LEVEL 15: CATACOMBS
Secrets: 4*
ROOM WITH BROKEN PILLARS AND SUNBEAMS: Go through the doorway on the right to the room with the now-stable floor. Pull/push the big carved pillar all the way through the room with broken pillars onto the tile with the face in a circle. This releases an ice elemental and opens the small, square door to the left.
ROOM WITH POLE/ROOM WITH JARS AND GOLDEN BIRD STATUE: Run through the door into the next room, watching out for the hole in the floor with the climbing pole; it's a long way down. Run up the stairs on the right to a room with many ceramic jars. Once inside this room, head to the right where you'll find a golden bird statue. Wait near the statue and the elemental will extinguish itself on the statue. Some of the jars can be broken, but there is nothing useful inside.
Return through either door to the room with the pole. Note the carved door nearby, which isn't open yet. Slide down the pole and continue to the end of the hall near the lever. The door closes automatically and the room moves like an elevator. Pull the lever to raise the walls.
HUGE ROOM WITH HIGH PLATFORM, ROPES AND SMALL POOL: Approach the dangling rope.
Cut scene: Panoramic view of the high platform where Lara is now standing.
Take a running jump to grab the first rope, swing and jump to grab the second rope. Swing from the second rope to grab the small opening high on the left (south) wall. Crawl in and drop down to find secret #1 (45/70), shotgun shells, flares and a large medipak.
[NOTE: Unless you don't mind missing the secret, do not swing and jump to the ledge on the far (west) wall. You can get down from here by grabbing the climbable wall on the back of the shaft at the rear of the alcove, but you will not be able to get the secret after that. Also, I'm leaving out some of the details on swinging from rope to rope. If you need pointers, follow the suggestions in the TOMB OF SEMERKHET level.]
Drop to the hall below. Stairs lead up to the right, and the passage ahead leads back to the HUGE ROOM WITH THE HIGH PLATFORM. At this point you can go either way. If you choose to go straight ahead, pick up the walkthrough below at the **. If you choose to go up the stairs to the right, continue with the next paragraph.
(***) Follow the stairs to a gap in the floor. Take a standing jump-grab and pull up to get past the hole. Break the jars on the other side to find a box of shotgun shells. Drop through the hole and slide down the ramp into water.
FLOODED ROOM WITH LEDGES AND COLUMNS: Climb out of the water at the base of the stairs near where you splashed down. When you reach the ledge at the top, a skeleton emerges from the center platform. Use your favorite skeleton-destroying technique (below) to dispatch it. (You can also wait until the second skeleton emerges and perhaps destroy both with one grenade or explosive arrow.)
Walk to the end of the ledge at the top of the stairs (near the V-shaped arch) and look toward the opposite (southwest) corner of the room. There's a lever on a ledge. Below and to the left in the south wall, there's an underwater passage. This contains one of those golden bird statues that is so useful for extinguishing fire elementals. So make a mental note of that before taking a running jump to grab the small, square ledge between you and the lever. Then take another running jump to the lever. Pull it.
Cut scene: Block ledges extend along the south side of the room.
Use running jumps to get to the two new block ledges, then a standing jump to the ledge with the brown and black jar. Shoot the jar to get the wideshot shells inside. Walk to the other side of the ledge and a skeleton appears on the small platform in the middle of the room. Take care of it. Then jump up to grab the grates on the ceiling. Traverse toward the alcove with the carved face and second lever. When you're nearly there, an ice elemental emerges from the alcove. Let go and drop into the pool. Roll and swim forward and a little to the right, toward that underwater opening. Swim in and wait near the golden bird statue for the elemental to put itself out. Then swim back to the big room.
Climb the stairs at the far left again. To bypass some of the small ledges, you can take a running jump from the ledge at the top of the stairs to the center platform, then another running jump to grab the block ledge near the ledge where the jar was. Jump to that ledge, then grab the bars on the ceiling and traverse all the way across to the second lever. Pull it.
Cut scene: Block ledges extend along the east side of the room.
Take a running jump back to the central platform. Take a running jump from there to the small platform supported by the column, then another running jump to grab the block on the left (one of the blocks you just extended). Turn right and take a running jump to grab the next block, then another running jump to the ledge ahead. Step off this ledge at the far left corner to land in a small alcove. Drop back and grab the edge. Traverse to the right around the corner. (You're above the water-filled hallway leading from the southeast corner of the big room.) When you reach the end, drop to the ledge below. Follow the hallway.
VERY TALL ROOM WITH DANGLING ROPE AND PEDESTAL: Break the jar near the entrance to get a box of wideshot shells. Carefully line up a running jump to grab the rope. Swing toward the pedestal and let go (don't jump) to land there. Pick up the TRIDENT. The skeleton on the ledge to the right (east) wakes up, so take care of it. (Alternately, you can rope-swing and jump to the ledge with the sleeping skeleton—it doesn't wake up yet, but you can destroy it with a grenade now if you want to—then take a running jump to the platform with the pedestal.) The jars on the ledge beyond where the skeleton was are empty.
Jump over to the ledge in the northeast corner. There's nothing in the jars on the small ledge ahead. Turn around so Lara's back is to the gap between the first ledge and the ledge with the jars. Drop back to grab the edge of the ledge. Then climb down the ladder. At the bottom you'll find normal arrows and wideshot shells, plus regular shotgun shells inside a jar in an alcove to the east. Climb back up the ladder.
Jump over to the ledge on the right (west). The jars here are empty, too, but you can pull up onto the shelf above the ledge for a large medipak. When you do, 3 skeletons appear on the ledges below. You can take them out from above using one of the techniques below.
(NOTE: If you poke around in the area with the jars on the west side, then return to the middle of the room, another skeleton comes out from the northeast corner. Also, several players have reported that there are additional items, a small medipak and shotgun shells, on these ledges in the PlayStation version.)
Drop down to the ledge and go around toward the northwest corner, jumping the gap to land on the corner ledge. Climb the ladder to the room above.
SMALL ROOM WITH POLE AND PEDESTAL: Blast the skeleton that hops in from the left. Take the TRIDENT from the pedestal and climb the pole to the next level. Back flip onto one of the ledges and break the jars to find explosive arrows. Take a standing jump to grab the pole and continue climbing. Back flipping into the small hallway above is a bit tricky: Line up the top of Lara's head with the horizontal seam in the pole (also the seam in the middle of the yellow stripe on the wall), then jump.
Follow the hallway. The door at the end opens leading you back to the ROOM WITH THE POLE near where you first entered this level. A skeleton comes up from the floor ahead. Blast it or knock it into the pit, then slide down the pole to emerge on a high ledge at the east end of the HUGE ROOM WITH HIGH PLATFORM, ROPES AND SMALL POOL. Watch out for the skeleton comes up from the floor near the metal jar.
There are 2 skeletons sneaking around the floor way down below. If you want to, you can take them out from above with the laser sight-equipped crossbow and explosive arrows. Take a running jump from the ledge to grab the ladder on the wall to the right. Climb down to the ground.
(**NOTE: The stairs at the west end of the room, near the small pool, lead to the TEMPLE OF POSEIDON level. If you have all four TRIDENTS, you can go there now. Otherwise, continue with the walkthrough.)
HUGE ROOM WITH LEDGES AND CIRCULAR SKYLIGHTS - LOWER LEVEL: Cross the HUGE ROOM WITH HIGH PLATFORM, ROPES AND SMALL POOL to the north side, climb the short ladder, then follow the stairs down to a hall with square doors on each side. At the far end of this hallway is a shallow pit and a small room with a barred window above it. Enter the EAST ROOM. Inside you'll find a skeleton. You can blast it with a grenade or explosive arrow, or run back out to the hallway, lure it near the pit and use your shotgun to knock it into the pit, destroying it. There are Uzi clips in one of the jars in the EAST ROOM.
Now enter the WEST ROOM, meet another skeleton and repeat the process. There is another pit inside the west room, which you can use for this if you like. At the back of the WEST ROOM is a small alcove containing some jars, all empty, and a third skeleton. Dispose of the skeleton, then climb the ladder at the back of the alcove.
HUGE ROOM WITH LEDGES AND CIRCULAR SKYLIGHTS - MIDDLE LEVEL: Pick up the wideshot shells at the top of the ladder. A skeleton comes up out of the next ledge. Let it jump toward you, then blast it off the ledge with the shotgun. Take a running jump to the next ledge, where the skeleton came from. Go to the right end and take a running jump to the alcove with the large medipak. Jump back to the previous ledge. Then take a running jump to the next ledge (to the east). Two more skeletons come up from the next ledge ahead. Blast them off the edge.
Notice the high alcove on the east wall with the glittering object. This is where you're headed. Take a running jump to grab the ledge in the southeast corner. Pull up and grab regular and wideshot shotgun shells. Return to the previous ledge. Take a running jump to grab the ledge in the northeast corner and pull up. Here you'll find a ladder and an alcove with a hole leading down to the EAST ROOM, LOWER LEVEL. Climb the ladder to the ledge above.
HUGE ROOM WITH LEDGES AND CIRCULAR SKYLIGHTS - UPPER LEVEL: Pick up some shotgun shells in the passageway opposite the ladder. Continue through the passageway and take the TRIDENT from the pedestal. Now make your way across the ledges to the dangling rope on the northwest side of the room. Along the way you'll need to deal with the skeleton that comes up from the long, rectangular ledge near the middle of the room. Take a running jump from the long, rectangular ledge to grab the rope. Swing to the opposite ledge. (You can also swing directly to the small alcove with the climbing pole ahead on the left, but I found this easier.) Another skeleton comes toward you from the left (southwest). Blast it. Then take a running jump, pressing Action to lower Lara's arc and land in the alcove with the pole. Pull up.
Climb the pole. There's a ledge halfway up. Back flip to land on it. The jars are empty, and the skeleton doesn't wake up yet. You can dispose of it with a grenade now, or avoid it altogether. Climb the ladder to the room above.
PEDESTAL ROOM: There are more sleeping skeletons on the floor and another TRIDENT on the pedestal. You can blast the skeletons with grenades now if you want to, or wait for them to animate. When you take the TRIDENT, the 3 skeletons arise. Either blast them or lure them to the opening above the climbing pole and knock them in with the shotgun.
(NOTE: The ladder behind the pedestal leads back to the COASTAL RUINS level. If you have followed the walkthrough up to this point, you're still missing some necessary items, so you shouldn't leave the CATACOMBS yet. You may want to climb up and open the gates anyway in case you want to come back through them later. This is also handy for restoring Lara's health without using a medipak. If you want to do this, climb the ladder andfollow the hall to the next level. Blast the skeleton in the hallway into the nearby pit. Then use the crowbar to pry open the two wrought iron gates. You'll emerge at the top of the ramp on the side of the first building, marked "B" in the second diagram on the COASTAL RUINS page. Return down the ladder to the CATACOMBS.)
To get the next secret, you'll need to shoot all of the small, white piles of bones in the PEDESTAL ROOM. To do this, draw the shotgun, stand Lara just outside the square with the bones, look down, and fire. There are five piles in all. When you destroy all five, a trapdoor opens in one corner near the pedestal. The location of each pile of bones, as well as the trapdoor, are shown in these screenshots. Drop down for secret #2 (46/70), explosive arrows.
Cut scene: A brown door opens down in the HUGE ROOM WITH LEDGES AND CIRCULAR SKYLIGHTS - UPPER LEVEL.
Climb back up to the PEDESTAL ROOM. Then climb down the ladder to the ledge near the climbing pole. Take a standing jump to grab the pole. If you didn't destroy it earlier, the skeleton on the ledge awakens. You can avoid it by sliding down the pole, or back flip to the ledge and kill it either at close range or by climbing up the ladder and shooting it from above with an explosive arrow.
HUGE ROOM WITH LEDGES AND CIRCULAR SKYLIGHTS - UPPER LEVEL (again): At the bottom of the pole, take a running jump to the ledge. Turn left and make your way across the ledges, using a series of running jumps, to the southwest corner. Here you'll find the door that opened when you took the previous secret. Inside is secret #3 (47/70), explosive arrows, wideshot and regular shotgun shells, and a large medipak.
Exit the alcove, turn left and take a running jump back to the small ledge between the wall and the big, square support pillar. Safety drop to the pink tiled area below. Walk to one of the corners of the pink tiled walkway (the corners are lower) and safety drop to the ground. Lara will take no damage if you do it this way. You're now in the LOWER LEVEL, WEST ROOM.
Go through the lower room to the north/south hallway with the square doorways. Turn left and go to the end of the hallway. When you enter the small room, the door closes and the ELEVATOR ascends. Follow the passage to secret #4 (48/70). Shoot the urn to find a large medipak, wideshot shells and explosive arrows inside. Go up the short ramp to the opening. Safety drop to the ledge below. Go to the left edge and safety drop again to get back to the hallway between the lower level rooms. Go to the other (south) end of the hall and follow the stairs back to the HUGE ROOM WITH HIGH PLATFORM, ROPES AND SMALL POOL.
If you only have two TRIDENTS, cross the room to the southwest. Climb into the opening with the pile of dirt below it. Follow the stairs up to the left. Pick up the walkthrough above at the ***.
If you have all four TRIDENTS, you can now go to the stairs at the west end of the room, near the small pool, and exit to the TEMPLE OF POSEIDON level.
*NOTE: There are 70 secrets in the entire game. These are marked "(x/70)" in this walkthrough. To check your progress in-game, press Pause and choose Statistics.
NOTE ON DESTROYING SKELETONS: There are several ways to get rid of the pesky skeletons. Explosive ammo (i.e., grenades or explosive arrows) will destroy them. This even works on the 'sleeping' skeletons before they animate. Or, if you can lure them near the edge of a ledge or pit, a well-aimed shotgun blast will knock them off, destroying them. Or, load the crossbow with normal arrows (or use revolver if you've cheated to get it), combine with the laser sight and aim for each skeleton's head. Once their heads are blown off, they'll run around aimlessly. To conserve arrows and revolver bullets, you can use the laser sight bug described on the COASTAL RUINS walkthrough.
Copyright © 2000 - 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 Helena, Simon, Jamie, Lisette, Niels and Pernille for their help on this level. 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, kindly ask permission first.
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