IMPORTANT: The material in this section pertains only to Tomb Raiders 1 through 5. Angel of Darkness and the newer games, Legend, Anniversary and Underworld are built on different game engines and thus require different approaches. See the specific controls and walkthrough pages for them.

In This Section: Using the Moves Weapons & Combat General Raiding Tips (this page) Printer-friendly page Related Pages: Gameplay & Controls TR 1-5 Useful Bugs Tech Support Links Cheat Codes PC & Macintosh Savegames

SAVE YOUR GAME FREQUENTLY. If you're playing the PC or Mac version of the game, there's no reason not to save often. It'll keep you from having to replay long sections of the game if something goes wrong, and can even save Lara's life—for example, during a battle with a big enemy, if you're doing well, save during the fight so if you do get killed, you won't have to start from scratch. One caveat: Be sure to save in a new slot every so often, so if you mistakenly save a game where you're doing badly or Lara is about to die, you can go back to a fairly recent saved game to start over.

BACK UP YOUR SAVES. If you're using a console, swap out your memory card every level or so. If you're playing on a PC or Mac, you can copy your current set of savegames to separate files in your TR directory then reload them later if you want to. Consider labeling the folders with the levels the games come from so you can distinguish them easily later. (My Savegame Files page has PC and Mac saves you can download if you need them. For general info and help backing up and installing, see my Savegame Help Page.)

CONSERVE HEALTH. You'll probably need more medipaks later in the game, as the enemies get tougher and the traps get more dangerous. So don't use more than you need. Small medipaks bring back half of Lara's health; large kits restore full health. Remember, too, that full health is restored before each new level. So don't bother cracking that medipak if you're almost at the end of a level. And in TR4, where you can move back and forth between certain levels, you can use this feature to restore Lara's health.

BE CREATIVE WITH MEDIPAKS. You can use them during a fight if necessary. Beginning in TR2, there are in-game medipak hot keys (see the Controls page for the game you're playing). Or, you can just press the Pause or Escape key to take a time-out for healing. The game stops when you're looking at the inventory screen. Medipaks can also work like scuba gear if Lara gets caught underwater and runs out of air, and they can keep her alive for a few moments if she catches fire. These tactics are only for emergencies though, since drowning or burning depletes Lara's health pretty fast. Do this only when you know you can make it to air (or water) pretty quickly.

CONSERVE YOUR FLARES. Beginning in TR2, Lara gets flares to light her way. There are plenty to be found, but if you're running low, try these tricks. Save your game, explore a dark area using a flare then reload if you don't find anything interesting. Or, if you're desperate, turn up the brightness on your monitor or TV, or use pistol fire to light your way. In TR4 & 5, you can also use the binoculars for light. Press the Action key while looking through the binoculars to light up Lara's view.

WALK THROUGH SPIKES, BROKEN GLASS AND BARBED WIRE. This will seem obvious to veteran players, but if you're new to the game, take note: Lara won't be injured if you walk through these dangerous areas. (In TR4 & 5 spikes are unsafe at any speed, so avoid them.)

DISABLE THE WINDOWS KEY WHEN PLAYING TOMB RAIDER 1. TR1 runs in DOS, and as a result, accidentally pressing the Windows (Start Menu) key will cause the game to crash to the desktop. This can be prevented by downloading and using the WinKey Killer utility created by Brad Jackson. I have found it very helpful, but since it's not my creation, I am not responsible for it. So use and enjoy it at your own risk. WinKey Killer works with Windows 95, 98, Me, XP (and I think Vista as well, though I'm not positive). Instructions are included in the 'readme' text file accompanying the download.

DISABLE STICKY KEYS & FILTER KEYS: The Windows operating system includes a special feature for users with disabilities that allows them to press a modifier key (Ctrl, Alt, or Shift) for several seconds and have it remain active until another key is pressed. This causes problems in games like Tomb Raider, where holding these keys is used for functions like walking and climbing. To turn it off, go to Start > Control Panel > Accessibility Options (called "Ease of Access Center" in Windows Vista). Un-check the boxes for Sticky Keys and Filter Keys. Also be sure to click the Settings buttons under both features and un-check the Use Shortcut option.

GAMEPADS & JOYSTICKS: The classic Tomb Raider games are notoriously finicky about which gamepads and joysticks they're compatible with. If you start the game only to find Lara runs in circles uncontrollably, this probably means you have an incompatible controller. Either unplug it and use the keyboard, recalibrate the device, or try using Xpadder. More info on this handy utility can be found on Wikipedia.

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