TOMB RAIDER 2 - Lara's Guide to the Dagger of Xian (c)1997 by Mark Smith Text Version - Version 1.0 - Last Update: 11/20/97 Introduction Welcome to Lara's newest adventure. If you thought her first adventure was exciting, wait until you see what she has planned for you this time. There are 16 massive levels and a final battle what you won't believe. As you might expect, there are plenty of puzzles to solve and SECRET AREAS to find during your adventure. All of them are explained in the following text. For those of you playing the Playstation version, you will be glad to know that you can now save your game whenever you want - a much needed improvement over those Save Gems from the first game. Finally; we aren't going to explain how to play the game or control Lara. That is what your manual and the excellent tutorial back at Lara's mansion is for. By the way; her mansion is incredible in this sequel. The obstacle course (now with stopwatch timer) has been moved outside and there is now gardens and an orchard to explore. Many new rooms are available to explore inside the main house including her Bedroom, Kitchen, Bathroom, and all the old favorites from the first game. She's even added a diving platform to her swimming pool so you can practice her swan dive. Combat Tips There are now lots more human enemies in Tomb Raider. These guys fight back and sometimes with some pretty impressive firepower. While it is important to save your more powerful weapons for the more powerful enemies, always use the best weapon to take out a given enemy in the least amount of time. Watch out for those Rig Workers (the guys with wrenches) as they can climb just like Lara and follow you almost anywhere. Save the Big Guns (M-16's and Uzi's) for the Big Bad Guys. When firing at groups of enemies, always make sure to release the action button after each kill so you can acquire a new target; otherwise you will continue to pump lead into the fallen corpse. Watch for the shadows of enemies who attack from the air. Lara's adventure now includes many underwater areas to explore. Of course these areas are populated with underwater enemies. While Lara has some underwater combat ability, it is always best to fight from dry land. Use the harpoon to slow down your enemies while you retreat to dry land, then break out the serious hardware. It takes time for Lara to reload her harpoon gun, so if you are being attacked by a group of enemies it is often better to retreat than persist in a losing battle. Hardware List Stopwatch Lara has traded in her compass for a stopwatch. This allows you to check your level completion time and find out if you've missed any secrets. It also makes it impossible for me to use directions like N,S,E, & W in this solve. Flares You can't do any damage with these handy items, but they will be invaluable as they illuminate your surrounding area, revealing traps, switches and Core's new dynamic lighting engine. Pistols These are Lara's trusty sidearms she brought with her from the first game. Use them "John Woo-style" to take out your basic baddies. They will auto-aim each time you press the fire button. Shotgun Another trusty weapon from the first game; use it on groups of enemies for wide spread damage or when at close range to inflict serious damage on a single opponent. Auto-Mags More powerful than the pistols; these auto-firing weapons are great for long range targets and groups of enemies. Harpoon Gun The reload time on this weapon makes it good for usually one a single shot. Use it to stall your enemy so you can swim to the safety of dry land. Ammo is also hard to find so conserve every harpoon you find until you absolutely need it. Uzi's Another favorite from the first game; this weapon is very powerful and should be saved for the bigger enemies and bosses. Grenade Launcher This weapon provides some serious destruction. Grenades will explode only after they are armed and they must travel about 50 feet before they arm. This makes this weapons a range weapon which is good because you don't want to get caught in your own blast. Do not fire then run forward until after the explosion and resulting deaths. M-16 The M-16 is to Tomb Raider 2 as the Uzi's were to the original Tomb Raider. This is the most powerful weapon you can get. It is so powerful that you will be tempted to use it early on, but DON'T! Save it for the final levels and the larger enemies you encounter there. So if we are finished with all the preliminary info; let's get on with the game.... The Great Wall Our journey begins in a valley very near the Great Wall. Enter the water and go to the left of the big rock. A Tiger should appear so get on the rock and kill the Tiger then jump forward to continue down the path. When you reach the gap, pull up, pivot, then jump and grab and pull up. Kill the Tiger that is approaching then jump the gap and take the path to the Stone Dragon which is also Secret #1. Continue the climb by climbing up twice then pulling up to the ledge. Turn and jump to the left and grab and pull up to get across another gap then pull up again to reach the building. Enter the guardhouse and drop through the grate in the upper area to fall into the water. Then run forward and jump and pull up to access the switch. Flip the switch and proceed to the Great Wall. A threesome of crows attack when you reach the top of the wall. Kill them with your guns, taking evasive action if necessary. Proceed to the gap in the wall. The guardhouse on the other side is locked so drop to the water below to obtain the key for the guardhouse. Kill the Tiger who is arriving as you exit the pool. A green section of the ground will get you high enough so you can jump and pull up to the top of the wall. Continue to the guardhouse and open the door Kill the spiders that swarm out the door then enter. A single spider remains to guard the Rusty Key above that ladder. Kill the spider and take the key and use it on the lock next to the door. Continue forward until you reach a room with a skeleton. Shotgun shells and a medkit are here as well as another swarm of spider plus a big spider coming in from behind. Take out the big one first then finish off the swarm before collecting your items. Pull out the block and slide down the slope to arrive at a pool of water. Jump in and head left to the wall. Jump up and grab and shimmy to the right avoiding the darts. Swim underwater to the exit and surface in the corner avoiding even more darts. Climb up and exit into the hallway. This hall has a collapsing floor with spikes beneath. Run across and through the door which shuts behind you. Two boulders start rolling towards you from the left. Turn and run to the right. As the passage narrows, jump the spikes and land on the ramp. Slide down into the wall then jump to the left and get some ammo. Run forward and pull up to the ledge to avoid the spiked walls closing in. This next hall has more collapsing floors and sharp swinging blades. Run down the hall and jump the blades. As you approach the final blade jump and turn to the left in midair. You should land right next to Secret #2; the Jade Dragon. Pick it up and move into the hall before the spiked walls close in on you. Cross the collapsing floor while staying to the right. The left wall will stop before it can hurt you. At the end of the hall, stop at the top of the ramp and turn so you can slide down backwards. Hang from the bottom and drop then jump to the right to land on another collapsing floor which you fall through as more spikes close in above. Enter the cavern and continue forward. Take the medkit then head to the left and run past the blades. There is a rope slide and lots of spiders in this next room. Kill all of the spiders then go get Secret #3 which is located below the rope slide. To get the Gold Dragon you need to look down into the canyon and locate the tan rock with the moss. Stand above the tan rock and with your back to the canyon, drop off, hang then drop. Jump and grab the ledge and shimmy right until you can pull up. Continue along the path and collect some flares along the way. Take the ladder down and continue until you reach the canyon floor. Those tremors you should now be feeling are the early warning signs of an advancing T-Rex. Return to the hall and kill the T-Rex from the safety of the passage. When he is dead, you can cross the canyon and get the Gold Dragon. This causes a second T-Rex to appear so kill him then make your way back to the top of the canyon. Use the rope to slide across the canyon and land on the ledge on the opposite side. Kill the 2 Tigers which are waiting for you, then proceed to the exit. Venice Lara arrives in Venice and finds herself in a dead end alley. Exit to the courtyard and take out the Doberman as he charges. You will need to do some side-jumping and shooting to take out the guard on the balcony who will drop a key after you kill him. Continue down the alley until you hear approaching footsteps then start firing and backflipping back down the alley to take out more dogs and henchmen. When all is safe, exit the alley and you will be next to the canal. Dive into the canal and swim under the large door to get inside the boathouse. Checkout your cool new ride then flip the switch to open a door somewhere else. Return to the dock and enter the hut. Grab the flares from the table then start climbing the ladders. Climb each of the ladders after pressing the appropriate switch to open the trapdoor. When you reach the roof, shoot out the windows then drop into the hall. Climb through the second window you just shot out and jump over to the awning. Then make another jump to the balcony and retrieve the Boathouse Key from the dead guard you shot earlier. Return to the hall and head right to the door you opened from the Boathouse. Kill the attacking Doberman then continue across hall and flip the switch to open a door high on the wall on the opposite side of the canal. Head back to the dead Doberman and shoot out the window. Run and jump and grab the awning. Pull up and then start jumping from awning to awning until you reach the ledge near the door. Jump inside and flip the switch at the end to open a canal door. Dive back into the canal and return to the Boathouse and unlock the door. Swim back out and make your way to the ledge by the hut. Climb out and kill the henchman. Take his Auto-Mags before you return to the Boathouse. Climb in the boat and head for the now-open canal door. When you pass through the door, stop the boat and light a flare to reveal a passage to the right. Secret #1 is waiting for you at the end of this passage. Take the Stone Dragon then jump down and kill some rats below you. Turn and face the ladder then turn and head right. Turn right at the end and jump in the water. Continue on past the left channel until you reach some Uzi Ammo. Grab it, then retrace your steps back to your speedboat. Light another flare and continue down the dark canal. At the bottom of the falls you can dive into the pool and retrieve Secret #2; the Gold Dragon. Continue on until you reach a large underground chamber with lots of columns. Keep the boat over towards the left until you see a ledge. Hop out and kill the rat nearby then shoot out the window and finally kill the henchmen who arrives to investigate all the noise. Grab the ammo then get back in your boat and head through the large metal doors and stop. Jump out of the boat and swim back to the dock and go through the broken window. Enter the room and flip the switch and take the shotgun shells. Return to the dock and climb the ladder making a mental note of the doors which are now closed. The water level and your boat have risen to the top so dive in and flip the underwater switch to open the next set of doors then get in your boat and continue. Keep to your left to avoid the enemy gunfire and bring your boat to a stop by the gondolas. Exit the boat and get on the dock. Climb on the box then jump and grab to reach the awning and pull yourself up. Walk to the right edge of the awning and jump to the walkway above. A Doberman and a henchman come running at you so backflip off the ledge and kill them both before jumping backup. Retrieve the medkit. Another guy is guarding another speedboat further down the canal. You can kill him from up here then turn right and head for the courtyard. A gun crazed baddie comes running at you so kill him with your guns, taking evasive action when necessary. Retrieve the Steel Key from his fallen corpse and unlock the courtyard door. Go through the door and drop into a hole to flip a switch. A gate opens somewhere else in this level and you hear approaching footsteps. Climb out of the hole and kill the henchman and take his ammo. Return to your speedboat and use it to ram the gondolas. Underwater mines hinder your progress. These mines can only be triggered by a boat. Lucky for you, you have two at your disposal. Line your current boat up with the mines and build up some speed. Jump out of the boat at the last minute and swim to the dock as your boat continue down the canal and sweeps the mines for you. Grab the M-16 ammo from the fallen guard. The Iron Door is locked so we need to find a key. Get in your new speedboat and return to the section of the canal that raised your boat to this level. A bad guy is waiting around the left corner, so hop out of the boat and kill him when you get on the dock. Grab all his ammo. Get back in the boat and continue along the canal until you reach a clothesline on the right and a smaller canal on the left. Ram the two gondolas tied up at the dock and exit your boat. A henchman with a bat come out of a door but you can kill him before he even gets close. Enter the dark room and kill some rats and flip the switch to open a door somewhere else in this level. Return to your dock. Before getting in the boat look up. There are some windows above. Jump and grab the ledge and pull up so you can shoot out the windows. Climb through and take Secret #3; the Jade Dragon from the bed. Now you can get in the boat, turn around and take the narrow canal you passed earlier. Keep to the left and the canal will intersect with a larger canal and you will find the door you opened a few minutes ago with that switch. Enter the door which shuts promptly behind you. Take the Iron Key from the pool of water and climb the ladder to go up and kill a Doberman and his master. Take the medkit and flip the switch. A really nasty guard arrives on the scene and is blocking your escape to the boat. You can either kill him by shooting through the gap between the door and the wall or if you want to impress your friends, try doing a backflip from the ledge and killing him before you splash into the canal. Either way, when he is dead, get back in the boat and retrace you path back to where you got your second speedboat. You now have the key to open that door and kill another nasty badguy. Flip the switch by the window to open the second gate which is blocking your exit. Return to the boat and head back up the canal going under that walkway where you snipered the guy who was guarding this boat earlier in the game. Keep to the left until you reach an open door on the right. Go just past this door then back the boat up to the door so that it is lined up with the ramp to the left. Jump out of the boat and enter the door until you can stand. Shoot the henchman and grab his ammo when he is dead. Flip the switch to open the final obstacle in your escape of this level. This is a timed sequence of events and the clock starts ticking once you get back in your boat. Anything less than a perfect performance and you will be redoing this segment so save your game. Ready.....set......GO! Accelerate your boat and jump the ramp, braking immediately when you land so you can make the sharp turn at the second left into the large canal, then make a sharp right into the smaller canal with the open gates. Make another right at the intersection and speed down the canal to the exit... Bartoli's Hideout Exit at the dock and kill some rats. Go around the building to the left, killing the guard and his rats before flipping the switch. Another guard arrive so kill him too, taking the medkits from both your victims. Enter the now open front door and kill the guard on the balcony and his friend who appears on the ground floor. Grab the shells from your second kill then shoot out the window and kill the Dobermans who jump through when you get too close. Go to the back of the courtyard and take the medkit, flares and ammo. Now you need to proceed down the heavily guarded hallway. Several statues will begin hacking at you with huge blades when you get too close. Keep to the right and time your short running bursts so you pass by when their blades are in the upright position. Don't overshoot and run into the next blade. When you get to the dark end of the passage, light a flare to reveal a switch which opens a door back out by the canal. Run past the guards in a single continuous run this time. They will swing but they will be too late. Back out in the big room find the sloped wooden box. Stand with your back to the slope then jump back and then forward and grab the ledge and pull up. Walk around to the left and pull the block then drop down to the floor. Get below the ledge to the left of the block you just pulled and jump and pull up. You can now turn and do a running leap to the opposite balcony where you killed that first henchman. Take his ammo then move to the textured wall and climb on and across to the window. Climb out onto the ledge and turn to the right and dispatch the gunman on the balcony across from you. Now you can turn and do a running jump off the end of the balcony over to an awning. You'll start sliding backward so grab as you fall then shimmy to the left and pull up and do a backflip to a ledge across the canal. Turn left and do another running jump, grab and pull up maneuver. You should now be standing on a rather small ledge. Turn and do an angled jump to the awning across the canal. You can stand on this awning so turn and face that open door and do a standing jump and press the grab while in midair so you enter the door instead of hitting the wall above it. A pair of Dobermans should charge you when you land so take them out before they even get close. Make sure you don't back up or backflip out of the door into the canal or you will be doing that last paragraph all over again. Head upstair and take out the first of many attacking gunmen. Enter the room where the first henchman came from and look in the left corner for a switch hidden in the wall. Flip it to open a door in the previous room which leads to that outside balcony where you killed that one guy. He dropped some shells and Secret #1; the Stone Dragon when he died. After you collect all of this, return to the room with the switch and shoot out the window. A guard patrols the landing outside this window. You can probably kill him as he passes or you can climb out and do the deed face-to-face. Continue down the landing and shoot out the next window and climb in. The door opens and a guy with a bat enters along with his dog and another guy shows up behind you on the ledge. These guys are pretty slow so as long as you keep moving and firing you should be okay. The dog is faster to take him out first if possible. Do a lot of flipping and use the larger room on the other side of those doors if you need space to maneuver. You can even retreat back to the stairs if necessary. When everyone is dead, return to the last room and push the back of the fireplace twice to access a concealed passage. Kill the rat after you climb up then proceed to the slope. Blades start slicing at you as you approach so stand back and jump out and turn to the right and drop into the water. Climb out to the safety of the wooden ledge in the corner to survey the next deadly trap. You need to make a quick series of jumps and the flames are on a timer. They will go out when you jump off the ledge you are standing on, so when ready, get your back to the wall and start running. Jump from the edge and land on the next platform. Do two STANDING jump for the next two ledges to arrive at the other end of this trap. If you miss a ledge or catch on fire you will land (or can jump) in the water and try again. The door open as you approach and a gunman and his dogs attack. Kill them all then jump to the slope box and jump and grab and pull up onto the lowest chandelier. Do a running jump to the right to grab the ledge. Pull up and flip the switch to open a door behind the fire in the fireplace. Jump back to the chandelier then turn and jump to the next highest chandelier. Do another running jump to the ledge on the right to flip another switch which opens a painting on the wall which conceals the Library Key. Return to the chandelier then turn right and jump to the next highest light and finally to the ledge above. Kill the approaching rats then continue in their direction and jump and grab and shimmy to the right until you can pull up. You should now be on the highest rafter so run and jump to the wood floor by some bricks. Kill the henchman behind the bricks and take the medkit. Be careful not to fall off as any fall from this height is instant death. Climb on the bricks and head left and jump to reach another switch. Flip it to adjust the chandelier height so you can access the Library Key. Jump back to the bricks then go down to the chandelier and jump until you reach the light next to the Library Key. Do a running jump to grab and pull up and get the key then repeat to get back out on the chandelier. Jump all the chandeliers until you are on the other side then do a running jump and grab to the ledge. You won't grab but you will land on the ledge and this saves you from having to return to that last switch to adjust the chandelier heights. Exit to the window sill and go right. You should see the fire below, so hang and drop down to land in the water and not the fire. You should now be outside the Library door. Flip the underwater switch and swim through the door that opens as a result. Head to the right and surface. You should see a gap in the floor to your left. It's dark down there so light a flare and head into the opening. This turns into a maze rather quickly so follow these directions. As you swim into the hole turn to the right and go around the corner. Swim into the large opening then go through the smaller opening near the top of the wall. Turn right after entering the smaller passage then find the small opening to the lower-bottom-left of the wall. Enter and immediately turn left to find some grenades before continuing back to the right to find Secret #2; the Gold Dragon. Flip the nearby switch then head straight up to the newly opened door where you can finally take a breath. Do NOT climb out here or you will burn to death. Instead, retrace your path through the maze back to the library door. Enter the Library and kill the gunman across the room. Go through the large doors and climb up the bookcase on the left. You can kill a pair of rats from the small area above before jumping over to flip the switch which opens another guarded doorway. After you kill this guard, go through the door and climb the books on the left. Jump towards the window then turn left and climb up. Shoot the window then jump to the sill. Turn and exit the window backwards so you slide down the awning. Grab the end the pull up so you backflip to a ledge behind you. Run and jump to the roof across from your new position, then turn left and jump to the TOP of the brick wall. This next sequence is extremely difficult (at least it was for me) so SAVE frequently. While standing ON the wall, walk to the end to the top of the slope. Turn so you are facing the building across the canal and do a running jump to grab the lowest section of the roof. Pull yourself up and head for the smoke stack. Stand a few steps back from the edge of the roof and jump toward the ledge. Grab on and shimmy left until you can pull up. Go behind the wall to find a pool of water and a pair of Uzi's. Drop down next to the shack and kill the henchman, taking the ammo he leaves behind. Take the Detonator Key from the table then step towards the door and it will automatically open. Kill the gunman on the other side, taking evasive action if necessary. Take his medkit before returning to the main room of the Library. There is a switch on the wall so flip it to open the door. Enter and kill 2 more gunmen who approach from the left. Relieve them of their shells and Uzi ammo before continuing. Don't use the key in the Detonator box just yet. Instead, climb to the top of the brick wall and go to the left end of the wall. Pull up twice so that you are now standing on the sloped roof. Shoot out the glass and take Secret #3; the Jade Dragon from the table. Jump into the water and swim over to the low brick wall with the Detonator Box. Use the key to blow up the building, then kill that gunman that is above and behind you. Climb onto the brick wall to gain access to the demolished building. Begin the long ascent to the top of the rubble. After much jumping, grabbing and pulling up, you will reach the top and can take the path which leads to a dark hall and the end of this level. Opera House This level starts off with a rather challenging gunfight. You can run around taking random shots at the gunman on the platform below until he finally dies. Then take his ammo and jump into the water from where he was standing moments ago. Swim left around the building and climb the ladder, getting off on the small ledge. Walk to the edge of the landing and while facing the canal, jump and grab so you can pull up to the top. Flip the switch to open a door in the roof then continue climbing the ladder to the ledge above. Run and jump to the ledge across the canal then turn to the left and do a running jump to the ledge with the swinging box. Pull up and continue along the canal performing a running jump to the slanted rooftop. Grab onto the edge and shimmy to the left until you reach a small ledge. Do a running jump and a grab in midair so you arc through the opening in the roof. Draw your guns in midair to take out the guard, then take the Ornate Key. Start up the stairs and kill the gunman when he comes through the door. Take his medkit and go to the top of the stairs. Make your way back to the previous ledge with the swinging box and position yourself so you are looking at a ledge with a small building to the left. Do NOT try to jump through the opening in the center of that building. The floor below the opening in the roof is lined with broken glass and you will die. Instead, do a running jump to land on the slope next to the right wall. Grab and shimmy to the left until you are at the flat section in the corner. Standing with your back to the wall, jump to the slanted roof and slide down and grab. You should be hanging in front of the window. Drop and instantly grab again to catch the edge of the sill. Now pull up and shoot out the glass and carefully enter the room. The glass is just like the spikes in the original Tomb Raider so simply WALK to pass by unharmed. Cross the room and climb the ladder and use the Ornate Key to unlock the door at the end of the hall. Now we have a very unstable roof to deal with. Position Lara so she is at the edge of a solid piece of roof and facing the wall on the other side of the three collapsing pieces. Do a Standing Jump and begin running when you hit the first panel. When you cross the 3rd panel do a running jump, and when you finally cross the last set of collapsing panels do a running jump to grab and pull up onto the ledge. Draw your guns and proceed to the top of the Opera House. Shoot the guard patrolling the roof then turn and lower down. While hanging onto the edge, quickly pull back up and draw your weapons again. Your short dangle off the edge should have attracted the attention of another guard and a couple of Dobermans. Kill them all, then do a running jump to the roof and continue left to kill four more guards below. Take the medkits, shells and ammo from the dead guards then return to your previous location to check out the swinging box. Do a running jump and grab and pull up to a small area to the right of the swinging box and light a flare. Drop down and flip the switch to the left of the box. Three rooftop doors open and two gunmen show up looking for trouble. Climb up and kill these guys then drop through the newly opened door in the roof. A pair of switches awaits you below. The right switch is useless for now so flip the left one to open a grate, then exit through that grate. Run by the hall to trigger a boulder. Stand by the wall switch to avoid the deadly rock then flip the switch to close the grate and climb up the ladder. Continue climbing up the grate until you are across from an opening which would have been blocked if you hadn't so cleverly lowered the grate before climbing up. Drop down to the floor and kill the gunman to the left making a special effort NOT to go underneath the sandbag. Take his medkit then head towards the doors to the right. Making extra su