LEVEL 4: BURIAL CHAMBERS
Updated: 5/5/19(†)
Kills: 8 (15) Items: 16 plus the Hand of Orion, Amulet of Horus, Golden Serpent, Hand of Sirius, and Scarab Talisman Secrets: 5*
NOTES: If you play the game as intended, without cheating, the 7 mummies encountered in this level cannot be destroyed. If you have used the all-weapons cheat, you can use explosives against the mummies, bringing the maximum number of kills from 8 to 15. Please note that some of the cheat codes can cause serious glitches, so use them at your own risk. The issues I'm aware of are detailed on the Last Revelation Cheat Codes page. Also, one of the regular pick-ups will be the SHOTGUN if you didn't find it in an earlier level.
You begin the level sliding. You can light a flare as soon as the level loads, but you'll need to be quick about it or you'll miss the next jump. As soon as Lara reaches the red-lit section of the slope, jump to grab the concealed ledge above. Pull up to find a SECRET #1 (14/70), a large medipack. (screenshots) If you miss the grab, reload and try again.
Once you have the secret, drop down and continue sliding into the room below. Use the lever to open the gate on the opposite side of the room. (screenshot)
ROOM WITH TIMER AND SPIKES: Go through the gate you just opened, slide into the next room, and pick up THE HAND OF ORION from the floor. This opens escape routes to the left and right. When the two hands of the timer on the wall above come together at 12 o'clock, deadly blades pop out of the walls and floor. So before that happens, jump out of the depression on the left side. (You can also go to the right, but you'll miss a secret.) Slide down the short slope and pick up SECRET #2 (15/70), shotgun shells. When you take the ammo, the gate opens, allowing you to move on. (screenshots)
Continue along the hallway. The walls and floor ahead are lined with retracting blades, similar to the ones in the previous room. To get through, walk toward the blades as they extend and retract, stopping about a step away. (screenshot) Watch them cycle in and out to get a feel for the timing. Then, just as the blades start to retract, either run through quickly or take a standing jump forward to clear the danger zone before the blades pop out again. (screenshot)
In the next room, shoot the ceramic jar on the left with your pistols to get the small medipack inside. (screenshot) Run/jump past the next retracting blade trap (screenshot) and slide down the ramp into a small alcove.
ROOM WITH ROTATING BLADES: When you arrive, there are spear-like blades protruding from the ledges ahead. There are spinning blades as well, but they are not active yet. Before using the HAND OF ORION, drop down to the floor to get a small medipack in the corner to the left. Climb back into the alcove and use THE HAND OF ORION in the receptacle. This retracts the spiky blades set into the platforms and causes the scythe-like blades to begin rotating. (screenshots)
NOTE: Don't worry if you accidentally use the artifact before getting the medipack. You can still retrieve it; you just need to be careful of the blades as you climb up and down.
Now, to reach the exit on the far left side of the room. If you don't care about the items on the platforms, just walk to the edge of the alcove, hop back once, wait for one of the spinning blade arms to pass, then take a standing jump to grab the edge of the platform below the blades. Continue holding Action to hang on. Then hold Right to traverse around the corner as the blades continue to move above you. Traverse around two more corners until the exit is above and behind Lara. Wait for one of the the blades to pass, pull up, and backflip into the hallway. If you fall off the platform at any time, go back to the alcove where you used the artifact, climb up and try again. (screenshots)
If you do want all the pick-ups, walk to the edge of the alcove where you placed the HAND OF ORION and hop back once. Adjust Lara's angle if necessary so she's squarely facing the shotgun ammo on the platform ahead. Now watch the blades as they move over the platform. Notice how the gray, spinning blades move in and out along the blue arms. As one of the blue arms passes over the shotgun ammo while the spinning blade is moving inward, take a running jump with Action to land right on top of the ammo. Continue to hold Action to pick it up. As you're doing this, the next blue arm will approach, but the spinning blade should be moving away from you. Hop back, wait a beat for the spinning blades to move a little farther, then flip to the left to land on top of the SHOTGUN. Continue holding Action to pick it up. (This will register as regular shotgun ammo if you already found the gun.) Then jump forward to land on the platform nearest the exit and immediately side flip to the left again to land in the doorway. (Again, check the screenshots and this short video for visuals.)
NOTE: If you're having trouble with this sequence, you can also go after the pick-ups one at a time. Get the shotgun ammo as described above and then jump forward to get off the ledge before Lara takes too much damage. Climb back into the alcove. Walk to the edge and take one step back. Wait for one of the blades to pass and then take a standing jump onto the platform. Side flip to the left to land on the SHOTGUN. Pick it up quickly and then run off the edge. Climb back up into the alcove and follow the first set of directions for reaching the exit, above.
Once you reach the exit from the blade room, follow the corridor to the next room.
Cutscene: The camera does a quick flythrough, beginning in an adjacent room with a statue and ending on the stone sarcophagus with the Ankh amulet, directly in front of Lara.
SET'S SARCOPHAGUS/AMULET OF HORUS: Avoid the foot of the stone sarcophagus for now. It's not dangerous, but standing there triggers a cutscene and prevents you from getting a secret. First explore the outside edges of the room, picking up a small medipack and shotgun shells in the northwest and southeast corners, respectively. Continue through the doorway opposite the entrance. (screenshots)
The next room contains a seated statue and three smaller, painted sarcophagi. These are not dangerous...yet. Get the small medipack on the floor on the left. Then hop down into the pit in the northwest corner to find SECRET #3 (16/70), a small medipack and shotgun shells. Return to the previous room and approach the foot of the stone sarcophagus. (screenshots)
Cutscene: Lara climbs onto the sarcophagus, pries off the AMULET OF HORUS, deposits it in her backpack, and hops back down.
The room has changed. Blood (or some glowing red liquid) now flows from the sarcophagus along grooves in the floor, and the pits in the next room are filled with it.
NOTE: If you trigger the cutscene before obtaining secret #3, you're out of luck. Once the pits are filled with red liquid, a gate closes over the entrance to the secret. You'll need to reload an earlier save and try again. (screenshots)
Go back into the room with the seated statue. Don't get too close to the painted sarcophagi on the north and east sides of the room, or they will open, releasing 2 mummies. You'll then have to do the next bit of business with the mummies slugging away at Lara. Unless you have cheated and unlocked explosives, the mummies can't be killed, so don't waste your time and ammo. Notice the two floor tiles with blue-and-red borders and red circles in their centers. Push the seated statue from one of these to the other, like so: From the entrance, approach the statue and hold Action to grab onto it. Continue to hold Action and briefly press Forward/Up to push the statue forward a little. As you do this, the sarcophagi open, but the mummies won't emerge as long as you don't get too close. Move around to the right side of the statue and push it onto the tile with the circle next to the empty sarcophagus. (screenshots)
Cutscene: A door behind the mummy on the east side of the room opens.
Approach this mummy to activate it. Then hop back a few times to lure it out of its alcove. Run around it and go through the door in the back of the sarcophagus. Follow the passageway and drop down. Mummies can't climb, so you're safe now. Continue into an area with rough stone walls. (screenshots)
CAVERN WITH ORNATE FACADE: Move forward then turn left to enter a large cavern with a building carved into the far wall. Advance toward the middle of the cavern with weapons drawn. When you hear the dramatic music, look out for 2 jackals wearing gold jewelry. They come in from ahead on the left and right. (screenshots) If you hop back while shooting, you can probably dispatch both of them before they reach you.
Now survey the area: The passageway where you entered is on the east side. An ornate building facade is set into the west wall. There's a carved, golden pillar to the northwest, supporting a building above, with an elevated wooden bridge connecting the building to a high ledge.
NOTES: As mentioned previously, you can conserve flares by saving the game, exploring the dark areas using flares and then reloading once you have the lay of the land. Also, there's no need to explore inside the building with the ornate facade right now; you're still missing the artifacts you'll need there. However, if you do enter the building now, when you come out, there will be another jackal waiting for you.
In order to reach the upper level, first head for the southwest corner (i.e., the dark area to the left of the ornate facade). Here you'll see a square grate set into the cavern wall, and near it a set of wide stone steps leading up to the left. Light a flare and start up the steps/slope. Partway up the slope, there's a shallow pit on the right. Hop down into the pit to find SECRET #4 (17/70), a large medipack. (screenshots)
Climb out of the pit and continue up the slope, then a set of pinkish stone steps, into a room with two seated statues and two lit braziers. (screenshot) Climb the wall between the statues to the room above. (screenshot)
ROOM WITH MUMMIES AND GOLDEN SERPENT ARTIFACT: Shoot the jars on either side of the opening in the floor to get a small medipack and shotgun shells. Climb through either of the two raised openings into the next room. The 2 mummies lying on the floor are dormant for now, but take note of the gate on the north wall. This is where you'll exit. Take the GOLDEN SERPENT from the pedestal. The exit opens, the gates where you entered close, and the mummies awaken. If you're quick, you can pick up the artifact, Roll (End key or Up + Down together, or Circle on the PS controller) and take a running jump over the mummy and into the doorway. Otherwise just run past the mummy and climb up into the doorway. Mummies can't climb, so you're safe here. (screenshots)
ROOM WITH SAND AND SPIKES: Follow the passageway to a ramp. Slide into the next room, which immediately starts filling with sand, raising Lara closer and closer to the spiked ceiling. As soon as you land on the sandy floor, turn left and sprint forward into the left (southwest) corner, where there are no spikes. Climb into the passageway above. Follow the slope down to a hole in the floor. Grab the large medipack sitting nearby. Hop down onto the block below one corner of the opening. Then safety drop to the CAVERN floor. (screenshots)
CAVERN WITH ORNATE FACADE (again): Go up the stone stairs to the wooden bridge on the upper level, west side. (screenshot) Cross the bridge and enter the building with weapons drawn. The 2 jackals sitting on the ledges awaken as you approach. Again, if you use pistols and hop back while firing, you can probably dispatch both without a scratch. (screenshot) Just take care not to fall off the bridge by mistake. Go back inside, climb the stairs, and drop through the opening on the left. Follow the hall to the next room.
HUGE OCTAGONAL ROOM AND SIDE AREAS: Take a diagonal standing jump from the doorway to the flat ledge on the left. Walk as close to the base of the sloped wall as possible, then take a standing jump into the alcove with the shotgun shells. This is SECRET #5 (18/70). (screenshots)
Slide down onto the metal grate in the floor. Then jump/climb up twice to reach the longer ledge that runs along the west wall. Turn left, move to the end of the ledge, and jump across the gap to the smaller ledge ahead. Turn left again and take a running jump over the blades onto a ledge with a receptacle for an artifact you don't have yet. The ledge above the receptacle has a ladder on its front face. Jump up to grab it, climb to the top, and then climb/jump into the alcove above. Use the lever to open the gate below the doorway where you entered. (screenshots)
To get down, step off the edge to land on the ledge below the doorway, turn right, and take a carefully angled running jump toward the alcove where you found secret #5. Lara will hit her head on the ceiling but should still manage to land on the slope beyond the spikes and slide safely down to the floor. (Or, if you prefer, you can instead backtrack along the ledges the way you came.) (screenshots)
Go through the gate you just opened and climb the ladder to a small, octagonal room with 2 levers, one on the floor and one protruding from the right wall. The lever on the wall is useless for now, so push the one on the floor to ROTATE THE ENTIRE ROOM. How cool is that!? (screenshots)
Cutscene: As the room rotates, some of the spikes retract while others extend. You also get a glimpse of the SCARAB TALISMAN in the alcove at the far end of the room.
After the cutscene, you'll notice that the room where Lara is standing has also rotated, so the floor is now a wall. Ignore the second lever for now; it doesn't do anything. Turn around, walk to the base of the slope, and take a standing jump into the doorway. Follow the short passageway back to the OCTAGONAL ROOM. Step off the edge and slide down to the floor. Then safety drop through the square hole in the floor and pick up another star-shaped artifact: the HAND OF SIRIUS. (screenshots)
Follow the passageway to a ladder. Climb to the top then continue forward to emerge on another small ledge in the OCTAGONAL ROOM. Vault up onto the block with the star-shaped holes. Walk to the far edge and take a standing jump to grab the taller block directly ahead. Pull up, carefully avoiding the blades on the ceiling. Now you're aiming for the alcove with the open gate set into the slope ahead on the left. Either take a carefully angled running jump directly into the alcove; or take a standing jump to the ledge next to the blades and another standing jump to the alcove; or, if you prefer, crawl under the blades and then jump down to the alcove. (screenshots)
NOTE: If you miss the alcove and slide down through the blades, Lara will take some damage but should survive. Walk under the blades, pull up onto the tall block in the middle of the room, and try again. (screenshot)
Inside the alcove, walk forward to the edge of a deep shaft. Take a standing jump to grab the climbable wall ahead. Climb down to the bottom. (To descend ladders faster, repeatedly release and re-press Action to let go and grab, let go and grab, etc.) (screenshots)
ROOM WITH CHAIN AND MUMMIES: At the bottom of the ladder, roll and move into the next small room. The 2 mummies don't animate yet. Stand next to the chain, facing the alcove with the closed gate and one of the sleeping mummies. Now press Action to pull the chain. (screenshots)
Cutscene: The OCTAGONAL ROOM rotates again, and some of the spikes retract, leaving the SCARAB TALISMAN unprotected in its alcove.
After the cutscene, you'll notice the gate in front of you has opened and the mummies are beginning to stir. Step around the chain and run forward, jumping over the mummy as it arises. Grab onto the ladder on the back wall of the alcove and climb to escape from the mummies. (screenshot)
HUGE OCTAGONAL ROOM (again): At the top of the ladder, you emerge on another ledge in the OCTAGONAL ROOM. Turn left and take a running jump over the slope to the flat ledge beyond. Climb onto the next ledge and place the HAND OF SIRIUS in the receptacle to lower a rope from the ceiling behind you. (screenshots)
NOTE: If you missed secret #5 earlier, you can retrieve it now. Then return to this point and continue. See the footnote at the end of the walkthrough for details.
When you're ready to move on, walk to the corner of the ledge nearest the rope, and then take a standing jump to grab it. Rotate Lara to face the alcove with the TALISMAN. Press Sprint/Dash to start the rope swinging, then jump to land on the ledge in front of the alcove. Take the SCARAB TALISMAN from the pedestal. (screenshots)
Squeeze past the pedestal (screenshot) and ready weapons to kill the 2 jackals that charge up the passageway as you round the corner. (screenshot) Keep your guns ready. When you move into the room at the bottom of the ramp, another jackal emerges from the doorway ahead. (screenshot) Kill it. Then continue along the passageway, which leads back down to the CAVERN WITH THE ORNATE FACADE where you started. When you hop down into the cavern, the gate closes behind you.
ANOTHER ROOM THAT FILLS WITH SAND - LEVEL EXIT: Enter the building with the ornate facade on the west cavern wall. Climb over the block in the middle of the hallway and enter the sandy room beyond. Notice the sleeping mummy lying on the floor, the 2 artifact receptacles, and the opening in one corner of the ceiling high above. That opening leads to the level exit. (screenshots)
If you want all the kills, do not use the artifacts yet. Instead, return outside to the cavern to find another jackal waiting for you. You may hear it howling if you linger in the passageway. (screenshots)
NOTE: This enemy is also mentioned above in the section on exploring the cavern the first time. If you triggered this jackal and killed it earlier, it will not appear again.
When you're ready to move on, return to the sandy room with the mummy and place the GOLDEN SERPENT and SCARAB TALISMAN in the receptacles on the wall. The gate at the entrance closes and sand begins to fill the room, raising the floor gradually. The mummy also awakens and shambles toward Lara. Run around the edge of the room to stay clear of the mummy (or stun it periodically with your pistols) until the sand rises enough for you to climb out through the opening in the ceiling. Follow the rocky tunnel toward the light to end the level. (screenshots)
FMV sequence: Lara emerges from the ruins and takes the Amulet of Horus from her backpack. She reads the inscription aloud. (A transcript is included in the Cinematics section.) Her voice fades into that of the author, the high priest Semerkhet, as we flash back to ancient events: The gods Seth and Horus...the human priest Semerkhet...Set being entombed. According to the inscription, when the amulet is removed, at the turn of a distant millennium, the dark god Seth will be released, unleashing plague and destruction. But at the same time, along with Seth, comes his counterpart and balancing force, Horus.
Flash forward to the present day. Lara's guide returns, places a gun to her head and demands the amulet. Lara continues to read the inscription. As she speaks Seth's name, a lightning bolt strikes the nearby tomb entrance, scattering rubble everywhere, knocking the guide off his feet, and giving Lara time to go for her weapons. The guide struggles to sit up and locate his gun, but Lara manages to get the drop on him. We then hear an auto horn as a Land Rover, driven by another of Von Croy's henchmen, arrives on the scene. The shockwave from the explosion spreads outward toward the vehicle, and we fade to black.
*NOTE ON SECRETS: There are 70 secrets in the entire game. These are marked "(x/70)" in this walkthrough. To check your progress in-game, press Pause (P on keyboard, Start on PlayStation or Dreamcast controller) then choose Statistics. At the end of this level, you should have 18/70.
†UPDATE HISTORY: 3/3/00 - Previous edit, details not available.
5/5/19 - First major update since this walkthrough was created in 1999. This revision includes many new screenshots as well as various other corrections and clarifications.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Special thanks to the participants in the alt.games.tombraider newsgroup and the old tombraiders.com forum, without whom parts of this walkthrough could not have been written. Thanks also to Aleksandra, CMB1988, Damon, Dark Redshift, Emily, Gus, Jens, and VermilionNeko, who contributed tips for this level.
NOTE ON OBTAINING SECRET #5 LATER: If you missed the 5th secret when you first entered the OCTAGONAL ROOM, you can retrieve it once you've used the chain in the mummy room to rotate the octagonal room back to its original orientation. Follow the main walkthrough (above) up to the point where you place the HAND OF SIRIUS in its receptacle. Then, instead of immediately rope-swinging to the SCARAB TALISMAN, take a running jump over the blades to the small ledge set into the slope opposite the receptacle. Turn right and jump over to the longer ledge on the same slope. Move to the end of this ledge and turn right. Then take a running jump to grab the square ledge set into the slope on the opposite side of the room. Pull up, walk as close to the base of the slope as possible, and then take a standing jump into the alcove with the secret. To get back to where you left off, slide down onto the square grate in the floor. Turn left and run under the angled blades. Just beyond the blades, climb onto the ledge on the left, then the one above. Now you're back at the receptacle for the HAND OF SIRIUS. Pick up the walkthrough above at the rope-swinging section. (screenshots)
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