LEVEL 3: ATLANTEAN STRONGHOLD
Kills: 31 Items: 63 Secrets: 2
NOTES: There are several shortcuts in this level marked with asterisks (and italics in the web and rich text versions). These item and kill counts are based on completing the entire level. Also, two of the regular pick-ups in this level will be the SHOTGUN and MAGNUMS if you didn't find them earlier.
According to Philip Campbell, the level designer for Unfinished Business, the Atlantis levels were meant to be played before Return to Egypt, and Lara was intended to start with only the pistols. In an interview with Theresa from tombraiders.com, Campbell explained, "That sets them at the correct difficulty level (i.e., expert). You have to start without pickups and only with your pistols. Then, the shotgun is easy to get, and I provided plenty of shells to influence the player to use it, and perhaps also influence the style of play—slow and stealthy. The Uzis are then not available until the second level, and they are in a special place (the 'shop window' in the big Lava room). The magnums are reasonably well hidden in the first level." If you want to try it this way, either restart the game and use the level-skip cheat to get to the beginning of this level, or download a saved game from my page http://tombraiders.net/stella/savegame.html#ubsave. It makes the game much more interesting.
Slide down the long ramp. Go up the slope, jumping over the hole in the floor. At the lava pool take a running jump to grab the angled block on the other side of the lava. Pull up and enter the cave on the right for SECRET #1, 2 boxes of shotgun shells. Exit the cave and take a standing jump down from the ledge. Safety-drop into the hole ahead on the left.
Follow the passage. Walk to the edge of the lava pit and wait until the boulder has rolled down into the pit before taking a running jump across. Continue to a room with a webbed window on the left and a wide opening on the right. In corner to the left of the wide opening is a small hole above a lava pit. Stand at the left side of the hole facing the ledge with the small medipak. Do a standing jump, pressing Action to alter Lara's trajectory so she lands on the ledge. Get the medipak, jump back out and continue through the wide opening opposite the window.
OPEN AREA WITH SLOPING HONEYCOMB-LIKE STRUCTURE: Kill the mutant lurking off to the left. Then go around the corner where the mutant came from and pick up 2 boxes of shotgun shells. Go around the right side of the high building, minding the gap in the floor, and climb into the raised opening. Jump to the front ledge (overlooking the honeycomb structure) and prepare to kill 2 winged mutants that rise up from below. When they're dead, drop down into the center of the building and pick up a small medipak and the SHOTGUN. (NOTE: This will be shotgun shells if you picked up the gun in an earlier level.)
(Shortcut 1) At this point, it is possible to avoid most of the rest of the level and proceed to the exit. To do this, climb back to the top of the structure and jump to the ledge on the left (left if Lara is facing out over the honeycomb structure). Slide back and grab the edge. Traverse to the flat-topped block above the highest opening in the structure below. Pull up then back flip, fall then slide down into the opening and drop into the pool below. Resume the walkthrough at the * below. (I'm not sure whom to credit for this, since several people apparently figured this out independently. I didn't include it here originally. I figured if you'd want to do it this way, why bother playing? But if you've been through once, this might be fun for a change of pace.)
Jump down to the ground at the back (west side) of the building. Run down and to the left to avoid the rolling boulder. Continue around the building and to the left. (The honeycomb structure will now be off to the right.) When you start up the hill, another boulder comes down. So run or jump onto the flat spot to the right of the path. Now continue up the slope, turn right and take a standing jump up the slope behind the honeycomb structure. Pick up some shotgun shells and continue forward, then down the slope to the right. At the bottom of the slope, pull up onto the ledge on the left to avoid another boulder. Climb onto the lowest of the three stepped, tan blocks ahead. When you reach the top step, where there are some shotgun shells, another flying mutant appears.
Climb down to the ground and head for the gold doors in the southeast corner of the area. Approaching the left door triggers the appearance of another mutant. You can stand on any of the low blocks to kill it from relative safety. Another mutant appears when you near the tiled area in the southwest corner. When you've disposed of it, pick up the large medipak on the low pedestal and some shells just around the corner in the tiled area.
INTO THE PYRAMID: Enter the honeycomb structure at the bottom left corner. Safety-drop into the room below. Retrieve 2 small medipaks from the ledges, taking care not to fall through the holes in the floor. Before continuing down to the next level, make sure Lara is at full health. Then safety-drop from the lowest edge of the opening to the right of the central structure. If you drop from another location, the fall is too high, and Lara will die.
(Shortcut 2) If you're looking for another shortcut to the end of the level, here are two different methods for dropping down into the pyramid. These can also be used to finish the level if you experience a game crash when making the final running jump down into the pyramid (see below). For the first version, face Lara toward the hole and the ledge where the medipaks were. Make sure she's at full health for the drop coming up. Press Forward and Action to drop through the hole and land on the top of the pyramid. Then jump into center of the pyramid to land in the pool on the lower level of the pyramid. (Thanks to Jeff Reid for this tip.)
Or, try this easier but not exactly "legal" variation on the fence bug. Position Lara at the corner where the two windows in front of the center hole come together. Turn her so her chest is against the left window. Sidestep as far as possible to the right so Lara's right foot is in the corner. Pivot 45 degrees to the right so Lara is facing directly into the corner. Then jump forward to go through the seam in the corner. Lara will then land in the pool on the lower level of the pyramid. (Thanks to Wes D. for suggesting this. I refined his technique a little.)
After using either of these shortcuts, resume the walkthrough at the ** below.
LARGE ROOM WITH PYRAMID & SEE-THROUGH FLOOR: This room has a red webbed floor and a large pyramid structure in the center. The two green balls are mutant eggs waiting to hatch. Approach them one at a time and kill each of the 2 mutants separately. Mind the lava pits. The low pedestals at the corners have goodies on them: a small medipak and 3 boxes of shells. Picking up the box of shells in the northwest corner (between the two incubators) triggers another mutant to drop onto the far side of the pyramid. You can kill it from the pedestal, but stay to the left to minimize the effects of its attacks.
ROOM WITH ARROW TRAP & WALKWAYS BETWEEN LAVA PITS: Enter the next room through the wide opening on the south side, taking care to avoid the lava pits and arrow trap. (NOTE: If you enter this room without first destroying the 2 mutants that hatch from the incubators in the previous room, they will hatch as you enter here and sneak up behind Lara. Also, if you enter this room, save your game, then reload, the arrow trap will be inactivated until you cross the threshold again.) I recommend crossing this room to the windows to hatch the mutant eggs beyond. You don't have to do this, but it will enable you to kill the mutants from a safer position later on. Return toward the doorway to the pyramid room but instead of exiting, go to the left (northwest) corner and down the stairs. Kill the mutant you meet in the dark hallway. Continue, noting the closed door on the left that nearly blends in with the stone wall.
BI-LEVEL ROOM WITH SIX SWITCHES: The next room contains 3 more mutants in alcoves. They don't animate unless you flip certain of the switches on the upper level or try and pick up the items behind them. You can avoid them altogether by using only the switches that open the doors, but the mutants are easy enough to kill from above.
First cross the room and if you want all the kills in the game, use the switch to the left of the window. This creates a centaur mutant in the room on the other side of the window. You'll wind up there at the end of the level. (NOTE: If you don't care about getting all the kills, you can leave this switch alone and you won't encounter this centaur later. Thanks to Dafydd C. for this info.)
Next, grab the shotgun shells on the ground at the foot of the stairs and go up. The second switch, set on a column apart from the others, awakens the mutant on the right. If you go to the other end of the platform, you can shoot at it as it comes up the stairs. The third switch (far right when facing the four switches) awakens the middle mutant. The leftmost switch awakens the third mutant. Kill them in similar fashion. Don't forget the small medipak near the farthest switch. You'll also need to pull the two middle switches to proceed: The second switch from the left opens the stone door in the hallway outside this room, and the remaining switch opens another doorway back in the LARGE ROOM WITH PYRAMID & SEE-THROUGH FLOOR. Pick up 2 boxes of shells and some magnum clips from the alcoves where the mutants were.
Go back into the hall, turn left and continue through the small door you just opened. Climb up on the ledge just inside on the right. From here you can kill the 2 mutants if you hatched them earlier. (If not, you'll have to proceed to the eggs and hatch them now.) Pick up shotgun shells and a small medipak from the ledges flanking the ramp, plus magnum clips, Uzi clips and more shells from around the room.
Go back down the ramp and through the small door where you came in. Turn right and return up the stairs to the to the ROOM WITH ARROW TRAP & WALKWAYS BETWEEN LAVA PITS. Exit through the opening on the left to find yourself back in the LARGE ROOM WITH PYRAMID & SEE-THROUGH FLOOR.
RAMP FLANKED BY LAVA POOLS: Go through the opening on the right (east) side of the room. Kill the mutant lurking at the top of the path. Continue to the top. When you reach a spot where Lara has to climb to get on a low step, climb up, turn around and pull up to a ledge above. Lava begins to flow but it stops before it reaches Lara. Turn around again and take a standing jump, then another, over more lava to land on a safe spot. Go up the ramp and kill the mutant at the top. Pick up the small medipak and shotgun shells from the ledges below the ramps. Return to the top of the right ramp (right when facing up the ramps) and jump from there into the doorway.
WIDE HALL WITH ARROW TRAPS & ROOM WITH POOL BELOW: Continue around to the left and go up the stairs. There are arrow traps beyond, but these aren't too difficult to pass if you move quickly and carefully. The next room has a number of water-filled openings, and 2 mutants lurk there.
After you've killed the creatures, explore the underwater area. Pick up a couple of items on the bottom: shotgun shells in the southwest corner and a small medipak at the foot of the submerged steps. Locate the 2 levers. They're both on the east wall. You face them when the honeycomb structure is on your right. Pull both levers to open a pair of doors in an underwater tunnel to the left of the levers (in the northeast corner). Swim through this passage to find SECRET #2, a large medipak, magnum clips and 2 boxes of shotgun shells. Return to the surface and proceed to the next room.
(NOTE: If you don't care about getting all the kills and pick-ups, you can take a shortcut in the next area. Instead of messing around with the mutants, go through the ROOM WITH THE SWITCH ON THE BLOCK and directly into the room on the right with the 2 switches and the small pool. Use only the switch on the right (when facing the pool). This opens the other gold door outside in the main area. Then swim down to the bottom of the pool and use the lever there to open the gold door at the top of the stairs. Climb out of the water on the lowest step and then climb the stairs to the gold door. Exit and pick up the walkthrough below where it says "OPEN AREA WITH SLOPING HONEYCOMB-LIKE STRUCTURE" and "SECOND GOLD DOOR.")
ROOM WITH SWITCH ON BLOCK & MUTANTS BEHIND DOORS: Here you'll find a block with a switch on it and two closed doors beyond. Approach each of the doors to awaken 2 mutants on the other side. You'll hear their squealing when they're activated. Go to the switch, flip it, then quickly hop back and take a standing jump to the top of the block. From here you can kill the 2 mutants safely. Pick up 4 boxes of shotgun shells in the rooms from which the mutants came.
There are two other rooms that connect to the one with the block. One has a cage with 4 mutants in it and a switch. The other has a pool of water, stairs leading to a gold door and 2 switches. Enter this room first. Go into the water and pick up 2 boxes of shells. Swim farther down to find a lever that opens the gold door above. (This is an exit back to the main area near the tall building and the honeycomb structure.)
Climb out of the water and pull the left switch first (left when Lara's back is toward the pool). This opens the other gold door outside in that main area. Then pull the switch on the right to release the 4 mutants. You can rush out and try and fight them all, or take on a few at a time. Here's my strategy: Pull the switch, then jump to the stairs. The mutants can't cross the water. One will shoot fireballs at you, though, so get up to the middle step, which faces the door. From here, you can shoot the mutant through the doorway while staying close to the step on the right for cover. When the fire-shooter is dead, come down to the bottom step and try and kill—or at least wound—one of the others before going back into the other room.
You may be able to get the mutants' attention by jumping across the water to the doorway, then jumping back to the step. Or, go into the next room and jump up on the block with the switch. One mutant may go back into the cage room, in which case you'll have to draw it out. When all the mutants are dead, go into the cage room and pull that switch to open the room beyond. Here you'll find 2 small medipaks.
Climb the stairs in the room with the pool. Exit through the gold door into the OPEN AREA WITH SLOPING HONEYCOMB-LIKE STRUCTURE, turn left and enter through the SECOND GOLD DOOR. A mutant high on the left shoots fireballs, so back out if necessary and use the door for cover as you shoot it. Opposite the entrance is a third gold door.
Before dropping into the water below, get a few goodies. Take a running jump aimed diagonally to the left to land on a flat spot behind the sloping block. Climb to the ledge above (where the mutant was) and pick up a large medipak. Hop back down and take a standing jump, pressing Action to lower Lara's arc so she lands in the window with the shotgun shells. Now drop into the pool and retrieve 2 sets of magnum clips on the bottom. (NOTE: If you have difficulty with any of these jumps, you can jump into the water first and climb the steps to the various ledges.)
Climb out of the water on the low ledge. In an alcove above is the switch that opens the THIRD GOLD DOOR. Use it. From here, you can take either of two paths: Going the long way, through the underwater doors, brings a bit of danger and its rewards. Taking a shortcut through the gold door gets you to the exit more quickly, but you miss some pick-ups.
(Shortcut 3) To take the short cut, jump and grab the ledge opposite the switch. Pull up, climb to the next block and jump diagonally to the gold doorway. (Pick up the walkthrough below at the ***.) Otherwise continue with the next paragraph.
TWO UNDERWATER LEVERS & DOORS: Swim down to the 2 underwater levers. These open each of two red webbed doors nearby. Pull the lever on the left first, go through the left door and pick up some Uzi clips and shotgun shells. Swim back out to the levers and get air. Pull the right hand lever next, go through the right door and follow the passageway. Pick up shells and magnum clips from the bottom. The door closes behind you but re-opens when you round the corner toward the clips. If you have enough air, continue along the passage to a tan stone block, above which is an opening. Or go back to the lever room for air and try again. (Note the location of other underwater door near the tan block.)
ROOM WITH SWITCH & SPIKES: Climb out of the water into a room lined with spikes. Walk through them to the opposite corner, where you'll find a small medipak and a switch. This opens the underwater door you just saw and, naturally, it is timed. If you've started this level with only the pistols, you'll want to go after the prize, which will be the MAGNUMS. (If you already have the guns, it will be magnum clips instead.) To get them, flip the switch, press Look, then roll, take a running jump over the spikes to the low ramp beyond, and then side flip to the left twice to land on the other ramp then in the water. Swim to the left through the door and pick up the guns/clips. (If you're having trouble with the running jump over the spikes, back up after rolling to make sure Lara's back is right against the switch before beginning the jump.)
Climb back out of the water and walk through the spikes to the red and gold raised block on the right. Pull up and retrieve some magnum clips. Climb onto the higher block to the right (the tan one with the low ceiling above it), turn around and jump to grab the alcove above the horizontal crevice. Pick up more magnum clips.
[***(3) Continue from here if you've taken the third shortcut.]
Take a running jump to the opposite ledge. Climb onto the block ledge above, where you'll find a small medipak. Drop back down and climb up into the opening to the left. Take two steps back from the edge, then do a standing jump to land on the slope ahead and slide onto the flat spot between the holes in the floor. There are lava and spikes below, so watch your step. Take a running jump to the flat area beyond. Approach the shotgun shells carefully; there's a mutant waiting in the alcove on the left. Kill it and pick up the shells and magnum clips. Taking the clips causes another mutant to appear in the opposite alcove. When it's dead, take a running jump back to the flat spot between the holes, and then climb up into the doorway on the right.
OCTAGONAL PASSAGEWAY WITH LAVA BLOCKS: Follow this passage, jumping over the lava, to a dark cave beyond. Pick up 2 boxes of shotgun shells. Turn around and walk back down the path a few steps. There's a raised opening on the right side amid the black rocks. Climb through it to emerge high above the open area at the start of the level.
HIGH ROOF ABOVE HONEYCOMB-LIKE STRUCTURE: Jumping over to the roof triggers the appearance of 2 winged mutants. You can jump back into the passageway to kill them from safety, but you may have to dangle Lara from the edge or jump back to the roof a few times to get their attention. When you've destroyed them, pick up the large medipak and shotgun shells. Take a running jump over to the next ledge to get the magnum clips. Then jump back to the roof.
Position Lara on the raised corner square with the gold pattern on it. Angle her toward the dark opening (highest on the right) in the honeycomb structure. Take a running jump and press Action to alter Lara's trajectory so she sails through the hole. Fall and fall and fall some more to land in a pool.
[BUG NOTE: A number of people with 3dfx graphics cards have reported game crashes when doing this final running jump. Jeff Reid has come up with an alternative method for getting down inside the pyramid. From the platform with the magnum clips, take a running jump to the honeycomb structure, avoiding the openings. Slide down to the ground then follow the instructions for Shortcut #2, above.]
[*(1) and **(2) Continue from here if you've taken one of these shortcuts.]
INSIDE PYRAMID (LOWER LEVEL WITH POOL): Surface to find yourself in the room below the webbed-floored one you were in earlier. Shoot the centaur mutant, dodging its fireball attack. (NOTE: There will be no centaur here if you didn't use the switch on the lower level of the BI-LEVEL ROOM WITH SIX SWITCHES earlier.) Follow the narrow passage on the north side to a door. Pull the switch to open the door and end the level.
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. Thank you!
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 the Tomb Raiders Traveler's Guide (http://trinity.westhost.com/tomb/), Dafydd C. and Wes D. for help with this level. 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.
Stella's Tomb Raider Site: http://tombraiders.net.