IMPORTANT: This guide assumes you avoided the first 2 biting catfish (8 and 30), in the FLOODED TUNNEL AND DARK ROOM WITH SKELETONS AND RATS and POLAR BEAR CAVES, respectively. After that, you played through to the section on FLOODING THE RUINS, then saved the game before going into the water, killed the 3 catfish there, completed the level with all pickups, and saved the game at the start of the KINGDOM. Now, reload the earlier save from before encountering the 3 catfish in the FLOODED RUINS. (See the footnote following the main walkthrough for details.)

To finish the level quickly, without meeting any more catfish, jump into the pool...

...and pick up the GOLD NUGGET lying on the bottom between the submerged buildings. If you ignore the other pickups, the catfish won't even spawn. Swim forward...

...to the orange staircase with the pointed arch above.

Wade out of the water and use the NUGGET to open the doors.

Proceed to the CAVERN WITH MOLTEN GOLD VOLCANO, WALKWAYS, AND SPIKED PANELS. This time, wait for the rolling blade to move away. Then run out to the end of the right walkway and jump over to the corner ledge. (If you have trouble avoiding the spiked wall, use the more cautious strategy, described in the main walkthrough.)

Climb the stone ledges, just like you did the first time: First, pull up onto the block on the left that's a little higher than Lara's head. Turn right and pull up onto the next block.

Turn left and pull up onto the next block, then right again and pull up onto the next block, level with the barred window.

Turn around to face out over the cavern. Step to the edge and jump straight up to grab the wooden ladder above.

Climb to the top.

Turn around and take a standing jump onto the ledge to the right of the hole you just climbed out of. Take care not to overshoot the edge; it's a long way down.

There's another ladder on the wall there. Climb to the top.

Now, instead of going after the secret, just approach the square pit...

...climb down the ladder...

...and drop onto the breakaway tile just below it. Don't run.

Just fall through onto the slope below. Slide into the funnel...

...then down the long chute...

...to the barred corridor below. Follow it to the end.

Drop through the hole in the cage floor. Then step forward to end the level.

"Defensive Capabilities" should pop on the statistics screen. Now, reload your KINGDOM save and continue with all pickups.
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