LEVEL 4: THE HIVE
Kills: 41 Items: 60 Secrets: 1
(NOTE: One of the regular pick-ups in this level will be the UZIS if you didn't find them earlier.)
ROOM WITH BOULDERS & CHECKERBOARD FLOOR: Enter and pick up a small medipak, magnum clips and 2 sets of Uzi clips. (Don't worry, the mutants won't come to life until later.) Note the two closed doors. Proceed to the room ahead with the checkerboard floor. There are 25 boulders dangling from the ceiling. The floor is conveniently marked off in squares as well, with five rows of five squares under the boulders and two rows of five without boulders beyond. Two of the boulders roll harmlessly off to the sides as you approach. Stepping on various squares causes various boulders to roll—and not in a very predictable fashion. You're aiming for the two alcoves on the other side of the boulders. I imagine there are a number of viable ways for getting through this trap. Here's one:
To make it easier, I've provided a diagram. Each square is marked with a letter or number (A through 9 for the 35 squares) in the diagram. Red arrows show the path to the alcoves; green arrows the path back. I've tried to make the description useful without the diagram, but I think the visual aid helps a lot.
Stand in the doorway on the right and step on the white square (D) to the right of the center dark square (C). Side flip left to the next white square (B), then quickly side flip back to the right (D). When the boulders have passed, flip back to the left (B). Step forward to the dark square ahead (G), which is safe. Jump diagonally to the dark square ahead and to the right (M). Boulders roll past harmlessly on both sides. Sidestep to the white square on the left (L). Side flip to the right to land on next white square (N); quickly flip back to L. When the boulder has passed, flip back to the right (N). Step forward to the next dark square (S), which is safe. Side flip left to the next dark square (Q), then quickly flip back to the right (S). When it's safe, flip back to the left (Q). From there you can walk forward into the left alcove safely (V, 1, 6).
Pull the switch here to open one of the doors at the bottom of the hallway and animate one of the mutants. Kill it from within the alcove if possible. When you step on the dark square between the alcoves (7), a boulder comes rolling in from the other side of the room, so go quickly to the right alcove. The switch here opens the other door and revives the other mutant, which shoots fireballs. Jumping in place helps avoid the fireballs if you can time it correctly. When the mutant is dead, run forward and to the right, from the doorway (8) to the white square in front of the boulder between the alcoves (2). From here, you can step to the right then walk straight out under the boulder-free path (1, V, Q, L, G, B).
Enter the doorway on the right near where you entered. Time a run past the metal jaw trap then pick up 2 sets of magnum clips in the alcove beyond. Return to the main hall and take the opposite door. Here there are arrow traps as well as a jaw trap. Take each in turn and you'll manage. At the end of the passage is a small medipak.
SERIES OF SLOPES ABOVE LAVA POOL: Below is a series of slopes above a lava pool. The first slope is just below the ledge at the end of the hallway. Jump forward and land on the first slope so Lara slides down facing forward. Near the end of the slide, jump to land on the next slide. Slide again and jump to the next slope, which angles down to the left. Now hold down the Jump key so Lara hops back and forth between the two angled slopes over the lava. Press the right arrow key at the same time so she gradually creeps to the right as she jumps. Stop when she reaches the flat spot at the far side of the left hand slope.
CAVE WITH BLACK STONE COLUMNS & LAVA STREAM: Enter the cave and kill the mutant lurking on the left. There's a small medipak on the ground in the near left (southeast) corner. Jump up on the side of the structure with the red-and-gold ceiling and the lava pit in the center. From here, you can kill another mutant on the far side of the room between the black pillars. Slide down the slope to where that mutant was and pick up another small medipak in the far left (southwest) corner.
Head to the right (north) toward the lava stream. You'll see a red-and-gold door ahead on the left, but before you reach the lava stream, climb onto the low wall on the right. A flying mutant rises up from the deep lava pit below.
When you've destroyed the mutant, jump from the wall onto the sloping ledge to the right. Slide back and grab the rim of the lava pit, traverse a little to the left and drop onto the flat block. Turn right and hop down to the block below. From there, take a running jump over the lava to grab the edge of the block in the opposite corner. Pull up and take large medipak. This is the only SECRET in the level. Repeat the running jump-grab to get back to the previous block. Climb onto the higher block, take a running jump across the lava to the block in the far left (northeast) corner, and from there climb out of the pit.
(NOTE: Alternately, you can drop into the lava pit on the other side—i.e., at the northeast corner—and take a running jump across the lava to the block nearer the secret area. Then continue as described above to get the secret.)
After climbing out of the pit, go to the left down a small slope toward the lava stream. Take a running jump across to the other side. Turn left and walk up the path until you are opposite the low, flat block with the Uzi clips on top. Jump across the lava to land on this block. Get the clips then turn left and jump to the next block, where there are more Uzi clips. From there, jump to the taller, lighter colored block. This opens the red-and-gold door on the right—one of the two doors at the west end of the lava stream.
(NOTE: Standing on the other taller block causes the left door to open. Both doors are timed and both lead into the same room. You can take your pick, but I recommend going through the one on the right.)
From the block that triggers the right door to open, jump down to the lower block that had the clips on it, then take a running jump to the bank. Turn left, run down the ramp and do a running jump to grab the doorsill. Pull up and you're in.
ROOM WITH UNEVEN TAN & FLESHY LEDGES & MUTANT INCUBATORS: Once inside, turn around and slide backward down the tan slope. Grab the edge and traverse left. Pull up, back flip onto the gray, sloped block and immediately jump forward to the fleshy wall. When you land, the eggs will hatch and you'll need to kill 2 winged mutants. You might want to hold down that walk key to keep from slipping into the lava below as you fight.
From the fleshy wall, face the now empty incubator. Jump over the steeply sloped stone to slide down the slope beyond (the one directly below the incubator on the right). You'll slide down and land on a fleshy square. Jump diagonally to the stone block slightly above. Pull up onto the fleshy ledge in the northwest corner, turn around, then take a diagonal running jump to the fleshy slope below the opening.
(NOTE: If you do enter through the left timed door instead of the right, you can still get to the exit. Slide down the ledge on the left, then jump to the fleshy flat spot below the first egg. From there, do a running jump diagonally to grab the stone slope below the second timed door. Then follow the directions above from that point, where it says, "Pull up, back flip onto the gray, sloped block," etc.)
The centaur above awakens when you reach the top. You can hop back down while firing and jumping side to side to avoid its fireballs. When it's dead, climb up to the room where it was and then safety-drop through the opening in the floor to the room below. Pick up the UZIS on the pedestal, plus some clips on the floor nearby. (NOTE: If you already have the guns, you'll get Uzi clips here instead.) Now slide down the long slope to land in a small underground lake.
CAVE WITH LAKE & CENTRAL PYRAMID STRUCTURE: Surface near where you splashed down and climb out of the water on the right side. There's a mutant lurking on the ledge above. Climb up, kill it and pick up the magnum clips in the corner of that ledge. At some point, you'll also want to get the 5 small medipaks and 1 set Uzi clips scattered about under the water. (Some are in the openings underneath the pyramid.)
Swim to the rectangular block in front of the stepped ledges with the 3 mutants. Climb out of the water and kill them safely from here. Jump over to the low, flat area to the right, then to the bottom of the steps. Behind the steps are 5 sets of Uzi clips. When you climb back out, 2 more mutants emerge on ledges near the lake. After killing them, go to the right side of the opening above the water and jump over to the small, square block with the magnum clips on top. Another mutant is standing on the next ledge across the water. You can easily kill it from here.
The last mutant in this room guards the GOLD DOOR in the southeast corner. It can be killed from the small, square stone ledge sticking out just above water level below that door. You may find it helps to get a lock on the mutant and then jump up and down in place to get more clear shots. When it's dead, jump over to the block to the right of the doorway and continue up. Pick up 2 sets of Uzi clips in alcoves on the left, then use the 2 switches to open the first GOLD DOOR and another one just beyond.
BEHIND THE GOLD DOORS: In the large room beyond, 2 centaurs lurk behind the pillars at the center. You can run out into the room to get their attention, then rush back to the doorway to kill them from relative safety. In the niches between the switches are 3 sets of Uzi clips. Near the gold doors at the opposite end of the room are 2 large medipaks.
There are 4 switches: two on each side of the central pillars. Of the two on the side facing the entrance, the switch on the left opens the left gold door, releasing a mutant. The switch on the right opens a door at the top of the pyramid in the middle of the lake. On the other side of the pillars, the left switch opens another door up in the pyramid, and the right switch opens the other gold door, releasing a mutant that throws fireballs.
When these two have been taken care of, enter the glassed-in room through either gold door. Proceed slowly. The three eggs hatch as you approach them, releasing a centaur (middle) and 2 winged mutants. Once each has hatched, you can retreat to the doorway for a safer spot from which to shoot. When all three mutants are dead, jump in the water and pull the 2 levers to open underwater doors on each side of this pool. Behind the left door are 4 sets of Uzi clips and a large medipak. Behind the right door is a warren of underwater tunnels containing 3 boxes of shotgun shells, 2 sets of Uzi clips and a large medipak. There's also another lever here, which opens another underwater door, just below and to the left. This leads directly back to the LAKE. Swim to the northwest corner of the lake and climb out on side where the tan stone bridge connects the pyramid to the shore. Cross this bridge and climb the pyramid, picking up some Uzi clips on a flat spot near the entrance.
INSIDE THE CENTRAL PYRAMID STRUCTURE: Go in and climb the block ledges nearly to the top. On the step just below the floor of the room above, turn around and take a standing jump to grab the ledge in the southeast corner. (There's a sloping, pulsating fleshy block just to the right of the ledge you want.) Pull up and take some magnum clips. Then climb over the fleshy block.
Here are the two doors you opened earlier with the switches in the room BEHIND THE GOLD DOORS. Both doors lead into the same room. There's another mutant just inside. You may find it easier to kill if you enter through the door on the right. Find the small medipak in the alcove high on the left side of the room. Then follow the long corridor on the right, picking up 2 boxes of shotgun shells. Continue to the end and go through the second door, which opens as you approach.
ROOM WITH SQUARE PILLARS & STANDING MUTANTS: Between the pillars stand 8 mutants. They don't animate yet, so you can safely walk around the room (avoiding the lava pits, of course) and pick up the 3 boxes of shotgun shells on the floor. Climb onto the low pedestal in the center of the room. You can then pick up all but one of the 4 boxes of shells without activating the mutants. When you pick up the box on the east side, the camera pulls back for a wide-angle view of the room, indicating that the mutants are ready to be triggered.
You have to pick up the last box of shells in order to open the door to the next area, but if you use a little strategy it isn't hard to kill all the mutants without taking any damage.
The diagram at right shows the layout of the room. Red numbers represent each mutant, and black numbers show which squares on the floor trigger each mutant to animate. Using this information, you can trigger just one or two mutants at a time and then jump back onto the pedestal to kill them from safety. Squares with no black numbers have no triggers, but keep in mind that jumping over a square with a trigger will activate any mutants connected to that trigger. Also, after you shoot at a mutant a few times, it will run out into the hallway. You may then have to come down from the pedestal to draw it back into the room. One final note: If you use the trigger points carefully, you can leave the room without activating mutants 2, 3 and 5. (Very special thanks to Brad D. for this information.)
MUTANT HATCHERY: When you've finished with the mutant room, exit, turn right and continue to the next door, which is now open. This leads into a room with a checkerboard floor, beyond which is the hatchery. There are 2 switches near the entrance. Both are needed to open the gold door at the far end, and the door is timed. The eggs hatch when you approach, releasing 4 winged mutants that throw fireballs. I recommend hatching each one in turn, so you aren't outnumbered. When the coast is clear, pull the switches and run for the door.
As you enter, the door closes behind you and the centaur playing nanny starts shooting fireballs. Kill it and continue. All the eggs in this room are "blanks," so there's no need to worry about more enemies. Use the old jump from side to side while firing technique to quickly dispatch the centaur. Behind and below the ramp down to the next level are 2 sets of Uzi clips and a large medipak.
You don't have to kill all the mutants in this next room but, again, I recommend hatching each egg and fighting the beasties one at a time before going for the door. Here every other egg is empty, so there are 4 mutants in all. Also, the pits below the incubators contain lava so don't jump around too much. When you've killed all of them, go to the switch near the entrance. This opens the door at the far end of the room. It's also timed. To make it to the door before it closes, throw the switch, tap the Look button, hop back twice and turn left. Then run along past the red blocks, using running jumps to cover more distance. Near the end, take a running jump angled to the right toward the doorway and continue running through.
You land on a slope, which dumps you in a pool as empty eggs hatch above. Swim through the opening on the right to end the level. And that's all she wrote...at least until the next installment!
(NOTE: As in Tomb Raider 1, if you start another game now without quitting, you'll have all weapons and unlimited ammunition.)
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Copyright © 1997-2008 - Stellalune (email or contact me via web form). Special thanks are given to the participants in the alt.games.tombraider newsgroup, without whom some parts of this walkthrough couldn't have been written. Thanks also to Brad D. for help mapping the ROOM WITH SQUARE PILLARS & STANDING MUTANTS. Diagrams made with the aid of GraphTablet freeware (http://www.graphtablet.com). Feel free to copy, distribute and quote this walkthrough, but please include this credit line so people can send me their corrections, comments and suggestions. Also, if you'd like to offer this on your own web site, please read and follow the instructions here.
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