STELLA'S CLASSIC TOMB RAIDER 1 WALKTHROUGH

Tomb Raider I Remastered Guide here.

Kills: 14 (15 in the PlayStation version*)  Items: 24, including 2 keys
Save Crystals: 4 (Saturn and PlayStation only)  Secrets: 3

NOTE: One of the regular pickups here will be the MAGNUMS if you didn't get them earlier.

First, a movie: Lara pieces together the two parts of the Scion she has collected, and receives a vision. She sees a swirl of images suggesting—if we stretch our imaginations a bit—the ancient civilization of Atlantis with its golden pyramid and its three mysterious rulers. Each holds a piece of the Scion which, when assembled, releases a tremendous rush of power. Following this, Lara catches a glimpse of one of the rulers using a piece of the scion to create a hideous creature, followed by two of the rulers taking the Scion from the third. There is a bright flash from what may be an asteroid impact (the picture on the tomb wall also suggests this). Then the Scion is divided and scattered across the globe. Apparently one piece lands in Egypt, as this is where Lara goes next. The vision ends and we see Lara speeding across the desert on her motorcycle. (This cinematic, titled "Vision," is also available on my YouTube channel.)

LEVEL MAP by VGCartography (used with permission)

City of Khamoon PS1 Video Walkthrough by Eldincy

OBJECTIVES: Explore the area near the sphinx to find the first sapphire key, which will unlock the second part of the level. Here you'll first need to find the switch that opens the cat temple, then locate a second sapphire key to unlock the exit.

Go forward to the drop-off. Turn around, drop and hang from the ledge, then drop and quickly press Action again to grab the narrow crevice just below. (If you miss the crevice, climb up onto the block to grab it.) Traverse to the right until you can drop into the alcove. Throw the switch to open the door in the trench below. Drop down, enter and pull the carved block three times. Go into the opening behind it and retrieve some magnum clips and a small medi pack.

Climb out of the trench and go to the second movable block on the ledge above. Pull it once, go around on top of the first block and pull the second block over it into the room (three times in all), then go behind it and push it once so it's next to the tall square pillar. Climb up the block, then the pillar. Grab the crevice above, traverse to the right and pull up into the opening.

Stay on the sandy ledge in the opening to kill the black panther running around in the cave beyond. When it's dead, hop down, turn around and climb onto the ledge above the opening to find another small medi pack and magnum clips. (NOTE: If you didn't find the MAGNUMS earlier, you'll get them here instead of the clips.)

OPEN AREA WITH SPHINX & OBELISK: Drop down and continue forward toward the opening overlooking the sphinx. Climb onto the square block at the right side of the opening and then hop down onto the small ledge just below. Kill your first mummy from here before siding down to the area at the base of the sphinx.

Take a little swim in the pool and pick up 2 sets of magnum clips on the bottom. Climb out of the water in the green area with the palm trees. Use the low step to reach the top of the wall. Climb up, go to the left and take a running jump to grab the top of the tall pillar at the center of the pool. Pick up the shotgun shells and jump or dive back into the water.

This time, climb out near the sphinx and get up on the movable block between its paws. (No need to move it yet.) Pull up onto the sphinx's chest, then walk around to the back of the head. Climb up and retrieve some more shells and a SAPPHIRE KEY in the little alcove above (plus a save crystal in the console games). Return to the block in front and pull it out. Behind it you'll find a small door, which you can unlock with the SAPPHIRE KEY.

AREA BEHIND THE SPHINX: Enter and follow the hallway to a room with pharaoh statues flanking a narrow passage. Climb onto the first block on the right (actually the base of a tall statue) and pick up a small medi pack. Hop over to the next block and draw weapons to kill a panther that emerges from one of the alcoves ahead.

NOTE: It's possible to take a shortcut here, using the corner bug, to skip nearly to the end of the level. Details are included with this series of screenshots.

Continue through the room with the statues and into the sloping hallway on the right. Advance with weapons drawn until another panther charges. Either backflip down the hall shooting or roll, run back into the statue room, climb onto one of the blocks and shoot from there.

OPEN AREA WITH POOL & CAT TEMPLE: Continue up the sloping hallway. When you emerge outside, go to the left and pass underneath an elevated walkway. Approach the edge overlooking a large room with a pool and a temple. (There's a save crystal just before the drop-off.) Kill the crocodile from above. Then drop down and go forward down the long passage below where you were just standing. At the end, you'll find a large medi pack.

Exit the hallway and go to the ramp to the right. Run up the ramp and when you see/hear the boulder begin to roll down from above, run or side flip off the ramp. (You need to trip this trap now, since later you'll be dropping from the roof and don't want to get flattened.)

Go to the northwest corner of the sandy room, beyond where the boulder landed. Climb up as far as you can then take a standing jump up the sandy slope to land just to the right of the square pillar in the corner. Down and to the right of the pillar is SECRET #1, a dark depression containing a large medi pack and magnum clips. (The entrance to the secret area is shown in this screenshot.)

NOTE: If you'd like to learn more about the Gayer-Anderson cat, the real-life inspiration for the statues found in this level, Tomb Raider Horizons publishes a fascinating series called "Arte-Factual," which covers art and artifacts from all the TR games.

POOL & TALL ROOM WITH MANY LEDGES: Climb out and head for the pool in the southwest corner of the room. Jump in and follow the underwater passage to a lever. Pull it to open the nearby door, swim through and climb out as quickly as possible. Kill the crocodile in the water. Pull up to the walkway above. (PS1 players will find a save crystal here.) Pull the carved block twice toward the steps (east). Climb on it and take a standing jump to grab the ledge above. Pull up, go to the top of the stairs, turn around and pull up into the opening above. Use the switch there to extend a gold ledge above the pool room.

Climb down to the movable block and push it twice more toward the steps, go around to the right side and pull it once, then climb over it and push it once more. Take a running jump off the top of the block to grab the ledge next to the second movable block. Pull up and push this block once to reveal an opening. Enter the room beyond.

*NOTE: Console gamers should draw weapons because there will be a mummy waiting inside. Or, after pushing the block once, hop back several times and safety drop from the end of the ledge to the ledge below. Climb up on the other movable block to shoot the mummy from safety. Then climb back up to enter the room.

Throw the switch to open the trapdoor above the gold ledge. (You can also get a glimpse into the next room through the window opposite the switch. Inside is another SAPPHIRE KEY on a pedestal.) Return to the walkway, push the block once more and climb onto it. Take a running jump to the gold ledge, then pull up into the opening above. Use the switch at the top of the low steps to open the trapdoor entrance to the cat temple below.

LEDGES ABOVE CAT TEMPLE AREA: Walk out to the opening above the main area. Jump to the L-shaped stone ledge on the left. Walk to the far end of the L-shaped ledge and take a running jump to the slightly sloped stone ledge beyond. Turn right and walk to the base of the stone pillar to find a set of magnum clips. Get them and then turn around and walk back along the lower part of the ledge. Slide down the long slope to the flat ledge below. Pick up the small medi pack.

NOTE: You may hear the secret chime when you jump onto the L-shaped ledge, but this is not it. If you don't continue to the point where you pick up the Uzi clips, as described below, the actual secret won't register. This sequence is shown in a series of screenshots.

Now turn to face the building you just came from—the one with the silver )O( ornament in the opening above.** Walk to the corner of the ledge nearest the stone overhang. Take a running jump to land on the slightly angled middle block of that stone overhang. Kill the second crocodile that emerges below, then take a running jump to the roof of the cat temple (i.e., the blue roof). Pick up the magnum clips. Climb onto the angled block at the front right corner of the roof. If it helps, you can line Lara up with the silver ornament in the room above. Then take a running jump without pressing Action to land on the ledge above the ramp. This is SECRET #2. Pick up the Uzi clips and then safety drop onto the ramp. (You did trip that boulder earlier, right? If not, jump to the side immediately, or it's Croftcakes for breakfast.) Alternatively, drop from the far left end of the ledge to avoid losing health from the fall.

INSIDE THE CAT TEMPLE: Go to the temple with the cat statue and drop down onto the blue block below one corner of the opening. From there, drop to the floor. The dark corner with the sand-colored tile is a trap. There's nothing below but deadly spikes. Instead go through the other (south) doorway, pick up the magnum clips in the alcove and drop down through the opening in the floor. Go around to the left and pull the switch in the alcove to open the trapdoor above, letting in some light. (And get the save crystal.)

Now you can see, and kill, 2 panthers in the room below. For a better shot, hop down onto the long, narrow ledge below. When the live cats are dead, turn around and retrieve the magnum clips in the alcove behind the cat statue, then safety drop down into the room below. Ready weapons. (I prefer the shotgun here.) The door on the right opens as you cross the room and 2 more panthers emerge. It's generally easier to just keep moving and shooting, but you can also climb up on the carved block on the far side of the room.

Pick up the large medi pack at the end of the corridor from which the cats came. Return to the main room. Climb up on the carved block near the right wall and from there to the ledge above. Cross the bridge to the platform around the square pillar. Another 2 panthers come out of the second door below. It's possible to kill them from the bridge, but this will take time. It may be easier to go to the back left side of the platform and take a running jump to grab the ledge with the cat statue. You'll get a better shot from here. Or drop down onto the block you used to climb up to the bridge. This is also a safe spot.

When the panthers are dead, jump over to the ledge on the left with the cat statue (if you didn't do so already) and climb into the alcove behind the statue for SECRET #3, a box of shotgun shells. (This screenshot shows the spot.) Drop down and retrieve a small medi pack from the passageway where the panthers came out. Climb back up the carved block to the ledge.

LARGE, SANDY ROOM WITH MUMMY: This time enter the passage ahead. Ready weapons because when you reach the end of the serpentine passageway, you'll meet a mummy. I have found the best way to deal with this critter is to run past it into the large room beyond. If it gets Lara cornered in the narrow hallway, she'll take a lot more damage. If you have shells to spare, use the shotgun. (Three clean shots will take the mummy down.) Otherwise, just keep firing, jump and roll as needed, and don't hesitate to pause the game and use a medi pack.

SAPPHIRE KEY ROOM: When the mummy explodes, head for the raised doorway in the southwest corner—the only other accessible opening out of this room. Follow the passage to the room above. Here you'll find the second SAPPHIRE KEY on a pedestal. Take it and climb to the top of the sand pile. Follow the passage to emerge above the room with the pharaoh statues where you were earlier. Hop across the ledges, pick up the magnum clips, then jump across the room and climb into the alcove with the switch. Use it to open a trapdoor, dumping a load of sand into the previous room.

LEVEL EXIT: Return back across the ledges to the opening above the SAPPHIRE KEY ROOM. Approach the opening cautiously. It's a long way down. To avoid injury, safety drop into the opening and slide down the slope. Then turn around and go up the slope just to the right of the one you came down. (See this screenshot if you're not sure where to go.) At the top is a room with gold doors. Use the SAPPHIRE KEY to open them and exit the level.

†UPDATE HISTORY: 4/20/07 - First update since I began tracking page updates. Added various screenshots, including screens for all secrets. Revised several sections for clarity and added the shortcut from the AREA BEHIND THE SPHINX to the end of the level.
4/12/12 - Video transcripts and links to YouTube videos added.
6/29/13 - Fixed a left/right mix-up in the area behind the sphinx. Thanks to Rich for the correction.
8/26/13 - Added link to Tomb Raider Horizons.
2/5/24 - Added VGCartography's level maps, with permission. Follow them on Twitter/X, YouTube, and DeviantArt for more fantastic game maps.

**NOTE: The )O( symbol is generally associated with the Egyptian goddess Hathor. I've seen this symbol described as either a moon or sun disk between two curving horns or two crescent moons.

WAS THIS WALKTHROUGH HELPFUL? If not, I apologize and invite you to contact me with any questions. If you need help right away, I recommend the r/TombRaider subreddit. Other fan-run forums are listed at tombraiders.net/stella/community.html. If this site was useful, please consider supporting it financially or in other ways. For details, visit tombraiders.net/stella/support.html. As always, I welcome your corrections/suggestions. Thank you!

Copyright © 1998- - Stellalune (). 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, to Ian T. for the locations of the save crystals in the console versions, and to Helena for finding the alternate weapon pickup points. All TR1 screenshots were made using Glidos and Fraps. 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 feedback. No part of this walkthrough may be reproduced on another site without permission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Follow this link for details about this site's advertising and privacy policy.

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