Bartoli's Hideout - Shortcut
IMPORTANT: Do not use this shortcut unless you've already beaten the level in the usual way or don't care about getting all kills, items, and secrets. If you take it, you'll bypass most of the level and you will miss the Gold Dragon secret and several achievements/trophies. It is useful if you're trying to finish the game in less than 6 hours for the achievement/trophy "I Only Play for Sport! Still!"
First, we'll use the fence bug to get through the balcony railing outside the room with the switch and floral wallpaper in the BACK DOOR section of Bartoli's Villa. If you're unfamiliar with this technique, check out my Useful Bugs page for more info. That page uses this very spot to illustrate the bug mechanics.
After shooting out the window in the room with the switch and floral wallpaper...
...and killing the enemy outside...
...move to the end of the balcony nearest the window you just came through. If you want the UZIS, be sure to save the game before continuing. If you make a mistake and fall in the water, you'll need to reload and try again.
Position Lara in the the right corner of the fence, as shown above. Sidestep to the right, into the corner, as far as you can.
Pivot about 20 degrees to the right. Lara's head will be facing just to the left of the corner fence post.
Take one or two hops back.
Run at the fence and hold Action (don't jump)...
...to pass through it...
...and land on the brick ledge below.
Drop into the dark, flooded area behind the wall to find the UZIS.
Climb back out, drop down onto the wooden walkway, and go around to the front of the BOATHOUSE.
Shoot the bad guy inside and take the DETONATOR KEY off the table.
Then jump or swim across the canal to the small wooden door.
When it opens, shoot the thug standing inside.
Shoot out one of the windows and enter the LIBRARY.
The doors on the left open automatically from this side. Cross the next room and use the switch to open the doors beside it.
Enter, shoot the 2 thugs outside the windows...
Then go out into another garden with a gazebo. The small, wooden door opens as you approach. It leads to the final area, with the ABANDONED BUILDING, Jade Dragon, and DETONATOR. The main walkthrough includes a second shortcut if you want to head straight for the exit.
DARK MODE: I plan to add optional dark mode for these pages, but my current priority is updating the walkthroughs. Meanwhile, may I suggest a reputable dark mode browser extension, such as Dark Reader? (Download only from trusted sites, like darkreader.org or your browser's official add-on/extension site.)
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