In order to unlock some of the bonus content in Tomb Raider: Legend, you must beat each completed level again in Time Trial mode.

How to Play a Time Trial: First load your most recent save file from the main menu. Then select Load/Save > Replay Level. Under difficulty level, choose Time Trial. The goal in Time Trial is to complete the level before the timer at the bottom of the screen runs out.

Can You Save During a Time Trial? No, you cannot save as you go along, although the game still saves automatically at each checkpoint and will reload at the last checkpoint if Lara dies.

GENERAL TIPS & STRATEGY

Here are some time trial tips sent in by helpful raiders. Your suggestions are welcome.

• Provided you plan on using cheat codes during other time trials, complete the time trial for Bolivia Redux first. That unlocks the one-hit kill cheat, which then makes the time trials for most of the other levels go much more quickly.
  
  
• If you have trouble doing Bolivia Redux quickly enough, try England instead. This unlocks the bulletproof cheat, which protects Lara from most enemies, including the Entity in Bolivia Redux. It also prevents her from drowning, though it doesn't reduce cold damage in the freezing waters of Nepal.
  
  
• If you still can't manage Bolivia Redux, try Nepal next. This unlocks the cheat to wield Excalibur, which is the next best thing to a one-shot kill in the fights with Takamoto and Rutland.
  
  
• Note that you can use multiple cheats at once. You can also enter cheat codes during cut scenes to save time.
  
  
• Don't waste time picking up rewards or any items you don't need.
  
  
• Avoid enemies unless you have to kill them in order to move on. In many cases, Lara can run away from enemies and they won't follow her very far. This is even easier if you have the bulletproof cheat enabled. Note that this technique doesn't work in the motorcycle chase sequences. If you don't kill the other riders, these levels can go on forever.
  
  
• This one is pretty obvious: try not to let Lara die. The game reloads at the last checkpoint but the clock is still running. It's usually better to take a few extra seconds setting up a jump than to miss and have to replay a large section of a level.
  
  
• There is an exception to the above rule: If you're out of health packs and there's a good spot for killing Lara right next to a checkpoint, let her die on purpose. The game brings her back to life at the checkpoint with full health and one health pack. Since the checkpoint is so close, you hardly lose any time. Note that if you die and reload more than once at the same checkpoint, you still get full health each time, but you only get the bonus health pack the first time. (One good spot to use this is the deep pit just beyond CHECKPOINT 15 in England, after killing the serpent.)
  
  
• Use the Interact key to climb more quickly up or sideways, or to swim faster. For best results, tap Interact in time with Lara's movements.
  
  
• When running on long straight-aways, tap Roll as you go to make Lara cover a bit more ground.
  
  
• If dramatic music makes you tense, turn off the sound—especially during the boss fights.
  
  
• Relax and don't worry about doing every sequence perfectly. You'll save time by using other tips and shortcuts, so try not to tense up if you make a mistake. Just recover and go on.
  
  

Time Trial Cheat

This apparently works only on the Xbox and Xbox 360.

1. Start any level in time trial.
2. After just a few seconds of gameplay, quit the level.
3. Choose the same level again and don't change any settings (difficulty, outfit, etc.); just press Continue. This should restart the level with no timer.
4. Complete as much of the level as you can without Lara dying.
5. Before finishing the level, deliberately kill Lara. When the game reloads, the timer will start at the point where you quit from the time trial. Now you have that much time left to finish.

SPECIFIC TIPS FOR EACH LEVEL

Bolivia

First rope swing - Instead of taking the normal route, climb up the vine a bit and then swing directly up to the waterfall and checkpoint 4. Details and screenshots are shown here. (Gandarufu made a video of this technique but credits Joshorty for the discovery.

Entering the ruins - Instead of doing the vine swing between checkpoints 6 and 7, use the shortcut described in my walkthrough and also shown in one of CannibalK9's videos at YouTube.

Crate puzzle - Ignore the jaguar and the third crate. Just move the crate on the ledge onto the nearest pad, move the box under the seesaw up to the ledge and then onto the middle pad. Then stand Lara on the third pad. (CannibalK9 has a great video showing how to do this fast.)

Evil coatrack room - Don't bother shooting the jaguar. Instead of climbing down and swinging around on the spike devices, take a running jump from the entrance to land on top of the middle rack. Carefully move onto to the left arm of the rack and jump to the next rack ahead and to the left. Move onto the arm nearest the exit and jump to grab the ledge. CannibalK9's YouTube video shows exactly how to do this.

Peru

Streets of Paraíso - After climbing through the building with the grenades to the second open street, you can avoid most of the mercenaries and just run to the motorcycle.

Swimming sequence - After the flashback, when re-entering the ruins, swim directly to checkpoint 14 (tap Interact to swim faster). Lara will drown just beyond the checkpoint, but this is still faster than swimming up the vertical shafts for air. Follow my walkthrough for the speediest way to complete the underwater lights puzzle.

Japan

If possible, complete some of the other levels first, so you'll have cheat codes to use against Takamoto. For example, England unlocks the bulletproof cheat and Nepal gives you Excalibur, which can finish Takamoto quickly.

Ghana

Entering the Ruins - There's a HUGE shortcut near the start of the level, but it can be difficult to do. This is covered in the walkthrough. (That page also includes links to several videos showing how it's done.)

Trapped hallway - Instead of using the blocks to stop the slicing blades, do some well-timed jumps: Wait until the two sets of blades move apart, and then duck under the high one and jump over the low one. If the timing is correct and the placement is ok, no damage is taken.

When fighting Rutland, use the grenade method described in the walkthrough.

Kazakhstan

Compound - You may need to take out a few soldiers, or choose to do so if the opportunity presents itself, but most of the enemies in the compound can be avoided by just running as fast as you can to the next area.

After the train wreck - Kick away the crate, grapple the crane arm, and jump to the rope. Then, instead of climbing all the way around the room, turn Lara 45 degrees to her left. Get her swinging high and jump her over the burning wreck. She will take a little damage. Climb onto the platform, grapple crane arm, jump to rope and continue as usual.

Tesla tower - Bypass the whole section between the first cut scene with Amanda and the final room using a shortcut described in my walkthrough.

England

Forklift - Don't bother moving the crates, just get on the forklift and barge through to the ramp. Then crash through the other stack of crates in the room below.

Flame traps Use one crate on the trap where you'd normally use two. Don't use any crates for the other. Just move fast and step only on the grates, not on the coals. Lara will lose health but this is much faster.

When fighting the serpent - Save the levers and cages on the bridge for last. Then you'll be a little closer to the exit when you finish.

After riding the elevator - Rather than bothering with the grapple, move to the back right side of the elevator (when facing the stairs), position Lara facing the broken staircase, and then take a running jump to grab the bottom of the stairs.  Pull up and continue.

Nepal

Climbing down to the crashed plane - A shortcut allows Lara to make a death-defying leap off the cliff, as long as she jumps with guns drawn. My walkthrough includes an explanation with screenshots, and you can watch Gandarufu's video here.

Ice caves - Where you have to jump from one icicle to another, then to a precariously balanced pedestal, you can actually skip the second icicle and jump straight from the first to the pedestal. It's not a huge time saver, but every bit helps.

Dark cavern with icy stream: Don't waste time shooting the ice on the ceiling or waiting for the perfect iceberg to come floating downstream. As long as you have a health pack or two, Lara will survive a dip in the freezing water. If Lara slips into the water, just swim quickly to your goal (by tapping Interact as you go). Then heal if necessary.

Balance puzzle - Grapple the golden block onto the ledge so you won't have to bother with the balance puzzle. (This may require a little practice.) Tips and screenshots are included in the walkthrough.

Bolivia Redux

General advice for completing this level are included in the walkthrough. If you have specific tips for the time trial, please send them in.

This page copyright © 2006-2008 Stellalune. All rights reserved. Feel free to link to this page or print it for personal use but do not copy it. To give me your feedback, send email to . Special thanks to Sergio, who contributed most of the tips cited here. Thanks also to the following raiders for their assistance: Abby, Bobly, CannibalK9 (I've raided his posts on the Eidos Forums as well as his YouTube videos), Edwin, Gandarufu, Greg, Guil, Harm, Isaac, Joshorty, Lemmie, Lindsey, Liz O., Nick, Rhys, Roger, Rose and Samsi. Some ideas were contributed by more than one player, so I have thanked everyone in alphabetical order.