The mission giver, a rebel strategist named Poma, is found in SKULL CAVE, the rebel hideout Lara visits after returning from the CENOTE. Poma is in the raised area on the east side of the cave near document #25. (screenshot)

He says he sent some men to steal weapons for the rebellion. Four of the rebels have been captured. The fate of their leader, Colqui, is unknown. Poma asks Lara to try and Free the Rebels who have been strung up around the lower city, since her disguise will enable her to untie them without arousing suspicion. If Lara isn't already wearing the Serpent Guard outfit, you'll need to change into it before attempting to free the prisoners.

Quick review: To track a Side Mission, open the Map screen then page once to the right or click the Side Missions icon. Each mission, along with its current and completed objectives will be displayed here. Right now it should say FREEDOM > Free the Rebels > Free 4 rebel prisoners. (Don't worry if your Mission screen says "Cozumel" instead of "The Hidden City." That's a bug.) The locations of the 4 prisoners should now be marked on your map with green circles. (screenshot)

The nearest rebel prisoner can be found near the PAITITI MARKET. You may want to stop there anyway to buy and sell gear and resources. After you return from the CENOTE, the two MERCHANTS there will have added a few items to their inventory: a RUCKSACK (3,500 gp) and ADVENTURER'S QUIVER (3,800 gp). More information about the market is included in the first HIDDEN CITY walkthrough. You'll also meet the TRAVELING MERCHANT MORAEKAH in the Upper City soon. (Details here.)

FREEING THE REBELS IN THE LOWER CITY: Exit the MARKET through the southeast entrance, near the bridge leading to the Upper City, where you met Unuratu earlier. Go around the corner to the left to find the first rebel tied to a post on a ledge overlooking the river. Stand close and press Melee to cut his bonds and speak to him. He tells Lara that Colqui is alive. (screenshots)

The second rebel is a short distance to the southeast. To get there, head south, past the end of the bridge where the 2 cultists stand guard and through the opening in the stone wall. Then follow the lower path, to the left of the stairs. Use the fallen log to cross the small gap where the irrigation channel flows down toward the river. The rebel is tied up on the other side. (Remember that mission givers and the other NPCs involved in a mission will glow green when you activate Survival Instinct.) Again, press Melee to free him. He'll tell Lara that the cultists knew of their plans in advance, so there must be a spy within the rebellion. (screenshots)

To reach the third rebel, head to the south, between the butchers' stalls. Turn right (southwest) and continue through the muddy area with the open fire and zip line, then up the stairs toward the VILLAGE CAVES. The rebel is at the top of the stairs on the right, just before the cave entrance. Approach him and press Melee to set him free. (screenshots)

To find the fourth rebel, climb up the three man-made stone ledges near where the third rebel was tied. Then head up the long flight of stairs to the west. About halfway up, in an alcove on the left, you'll find the last rebel tied to a post. Free him as you did the others. (screenshots)

After liberating all 4 rebels, the mission objective is updated: Return to Poma. His location, back in SKULL CAVE, is marked on your map with a green icon. (screenshot) You can either go there on foot or use any base camp to fast travel to the Skull Cave Base Camp.

When you speak to Poma after freeing the prisoners, Lara also tells him about the traitor in their midst and Colqui's escape. Poma then asks Lara to travel to a mountain safe house to look for Colqui. He also rewards her with a Vestige: Ch'amaka's Greaves, which give bonus XP for assault kills, plus 300 gold pieces. Your new mission objective is to Save Colqui, and the location of the mountain safe house is marked on your map at the south end of the city. (screenshots)

FINDING COLQUI: If you've already been to the TEMPLE OF THE SUN CHALLENGE TOMB, you can now fast travel from the SKULL CAVE Base Camp to the Temple Path Base Camp at the south end of the city. If not, you'll need to go there on foot. Exit SKULL CAVE and head southwest, across the river and through the lower city to this point on the map. There are 2 women working outside the house. They won't talk to Lara if she's wearing the Serpent Guard uniform, so just move past them into the house. Document #6 is inside, unless you already picked it up, and the little pool is actually the entrance to a flooded passageway. Swim through and surface near the tomb entrance and Temple Path camp. (screenshots)

NOTE: If you haven't yet explored the nearby Challenge Tomb, you can do that now or return later after completing the mission. Follow this link for the TEMPLE OF THE SUN CHALLENGE TOMB walkthrough.

THE MOUNTAIN HIDEOUT: Here you receive a new goal, Search the Cavern. Even if you've been here before, the jade ore and other resources in the pool may have respawned, so have a look. Then follow the passageway behind and to the right of the campsite. Crawl through a low opening and pick up some gold in the next small room. Continue to the end of the passageway and loot a supply container. Before going through the next low opening, craft regular and special arrows for the ambush ahead. You will not be able to use any other weapons here. Fortunately the enemies are not too strong, so you should be all right. (screenshots)

As you enter the temple, Poma appears and confesses to Lara that Colqui was actually the traitor and has bribed Poma to change sides as well. Then Colqui himself, dressed in Jaguar Warrior regalia, approaches Poma and cuts him down. "Kukulkan hates outsiders and traitors," he explains.

FIGHTING THE JAGUAR WARRIORS: Now Lara must Survive the Ambush. You begin the fight behind a stone table. This offers decent cover, so you may just want to stay here throughout the fight and let the Colqui and his squad of about 18 Jaguar Warriors come to you. They appear a few at a time, so this works well as long as you kill the men quickly as they approach. If you hesitate too long, they will surround Lara and you'll have to move or die.

NOTE: In the first moments before the enemies approach, you may want to use an Endurance Mixture (press F2 on the keyboard or hold L1/LB on the controller and press Circle/B). You will need to have unlocked the Heart of the Jaguar Skill to do this. Endurance mixtures reduce damage from melee and ranged attacks.

At the start of the fight, Colqui jumps down from the ledge on the far side of the room and rushes toward you. A few others make their way around from the left and right. You can probably take Colqui out with a fire arrow before he gets close, or wait for him to approach and use one of the techniques below. (screenshots)

The warriors rush Lara a few at a time and attempt to flank her. You can unleash a hail of normal arrows as they approach. Or, try for a headshot, though the warriors carrying the obsidian blade weapons also wear helmets, so you'll need to land two headshots, one to destroy their helmet and one to take them down. (screenshots)

If you've unlocked the Puma's Feint skill, hold Aim to keep your bow drawn. Make sure you have room to maneuver, since this won't work if Lara is backed into a corner. Then, wait until one of the Jaguar Warriors lunges at you and press C on the keyboard, Circle or B on the controller, to dodge. This brings up a QTE interface. When you see the Melee icon (which looks a little different depending on whether you're using a controller or keyboard), you'll have a brief window of opportunity for a counterattack as the white circle contracts inward toward the center ring. If you press too soon or too late, it won't work. But if you press Melee while the white ring is within the colored area of the disk, Lara will stab the enemy in the throat with an arrow, and you'll receive bonus XP for a Dodge Kill. (screenshots)

Another tactic is to wait for one of the warriors to approach, then when he's standing near one of the large red jars, shoot it to cause an explosion. Just make sure Lara isn't too close or she'll take damage as well. (screenshots)

Occasionally one of the archers will jump down and approach Lara, but for the most part, they fire down from the ledge above the middle of the room. You can shoot them with fire arrows or just rely on the trusty headshot. Their helmets are decorative, so one well-aimed arrow should do it. Just to review, hold Aim and move the targeting reticle to the enemy's head. Press Z on the keyboard or click the right stick (R3) to zoom in. Then hold the fire button briefly to charge your shot. If you have unlocked the Skill Raposa's Threat, you'll see an enhanced targeting reticle for headshots. (screenshots)

If you spend most of the fight behind the stone table, you'll notice the ceramic jars sitting on top. If you like you can grab one of these by pressing Interact. Then, without selecting a weapon, hold Alt Fire (Middle Mouse/R1/RB) to craft a smoke bomb using fat from your inventory. Hold Aim (Right Mouse/Left Trigger) and you'll see a white arc. Adjust with the mouse or right stick, then press Left Mouse/Right Trigger to throw the jar. The smoke cloud briefly disorients nearby enemies and makes it difficult for them to spot Lara, but if you activate Survival Instinct, she can see them. You can then shoot the men or the red explosive jars. (screenshots)

When you've defeated Colqui and his men, the mission is complete and you receive a large XP award. Be sure to loot the bodies. Each man carries at least 100 gold pieces, plus feathers and/or health and other herbs. There's also a box of cloth at the foot of the staircase on the right and some arrows leaning against the wall near the back right corner. Then return through the low opening on the north side of the temple and follow the hallway back to the Temple Path Base Camp.

[Hidden City Walkthrough]

†UPDATE HISTORY: 12/9/18 - First draft of walkthrough posted online.

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