroy the yellow tanks before starting out. This will make the run a bit less hazardous. Don't worry if there aren't any yellow tanks. Missing tanks may be a by-product of the cyborg-room savegame bug, described above. The landscape will be different, but the goal is the same.)

Before starting, notice the open doorway ahead on the left. You'll be returning here on the way back.

To get to the other side of the building, you'll need to run past the helicopter, jumping the pits as you go. Stay toward the middle of the ledges, to avoid the overhanging beams on the right and the exploding yellow tanks (if there are any) on the left. There are several large med-packs concealed in the pits; however, I found that Lara loses more health getting them than they're worth. If possible, get to the end of the hall in one smooth run. Lara will lose a lot of health if you hesistate for any reason.

To clear the first pit, use a running jump, taking off a step or so before the edge, in order to give Lara enough room to run a few steps along the second ledge before jumping. When she jumps from the second ledge, grab the opposite ledge and pull up. Then take another running jump across the next pit and a standing jump across the last one. Run into the little corner lounge to catch your breath.

(NOTE: If you save here, be sure to do it in a new slot in case you activate the bug.)

The helicopter turns the corner and will continue to shoot at Lara when she enters the next room, a GLASS-WALLED BAR. Things are further complicated by the loss of the Look button here. (Yes, it's fun to watch a helicopter destroy the glasses on shelves behind a bar, but not after your fifth or sixth death.) Run into the room, cutting to the left. Run behind the bar and immediately duck. Crawl to the end where you can stand and press a button.

Voiceover: Zip says something over the headset, which is largely unintelligible over the noise of the helicopter.

Pressing the button opens your way out. It also lets in a second cyborg. He'll be waiting for you in the small corner lounge on the other side of the bar. Crawl to the gap in the bar, stand up and run into the corner lounge.

(NOTE: If you're doing well health-wise, you can try saving your game before making the second run across the pits. But be sure to save in a new slot in case you activate the bug and need to reload.)

Now make another run across the pits under heavy fire with the cyborg hot on Lara's heels. In reverse, the sequence of jumps is: standing jump, running jump, running jump (no need to grab and pull up if you aim for the right side of the ledge), running jump.

TRAPPING THE CYBORG: Because you pressed the button in the bar, the doorway ahead (leading to the FOUR-WAY INTERSECTION) is blocked by lasers. So run through the doorway on the right, up the ramp and down the other side. Sprint along this straightaway if you want to. You'll pass over a grate with a small room below containing a switch. Continue through a room with a window on the right and out the door on the left. Turn left at the next corner, then left a third time down a ramp to the small room with the switch. If you've done everything right, you should be able to look up through the grate and see the cyborg entering the room above. Use the switch to trap him there.

(NOTE: If you were unable to trap the cyborg, reload and try again. If you succeed and want to save now, I'd recommend saving in a new slot just in case.)

GAS CHAMBERS: The diagram at right shows the path you'll take to kill the cyborg. First go up the ramp from the switch to the hallway. Turn left and follow the hallway to the FOUR-WAY INTERSECTION. Go through the door on the left, which is the only other one not blocked by lasers. This passage leads into a room with poison gas jets. Lara will hold her breath as long as she can. (You'll see the blue oxygen bar, just as you do when swimming.) She'll die soon after she runs out of air, and she'll also take a little damage just from being in a room with the gas. If necessary, you can crouch and crawl along the floor to replenish Lara's oxygen.

From the entrance to the first switch, follow the path marked in blue in the diagram. Run straight the first poison-gas room and out the other side. Run through the second room and out the door on the left. Inside the third room, look to the right near the floor for a crawlspace containing the final golden rose (secret #3, 36/36). Crawl in to get it, and take some deep breaths while you're at it. Crawl back out, jump onto the low platform and pull the switch.

From the first switch to the second switch, you're following the path marked in orange in the diagram. Roll and run straight across the room and through the door where you entered. Run through the next room to the door on the right. Two soldiers will try to stop you. Take them out, or just run past them.** In the next room, go through the door on the right, which will now open. Jump up on the platform and pull another switch. This clears the poison gas from this room and lets gas into the next room, killing the cyborg.

When the cyborg is dead, flip the switch again to clear the gas from that room. It will start to fill up the room you're in, so run out following the path marked in pink in the diagram. That is, run through the door opposite the switch, into the next room, then out the door on the right. Back at the FOUR-WAY INTERSECTION, go through the door on the right and continue down to the ramp on the right to the switch under the grate. Use this switch again to re-open the doors above.

Go up the ramp and to the right to the room where the cyborg died. Pick up the KEY BIT he dropped. You should now have two halves.

Exit through the hallway that passes over the grate above the switch. Run up the ramp and down the other side. Then quickly run to the right to avoid the helicopter. Now you're back at the FOUR-WAY INTERSECTION. The door with the yellow helipad sign should be clear. Enter, turn around and jump to grab the ladder leading up the shaft. Climb into the duct above (the trapdoor should be open). Follow the duct back to the LOBBY. (If the angled metal doors are closed, try dropping through them.) Climb down. Combine the two KEY BITS to make the HELIPAD KEY and use this to open the big door. Go up the ramp to end the level and the game.

Voiceover: At the lock, Zip congratulates Lara on a job well done and advises her to get out.

Final FMV: Lara makes a daring escape. Back at Croft Manor, her friends toast her memory. And, in Egypt Von Croy finds a clue.

NOTE: If you found all 36 secrets, after the credits you'll be able to access "Special Features" from the options menu. This is a collection of storyboards, etc., created during the game design.