NOTE: Combat strategy is based on the Medium difficulty setting, so your experience may vary slightly. In addition to the walkthroughs for each level, there are separate pages for Controls & Gameplay Tips, Skill & Weapon Upgrades, and Collectible Items.
SAVING AND CHECKPOINTS: Like the last several games, TOMB RAIDER uses autosave checkpoints. Whenever you pass a checkpoint, the game is saved automatically. Then, if Lara dies or you quit the game and restart, the game reloads at the last checkpoint. If you only rely on one autosave, you may run into trouble if you get stuck in the game, encounter a bug, or if your autosave file becomes corrupted. To avoid problems, I highly recommend changing your save slot at least once each level. You may also want to periodically back up your autosaves on a memory card (consoles) or into a separate folder (PC). See the controls page for details.
AREA 24: SHIPWRECK BEACH (second visit)
Updated: 7/7/13(†)
Camps: The Grotto (Day Camp), Temple of the Handmaidens (Day Camp)*
Gear: none Weapons/Weapon Parts: Handgun Part (3/3), Bow Part (3/3)**
Documents: 1/4 Relics: 0/6 GPS caches: 3/15 Treasure Maps: GPS Cache Map
Challenge Tombs: 1/2 Challenges: none (covered in part 1)
Area Map: Shipwreck Beach - Part 2***
*This walkthrough covers the second visit to Shipwreck Beach after Lara returns from the Cliffiside Bunker and the Endurance wreck. Areas from the first visit, including the Survivors' Camp (Fast Travel) and the Flooded Vault Day Camp in the first Challenge Tomb are still accessible.
**The weapon parts in this area are found in random salvage crates. I have noted their approximate locations, but don't be surprised if you find them a little sooner or later than I did.
***This map includes the major items in the newly accessible parts of Shipwreck Beach. See the Part 1 Map and walkthrough for the rest, including all of the items for the two challenges. Note that the in-game map does not include a compass rose showing which way is north. So when I refer to map directions in my walkthrough, assume North is up, east right, south down, and west left.
OBJECTIVE: Return to the Survivors' Camp on the Beach (continued)
When you emerge from the tunnel on your way back from the Cliffside Bunker, the zip line you created to get here earlier is gone. You'll need to return to the beach another way. Use a rope arrow and the rope ascender to open the reinforced door on the left. Go through, raid the food cache and then ride the zip line up to the high plateau to the northwest. (screenshots)
As Lara approaches, she hears 3 enemies talking. Drop off the line and take cover behind the boulder before they notice you. There's no real need for stealth here, since it's just a few guys, but it is possible to kill the nearest man using a headshot without alerting the others. Then finish off the rest. Loot the first guy's body and, if you like, take a little rest at The Grotto Day Camp. (screenshots)
Move to the wooden ledge near the rock where you just hid and drop down onto the ledge below. Then move up the path to find a GPS cache (13/15). (screenshots)
NOTE: If you missed the 8th GPS Cache earlier, the one sitting on the pier on the beach below (circled on the map in this screenshot), you can take a little detour now to obtain it. Or, you can continue with the story for now and return for the GPS cache later. Both paths are described in the notes at the end of this page.
To rejoin Lara's friends and continue with the story, from the spot where you just found the 13th GPS cache, return along the path to where you just dropped down from above. Go through the opening in the rocks and around to the right. Jump to grab the ledge near the little waterfall, pull up, crack open the salvage crate, and then scramble up the painted wall to get back to the campsite. (screenshots)
Move around to the gap near the waterfall and jump across to the area where the last 2 bad guys fell. Loot their corpses and then jump to grab the zip line. There's no need to touch the controls as you ride the series of lines all the way down to the beach near the Survivors' Camp. Approach the camp to trigger a cut scene. (screenshots)
Lara hands Reyes her tools in silence. When the others notice her arrival but don't see Alex, Lara has to tell them he didn't make it. As they start to make plans to escape the island, Lara finally has to tell them her theory about the storms and her plans to seek out the ruins beneath the abandoned research base. Reyes isn't buying it and still wants to get away as soon as possible, but Sam and Jonah take Lara's side. Sam promises not to leave before Lara returns. After the cut scene, you receive 400 XP and a new goal.
OBJECTIVE: Start the Climb up to the Research Base
If you're going after the Chatterbox Achievement/Trophy, before leaving this area, be sure to talk to all of the crew members again. Jonah is sitting beside the path just north of the camp. Whitman and Reyes are in the building with the blue tarp roof. Sam is asleep, so there's no need to talk to her this time. Stand close to each NPC and press Interact to converse until you've exhausted all the dialogue options for all three. You should see the 'TR' autosave icon at the bottom right corner of the screen as you finish each conversation. When you finish the last conversation, the achievement/trophy should pop, provided you didn't miss any of the earlier opportunities for dialogue.
The next time you use a camp, either on the beach or in the second Challenge Tomb (below), you'll unlock another entry in Lara's Journal (8/10).
If you want to continue with the storyline, head northwest toward the elevator with the red light on top. (screenshot) If you're going for 100% completion and want to explore the second Challenge Tomb, instead head away from the campsite to the northeast. (screenshot)
CHALLENGE TOMB ENTRANCE: The tomb entrance is between the tall rock formation and the metal pole anchoring the zip line near the beach. You probably passed it earlier but was unable to get in without the rope ascender. Use it now to open the reinforced door. Enter, take the shotgun shells if you need them, and then go through the low tunnel on the left. Follow it until you come to a rushing stream. Move to the end of the dock, stand near the anchor post and shoot a rope arrow into the rope-wrapped arch on the other side of the stream. Use the line to cross the water and then continue along the passageway to the tomb itself. (screenshots)
CHALLENGE TOMB - TEMPLE OF THE HANDMAIDENS: Here you'll find the Temple of the Handmaidens Day Camp, which is set up on the bank of another underground stream. (screenshots)
As usual, the treasure chest is on a high ledge on the far side of the cave. The puzzle you must solve in order to reach it involves a floating buoy and a few other movable objects. Here's the sequence:
Start by cranking the wheel on the left side of the dock with your climbing axe. This raises a cage out of the water, allowing the buoy to float underneath it to the left. As soon as the buoy moves under the cage, stop cranking and climb onto the ledge on the left. Follow the ledge around to the right, pick up some arrows if you need them, and wait for the buoy to float past below. As it moves, it rotates an armature, causing the horizontal pole on top to move around in front of you. Use it to jump across to the next ledge. (screenshots)
Move to the end of this ledge and look down on the right. Shoot a rope arrow into the rope-wrapped whatsis below and pull to rotate a second jury-rigged armature. Meanwhile, the buoy continues to float downstream below where you're standing. It bumps into the lower horizontal bar on the armature and pushes it around a little farther. Watch the horizontal bar on the top of the armature. When it moves around in front of you, jump to grab it and then quickly jump again and press Interact to latch onto the climbing wall with your axe. (screenshots)
If you don't make it the first time, return to the wheel near the campsite and try again. When you reach the climbing wall, climb to the top and go through the red doorway to find the Treasure Chest. Opening it gives you the usual 1250 XP and 250 salvage points, plus a HANDGUN PART (3/3) and the Shipwreck Beach GPS Cache Map. (screenshots)
NOTES: If you've completed the Hall of Ascension and Chamber of Judgment Challenge Tombs in the Mountain Village and Shantytown, respectively, this will be the third handgun part of three. It will allow you to upgrade Roth's Tactical Pistol to the MAGNUM PISTOL. If you've raided all of the previous Challenge Tombs, you'll unlock the Intellectually Superior Achievement/Trophy here as well.
Move up the wooden ramp on the right and slide down the zip line to the dock. Pick up more arrows if you need them. Use the Day Camp to make any skill and weapon upgrades you can afford. Then follow the tunnel back to Shipwreck Beach.
CLIMBING THE CLIFF TO THE RESEARCH BASE: When you exit the Challenge Tomb turn left and head past Jonah toward the elevator with the red light on top. (screenshot) If you have trouble spotting it, just use Survival Instinct and follow the Objective Beacon.
NOTE: If you like, you can also do a little more hunting before moving on. Even if this area was hunted out earlier, it should be reset now so you can kill a few more boars and crabs—and possibly a seagull or two—for salvage and XP. If you've been diligent in collecting salvage and making upgrades, somewhere in this area you should also find a BOW PART (3/3), which will allow you to improve the Compound Bow you received from Jonah into the COMPETITION BOW. Don't worry if you don't get this just now. Keep picking up salvage and the bow part should appear soon.
When you reach the elevator, use a rope arrow and the rope ascender to open the gate. Enter the fenced-in area and use your climbing axe to pull the lever to call the elevator. It works a little too well, and the elevator crashes to the ground, clearly broken. Guess you'll be taking the long way up. (screenshots)
Move to the back wall of the broken elevator and jump straight up to grab the lower of the 2 shiny metal bars. Climb onto the ledge above. Then jump straight up to grab a handhold above. Jump up again and press Interact to latch onto the climbing wall. Climb up and to the left. Jump across the crevice with the copper pipes and latch onto the wall to the left. Then continue climbing up and around to the left. You can see the ledge where you're headed above, but if you climb down here and drop onto the ledge below, you'll find a salvage net. Burn it to get the salvage inside then jump back onto the climbing wall and continue climbing upward. When you reach the ledge above, you get 100 XP and a mission update. (screenshots)
OBJECTIVE: Enter the Research Base
Climb onto the ledge ahead on the left and pry open the salvage trunk. Hop down and move around to the far side of the elevator shaft. Pick up some arrows and grenades. Then scramble up the cement wall. Jump from the top of the wall to grab the edge of the corrugated metal roof of the elevator shaft. Pull up and you'll find another GPS cache (14/15) sitting on the roof. Drop back down to the base of the cement wall. (screenshots)
Move to the north edge of the plateau. Stand near the anchor post and shoot a rope arrow into the climbing wall ahead. Zip across and latch onto the wall with your axe. Then jump to the right across the beam dividing the two sections of climbable wall. Continue climbing around to the right, jump across a crack in the rocks, and continue to the ledge above. (screenshots)
Move around behind the painted scrambling wall to find a document (4/4), "Whitman: My Great Discovery" from the Endurance Officers set. Then go around the left side of the water tower to find the last GPS cache (15/15) for this area. (screenshots)
Now go back around to the area where you climbed up from below. Scramble up the painted wall and climb onto the ledge above. Jump to grab one of the metal bands on the side of the water tower. Climb upward and around to the left side of the tank, where you can then climb up on top of it. Cross over the top of the water tower and take a running jump across the gap to grab the yellow ladder. Climb to the top and then jump straight up to grab the metal pipe. Climb around to the right and pull up onto the ledge. (screenshots)
Use a rope arrow and the rope ascender to pull the nearest gondola platform toward you. Then jump onto it. Do the same thing again with the second platform. Move to the far edge of the second platform and jump down onto the ledge with the white edge. Now you need to use the zip line to cross the next gap. You can either scramble up the wall, climb to the right, pull up, and jump out onto the line; or, simply step up onto the low wooden platform on the right and jump to grab the zip line from there. (screenshots)
When Lara drops off the zip line, move forward, pick up some shotgun shells and scramble up the wall to grab the pipe above. Climb around the corner to the right. Continue traversing to the right along the broken pipe, jumping across the gaps when you come to them. Just before the end of the pipe, jump straight up to grab onto the yellow ladder. Climb to the top, jump straight up once more, and use your axe to latch onto the climbing wall above. Continue climbing to the top of the wall to find a salvage crate. Crack it open. Then take a running jump to the ledge below on the left. (screenshots)
When Lara lands here, she hears a couple of Mathias's men talking above. If you aren't in the mood for a confrontation, you can scramble up the wall and crouch behind some boxes until they finish their conversation and move apart. Then kill each with a silent headshot. If either of them spots you and calls out, 2 more enemies will drop down from above. (screenshots)
Afterward, move out, loot the bodies, pick up a box of rifle/SMG ammo and then scramble up the wooden wall in the corner to grab the pipe above. Climb around to the left and jump onto the climbing wall. Scale the wall to the ledge above on the left. Cross this ledge to the anchor post. (screenshots)
Shoot a rope arrow into the next section of climbable wall below. Slide down the line and latch on with your axe. Climb up and around to the left. Jump across the gap in the rocks and latch on to the next section of climbable wall to the right. From there, climb onto the ledge above. (screenshots)
Move forward but mind the gap just ahead. It's a long way down. Use a rope arrow and the rope ascender to open the reinforced door on the ledge above. Then jump across the gap to grab the yellow ladder and climb up. Crack open the salvage crate. Then go through the building, out the other side, and around to the left to enter the Research Base. (screenshots)
NOTES ON OBTAINING TRICKY GPS CACHE ON THE BEACH: My Shipwreck Beach Part 1 walkthrough includes one method for getting the GPS cache on the pier in the tide pool. (It's my number 8/15 and this one on the in-game map.) If you were not able to get it by jumping from the rock to the pier, as shown here, try this alternate method.
After returning from the Cliffside Bunker, you climb a rope line, kill some dudes, and discover The Grotto Day Camp. You then drop down onto the ledge below the campsite to get the 13th GPS cache. (This will probably be your 12th since you missed one.) All this is described above. To get from here to the missing 8th GPS cache, turn right, move to the edge and take a leap of faith down onto the beam below. It looks too far and too narrow, but if you aim for it and steer Lara in the air a little, her special Croft powers will make sure she lands there. Turn around, walk to the end of the beam and jump onto the ledge ahead. Move through the tunnel onto the wooden bridge near the first Challenge Tomb entrance. Drop down off the bridge into the little stream. (screenshots)
Alternatively, if you've already gone back to the Survivors' Camp on the beach, you'll need to climb back up to the Challenge Tomb entrance a different way. Move down the beach to the pier where you first learned to shoot rope arrows into climbing walls. Use one now to reach the climbing wall beyond the end of the pier. Climb to the top, turn left and jump across to the multi-level shipwreck. Climb onto the top deck and use the upward-angled zip line to reach the ledge below the Challenge Tomb entrance. Drop down from the far side of the ledge into the little stream. (screenshots)
Once you're standing in the little stream below the wooden bridge, use the Melee button to shove the rope-wrapped float out into the middle of the stream. Keep shoving it until it goes over the waterfall and lands in the tide pool below. You can't drop down the same way, though, or Lara will die. Instead, climb onto the bank and jump over to the climbing wall. Climb to the top and ride the zip line down to the top deck of the multi-level shipwreck. Then ride the next line down to the beach at the base of the tower. (screenshots)
Head down to the left to find the float sitting in the pool. Push it and/or pull it with a rope arrow to position it below and to the right of the broken pier. This takes some effort, but eventually you'll get the float in position. Then you can use it to jump up onto the pier and get the GPS cache, plus a little snack from a food cache. Go ahead. You deserve those canned peaches. ;) (screenshots)
NOTES ON RETURNING TO THE CLIFFSIDE BUNKER: If you've completed the Cliffside Bunker area with less than 100% and want to return there, you'll need to go through Shipwreck Beach. This page with screenshots shows one possible route.
†UPDATE HISTORY: 6/2/13 - First draft of walkthrough posted online. Thanks to Micah and Marie for suggesting the alternate path to the 8th GPS cache. I had already written this by the time I read their emails but still giving credit where credit is due.
7/7/13 - Updated weapon parts info with help from Jerad Z.
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