Europe

LEVEL 8: THE CISTERN

• Kills: 34
• Items: 28, including 5 keys
• Secrets: 3

(Note that the regular pick-ups here will include the MAGNUMS and SHOTGUN if you didn't get them earlier.)

Objectives: Locate two rusty keys. Use one in one of the doors in the main room with the pool. Through this door you'll find the first of two silver keys. Flood the room using a switch you'll find. You'll then be able to obtain the second silver key. Use the second rusty key on another of the doors in the main room, and from there obtain a gold key. Use the silver keys and the gold key to get to the exit.

Walk-through: Safety drop into the room below and kill a big, nasty rat. Find the movable block and push it twice into the next room. Go around to the side and push it under the switch. Climb up and throw the switch to open the trapdoor below, as well as the silver door, releasing 2 more rats. Kill them from above, then hop down and retrieve a large med-pack from the small room behind the silver door.

Drop down through the trapdoor and exit the room below onto a ledge jutting out into a huge room with a pool. Don't drop down yet. First get your bearings. Ahead on the far (north) side of the room is a tiered balcony with railings on both sides. At ground level on the same wall is a small metal door. To the left (west) are two ledges with locked metal doors. Below and beyond them, also on the west side, is another small metal door at ground level. On the right (east) side is the highest balcony, below which is a U-shaped walkway with a square pillar at one corner. On the same side, there's also an opening with a ramp below it that leads down to the pool and is flanked by two gargoyles. In the southeast corner (to your immediate right) is an L-shaped ledge with a crevice below. Where to start....

Walk out to the end of the ledge you're. You can probably kill 2 rats on the ground below from here. Jump across to the short walkway ahead, from which you can kill the 2 crocodiles in the pool. Return to the ledge near the entrance. (You don't have to do this first, but it will save you some difficulty later on when you enter the pool through an underwater tunnel.)

Take a running jump from the end of the ledge to the raised platform to the left (if you're facing the entrance). Kill the rat lurking there, then walk down the step and to the right. Grab the crevice ahead and traverse to the left until you can drop down onto a block with some shotgun shells on it. Turn and grab the crevice on the other side of the corner and keep going to the left until you can pull up. Turn right, climb up to the top of the ledge and follow it back toward the entrance. At the end you'll find a RUSTY KEY.

Go all the way back to the other end of the L-shaped ledge, jump down to the gray area, then drop down to the ledge below. Follow it forward and to the right (above the ramp) then climb onto the square pillar at the corner. From here, take a standing jump onto the high balcony. Go up the stairs with pistols drawn. Your buddy Pierre is waiting inside on the left. Try and get behind him as quickly as possible, and he'll run out the door and disappear. (Don't forget to use only the pistols on him during this level, since you can't do any real damage until the end of the next level.)

DON'T PULL THE SWITCH YET. It floods the cistern, and you still need to do a few things above water.

(NOTE: If you are coming to this walk-through after flooding the cistern too soon, it's all right. Just pull this switch again to drain it, go on about your business and re-flood it again when you're ready. Others might want to do this just for fun to see the interesting effect of the floating crocodile corpses. They rise with the water but forget to sink when it recedes again.)

Climb on the block in the near right corner (when Lara's back is to the entrance). Turn around and take a standing jump to grab the raised arch at the middle of the room. Pull up and, from there, take a running jump to grab the next higher ledge. Pull up and collect a large med-pack and some shotgun shells.

Return the way you came to the other side of the room. Climb up into the inverted arch. Pick up the small med-pack, go to the top of the low ramp and climb into the barely visible opening on the left. This is SECRET #1. Climb up three blocks to find more shotgun shells. Continue to the slope. Slide forward and jump at the last moment to grab the ledge ahead. Pull up, pick up 2 more boxes of shells, then slide back down into the room below.

Climb over the low wall. Before jumping into the water, get rid of the 2 rats lurking below. To do this, jump over the hole above the water at the middle of the room once or twice. This should draw out the rats. Shoot them through the opening. Then jump in and swim through the tunnel until you can surface. Climb out and kill another rat.

Go to the top of the stairs. Take a running jump to grab the gray block opposite. Pull up, then another running jump to grab the ledge where the second RUSTY KEY is.

Continue forward to a pit with 2 rats in it. Kill them from above. You can ignore the green steps below on the left and the crevice on the right. Simply drop down, walk to the right to the ramp and slide back down to the main room.

Once on the ledge outside, turn left and take a standing jump to grab the ledge above. Climb up to the top of the L-shaped ledge and follow it around the southeast corner to the spot where you picked up the first rusty key. Drop down, go up the steps where you killed the rat and jump back to the ledge near the entrance. Walk to the end and jump across to the short ledge. From there take a running jump to grab to the ledge in front of the first locked door on the left. Pull up and use one of the rusty keys to unlock the door.

Two gorillas await in the side alcoves toward the back. Advance and draw them out, then back up shooting. Or, enter, turn around and climb up on the ledge above the door to kill them.

From the ledge above the door, take a running jump to the next higher ledge. Pierre returns again at this point. You can either shoot it out from up here or drop down and try and chase him out. Eventually he'll run off.

If you've dropped down, return to the second ledge. From there take a running jump to grab the third, where you'll find a large med-pack. Take another running jump to grab the fourth and highest ledge. Pull up and walk towards the edge. Turn around so Lara's back is to the alcove with the magnum clips below. WALK backwards to the edge. Then WALK one step forward. Back flip and Lara will land on the ledge. (Or walk to the edge facing forward, take one step back, and swan dive onto the ledge. Ouch! Thanks to LordGroghe for that.) Pick up the clips. (NOTE: If you didn't find the MAGNUMS in the Colosseum, you'll get them now instead of the clips.)

Now use a running jump and grab to get back to the highest ledge. Turn around and this time take a running jump to grab the narrow crevice above the alcove where you got the clips. Traverse to the right until you can drop down safely.

Follow the passageway, hop down onto the gray ledge, then go down and around to the left, sliding down until you're on the flat spot above the final short slide. Kill the crocodile from above. Slide down to the floor and immediately jump or climb on the low block in the far left corner to kill another crocodile. A third croc lurks in the passageway behind the slides. Go in on the right side and back out shooting. When it's dead, go all the way into the passageway, kill a rat and pick up a large med-pack.

Return to the room, climb up the two blocks in the corner, turn around and take a standing jump to grab the small ledge in the middle of the room. Pull up and take a running jump to grab the corner ledge. Turn right and take a running jump to the next ledge. Jump down to the ledge below. Now turn to face the crevice in the wall. Grab it and traverse to the left until you can pull up into the doorway.

Throw the switch to open the door. Enter cautiously--there are spikes and a couple of rats below. One rat won't come out until you drop down, so kill the first one from above, hop across the spike pit and drop down on the other side beyond the spikes. Then kill the other rat.

Continue until you can drop down onto a block in a mossy room. Kill the rat below from the block if possible. Hop down, enter the next room and kill another rat. Climb the green stairs and from there climb to the ledge, then to the higher ledge on the right. Go to the end of this ledge, turn right and take a running jump to the ledge below. Pull up to the next ledge, turn right and take a running jump to the ledge beyond. From here, it's a standing jump into the alcove with the switch. Use it to open the door below.

Climb down and take the SILVER KEY. Immediately roll and draw your pistols for another shoot-out with Pierre. (Does this guy walk through walls, or what?!) When he's gone, jump into the pool and swim through the underwater passage to the next room where you can surface.

High up on the ledges are a couple of rats. You'll be back in a bit, but to make your job easier then, you can kill one of these guys now. Jump straight up with pistols drawn until you get a lock on it. Keep jumping and firing until it's dead. (Note the location of the high lever and the small door with the other SILVER KEY behind it. You'll return here soon.) Now jump back in the pool and follow the other, twisty passage back to the pool in the main area.

If you haven't killed those crocodiles yet, climb out quickly and do it. If you have, keep swimming to pick up SECRET #2: Swim into either of the openings on the west side. They connect in a U shape. In the middle of the underwater tunnel, in a shallow depression, is a set of magnum clips.

Climb out of the pool at the base of the ramp (on the east side between the two gargoyles). Climb/jump up to the walkway above, and from there back onto the balcony and into the room with the grating floor. Now pull that switch to flood the area.

Return outside and swim down to the north end of what was the pool, through the small opening where you came out earlier. Follow the passageway back to the room with the two rat-infested ledges and the silver key. If you killed at least one of the rats earlier, climb out on the ledge with the dead rat (duh!) and kill the other from there. Pick up a small med-pack on one ledge, a large med-pack and shotgun shells on the other. (NOTE: If you don't already have the SHOTGUN, you'll find it here in place of the shells.)

Jump back in the water and pull the lever to open the door below. Swim down, pick up the second SILVER KEY and the exit door opens automatically. Swim back to the surface. Climb out of the water on the ledge near the right door of the two that look alike (on the west wall).

Unlock the door with the second rusty key. Jump in the water and swim down through the spikes. (They're safe now that you're in the water.) Take a right, then swim down and turn around. There's a small opening ahead and to the left. Go through it, pick up a small med-pack and the GOLD KEY then exit. (The door opens automatically.)

Surface and climb out pronto, since there's now a third crocodile swimming nearby. Kill it and head for the ornate balcony (on the north side).

Climb up but before entering find a movable block to the left of the entrance. Push it once and enter the room behind, SECRET #3. Walk underneath the balcony to the far side of the ramp. Position Lara with her back to the ramp. Hop back to make sure she's as close to the ramp as possible. Then back flip onto the ramp and continue to hold Jump to bounce up to the balcony. Pick up 2 sets of magnum clips and a large med-pack.

Return to the locked doors and use the 2 silver keys to unlock them. Go in and climb on the square pillar on the right. Turn around and take a standing jump to grab the ledge above the door. Pull up. Take a running jump to the ledge with the gold keyhole. Immediately safety drop back to get out of the way of the angry gorilla. Climb back to the ledge above the door and kill it from there. Jump back across and use the gold key to unlock the door below.

Don't drop down until you've killed the 2 lions that emerge. (You can jump back to the other ledge to get a better shot if necessary.) When the coast is clear enter the next room. Advance cautiously. The checkerboard floor has a number of broken tiles, some with spikes beneath. The far left break-away tile conceals a small med-pack, so be sure to drop in and pick it up.

At the rear is a switch. It opens the door to the right releasing 3 lions. You can pull the switch and jump on the block to kill the lions. Or, don't pull the switch and wait to get them from above in a moment. Or, you can skip the lions altogether, since there's no reward in that room.

Go around to the right of the switch and find the movable block. Pull it twice. (Behind it is the exit, but don't go yet.) Go around to the side and pull the block out toward the big room. When you can't pull any further, go around the back and push it once more. Now you can use it to climb up to the balcony.

Draw weapons and go to each end of the platform to lure out 2 rats. While you're at it, pick up the large med-pack and 2 sets of magnum clips. If you like, go to the well-lit doorway and kill the 3 lions from above. Drop down either into the lion room or onto the block you moved. If you go into the lion room, there's a switch to open the door.

To end the level, jump into the green water-filled pit that was behind the movable block.