LEVEL 5: KAZAKHSTAN - PROJECT CARBONEK |
Updated: 4/29/07(†) |
Items: health packs, grenades, grenade launcher, assault rifle, submachine gun, ammunition
Enemies: mercenaries, Amanda's creature
Rewards: 5 bronze, 3 silver, 1 gold (*)
Time Trial: 27:10 (**)
As Lara arrives at the military installation, Zip and Alister share their recent findings. Apparently, while delving into the properties of one of the sword fragments, some catastrophe occurred here, and the KGB tried to shut the project down. Despite the firefight raging between the Kazakh soldiers and Amanda's mercenaries, Lara decides that locating the command center is next on the agenda.
DROPPING IN FOR A VISIT: From CHECKPOINT 1, jump off the cliff, triggering an interactive cut scene. Press the control indicated by the icon that appears on-screen to make Lara pull the ripcord and release her parachute. Otherwise, thud. . . and reload. The correct controls are:
PC: Down PS2: Triangle Xbox: Y PSP: Triangle GameCube: Y
MILITARY COMPOUND: If you are successful, Lara glides to the rooftop below, landing next to a conveniently placed machinegun and CHECKPOINT 2. The area below is swarming with mercenaries—11 soldiers in all. Press Interact to grab onto the big gun and use it to sweep the area, concentrating on the closest mercenaries first. Then take out the men in the windows and wait for a few stragglers to emerge. The fuel barrels make lovely explosions, so target them as well. When the coast is clear, pick up the RC650 ASSAULT RIFLE (or ammo if you have the rifle) to the right of the machinegun.
Drop down in front of the building Lara is standing on. When she hits the ground, 5 more mercenaries emerge from the same building as the others. Run around behind the building Lara was just on (circle around to the right when facing that building). Use the crates to climb back onto the roof. Again, use the machinegun to mow down the mercenaries.
NOTE: To avoid the second group of soldiers, hop down via the crates at the back of the building then circle around to the front. These mercenaries will not be triggered.
Before climbing down again, cross the roof to the right and jump to grab the horizontal bar on the flagpole. Swing around it and jump to grab the crates stacked against the next building. Pull up. Shoot the box to get the bronze reward (1/5) inside. Drop down and pick up all the rifle rounds, health packs and grenades Lara can carry.
The big building with the train tracks is locked. The door in the fence doesn't open either. So enter the building where the soldiers were. In the back room, there's a bronze reward (2/5) on a shelf in plain sight. Return to the main room and locate the ladder on the back of the support column. Climb to the roof and CHECKPOINT 3.
FAR SIDE OF THE COMPOUND: Kill the soldier on the next roof. Jump onto the open skylight then over to the roof where the soldier fell. Pick up rifle ammo, health and/or grenade. Four more mercenaries appear below. Before climbing down, shoot the soldier on the right. Then slide down the planks onto the rooftop to the left. From here, you can get clear shots at the remaining soldiers. Concentrate first on the one manning the machinegun and the one in white with the grenade launcher. Try to target the explosive barrels as well. (Or, if you prefer direct confrontation, slide down the angled cable to the ground or climb down the usual way, and fight the mercenaries on their level.) Once on the ground, pick up any goodies you need—health packs, rifle ammo, grenades, the GRENADE LAUNCHER.
The gate with the keypad leads to the COMMAND CENTER, but you can't get through yet. Before entering the INFIRMARY (the building with the green cross near the machinegun), head for the low tower surrounded by a razor wire-topped fence. Use pistols to shoot the breakable crates along the right side of the fence, revealing an opening. From the opening, shoot the fuel barrel to blow open the fence and destroy the wooden crate containing a silver reward (1/3). (Check this screenshot for details.)
INFIRMARY: When you enter the infirmary, a cut scene ("Allies Under Fire") shows Lara rescuing a pair of Kazakh soldiers from one of the mercenaries. Conversing in Russian, the soldiers agree to give her the gate code, thinking she'll sound an alarm in the control center if she uses it without the key. She politely thanks them in their own language.
CHECKPOINT 4 follows the cut scene. Pick up the rifle ammo the mercenary dropped and exit the infirmary into an ambush.
Just beyond the machinegun, 5 mercenaries appear, including one in a light-colored uniform with a grenade launcher. If you run straight out to the machinegun and immediately start firing, you should be able to kill all the enemy soldiers. But if they start lobbing grenades at Lara, you'll be better off moving out so you have room to dodge while shooting. These guys drop the usual health, ammo and grenades, along with a GRENADE LAUNCHER.
Get silver reward #1 (above) if you haven't done so already. Then go to the keypad and use it to open the gate.
As long as Lara doesn't go through the gate, you can return to the machinegun near the command center. I found this takes much longer than just confronting them head-on, but several players suggested it, so I have included it here.
COMMAND CENTER: As soon as you open the gate, the 2 soldiers at the top of the hill start rolling explosive barrels down toward you. The most direct strategy here is to run through the gate past CHECKPOINT 5. The gate then closes behind Lara, so there's nowhere to go but up. Run up the hill with pistols drawn, tapping the Interact key, and you should be able to destroy all the barrels, as well as the mercenaries, before reaching the top.
Alternately, run back to the machinegun and use it to shoot the soldiers from a distance (which can be a bit time consuming). Or, stand at the foot of the hill, just outside the gate. Here Lara is safe from the rolling barrels. Then use the rifle to target the barrels at the top, killing the soldiers in the process.
At the top, pick up any dropped health packs, grenades and ammo you may need and enter the building.
A cut scene ("Command Center") shows Lara accessing the base computers. She finds a map revealing the secret lab and a train that will take her there. Zip informs her that the train she wants is about to depart.
RUN FOR THE TRAIN: There is no specific time limit here. The train won't leave until you actually engage the soldiers guarding the track. So there's no need to rush. Climb the ladder through a hole in the roof to CHECKPOINT 6. Jump from the open skylight to grab the ladder on the radio tower. Climb to the top, grab the angled cable and slide down toward the compound, landing on the tower next to the SICK BAY. Grab onto a second cable and slide across to the roof with the machinegun, where you started the level. Alternately, let go of the cable before reaching the roof to land on the concrete platform.
There are 6 mercenaries here. The one on the cement platform wearing orange and white has a grenade launcher. So, while you don't need to waste time killing every soldier, you may want to take him out before dropping down. Then run for the tunnel at the end of the tracks. (Or, if you drop directly onto the cement platform, just run toward him, kill him and keep going.)
As soon as you've killed the guy with the grenade launcher or two of the other soldiers, you'll hear Zip on the headset telling Lara her train is leaving. That's the signal the timer has started and you'd better get moving. If you miss the train, it's Game Over and you must try again from the previous checkpoint.
Two soldiers guard the motorcycle just inside the tunnel. If you have time, kill them and take any health and ammo they drop. But the main goal is to reach the bike, press Interact to get on and go.
MOTORCYCLE CHASE: A new area loads and Lara is on the bike, passing CHECKPOINT 7. This is similar to the motorcycle sequence in Peru. Throughout this stage, avoid hitting trees and rocks, run over the red health packs whenever possible, and try to maintain speed. If you go too slowly, the train gets away and the game restarts at the previous checkpoint. If you go too fast, you run the risk of leaving enemies behind, which can trigger a bug (see the note below). Throughout the area, thugs on motorcycles try to get in your way. They become more numerous as you go. Later, bad guys in black Jeeps join them. Propane tanks scattered here and there can be detonated as usual with the Interact key.
NOTE: I highly recommend saving the game manually in a different save slot at each checkpoint during the motorcycle sequence. There are several potential bugs here. For details, see the bug note at the bottom of the page. It also includes a useful bug for the PSP version of this section.
If you run into a bug here while playing the PC game and reloading an earlier save doesn't fix it, you are welcome to download a save file. (My Kazakhstan collection includes checkpoints 8, 10 and 12. Instructions are here).
The first part of the run, between checkpoints 7 and 8, is fairly easy. Then, shortly after Zip says he can't see what's going on, the train enters a tunnel. You'll need to stay to the right to avoid crashing and then veer left to stay on the road.
Beyond CHECKPOINT 8 the path splits several times. At each fork, you'll have to choose the left or right path. The first time there's a slope with wooden barricades on the left. This leads up to a narrow, snowy track, where you may need to slow down a bit to stay on the road. On the right, there's a health pack at the base of a snowy ramp. If you choose the ramp, gun the engine to jump the chasm beyond.
Beyond that, the road splits several more times. First you must choose another high, narrow path (left) or rickety wooden bridge (right). Next, it's a high narrow path (left) or death by rock wall (right). Finally, the road divides once more, forcing you to choose high and narrow (left) or jump over chasm with health pack (right).
Just beyond CHECKPOINT 9, the road curves around to the left. Beyond this, there are 2 easy health packs, followed by a long run interspersed with trees and rocks, where you'll have to fight off numerous mercenaries on bikes and in Jeeps. Don't bother engaging every enemy. Just maintain your speed, shooting anyone who comes into range, and picking up health when you can get it.
Just before CHECKPOINT 10, the train enters another tunnel and you need to stay to the right. There are no more bad guys on this stretch. After the checkpoint, the road curves around to the left then splits, with a high, narrow path on the left and a wooden bridge over a chasm on the right. Steer through a few more curves then speed up a wooden ramp to jump over the train track. After landing, steer right and jump the tracks again. Finally, follow the road around to the left and up a narrow ledge with icicles hanging from above. When you reach the straight-away beyond, speed up and jump the bike onto the train at the spot where the embankment comes to a point (shown in this screenshot). Once on the train, keep driving forward, staying in the middle as much as possible.
A cinematic sequence ("Runaway Train") cuts in. Lara makes her way forward to the engine. The bad guy driving the train doesn't seem happy to see her, but before he can do much, the train crashes into a fuel tank and jumps the tracks.
As soon as the next area loads, CHECKPOINT 11 registers and an interactive cut scene begins. Press the controls indicated as soon as they appear on-screen to help Lara escape the train wreck unscathed. These are:
PC: Down, Right, Left
PS2: Circle, Triangle, Square
Xbox: B, Y, X
PSP: Circle, R, Triangle
GameCube: B, Y, X
ENTERING THE SECRET LAB: At CHECKPOINT 12, a brief cut scene indicates the route to the exit, around and over the burning train. Kick the 2 small crates out of the way. Grapple the crane arm with the dangling rope and pull it toward Lara. Release the grapple, run, jump and grab the rope before it swings away. Swing on the rope and jump to land on the platform ahead. Climb the ladder and jump to grab the sign against the back wall. Traverse to the left along the top of the sign. Jump to grab the horizontal pipe. Swing around the pipe and jump across the flaming wreck to grab the next horizontal pipe. Swing and jump to the sign on the wall ahead. Let go to land at CHECKPOINT 13.
Drop down into the dark corner behind this platform to find a wooden crate containing a bronze reward (3/5). Go around the platform and use the larger crate to climb back up. Turn to face the next dangling rope. Again, use the grapple to pull the crane arm toward you and jump to grab the rope. Climb up the rope a little so Lara doesn't get singed by the flames. Then swing and jump to the next platform. Jump from the platform to grab a handhold on the wall ahead. Climb up to the opening and shoot the spinning fan before trying to pass.
VENTILATION DUCTS: Follow the duct past CHECKPOINT 14 to a slope. Slide down. Take a running jump to clear the tangle of live wires (holding Jump keeps Lara in the air a little longer). Duck or roll to get under the second set of wires. Cross CHECKPOINT 15.
Pick up the health pack and note near the dead scientist. (The note must be retrieved by pressing Interact.) Lara reads the note, which hints at Project Carbonek's purpose, and she and the guys discuss the poor chap's untimely end.
Continue along the hallway to the left. Jump to grab the horizontal pole. Swing and jump to grab the rope. Climb down the rope a bit before swinging to the opposite opening. If you fall, use the box to climb up and try again. Slide down the ramp, jumping near the end to clear the live wires. Follow the passage to the right, shoot the fan and duck/roll under the wires. Continue along the passage to the left. Shoot another fan, slide down another ramp and jump over more electrified wires. Take a running jump over the next set of wires; duck/roll under the next. Follow the hall to the right then down another slope. Jump near the end to clear another tangle of wires.
It's easy to bypass a secret here. Instead of immediately going for the pole and rope, drop down to the floor and get the bronze reward (4/5) in the box. To get out, go to the far end of the pit, climb onto the larger box, face the middle of the pit and jump off. Quickly press Jump again to grapple a projection above. Turn around, climb up the cable a bit, then swing to the opening. Shoot the next fan and slide down the ramp. Hop down into the next room.
GENERATOR ROOM: Just beyond CHECKPOINT 16, Lara and Zip notice that Amanda hasn't started the generator here. Before doing that, go after a reward: Turn to face the opening where you just came in. To the left of it are 2 small louvered ducts or cabinets that look like they might once have been white. Climb them by pressing Jump twice. Then traverse to the left and pull up onto the catwalk.
Go up the steps to the left. Lara comments on the map below. Grapple the cage door ahead and pull it open. Take a running jump into the cage, shoot the crate and retrieve a silver reward (2/3). Drop to the floor and cross the room to the generator.
You can grapple and pull the valve on the front of the generator, but it won't start without fuel. Climb onto the formerly white metal box behind on the left. Jump to grab the whitish louvered duct on the wall between the yellow pipes. Climb to the right and then jump to grab the edge of the catwalk; pull up. Follow the catwalk, jumping the gap, around behind the generator. Turn toward the room, so the generator is below on the right and the elevated fuel tank is on the left. Jump to grab the dangling rope. Lara's weight pulls down a pipe, refueling the generator. Go around to the front of the generator and use the magnetic grapple to pull out the valve. The generator starts, lighting up the map on the wall and unlocking the door in the corner. Go through this door to CHECKPOINT 17.
HALLWAY WITH TOXIC GAS: The boys comment on the poisonous gas spewing from the pipes ahead. Jump to grab the small metal ledge ahead; pull up. From there, jump to grab the horizontal pipe. Swing and jump to grab the next metal ledge and pull up. Jump to grab the next horizontal pole. Adjust position left to right. Swing and jump to grab the dangling rope. Swing and jump to the corner ledge. Jump over to the next small ledge. (There's more toxic vapor below.) Move to the edge and jump straight up to grab the ledge above; pull up.
Observe the electrified pipe above on the right. When the spark moves away along the pipe, jump up to grab it. Traverse along behind the spark, taking care not to touch it. At the end, the spark skips back to the beginning of the pipe, giving you plenty of time to continue nearly to the end, jump back and grab the metal duct on the opposite wall. Climb around the corner to the right and let go to drop and grab the retracted ledge below. Jump to the ledge behind.
Here there's an electrified pipe above and toxic gas below. When the spark moves off, jump up to grab the pipe. Swing along hand over hand, following the spark but not touching it. (Tap Interact to go faster.) Drop onto the platform on the other side. Hop down to the floor and continue to the next room.
Lara tries to apologize to her old friend, but Amanda is not interested. She stalks off, leaving her bodyguards to deal with Lara. One soldier tosses a grenade onto the catwalk, preventing Lara from following. (This cinematic is titled "Reunion with Amanda".)
NOTE: There is a shortcut from here to the end of the level. This is highly useful in Time Trial mode but prevents you from getting the remaining rewards, so use it at your own discretion. Shoot the explosive barrels to the left of the Tesla gun. Move one of the large crates into the corner next to the railing where the barrels were, as shown in this screenshot. Climb onto the crate and jump to grab the edge of the hanging platform ahead. Jump from the hanging platform to the ledge near the exit. Go through the door with the green light and pick up the walkthrough below at the next to last section, HALLWAY WITH TOXIC GAS & ELECTRIFIED PIPES. (Thanks to Claire, who says she learned of this strategy second-hand. If anyone knows who discovered it, I will gladly credit that person here.)
LARGE ROOM WITH TESLA GUN AND TOWER: CHECKPOINT 18 is just inside the room. Zip is practically drooling into his headset with excitement over the apparatus. Unfortunately the Tesla gun needs more power to be fully operational. You'll have to see to that. For now, leave the explosive barrels alone. You may want to use them when you return to this area later.
First move to the edge of the balcony near the broken catwalk and shoot the mercenary on the opposite walkway. You can take him out with pistols if you stay behind the railing and move from side to side while shooting. Then look down. You should be able to get a clear shot at the soldier below on the right using pistols and manual aim. (The targeting reticule won't turn red, but if you shift position a few times, you can hit him anyway.) When he's dead, slide down the broken catwalk and pick up his rifle ammo, grenade and health pack.
NOTE: The first two times I played this level, the soldier on the walkway never appeared. The third time he did. Several other walkthroughs refer to 3 mercenaries "below", but I'm not sure what that's about. Just keep your eyes open and deal with whoever does appear.
There's a soldier in riot gear at the base of the tower. His shield makes him difficult to hit, but if you advance slowly you may be able to shoot him from behind (using the rifle with manual aim) before he notices Lara. If not, try hitting him with a running jump—i.e., run toward him while holding down the fire button and jump twice when you get close. Lara will spring into the air in Trinity-style slow-mo, finishing her opponent with a few well-placed shots. This soldier drops a grenade, health pack and SMG415 SUBMACHINE GUN (or ammo if you have the gun).
Zip advises climbing to the top to find the power source. Good idea, but first go around to the right side of the tower to find a bronze reward (5/5). Return around the tower to the vertical pole with the electric charge. Wait for the spark to move above Lara and then grab on. Climb the pole, following the spark but taking care not to touch it. When the spark skips back down to the bottom, climb to the top and jump onto the ledge ahead.
Cross CHECKPOINT 19 and climb onto the higher ledge. Turn around and jump to grab the horizontal pole. Swing and jump to grab the dangling rope, turn left and then swing and jump to grab the vertical pipe. Climb almost to the top. Ahead are more electrified vertical poles. When the spark on the nearest pole is at the very top, about to jump to the bottom, jump to grab the pole. Climb up and jump to the top of the metal cage before the spark reaches Lara.
Cross the cage to the left and drop down near another dead scientist. Pick up the health pack and note he dropped. The note reveals a little more info about the project the researchers were working on.
To get the silver reward (3/3) inside the cage, face the cage door then back up into the corner. Use the pistols with manual aim to shoot the explosive barrel through the hole in the cage. As long as Lara backs up all the way into the corner, she won't be hurt. (Alternately, stand way back and toss a grenade at the cage door.) Once the wall of the cage has been destroyed, go in and get the reward.
NOTE: It's possible to open the door to the Tesla tower and go inside, but this results in Lara's death. If you want to try it anyway, stand to the left of the door with the high voltage symbol. Use the magnetic grapple to slide the door open, then quickly release the grapple and run/roll through the door before it closes.
Just beyond the dead scientist, cross CHECKPOINT 20. The door with the red light on the other side of the room doesn't open yet. So follow the track on the floor through the door with the green light.
HALLWAY WITH DANGLING SOCKETS AND TOXIC GAS: The dangling wires aren't live (yet). Follow the hall until you reach the poisonous gas. Climb onto the metal ledge and take a running jump to grab the horizontal pipe ahead. Swing and jump to the ledge ahead. From here you can see activity in the next room. Take a running jump to grab the horizontal bar in the opening. Either drop down or swing and jump into the room.
ROOM WITH TRACK AND ELECTRIC CAGE: CHECKPOINT 21 is just inside the room. There are 5 soldiers in all, three clustered on the right side of the room, one in the middle and one on the far left, also several explosive barrels and a little sparse cover. I found it easiest to jump in and run to the left, take out the soldier there, then turn and deal with the rest. Gather any dropped rifle ammo, grenades and health packs you need.
Zip suggests turning on the power in the control room above. Lara will have to do some acrobatics to get there. First, go to the end of the track on the floor and use the magnetic grapple to pull the rolling cage along until it runs up against a bit of debris blocking the track. Climb onto the cage and jump to grab the ladder. Climb up and jump to the right to the broken metal ledge.
Amanda cuts in over the headset to quiz Lara on her knowledge of Arthurian lore. (This short cinematic is called "Headset Highjack".)
Take a running jump to grab the horizontal pole. Swing around and jump to the next ledge. Turn right to face out over the room. Take a running jump to grab the dangling rope. Swing and jump to grab the contraption with the big ball hanging from the ceiling. Climb around to the far side of the contraption. Jump back to grab the horizontal pipe. Swing around and jump to the ledge against the far wall. Turn right and take a running jump to grab the ladder against the wall. The ladder extends to the floor, so if you fall after this, you can climb up here. Climb the ladder now and jump to the ledge on the right.
Shoot the fuel barrel behind the barred window to break the bars. Then take a running jump to grab the dangling rope. Turn to face the opening and, if necessary, climb up the rope a bit. If you swing while hanging too low on the rope, Lara bangs into the ledge behind her and falls. Swing and jump into the control room.
Retrieve the note and health pack dropped by the dead scientist. Lara learns a bit more about the fateful experiments from the note. Cross CHECKPOINT 22 near the middle of the room and pull the lever to turn on the power.
In a brief cut scene, electricity arcs between the various bits of machinery down below, blowing away some of the junk blocking the track.
Climb down to the floor on either side of the control room. Take Zip's suggestion and use the magnetic grapple to move the electrified cage further along the track. Grapple, tug and release, then get out of the way of the electrical explosions. After one or two such pulls, the cage will move between the huge electrode thingies on the ceiling causing current to arc between the various parts. Grapple and pull the cage once more to send it sliding toward the door. It blasts aside the remaining debris and moves on through. Follow it past CHECKPOINT 23 and into the hallway, keeping a safe distance.
HALLWAY WITH DANGLING SOCKETS AND TOXIC GAS (AGAIN): To avoid the poisonous gas, once again climb onto the ledge, jump to grab the horizontal pipe and swing to the next ledge. Drop down and continue along the track to the corner, where you cross CHECKPOINT 24. This time when you reach the dangling sockets, they're crackling with current. To get past, stand to one side of the hallway, squarely facing the socket ahead. Use the magnetic grapple to hook the socket, pull it toward Lara and release. While the socket is swinging, the spark goes out and it's safe to run or roll under it. Do that quickly before it charges up again. Repeat the process with the next socket. When you round the corner, you need to deal with 2 sockets side by side. To get past them, grapple one socket, pull and quickly release to start it swinging. Immediately grapple the other, pull and release. With good timing, you can get both swinging—and no longer live—at the same time. Quickly run or roll underneath. Repeat the same process with the final pair of sockets.
If the cage gets stuck at the end of the hall just before the door, move into the gap between the cage and the wall, hugging the wall so Lara doesn't touch the electrified cage. This should open the door. Then the cage will pass through along the track. CHECKPOINT 25 is just ahead.
LARGE ROOM WITH TESLA GUN AND TOWER (AGAIN): The cage moves along the track until it reaches the tower. Then it stops. Stand to the left of the door with the high voltage symbol. Use the magnetic grapple to slide the door open. The cage rolls inside, completing some circuit, and the main power comes on.
The doors on the far side of the room (i.e., to the right when facing the tower) are now unlocked but going haywire with the power overload. To avoid a nasty shock, stand facing the electrified doors and run through just as they start to open.
Approaching the shield on the table triggers a cut scene ("Shields and Maps"). In it Lara and friends speculate on the shield's significance. Could it have been Lancelot's?
Nearby is another dead scientist with a health pack and a note describing his research. Like Takamoto, this man believed the sword to be much older than 10th century. Cross CHECKPOINT 26 and go carefully through the next set of electrified doors.
NOTE: Do not return through both sets of electrified doors or drop down to the lower area after this. You can go back into the shield room to get the health pack if you need it, but avoid going through the other set of doors or dropping down to the lower level and climbing back up the electrified poles. If you cross checkpoint 25 (near the dead scientist) again and Lara subsequently dies, after reloading you may not be able to get back through the electrified doors and will have to revert to an earlier save or replay the level.
Three soldiers in riot gear emerge onto the ledge across the room. You can take them out using the Tesla gun, which is now fully operational. Using the gun effectively may take a little practice, though. It works as a powerful electromagnet. When the gun is pointed at an object that can be manipulated, the targeting reticule turns red. Press the draw weapons/combat lock key (G/L1/LT) to pull/pick up objects and the fire button (left mouse/R1/RT) to push/throw them.
To use the gun against the soldiers, pick up an object, such as one of the explosive barrels and hold the combat lock key to keep the object suspended. Then swing the gun around toward the soldiers and press fire to throw the object. For heavier objects, like the metal boxes, it helps to aim high, since these projectiles tend to arc downward due to gravity. This isn't necessary with the barrels, though. Aiming straight at the soldier you want to hit should do it. You can also use the metal boxes set into the wall above the ledge where the soldiers are standing. A brief tug with the gun should pull each crate out of the wall and drop it onto the soldier below. There are more small metal boxes above the duct to the right of the gun. (They're shown in this screenshot. You need to remove them anyway to get the reward, and they make handy projectiles.)
NOTE: Do not use the crate on the cement ledge to the right as a projectile. You'll need it to get the gold reward.
If you've run out of things to throw, use regular weapons to kill any remaining soldiers. Grenades can be very effective, but you need to move right up to the railing and aim as high as possible, otherwise the grenades fall short of the ledge. To use pistols, move up to the railing and aim. The targeting reticule won't turn red, but you can still hit. Move left and right periodically; shooting from different angles helps get past the riot shields. Duck when the soldiers shoot back. The railing protects Lara as though it were a solid wall. Watch out for the gap in the railing where the walkway was. The broken walkway is gone and it's now a long fall. Also, the soldiers can easily hit Lara if she's standing there. CHECKPOINT 27 is just in front of that gap in the railing.
GOLD REWARD: (Refer to these screenshots if necessary.) If you haven't already done so, use the Tesla gun to remove the 4 small metal boxes set into the wall above the grate above and to the right of the gap in the railing. Later you will climb along this ledge.
Next, use the gun to move the hanging platform along the track on the ceiling to the right. Notice how the track curves down, runs along level and then slopes back up at the right end. That upward slope makes it difficult to slide the platform all the way to the right. To do it, aim the gun so the targeting reticule is over the metal coupling just below the track. Then use the gun to pull the platform to the right just until the track begins to slope upward. Quickly switch to push (fire button) and tap the button repeatedly to nudge the platform up the track and all the way to the right. Once you get the platform moving from left to right, it's best to keep it going; otherwise it won't have sufficient momentum to make it up the slope. If this doesn't work the first time, pull the platform back to the left and try again.
NOTE: If you're replaying the level and don't need the reward, such as in Time Trial mode, just move the platform to the gap in the railing. That's far enough to get across to the exit.
Once the platform is in position, leave the gun and go to the right to the cement ledge with the large crate on it. Slide the crate to the left end of the ledge. (If you accidentally tossed the crate, it's OK, as long as you still have at least one of the other large crates. Use the Tesla gun to move it onto the cement ledge. Then push it to the left end.) Climb on top of the crate and jump to grab the ledge you revealed by pulling out the 4 metal boxes. Jump to grab the ledge above and then traverse around the corner to the left. When Lara is above the metal ledge, let go to land on it. Turn around and jump down onto the hanging platform. Walk to the right side and jump to grab the metal ledge above. Pull up and turn right , cross CHECKPOINT 28 and turn right. Take a running jump to grab the horizontal bar. Swing around and jump into the alcove with the gold reward (1/1).
To get to the exit, jump back to the horizontal bar, swing around it and jump to the ledge against the wall. Go to the far end and take a running jump to the ledge near the exit. The soldiers here dropped SMG clips (or the SUBMACHINE GUN itself), health and grenades. As long as you haven't reloaded since killing them, these items will still be lying on the ledge. Go through the door to CHECKPOINT 29.
HALLWAY WITH TOXIC GAS & ELECTRIFIED PIPES: Climb onto the metal ledge to avoid the poisonous vapor. Shoot the broken pipes ahead to get them out of the way. Use the magnetic grapple to hook one of the light fixtures ahead. Tug on the cable then release it as the sliding ledge on which Lara is standing moves along its tracks. At the corner, jump onto the next sliding ledge. Again, use the grapple to start the ledge moving. Quickly release the grapple and duck under the electrified pipe as the ledge slides under it, crossing CHECKPOINT 30. Jump onto the next sliding ledge. Once more, shoot the broken pipes to clear the way and then use the grapple to start the ledge moving. Quickly release the cable and jump over the next electrified pipe. Here it helps to do a running jump. Hop down to the floor and go to the right, since the left hallway is blocked by debris. Pass CHECKPOINT 31 before entering the next room.
In the following cinematic ("Amanda's Pet") Lara catches up with her former friend in the lab's main control room. As Amanda explains her "relationship" with the monster they discovered in Paraíso, she fondles the stone from the ruins at her throat. Uninterested in Lara's apologies, she sics the beast on Lara.
LARA VS. THE CREATURE: It does no good to fight the monster directly. Just try and stay out of its way and avoid the flaming spots on the floor, which indicate where the monster's fireball attacks will land next. Run around the perimeter of the room, jumping or rolling if necessary to move faster and avoid the monster's attacks. As you go, activate each of the 4 breaker boxes by pressing Interact. When a box has been turned on, the light on it glows green and a mechanical arm on the ceiling extends.
When all four breakers have been used, another cut scene shows four large electrodes (or whatever they are) descending from the ceiling. Amanda's sword fragment is held in some kind of force field at the center.
Run to the Tesla gun in the middle of the room and press Interact to get on. Then target the large, dangling electrodes. Tap the fire button to push each electrode away until it makes a connection with two of the live electrodes against the wall. When that happens, electricity arcs between the electrode you are pushing and the neighboring electrodes (as shown in this screenshot). Repeat the process with the other three electrodes. You must do this quickly for all four to be activated at the same time. Then the forcefield around the sword fragment is removed (as shown in this screenshot). Get off the gun and use the magnetic grapple to grab the sword fragment hanging directly above the gun.
A few additional tips that may make things easier:
As soon as Lara grapples the sword fragment, a cut scene kicks in, in which Lara takes the fragment and the machine begins to overload. Amanda sneaks off as the device blasts a big hole in the floor. Lara drops down into a tunnel beneath the floor and crawls away. Soon Zip and Alister make contact over the headset. They inform Lara that her next destination is Cornwall—practically next door. (This cinematic is titled "Prize Obtained".)
NOTE: If you're playing the PC version of the game and want to skip the last area, you're welcome to download a savegame file from the checkpoint at the start of the next level. Instructions for downloading and installing Legend saves are here.
†UPDATE HISTORY: 5/11/06 - Added savegame for beginning of England level.
5/12/06 - Added shortcut from Room With Tesla Gun & Tower to end of level. A few cosmetic changes.
5/21/06 - Cosmetic changes and typo corrections only. 5/22/06 - Time Trial info added.
6/5/06 - Typo correction. 6/8/06 - Cosmetic changes including links to Controls page.
6/12/06 - Added link to savegame instructions.
6/20/06 - Added bug notes, checkpoint 9 save file and train sequence screenshot. Added checkpoint 11 (missed last time) and renumbered subsequent checkpoints. Fixed a few typos and made several corrections and additions inspired by readers' questions and suggestions.
10/16/06 - Added more info on the motorcycle chase loop bug, controls for interactive cut scenes and link to new time trials page. Fixed a few mixed up lefts/rights and made a few other minor clarifications.
11/17/06 - Added missing checkpoint 24, thanks to a tip from Turza.
12/19/06 - Added GameCube controls for the interactive cut scenes, thanks to Treeble.
2/15/07 - Added alternate strategy for hill with rolling barrels, thanks to Eric S. and Jo. Reformatted the bug notes for the motorcycle sequence as a separate footnote. Added PSP useful bug, thanks to Nick. Added note on not using cheats for final sequence, thanks to Engineernerd.
3/31/07 - Added info on the actual timer trigger in the "Run for the Train" sequence, thanks to Tom J. Removed note on PSP bug that turned out to be due to a faulty memory card, rather than an actual bug in the game. Apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.
4/29/07 - Refined bug description in the tesla tower area.
Thanks to Drew, Evelyn, Lara Man and Treeble for help with the console controls and to JFB, Advis, Alex R., Chris R., Brad N., Philip, Andy, Victoria, Abby, Sergio, Roger B., David C., Turza, Eric S., Jo, Nick, Paula P., Tom J. and Engineernerd for other help with this level.
*NOTE ON REWARDS: Finding rewards (formerly known as "secrets") unlocks various extras in the game. For a complete list of these bonuses and how to get them, see the Legends Rewards page.
**TIME TRIAL: After completing any level, you can replay it in Time Trial mode to unlock cheat codes. (See the Legend Rewards and Time Trial Tips pages.)
BUGS IN MOTORCYCLE SEQUENCE: Above I mention several potential bugs that can be triggered during the motorcycle chase. These are as follows:
USEFUL BUG FOR MOTORCYCLE SEQUENCE ON PSP: Nick99994 sent me this tip for the PSP game. "On the second long run, I have been fed up with crashing into trees and rocks. You said that you must kill all other bikers? Well, if a player keeps on dying, PLEASE include in the guide not to worry and not to kill the game. I have found a glitch. When Lara is on the motor bike, accelerate and SLOWLY nudge yourself up against the train. you may bounce off, but if you keep trying you will eventually rest, floating off the train, at a nice comfy angle. It might take longer than simply taking the risk and shooting at the bikers, but all you have to do is hold down Accelerate (X) and Fire (R). Lara will continue to rest on the train while shooting. But WATCH OUT! if you don't concentrate and don't see the cliff coming...splat. Reload. The train will go back and forth through about 4 tunnels. Don't panic. Lara will catch up."
WAS THIS WALKTHROUGH HELPFUL? If not, I apologize and invite you to contact me with any questions. If you need help right away, I suggest that you try some of the Resources for Fast Game Help on my page http://tombraiders.net/stella/resources.html. If the site was useful, please consider supporting it financially or in other ways. For details, visit http://tombraiders.net/stella/support/support.html. I also welcome any and all suggestions to improve things. Thank you!
Copyright © 2006-2008 - Stellalune (email ). All rights reserved. Feel free to copy or print this walkthrough for personal use. By all means, share it with friends, but please include this credit line so people can send me their corrections, comments and suggestions. This walkthrough may not be reproduced in any other manner without the author's written permission. If you'd like to offer this on your own web site, please read and follow the instructions here.
Stella's Tomb Raider Site: http://tombraiders.net.
