NOTES ON THE REMASTER: At this point I can't guarantee 100% accuracy for this guide. Updates are in progress but will take time. Levels that have been worked on will say "Remastered," rather than "Classic," in the title. In the meantime, I have attempted to provide a running count of all kills and pickups, including totals for health packs, chocolates, sellable items, and cash, as well as notebook entries, which are needed for some achievements/trophies. If I've missed any, I do apologize. Please let me know if you discover anything not mentioned here. Also, in case it's not obvious, these guides are based on classic tank controls, and I have not yet included strats for all achievements/trophies.
LEVEL 11: ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG (Remaster)
Updated: 3/21/25(†)
LEVEL MAP by VGCartography (used with permission)*
Angel of Darkness Remastered Video Walkthrough by Eldincy
Items: 4, including 2 ancient symbols
Kills: 5
Upgrades: none
Notebook Entries: none (1 in the remaster)
RIM OF THE EXCAVATION: Go through the gap in the fence, turn left, and take out the armed guard (1) on patrol here. You don't have to use stealth anymore, but you can. You probably also have plenty of power cells for the K2, so go ahead and use them. Turn around and head back the way you came. When you reach the wall, turn left and head toward the temporary buildings. A guard with a taser (2) emerges as you approach. When you kill or tase him, he drops an Impactor battery (1). Use the switch inside the building he came from to turn on the power. This activates the ventilation system, turns on a machine elsewhere, and powers up a hydraulic lift in the excavation area. (screenshots)
Exit and go right. There's another guard with a gun (3) under the yellow tent. Deal with him, pick up the M-V9 clip (2) he drops, and then go through the big metal doors between the first building and the yellow tent. (screenshots)
GROUND-PENETRATING RADAR MACHINE: If you've turned on the power (above), you can use the GPR machine. Face the desk with the controls and press Action. Use the direction keys or left stick to move the scanner. Lara can see bones and other objects beneath the surface. Scan near the top left to locate an ancient symbol. When you have seen it, press Esc on keyboard or Roll on controller to disengage from the machine. Be sure to pick up the FIRST ANCIENT SYMBOL COPY (3) from the printer on the left side of the desk. Then you'll have it in your inventory for reference. (screenshots)
Exit the GPR room and head to the right. Beyond the yellow tent is a second temporary office. Go in and pick up a printout of the SECOND ANCENT SYMBOL TRACING (4), which resembles a bullseye. Examine the computer terminal on the desk to the left to find some information about the Nephilim race, a now-extinct hybrid of human and angel. Then go back outside. Another armed guard (4) approaches from the left left to ambush Lara. Kill him. (screenshots)
INTO THE PIT: Head back toward the level entrance. About halfway along the edge of the pit, there's a break in the fence with a short ladder below. Climb down onto the top level of scaffolding. (screenshots)
The "Croft of the Blue" achievement/trophy, "Stealthily defeat the guard at the bottom of the Archaeological Dig," happens here. It's extremely fussy, so save the game in a new slot before descending. Then quick-save periodically if things are going well. This is also a good time to get a nice cup of tea and a snack. You may be here for a while.
NOTE: If you aren't interested the achievement, just climb down the scaffolding to the ground and shoot/tase the guard. Then continue with "CLIMBING TO THE PUZZLE DOOR," below. Or, take a SHORTCUT (detailed on a separate page) to the ledge below the left end of the stone walkway spanning the pit.
To get the achievement/trophy, after climbing down the first short ladder, turn to face out over the pit. Head to the left and climb down the next ladder. The guard (5) down below shouldn't notice Lara here. Move around the corner toward the next ladder. Then turn around to face away from it. Use Look to watch the guard for a moment. Just before he turns away, quick-save. Then take a running jump over the railing to land at the base of the hydraulic lift on the other side of the pit. The corrugated metal wall there should hide Lara from the guard. Step down behind the metal wall, and if the guard hasn't spotted you, quick save again. If he notices, reload and try again. (screenshots)
NOTE: Even with subtitles on, the guard's shouts are not indicated. So if you're counting on this accessibility feature, I'm afraid you're out of luck. You'll just have to wait a few moments to see if he stops pacing and moves toward you.
Position Lara facing the corrugated metal wall, angled so you can see the guard and so you won't hit anything when you make the next jump. Wait for the guard to turn away and immediately side flip to the right to land on the grayish pile of dirt outside the enclosure. Run toward the guard, and when you reach the annoying pile of rocks on the ground near him, activate stealth. (Your goal is to get behind the guard, so depending on which way he's traveling, you may need to go around the left side of the rock pile or the right.) If he still hasn't noticed you, sneak along behind him until you see the hand icon. (If it's not appearing, make sure you have Action Indicators set to 'On' in the Options menu.) Immediately press Action to knock him out and unlock the achievement/trophy. Now have another cookie. You deserve it! (screenshots)
CLIMBING TO THE PUZZLE DOOR: Once you've dealt with the guard, climb onto the scaffold below the rough-surfaced wall. Then scale the wall itself. To make the climb without getting stuck, it helps to climb as though following the larger protruding stones. If necessary, you can pause to refresh your grip on the small ledge about halfway up. Then continue climbing straight up, then over to the ledge at the top left. (screenshots)
When you reach the upper ledge, turn and walk to the edge. Jump straight up to grab the climbable surface on the underside of the rock arch. Traverse all the way across the pit and drop onto the stone ledge. (Lara is just strong enough to make it.) Climb onto the small wooden platform and from there to the top of the walkway that runs along the top of the stone arch. (screenshots)
NOTE: This is where you'd end up if you took the shortcut mentioned above.
Move out to the middle of the walkway and turn left. Note the huge circular trapdoor ahead. This is the level exit. You'll need to solve a puzzle to open it. Start by using the switch near the wire mesh door to lower the hydraulic lift. (screenshots)
The game won't let you jump over the railing here. So return to the stone walkway, head to the right end, turn left, and drop back down onto the small wooden platform, then the ledge below. Save the game because the next jump, from the ledge to the lift platform, can be a little tricky. If you jump forward from the edge, Lara grabs the underside of the walkway instead. So either position her near the edge and side-flip onto the lift platform, or face the lift platform, take a few steps back from the edge, and then jump forward. (screenshots)
PUZZLE DOOR: As you approach the wheel with the spinning symbols, you unlock a new notebook entry (34/62): "Refer to field notes for diagram of the lock mechanism." (screenshots)
To solve the puzzle, you need to manipulate the puzzle wheel and the 4 levers around the corner to the right. The crank at the center of the wheel rotates the symbols. Each of the levers allows you to lock one of the symbols in place. The goal is to get the correct sequence of symbols lined up between the metal brackets on the left side of the wheel.
You (hopefully) located two of the symbols earlier. The printouts should be in the Items section of your Inventory. The other two are among Von Croy's notes, on page 19 of the Notebook in your Inventory. You should now have all four symbols. (According to Werner, the FIRST ANCIENT SYMBOL you discovered will be third in the puzzle sequence. The SECOND ANCIENT SYMBOL will be third in the sequence.)
The "Jackpot!" achievement/trophy adds a challenge: "Unlock the gate in the Archaeological Dig with no blocked rings on your last turn." To do this, you must position the symbols so that one final crank will result in the correct combination. (This is much easier to show than tell, so check the screenshots.)
Here's the step-by-step puzzle and achievement/trophy solution. (The basic solution is below.)
NOTES: If you make a mistake, just use the levers to unlock any/all of the rings and try again. If you manage to solve the puzzle but don't unlock the achievement/trophy, you'll need to reload an earlier save and try again.
Basic puzzle solution - NO achievement/trophy (screenshots):
LEVEL EXIT: Return to the lift platform. Jump back to the stone ledge below the walkway. Climb onto the wooden platform, then the walkway. Head past the lift control to the open trapdoor and drop into to the next level. (screenshots)
†UPDATE HISTORY: Updates made prior to the Tomb Raider IV-V-VI Remastered release, including credit for tips sent in by other players, are tracked in the archived classic guide.
3/21/25 - Remaster walkthrough posted.
*NOTE ON LEVEL MAPS: VGCartography's Angel of Darkness maps follow a slightly different level-naming convention than I do. You'll notice most of the Parisian Ghetto-adjacent areas on the same large map. Later, the elemental levels off the Hall of Seasons are included on the same map as the hub level. Visit VGCartography on DeviantArt and follow on Twitter/X and YouTube for more fantastic game maps.
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