LEVEL 2: TEMPLE RUINS
Kills: 30 Items: 37, plus 5 keys and 2 SCIMITARS Save/power-up crystals: 8 Secrets: 4*
*Be sure to find all the secrets so you can access the bonus level at the end of the game. Note that one of the regular pick-ups here will be the SHOTGUN if you didn't get it in the previous level.
Objectives: First, find a way into the ruins. Locate 2 keys to unlock the gate in the room with the six-armed statue. Ascend to the upper level and find 3 more keys to unlock the exit.
Head to the right through the opening in the tree, and pick up a small medipak. Advance slowly and a cobra will rear up from the undergrowth. (NOTE: You'll know you've been poisoned if the health indicator bar turns yellow and begins to flash. If you think you may be meeting several snakes in a row, as you do here, you may want to wait until you've taken care of them all before using the medipak.) Continue forward through the greenery, killing another cobra. If either has bitten Lara, use a small medipak to antidote the venom.
(NOTE: At this point it is possible to take a shortcut, climbing directly to the TREETOPS. You'll miss several kills and pick-ups, but no secrets. Instructions and screenshots appear here. If you don't want to take the shortcut, continue with the next paragraph.)
Use the switch on the right to open the trapdoor at the top of the low steps. Climb the stairs and drop down through the opening. Crawl through the tunnel. There's another small medipak in the alcove on the left. The low tunnel behind it leads back to where you started. For now, follow the larger passageway. Kill the cobra at the bend in the passage and continue to the next room where there are 2 monkeys. Climb through the opening above the low step to emerge near a pool.
(NOTE: Unlike the ones in the first level, the monkeys you'll meet from now on are generally hostile, and you will need to kill them.)
Pick up the MP5 clips and shotgun shells at the top of the steps in the corner to the left. Take a running jump from the bank (at the right side of the tree) to grab the stone platform in the middle of the lake. Press Left while Lara is in the air to adjust the angle so she can grab the block. Pull up and take the small medipak. From here, take another running jump to the shallow area on the opposite bank. If you miss the initial jump and fall in, either reload a saved game or swim for this either bank immediately to avoid being devoured by the piranhas. Pull the switch in the right corner to open the underwater gate between the submerged ledges. Swim through it and continue until you can surface.
(NOTE: I mark the piranhas as a hazard, rather than an enemy, since you can't kill them. So either out-swim them or try and avoid the water.)
Climb out, kill the 2 monkeys, then cross in front of the mudslide and climb up onto the far ledge via the second angled block. Pick up the Uzi clips in the low depression just ahead. Then make your way across the mudslide to the stone ledge. Follow the ledge to the end, above the water-filled opening where you entered this area. You'll meet 2 more monkeys on the way. Before going into the passageway, take a running jump to the ledge ahead and to the left (between the ledge you're on and the high, curved-top wall). Pick up the Uzi clips. You can now do a running jump back to the previous ledge, but it has to be angled fairly precisely or Lara will fall. If you can't land it, drop down and retrace your steps over the mudslide and along the ledges. Enter the passageway at the end of the ledge, killing yet another monkey and picking up a save/power-up crystal on the other side.
TREETOPS: You'll emerge on a ledge above the water near the beginning of the level. Jump to the branch on the left. Walk toward the tree trunk then take a running jump to the branch ahead and to the right (the one that bends upward at the end). Turn right and take a running jump to the next branch, between the tree trunk and the stone wall. Be sure to jump from the very end of the bent branch, which is higher, and don't press Action or Lara won't jump far enough. In an alcove at the right end of the branch are some flares. Return to the previous tree. The running jump back is equally tricky. Jump from branch to branch around to the other side of the tree, where you'll find some Desert Eagle clips. Jump back to the branch above the water.
(NOTE: If you fall into the river here, either reload and try again, or let the current carry Lara downstream. If you fight the current a little, you can get Lara into the corner below the trees near the start of the level and climb out on the bank. Otherwise, swim down toward the rectangular gold grate. Before you reach the grate, there's a passage on the right where you can swim up, surface and crawl through the tunnel. Either retrace your steps through the tunnels and over the ledges, as described in the walkthrough above, or use the shortcut described above to get back to the treetops.)
WATERFALL CLIFF: Turn to face the waterfall and take a running jump to grab the stone ledge jutting out of the wall ahead. From there, take a running jump to the short branch ahead, where you'll find a small medipak. Face the tree trunk and then jump to the left to land behind the waterfall. Follow the passage to the other side. Slide down the slippery slope facing uphill and grab the edge. Then traverse to the right, under the falling water, until you can pull up. (Alternately, you can jump from the branch with the medipak to the block on the right with white water flowing over it, and from there to the slippery slope.) Pick up the shotgun shells. Crawl to the right until you can stand up. If you don't want all the kills and pick-ups, you can jump across to the next ledge now. Otherwise, drop/climb down to the flat, green spot near the water. Take a running jump to the right to land behind the lower falls. Go forward into the cave, kill the cobra, then continue to find some flares. Return the way you came to the green flat spot near the water. Climb/jump to the next ledge, shoot the monkey, then duck and crawl through the low cave opening.
TUNNEL LEADING INTO THE RUINS: Kill the cobra lurking on the right, then slide down the slope and shoot a second cobra just inside the next passageway. Slide down the right side of the next slope; the left side is a boulder trap.
(**NOTE: If you are playing on the PSX or have not installed the PC version patch, DO NOT SAVE in the next room, and DO NOT RETURN THERE after leaving. Otherwise, you risk coming up against one of the infamous "invisible wall" bugs.)
ROOM WITH FIRST SIX-ARMED STATUE: Drop into the next room, where there is a six-armed statue—perhaps a representation of the Hindu god Shiva. To the left of the statue you'll find some shotgun shells. (NOTE: If you don't already have the SHOTGUN, you'll get it here instead of the shells.) In the far right corner is a movable block. Pull it once, pick up more shotgun shells behind it, then crawl through the small opening to the next room.
ROOM WITH GATE and TWO KEYHOLES: Pick up the save/power-up crystal now if you need it. The statue comes to life and attacks with its six swords. When the swords are crossed over its chest, it is invulnerable, so you'll need to circle around behind it and/or keep it moving so it's not guarding itself. You'll see blood when you're hitting it and hear bullets ricocheting off the swords when you're not. The statue monster moves fairly slowly and, if you keep plugging away at it and don't let it back you into a corner, it will eventually fall and turn back into stone.
(NOTE: If you're not concerned about conserving ammunition, use the shotgun here and it will go quickly. If you prefer the cautious approach, use pistols and stay out of the statue's way. The platform with the switches is safe and you can hang from the edge periodically to get the statue moving again.)
If you didn't do so already, climb up to the platform where there are 2 switches. Use both. One opens one of the doors out of this room and the other unlatches the trapdoor in the floor. Step on the low step near the trapdoor to open it. Drop through the trapdoor and throw the switch in the small room below to open the other exit from the room.
Next to the switch in the pit is a movable block. Push it once and enter the room beyond, which is SECRET #1. Proceed carefully, crawling under the poisoned darts. (NOTE: As with snake venom, if you are struck by one of these darts, you'll need to use a medipak or power-up crystal to antidote the poison.) Hop down into the small pit, grab the small medipak and quickly jump out to avoid a rolling boulder. (Or, move to either left corner of the pit and the boulder will land next to Lara without squashing her.) Now make your way carefully around the room, picking up flares, shotgun shells and another small medipak from the various alcoves. Return to the statue room the way you came.
(NOTE: At this point, it doesn't matter which path you take first. You'll need to go both ways eventually in order to find the two keys that open the large gate in the middle of this room. However, because of potential bugs, if you are playing on the PSX or have not installed the PC version patch, you may want to do the 'PATH TO FIRST GANESHA KEY' and 'PATH TO SECOND GANESHA KEY' in the reverse order. That way if you encounter one of the invisible wall bugs at the entrance to the second key path, you can restart the level and not have to replay as much.)
PATH TO FIRST GANESHA KEY (gate above trapdoor): When you enter the passage, the gate closes behind you. Wade through the quicksand. If you keep on at a steady pace, Lara won't drown. Climb out of the quicksand onto a hill of dirt. Take a standing jump up the first slope. Turn around, walk to the edge of the slope, hop back once to set up your jump, and then take a running jump to grab the ledge above the quicksand. Pull up and advance down the hallway. Kill the monkey and pick up a small medipak. (This will be on the ground on the right side of the hallway. If the monkey got to it first, look near its body.) Pull the switch to the right of the gate to open it.
Ahead is a gauntlet of traps: spiked walls that close in from both sides and a knee-high horizontal slicing blade. I found the easiest way to get past this with minimal damage was to start two squares from the doorway (as shown in this screenshot) and sprint straight through without jumping. (NOTE: Just to recap, the default keys for Sprint are Forward + slash (/) on the PC and Mac, Forward and R2 on the PlayStation.)
ROOM WITH CENTRAL STRUCTURE ABOVE POOL: Kill 2 monkeys in the next room. Go around to the right and locate the movable block in the second square pillar. Pull/push it against the central structure and climb from the block to the ledge on the left side. Walk around to the other side of the ledge. Take a standing jump from the edge of the ledge to grab the ladder recessed into the ceiling. Climb up for SECRET #2: shotgun shells and MP5 clips. Pull the switch then climb down the ladder to the very bottom (so Lara is hanging from the bottom rung by her hands) before letting go. If you do this, Lara will take only minimal damage.
(NOTE: If you don't already have the SHOTGUN, you'll get it as part of the secret instead of the shells. You must use the switch in secret #2 in order to get secret #3 a bit farther along. If you don't pull this switch, then the lever that opens the door for the next secret won't work. Thanks to Jeff Reid for this tip.)
Use the switch in one of the gold-grated alcoves to open a door above in the central structure. Pull/push the movable block to the right so you can climb up to the door. Drop into the pool below. Pull the underwater lever to open the gate. Surface for air if you need it. Swim through the gate, pull the 2 levers in the next underwater room. (They are directly opposite each other on the side walls, so you can use one, roll, and swim straight to the other.) Swim back into the passage the way you came, but before you reach the bend, look for an opening in the ceiling. Swim up to it and climb out.
ROOM WITH POOL and INVISIBLE PLATFORMS: In the next room is a large, shallow pool flanked by steps. In the pool are 3 underwater levers and a small gate. Jump into the pool and pull the lever at the foot of the steps to open the gate. It is timed to close quickly, so roll and swim for it. Inside is SECRET #3. The door closes behind you, but it reopens when you pick up the items—a grenade, flares and a large medipak. (NOTE: The lever to open the secret door won't work if you didn't use the switch in the secret #2 room, above. You can either go on without this secret or reload an earlier save and play through that section again. There is no way to get back to the second secret from here. Also, if you already have the GRENADE LAUNCHER, either by cheating or by playing through the game previously, each single grenade will be two grenades.)
If you're playing the PSX version, you'll probably want to get the save/power-up crystal on the other side of the pool before trying to get the key. If you're playing on the PC or Mac, you'll probably want to save the crystal until afterwards.
Return to the pool and pull the other two levers (the ones on opposite sides of the pool) to activate the fire-breathing statues above. In the firelight you will be able to discern several invisible platforms floating above the pool. Take a standing jump from the edge of the pool to grab the first invisible block on the right side; pull up. Jump to the invisible block just ahead and from there to the solid ledge with the switch. (NOTE: You don't have to fire up the statues to go across the invisible platforms. The light just makes them visible. A flare will also help illuminate the blocks.)
Pull the switch to open the gate at the top of the stairs to the left of the statue. This door is timed, so as soon as you pull the switch, side flip to the left, run off the platform and dash up the stairs through the gate.
ROOM WITH MOVING SPIKED WALL and FIRST GANESHA KEY: You can see the key you want through the grille on the left, but you can't reach it. Go to the right. Pull the switch, turn left and run to the far left end of the room. Pick up the FIRST GANESHA KEY, roll and run through the gate on the right (the same way you entered). You'll have to sprint both ways to avoid being skewered by the wall of spikes, but you'll need to release the Sprint button just before Lara reaches the key so she doesn't overshoot it, and again just before making the hard right into the doorway. After the spikes have passed, go back inside to the right (where the spiked wall originated) to find MP5 clips and a small medipak. (NOTE: If you're having an especially difficult time outrunning the spiked walls, try this: Pick up the key then stand still. Use a medipak as the wall passes, and Lara may emerge unscathed. Thanks to Sven for this tip.)
Return to the room with the pool, which has turned into a mud bath. As you approach the mud, the invisible platforms crumble away. Slog through the quicksand, keeping close to the wall, and climb out on the other side. Climb/jump up the mudslide to the top right, where you'll find an opening in the wall. Follow the passageway. Pick up the flares in the alcove on the left. The stairway contains a boulder trap. Hop backwards up to the second step to trigger it and then run down into the doorway as the boulder rolls past.
Now go up the stairs. The two gates open as you approach. Enter and choose your path. They both end up in the same place, but the left path is more dangerous. Left: Jump the blade, dash to the end of the hallway with a rolling boulder in hot pursuit, then duck and crawl through the low opening on the right. Right: Follow the passage to the switch (you can hear the boulder rolling next door), kill the interfering monkey and use the switch to open the gate.
Kill 2 monkeys and pick up the small medipak that one of them tried to carry off. Get the save/power-up crystal in the next room. Then go through the side passage to a rectangular opening in the floor. Turn around and climb down the ladder to the ROOM WITH GATE and TWO KEYHOLES (where you killed the six-armed statue).
PATH TO SECOND GANESHA KEY (other small gate): If you haven't already done so, use the switch on the platform above the mud to open the second small gate (the one on the left when facing the large gate). Follow the passage to the next room.
(BUG NOTE: If you encounter an "invisible wall" blocking this passageway, you may still be able to go on. This bug is apparently triggered by saving in the room with the first six-armed statue (above at the **) or returning there later in the level. If you're playing the PlayStation version, restart the level if necessary and avoid doing that next time. If you're playing the PC or Macintosh version, you can download a bug-free saved game.)
ROOM WITH EMPTY POOL and LEVER and ROOM WITH POOL and FIRE-BREATHING STATUES: Kill the 2 monkeys. Cross the room with the empty pool. You may glimpse the SECOND GANESHA KEY behind the small gate, but you can't reach it yet. The lever only works when the pool is filled with water. Enter the next room, where there is a pool flanked by fire-breathing statues. Swim across, surface and climb out at the middle of the ledge to avoid being toasted by the flames. Pull the switch to open the underwater gate just below. Swim through the gate, hugging the side or bottom of the tunnel to avoid being hit by poisoned darts.
TALL ROOM WITH POOL and LEDGES: Once in the next room, swim to the right so Lara doesn't get crushed by falling rocks. Surface and climb out on the low, green ledge with the small medipak. Swim across to the opposite ledge. Climb the ladder and back flip onto the ledge behind. Take a running jump to the ledge ahead and to the left (when facing the ladder). Jump to the next ledge on the left. Turn around and take a standing jump from the edge to grab the ladder above and ahead. Climb to the top. Take a standing jump to the next ledge on the left, then a running jump to the ledge with the cobra. (The opening below the cobra ledge is the exit from the next secret area.) Kill the snake, then take a standing jump to the ledge near the doorway.
Jump into the doorway and immediately jump back and grab the doorsill. A boulder will roll past overhead. Pull up and crawl under the darts and blades to the edge of the spike pit. Pick up the small medipak on the left.
(***NOTE: You might want to use the ALTERNATE PATH for this section, below, if you are playing on the PSX or have not installed the PC version patch. Otherwise, you risk coming up against one of the infamous "invisible wall" bugs. See the note at the beginning of this document for more info.)
If you're low on health (or want to save in the PSX version), jump across the pit first and get the save/power-up crystal, then jump back to the other side. Turn around and hang from the edge of the pit. Traverse to the left side and drop down to the flat spot next to the blades. Crawl through the blades into the low opening to find SECRET #4. (NOTE: If you crawl through the blades rather than walking through them, then ducking, Lara won't lose any health.) Kill the cobra just inside the next room and claim some Desert Eagle and Uzi clips, and a save/power-up crystal. Drop through the opening into the pool (watch those darts!) and retrace your steps back up the ledges to the blade pit.
This time, instead of dropping down, jump across. Get the save/power-up crystal if you didn't earlier. The next puzzle involves a series of movable blocks. The sequence is shown in the diagram to the right. The letters in parentheses refer to the diagram.
Locate the first movable block (A) to the right of the crystal. (It's also outlined in this screenshot.) Push it once (to A2). (See the diagram for a visual of this sequence.) Turn to the right to face another movable block (B). Push this second block four times into the next room (to B2). Return to the passageway. There are three more movable blocks (C-E) next to the first block you pushed. Push the second from left (C) and the rightmost block (E) once each (to C2 and E2). Push the middle block (D) to either side (D2 or next to A2) to reveal a switch. Use this to flood the pool in the room below (the one between the fire-breathing statue room and the one where you killed the six-armed statue).
Go into the room where you pushed the second block (B). Ahead is a boulder trap. Stand in the middle of the ramp, walk forward carefully and back flip when you hear the boulders drop. The boulders will pass Lara on either side. Proceed to the bottom and take a running jump over the pit. Turn around, hang from the edge of the next pit and drop down into the pool (left side) not the blades (right side). Turn right and swim along the passageway, avoiding the poisoned darts. Climb out of the pool in the ROOM WITH POOL and FIRE-BREATHING STATUES.
(ALTERNATE PATH: Climb and jump all the ledges to the top. Do not drop down into the spiked pit. Jump across instead, re-arrange the blocks and pull the switch. Now jump back across the pit, drop down and get the secret. Get back into the water from there and try to swim through the hopefully-not-blocked passage. The advantages are that you'll have to climb/jump all these ledges only once and you'll avoid the boulder trap. And you won't miss a single pick-up. Thanks to Hagix for this tip.)
ROOM WITH EMPTY POOL and LEVER and ROOM WITH POOL and FIRE-BREATHING STATUES: Go back into the next room, to the pool you just flooded. Jump into the pool and use the underwater lever to open the gate. Swim inside and collect the SECOND GANESHA KEY. Return to the room where you killed the six-armed statue and use your two keys to open the large gate.
Enter, jump over the spikes and quickly climb the ladder to safety as the spiked ceiling descends. At the top, kill 2 monkeys and pick up the save/power-up crystal. In an alcove on the other side of the room from the save crystal is a movable block. Pull the block out, climb on top of it and take a running jump to grab the high ledge with the switch. Pull up and use the switch. Jump over to the next ledge and use the second switch there. Both of them are needed to open the gate below.
Drop down to the side of the gate and run in front of it to trip the boulder trap. When it's safe, enter and hop down into the shallow pit to close the gate. Continue past either of the fire-breathing statues to the next room. If Lara crawls or stays close to the wall, she won't get toasted.
ROOM WITH THREE SIX-ARMED STATUES: In the next room, you'll find 2 six-armed statues (plus a third that does not animate). The first comes to life as you enter, the second only when you climb onto the platform with the third statue. Kill them one at a time. There are several safe spots where the statues can't reach Lara: the high platform with the third statue, the doorway on the left (when facing the platform) and the top of the low steps in the corner. The doorway seems to be the best spot since you can easily run out to get the statues' attention and then run back for cover. Just watch out for the fire-breathing statue. You'll find some shotgun shells at the top of the steps and a small medipak in the pool below the platform. (Thanks to Peggy for the tip about taking cover in the doorway.)
When you've killed both statues, take their SCIMITARS and place them in the hands of the third statue to open the next gate. Get the Uzi clips in the pit just inside. Follow either hallway and climb through the small opening.
FINAL AREA - THREE KEYS and THREE LOCKS: In the room beyond you'll find what's left of Randy and Rory, along with another six-armed statue. It animates as you approach the platform in the center. Kill it and pick up the THIRD GANESHA KEY from the platform, and some flares below the second body. You'll need two more keys to exit. (NOTE: The low platform with the flares is a safe spot from which to shoot the statue. You'll have to hop down and back up again occasionally to re-activate the statue, but it won't bother Lara up there. Also, PSX players may want to go into the room to the right to get the save/power-up crystal before activating the statue.)
Alternately, wait to pick up the key on the pedestal. Get the other two keys first. Unlock two of the locks in the next room. Then return for the last key, pick it up and, as the statue animates, run and unlock the exit, then leave without having to kill the monster. (Thanks to Vesa H., a fellow Finn, for this tip.)
(NOTE: Several players have sent in another alternative. After activating the statue, run back into the room with the two high openings. Supposedly the statue doesn't follow and instead vanishes. I have tried this repeatedly with no success. Maybe it only works on the PlayStation version.)
FOURTH KEY - SPIKE ROOM: The gate near the hole in the floor opens as you approach. Light a flare, sprint into the room and pull the switch on the opposite wall. Immediately roll, run to the left to the second switch, pull it and run through the trapdoor you just opened. All this must be done very quickly to avoid the descending spiked ceiling. Pick up the FOURTH GANESHA KEY and return to the big room. (NOTE: If you're stuck at the spike trap, try this: After pulling the second switch, immediately side flip to the right to land in the opening. Use a medipak in-flight to minimize the damage from the spikes. Thanks to Vicki for this tip.)
FIFTH KEY - WATER ROOM: Go into the next room, where you'll find a save/power-up crystal, the exit door, three locks and an opening above water. (The following sequence is shown in the diagram below.) Stand facing the opening with the keyholes on your right. Jump into the water and swim forward toward the wall ahead. The current will suck you toward the spikes, but if you hold the swim key down, you'll be able to reach the wall, where the current is weaker. Follow the wall to the first lever and pull it. Now roll and try to swim back along the right wall (hold the swim and right buttons). When you're nearly to the corner, cut to the left. You'll get dragged toward the spikes, but you should be able to make it to the center of the room where the current isn't as powerful. When you reach the center, swim straight toward the opening. Then cut to the left toward the other side wall. Again, the current will drag you toward the spikes, but if you keep heading forward, you can make it to the far wall before Lara gets skewered. Follow the wall to the corner and pull the second lever, which will turn off the current. Get air if you need it, then retrieve the FIFTH GANESHA KEY from the bottom.
Use the three keys to open the gate at the top of the steps and exit the level.
A cut scene follows: Lara emerges from the temple and sees the psychotic blond explorer rafting down the river. She draws her weapons and fires. He laughs and makes some dramatic gestures and the temple begins to crumble around her. Lara dodges falling stone blocks as the bad guy gets away. She starts to follow on foot then notices a quad bike nearby.
Copyright © 1998-2002 - Stellalune (e-mail stella@tombraiders.net). Special thanks are given to the participants in the alt.games.tombraider newsgroup, without whom some parts of this walkthrough couldn't have been written. Thanks also to Carl, Vesa, Niels B., Danielle, Janet, Vicki, John G., Jennifer B., Mats, Peggy, and Jonathan B. and his kids, for spotting a few things I overlooked. Diagrams made with the aid of GraphTablet freeware (http://www.graphtablet.com). Feel free to copy, distribute and quote this walkthrough, but please include this credit line so people can send me their corrections, comments and suggestions. Also, if you'd like to offer this on your own web site, please read and follow the instructions here.
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