Secrets: 2
Note: There are several shortcuts in this level marked with asterisks. These item and kill counts are based on completing the entire level. If you take any shortcuts, you'll miss some kills and pickups.
Slide down the long ramp. Go up the next ramp to the lava area. Take a running jump and grab the angled block on the other side of the lava. Pull up and enter the cave on the right for SECRET #1, 2 boxes of shotgun shells. Return to the dark stone area and drop down into the hole.
Follow the passage. Walk, and don’t jump over the lava pit until the boulder has rolled down from the area ahead. Follow the passage to the room with the window on the left and the opening on the right. Ahead is a small lava hole in the floor. Do a standing jump, pressing Action to alter Lara’s trajectory so she lands in the opening with the small med-pack. Jump back out and continue to the opening. Kill the mutant, go around the corner to the left and pick up 2 boxes of shells.
Go around the right side of the high building and climb up into it. Jump to the front ledge and prepare to kill 2 winged mutants that rise up from below. When they’re dead, drop down into the center of the building and pick up a small med-pack and shotgun shells.
Shortcut 1 At this point, it is possible to avoid most of the rest of the level and proceed to the exit. To do this, climb back to the top of the structure and jump to the ledge on the left (left if Lara is facing out over the honeycomb structure). Slide back and grab the edge. Traverse to the flat-topped block above the highest opening in the structure below. Pull up then backflip, fall then slide down into the opening and drop into the pool below. Resume the walk-through at the * below. (I'm not sure who to credit for this, since several people apparently figured this out independently. I didn't include it here originally. I figured if you'd want to do it this way, why bother playing? But if you've been through once, this might be fun for a change of pace.)
Climb back up and jump down at the back of the building. Run down and to the left to avoid the rolling boulder. Go up the ramp from which the boulder came, then go to the right behind the angled honeycomb-like structure. Pick up some shotgun shells. Go around the side of the honeycomb structure and slide down the ramp. Pull up onto the ledge on the left to avoid another boulder. From there, head down the slope, climb up the tan rock steps, take the shells, then kill another flying mutant.
Climb down to the ground where you’ll meet another mutant. Pick up the large med-pack on the low pedestal opposite the corner of the honeycomb structure. This will draw another mutant. Around the corner, in the area with the patterned tiles, are some more shells.
Enter the honeycomb structure at the bottom left corner. Drop down and retrieve 2 small med-packs before continuing down to the next lower level. To do this, make sure Lara is at full health, then drop down through the opening to the right of the central structure. If you drop from another location, the fall is too high, and Lara will die.
Shortcut 2 If you're looking for another shortcut to the end of the level, you can drop down into the pyramid in a different way. This can also be used to exit the level if you experience a game crash when making the final running jump down into the pyramid (see below). Face Lara toward the hole and the ledge where the med-packs were. Make sure she's at full health for the drop coming up. Press fowrard and Action to drop through the hole and land on the top of the pyramid. Then jump into center of the pyramid to land in the water below. Resume the walk-through at the ** below. (Thanks to Jeff Reid for this tip.)
This room has a red webbed floor and a large pyramid structure in the center. The two green balls are alien monster eggs waiting to hatch. Approach them one at a time and kill each of the 2 mutants separately. Mind the lava pits. The low pedestals at the corners have goodies on them: a small med-pack and 3 boxes of shells. Picking up one of the boxes of shells calls forth another mutant. You can kill it from the pedestal, but stay to the left to minimize the effects of its fireball attack.
Enter the next room, taking care to avoid the arrow trap. You don’t have to do this, but I recommend going straight ahead to the windows first, to hatch the mutant eggs beyond. This will help you to kill them from a safer position later on. Head to the far left corner (to the left if Lara is facing the doorway) then go down the stairs. Kill the mutant you meet in the hallway. Continue, noting the closed door on the left that nearly blends in with the stone wall. The next room contains 3 more mutants in alcoves. They don’t animate unless you flip switches above or try and pick up the items behind them. You can avoid them altogether, but they're easy enough to kill from above, so use the the switches.
Grab the shells on the ground at the foot of the stairs, then go up. The first switch, set apart from the others, awakens the mutant on the right. If you go to the other end of the platform, you can shoot at it as it comes up the stairs and it won’t even get to you. The second switch (far right when facing switches) awakens the middle mutant. The leftmost switch awakens the third mutant. Kill them in similar fashion. Don’t forget the small med-pack near the farthest switch. You need to pull the last two switches to proceed: The second switch from the left opens the stone door in the hallway outside this room, and the remaining switch opens another doorway back in the large room with the pyramid. Pick up 2 boxes of shells and some magnum clips from the alcoves where the mutants were.
Go into the hall and through the small door you just opened. Climb up on the ledge to the right. From here you can kill the 2 mutants if you hatched them earlier. (If not, you’ll have to proceed to the eggs and hatch them now.) Pick up magnum clips, Uzi clips and shotgun shells from around this room. There are also shells and a small med-pack above and on either side of the door through which you entered.
Return to the large room with the pyramid and the see-through floor. Enter the opening on the left. Kill the mutant lurking at the top of the path. Continue to the top. When you reach a spot where Lara has to climb to get on a low step, climb up, turn around and pull up to a ledge above. Lava begins to flow but it stops before it reaches Lara. Turn around again and jump twice to land on a flat spot. Go up the ramp and kill the mutant at the top. Pick up the small med-pack and shotgun shells from the top of the right side ramp. Jump into the doorway.
There are arrow traps beyond, but these aren’t too difficult to pass if you move quickly and carefully. The next room has a number of water-filled openings, and 2 mutants lurk there. When you’ve killed them, explore the underwater area a bit. Pick up shotgun shells and a small med-pack from the bottom. Locate the 2 levers. They’re both on the same wall. You face them when the honeycomb structure is on your right. Pull both levers to open a pair of doors in an underwater tunnel to the left of the levers. Swim through this passage to find SECRET #2, a large med-pack, magnum clips and 2 boxes of shotgun shells.
Return to the surface and proceed to the next room. Here you’ll find a block with a switch on it and two closed doors beyond. Approach each of the doors to awaken 2 mutants on the other side. Go to the switch, flip it, then quickly hop back and take a standing jump to the top of the block. From here you can kill the 2 mutants safely. Pick up 4 boxes of shotgun shells in the rooms from which the mutants came.
There are two other rooms that connect to the one with the block. One has a cage with 4 mutants in it and a switch. The other has a pool of water, stairs leading to a gold door and 2 switches. Enter this room first. Go into the water and pick up 2 boxes of shells. Swim farther down to find a lever that opens the gold door above. (This is an exit back to the main area near the tall building and the honeycomb structure.)
Climb out of the water and pull the left switch first. This opens the other gold door in that main area. Then pull the switch on the right to release the mutants. You can rush out and try and fight them all, or take on a few at a time. Here’s my strategy: Pull the switch, then jump to the stairs. The mutants can’t cross the water. One will shoot fireballs at you, though, so get up to the middle step which faces the door. From here, you can shoot the mutant through the doorway while staying close to the step on the right for cover. When the fire-shooter is dead, come down to the bottom step and try and kill-or at least wound-one of the others before going back into the other room.
Enter and jump up on the block. You’ll be able to kill another one, perhaps two, from up here. One may go back into the cage room, in which case you’ll have to draw it out. The fourth will generally wait in there until you enter. When all the mutants are dead, go into the cage room and pull that 4 switch to open the room beyond. Here you’ll find 2 small med-packs.
Climb the stairs, exit through the gold door and enter the next gold door. A mutant high on the left shoots fireballs, so back out if necessary and use the door for cover as you shoot it. Opposite the entrance is a third gold door. You’ll find a large med-pack on the ground where the mutant was and shotgun shells in an alcove with a lattice window below. Jump into the water and retrieve 2 sets of magnum clips on the bottom.
Note the two underwater levers. In an alcove above the water to the left of the levers is the switch that opens the third gold door. Pull it. From here, you can take either of two paths: Going the long way, through the underwater door, brings a bit of danger and its rewards. Taking a shortcut through the gold door gets you to the exit more quickly, but you miss some pick-ups.
Shortcut 3 To take the short cut, jump and grab the ledge opposite the switch. Pull up, climb to the next block and jump diagonally to the gold doorway. (Pick up the walk-through below at the ***.)
Otherwise, swim down to the underwater levers. These open each of two red webbed doors nearby. Pull the lever on the left first, go through the left door and pick up some shells. Pull the right hand lever next, go through the right door and follow the passageway. Pick up shells and magnum clips from the bottom. If you have enough air, continue following the passage to a tan stone block, above which is an opening. Or go back to the lever room for air and try again. (Note the location of other underwater door. You may be wanting to get through it in a moment.)
The room above the opening is lined with spikes. Walk through them to the opposite corner, where you’ll find a small med-pack and a switch. This opens the underwater door you just saw and, naturally, it is timed. The only prize is some magnum clips. If you aren’t desperate for ammo-or a perfect item score-you can skip this next bit. To get them, flip the switch, press Look, then roll, take a running jump over the spikes to the low ramp beyond, then side flip to the left twice to land on the other ramp then in the water. Swim through the door and take the clips. (If you’re having trouble with the running jump over the spikes, back up after rolling to make sure Lara’s back is right against the switch before beginning the jump.)
Come back to the spiked room and walk through the spikes to the third raised block on the right. Pull up and retrieve some magnum clips. From the corner of the highest block (the tan one with the low tan ceiling above it), jump to grab the alcove above the crevice. Pick up more magnum clips.
[***(3) Continue from here if you've taken the third shortcut.] Take a running jump to the ledge opposite. Climb to the block above for a small med-pack, then drop back down and go to the left to pull up into an opening. Take two steps back from the edge, then do a standing jump to the slope on the left to slide onto the small block bridge. There are lava and spikes below. Take a running jump to the flat area beyond. Approach carefully a mutant is waiting. When it’s dead, pick up the shotgun shells and magnum clips.
Taking the clips draws out another mutant. When it’s dead, jump back to the small stone bridge, then climb up to the right. Follow this passage, jumping over the lava, to a dark cave beyond. Pick up 2 boxes of shotgun shells. Turn around and find an opening on the right side of the black rocks. Climb through it to the roof beyond. Pick up the large med-pack and shotgun shells. This attracts 2 winged mutants. When they’re dead, take a running jump over to the next platform and grab the magnum clips.
Return to the previous ledge with the gold pattern on it. Angle Lara toward the dark opening (highest on the right) in the honeycomb structure. Take a running jump and use Action to alter Lara’s trajectory so she sails through the hole. Fall and fall and fall some more to land in a pool.
[A number of people with 3dfx graphics cards have reported game crashes when doing this final running jump. Jeff Reid has come up with an alternative method for getting down inside the pyramid. From the platform with the magnum clips, take a running jump to the honeycomb structure, avoiding the openings. Slide down to the ground then follow the instructions for Shortcut #2, above.]
[*(1) and **(2) Continue from here if you've taken one of these shortcuts.] Surface to find yourself in the room below the webbed-floored one you were in earlier (the pyramid sides are visible). Kill the centaur, dodging its fireball attack. Follow the narrow passage to a door. Pull the switch to enter and end the level.
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