Stella's Tomb Raider 3 Walkthrough - Windows, Macintosh & PlayStation

TOMB RAIDER 3:  TRAINING LEVEL

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT WARNING FOR PLAYSTATION USERS: If after starting a game you return to the training level to mess around, do not save the game using the save crystal in your inventory. If you do, it will overwrite your earlier game save and you will lose all the progress you've made. (Thanks to the guys at Tomb Raiders Traveler's Guide for this.)

ENTERING THE TRAINING LEVEL: To get into the training level, choose the Polaroid photo labeled "Lara's Home" from the main menu and press Enter (Select on the PlayStation).

THE BASICS: This is the place to learn (or brush up on) Lara's basic moves. You begin in Lara's bedroom where she welcomes you back. There are several silver-gray buttons on the walls of the mansion. Most of these open nearby doors. The first is just to the left of the bed. To use it, position Lara in front of it and press Action. This opens the closet, where you'll find a box of flares. To pick them up, position Lara over them and press Action. The flares will then appear in your inventory. To use one, select it from inventory or use the flare hotkey ( < or comma on the PC or Mac, Select + R1 for PlayStation).

[NOTE ON BRIGHTNESS ISSUES: The default brightness setting in this game is fairly dark. To save flares, you can adjust the gamma setting. Choose the Video options (sunglasses) from the main menu and set the gamma higher. Or, turn up the brightness on your TV or monitor.]

I won't go over every control here. If you're unsure of the basic moves, refer to your manual and/or my Controls and Strategy pages.

Downstairs, Lara guides you step by step through certain areas of the training: an exercise routine in the indoor gym (downstairs and to the right when facing the stairs) and swimming pool (just beyond the gym), as well as an outdoor assault course and shooting range (outside the front door and around the back of the house to the left). Just approach those areas and the Lara voice-over will tell you what you need to do.

In addition to learning the controls, there are also a few secrets to be discovered. Lara has relocated her TREASURE ROOM since Tomb Raider 2, and she's added a RACETRACK for practicing on the quad bike. This track is where the hedge maze was located in TR2 (outside the front door and to the left, just beyond the statue of the horse). Getting to these hidden areas is a bit of a challenge. So read on.

LARA'S TREASURE ROOM: Lara's new treasure room is located off the main hall, on the left if you're facing the front door. To get in, first go through the gym to the swimming pool. Press the button behind the diving board (shown in this screenshot) to open a panel in the wall opposite the treasure room door. Behind this panel there's a switch (shown in this screenshot). There's no hurry to get there; this door isn't timed. This next part is, however. Return to the main hall and find the switch behind the now-open panel to the right of the front door. Throw the switch, Roll, take a running jump, then press Sprint to dash toward the door. (The Sprint key is forward slash on the PC and Mac, R2 on the PlayStation.) While sprinting, press Jump when Lara is almost at the door to somersault through as it comes down (see this screenshot). If the butler gets in the way, use the button near the front door to open it, lure him outside, run back in and use the button again to close the door, locking him out.

Once inside the treasure room, there isn't much to do except admire Lara's acquisitions. If you've played other games in the series, you'll recognize some of these. In addition, the jade cats from TR1/Gold are now displayed in the swimming pool room. To open the exit, press the button to the left of the door twice.

NOTE: According to the Tomb Raiders Traveler's Guide, Rich Morton, lead level designer for TR3, confirmed that this gold head is an "inside joke"—a cross between the gold idol Indiana Jones found at the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark and the face of Eidos producer Mike Schmitt. The guys at the Traveler's Guide think it resembles the Golden Mask of Tornarsuk from TR2 Gold. I think it looks more like the gold idol in TR1 City of Vilcabamba. Take your pick...or use your imagination.

GETTING THE RACETRACK KEY: If you haven't already retrieved the flares from the closet in Lara's bedroom, do that now. Once you've got them, exit the bedroom and go to the left along the mezzanine, past the stairs leading to the lower level. Use the button in the corner to open the door to the attic. (You can explore up there now but it's not necessary. You'll be coming through another way momentarily.) Continue along the mezzanine to the music room. Go through it and to the left into the library. Find the loose book in the bookcase on the right and pull it to extinguish the fire in the fireplace. (See this screenshot if you need help.) Go into the fireplace and climb up the left wall (shown in this screenshot). At the top, climb to the right and then let go to land on the ledge. Follow the secret passageway to a room with a switch and a couple of wooden crates.

Pull the crate on the floor once (as shown in this screenshot). Behind it are some more flares. Climb onto the ledge and pull the second crate twice (as shown here). Lara will end up standing on the first crate. Go around to the right side of the upper crate and push it once to get it out of the way. This opens up a passageway into the attic.

(NOTE TO NEW RAIDERS: To move a box or block, first position Lara with her chest against it. Press and hold Action. Lara will grab the block and go into a slight crouch, indicating that she's ready. While holding Action, press Forward or Back to push/pull the object. Keep in mind that there must be sufficient space behind or in front of the block for Lara to move it.)

Now you've got a clear path downstairs. If that pesky butler gets in your way, just lead him to the front door and lock him out, or lure him into the refrigerator in the kitchen and trap him inside for the duration. (See screenshot.)

The switch opens the basement door, which is downstairs just off the main hall on the way into the gym. The door is timed to close after about 28 seconds, so you'll have to hustle. Light a flare if you need it to navigate the dark attic. Pull the switch, press the Look key to get Lara's perspective back, then roll. Run along the ledge, go right through the doorway, cross the attic, and make a hard left into the stairwell and down. Use the Sprint key on the straight-aways but release it to navigate the curves. Turn right at the bottom of the attic stairs. (You should have opened the attic door already from the other side, but if not, press the button do it and then go back upstairs to try again.) As you exit the attic, take a running jump to clear the railing (screenshot). Aim for the middle of the stairs so you can side flip to the right over the banister (screenshot) and not have to run all the way down the stairs. Roll and Sprint through the open door (screenshot). Now catch your breath on the way down to the basement.

There are more flares just inside the door. The button on the wall opens the door when you want to leave. Continue down to the huge fish tank. Note the position of the RACETRACK KEY on the bottom of the tank just beyond the leopard print chaise lounge. (It's shown in this screenshot.) Pull/push the crate under the opening in the ceiling (screenshot). Climb onto the crate, walk to the edge, jump straight up and press Action to grab the edge of the opening. Pull up and follow the passageway to the opening above the water. Jump in and swim around to pick up the key. (Swim over it and press Action to take it.) Swim back to the opening and climb out. Now take your prize upstairs and out the front door. Head for the lock to the right of the small gate beyond the prancing horse statue. Position Lara in front of the lock and press Action twice to use the key. Enter the RACETRACK for some hard-won joyriding.

ALTERNATE METHODS FOR GETTING INTO THE RACETRACK: If you're having trouble with the timed run, there are a few ways to bypass it.

THE RACETRACK: To get on the quad bike, have Lara approach it from either side and press Action. Forward is also Action. Reverse is the same key as Jump. Brake is the same as Sprint. For a turbo speed boost, press and hold the brake (same as Sprint), rev the engine (Action), then release the brake.

To get off the quad bike when you're finished, press Roll + Left/Right. Note that using Up + Down arrow keys to substitute for Roll won't work here as it does for a standing reverse roll. You must use the actual Roll key—End on the PC, backslash on the Mac, and Circle on the PS1. (If you're unsure of the basic moves, refer to your manual and/or my Controls page.)

GETTING THE QUAD BIKE OUT OF THE RACETRACK: Doing this without cheating is extremely difficult, if not impossible. I have never done it, and I don't know anyone who has. Still, the rumors continue to circulate, so I've decided to post the information I have on a separate page. PC and PlayStation cheats to get the quad bike out of the track are also included on that page. (Special thanks to Theresa, webmaster of tombraiders.com, which is no longer online, and the other players mentioned.)

ASSAULT COURSE & SHOOTING RANGE: The assault course is located behind the house. From the front doors, go to the left past the statue of the prancing horse and around the corner of the house. Follow the alleyway around the glass-domed swimming pool. When you approach the beginning of the course, the voiceover explains what to do.

At the end of the assault course is a sandy area where Lara can crawl through a tunnel covered with greenery. Here you'll find the PISTOLS. Crawl in, position Lara over the guns, and then press Action to pick them up. Beyond this tunnel is a shooting range. Knock down all the targets and run to the finish line between the two Union Jack flags. Then, if you like, Lara can continue her target practice with the help of Winston (a.k.a. "Jeeves"), her trusty though flatulent butler.

When you've found all the goodies and warmed up sufficiently, you can also compete for the best time in the assault course and racetrack—try to beat your friends' times or simply best your own record. After completing the assault course, the wrought iron gate separating the course and the front garden opens, as does the kitchen door. You can continue exploring or go on to the main adventure. (See "Exiting the Training Level," below.)

(NOTE: Sarah sent me another tip on keeping the butler out of Lara's way. When he appears on the target range, go around behind him and start shooting so that each time he falls down he gradually moves toward the tunnel where you got the pistols. Eventually you'll be able to knock him over so he lands inside the tunnel and gets stuck there. Then you can continue to explore in peace.)

ON THE ROOF: First, use the corner bug or "jump trick" to get up on the roof of the mansion. If you've never done this before and need assistance, see my Useful Bugs page. To get onto the balcony outside Lara's bedroom, go to the back left corner (screenshot) to the spot overlooking the monkey bar portion of the assault course (screenshot). Turn so Lara's back is facing out, slide back and grab the edge of the roof (screenshot). Let go to land on the balcony. To get down, take a running jump over the railing to land in the pool below (same screenshot). You'll need to take two hops plus an extra step or two back from the railing to get enough of a run-up to clear it.

To get from the roof to the RACETRACK, go to the back right corner (screenshot) to the spot overlooking the glass-roofed swimming pool. Turn so Lara's back is facing out over the edge (screenshot). Step back as if to do a safety-drop, but don't grab the edge or Lara will get stuck in the corner and you'll have to quit and restart the game. Lara will land on a brick ledge at the corner of the building. She'll lose quite a bit of health but less than she would if you just jumped or stepped off the edge. Take a running jump from the stone wall to the top of the hedge surrounding the RACETRACK (same screenshot). From there, you can drop into the track.

EXITING THE TRAINING LEVEL: When you're ready to exit the training level and move on to the main adventure, press Escape (Select) and use the direction keys to rotate the menu ring to the passport (labeled "Game"). Press Enter (Select) and then use direction keys to page through the passport to the Load Game or New Game screen. Or, while playing in the training level, have Lara approach the front gates outside the mansion. Press the button to the left of the gate to open it. Then run outside. This will send you to the passport in the main menu ring, where you can choose to load a saved game or start a new game.

Next time you play, if you want to skip the training, use the direction keys to rotate the menu ring from the Polaroid photo to the passport and press Enter (Select) to access the Load Game option.

[On to TR3 Level 1 | Lost Artifact Level 1]

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