Tomb Raider Legend LEVEL 1 - Bolivia: Tiwanaku
The game begins with a cut scene ("Nepal - Part 1"), in which young Lara and her mother, passengers on a private plane, crash in the Himalayas. Those who've followed Lara's biography since the early days will recognize this as a crucial event in our heroine's history.
Segue to the present in a second cut scene ("Meet Tiwanaku"), in which Lara works her way up a rough cliff side, all the while chatting over her headset with her assistant Zip, who's apparently holding down the fort back at Croft Manor. Alister arrives at Zip's location and we hear his comments too. Lara explains that Anaya, a friend working in La Paz, advised her to check out the nearby ruins.
NOTE: If you're having difficulty hearing what's being said, activate subtitles in the Options menu under Language.
UPSTREAM TO THE TEMPLE: From the starting point (CHECKPOINT 1), go forward and left to find a bronze reward (1/10) in a short passageway. Follow the passageway to the right, wade across the stream and climb the ledge ahead.
Here you'll find some small boulders that Lara can kick by pressing Interact (E on the PC, Triangle on the PS2, Y on the Xbox—and the rough equivalent of Action in earlier games).(**) There's no purpose to this except to practice the controls. You'll also find another bronze reward (2/10) ahead on the left, tucked into a corner. Grab it and return to the pool below the falls.
Jump into the water and swim across to the small ledge. Just press Forward and Lara will climb out. Zip asks Lara to check her PDA, which seems to be waterproof. (Cinematic is titled "PDA Check".) Press Tab (Select/Back) to access the PDA at any time.
Now you're back on the same side of the stream where you started. Stand facing the ledge and jump straight up. Lara will grab the edge automatically. Jump again to pull up. Ahead on the left is a large boulder. Position Lara next to it and press Interact (E/Triangle/Y) to grab it and tap Forward to push it off the ledge. Now that the way is clear, take a running jump across the gap to CHECKPOINT 2.
Go to the right and climb the vine (press Forward and Lara climbs automatically). Press Right and Jump to leap and grab the other vine, then Right and Jump again to reach the ledge. Continue to the right along the ledge to CHECKPOINT 3.
Take a running jump to grab the hanging vine. The obvious path is on through the falls. Instead take a detour for a reward: While hanging from the vine, turn around to face the cave behind you. Swing toward the cave and Jump to leap off the vine into the cave. (The in-game instructions explain how the keys work. Check your instruction booklet.) In the dark cave, press Delete (D-Pad Left) to activate Lara's Personal Light Source (PLS). Follow the tunnel around to the right to find a silver reward (1/5). Continue along the passage and drop down into a lower tunnel. The waterfall is back to the right, so go left.
At the gap, take a running jump to grab the ledge on the other side. If Lara falls, retrace your steps, this time using the vine to swing to the ledge behind the waterfall.
A brief panoramic cut scene shows the route Lara will take next. Also notice that her head turns to look up at the crevice in the rock wall. Move toward the wall, jump to grab the crevice and traverse to the left above the tunnel opening where you emerged earlier and toward the falls. Go as far as possible then press Left and Jump to leap off and grab the ledge across the gap. Jump again to pull up. You are now back at the stream, this time above the falls. Step forward to CHECKPOINT 4.
If you want to play around a bit, you can save here and then practice Lara's swan dive. To dive, stand near the edge and press Forward, followed immediately by Jump then Duck. Just be sure to aim for the pool, not the rocks below.
When you're ready to move on, turn upstream. Here you can use the binoculars' RAD mode to scope out the huge boulder hazard ahead. Activate the binoculars (Page Down/D-Pad Left), use H/G or the mouse wheel if available (R1 and L1/RT and LT) to zoom in and out. Then press Interact (E/Triangle/Y) to engage RAD mode. When Lara has the boulder in her sights, the "Fragile" icon lights and she'll comment on it. Move off to the left side of the stream and shoot the debris holding the boulder in place to send it rolling downstream. (To enable manual targeting, press Z/R3/right stick button then shoot with the left mouse button/R1/RT. Tap Z/R3/right stick again to return to normal targeting.) Or just continue ahead on foot, hugging the left wall when the boulder rolls.
Continue toward the low waterfall head. Take a running jump from the rock to grab the nearest of the two horizontal branches. Move to the left side of the branch. Position the camera behind Lara and then press Forward to swing around the branch. Jump just as Lara starts to swing upward to let go and grab the second branch. Repeat the swing-and-jump maneuver to grab the horizontal crack in the wall to the left of the falls. Traverse to the right and jump to the right to grab onto the ledge beyond the waterfall.
In a brief cut scene ("First Contact") Lara overhears a mercenary talking into his radio. Pull up and shoot him before he notices Lara. He may drop a health pack. Look for a red object on the ground where he died then just run over it to pick it up.
Continue upstream. Here the game explains how to use the binoculars, which you already know if you're reading this. RAD mode reveals that the boulder on the ledge and the fallen tree below are both movable. Before dealing with them, follow the stream around to the left to find a bronze reward (3/10).
Return to the manmade ledge at the bend in the stream. Stand at the left end and jump to grab the ledge. Traverse around the corner to the right and jump to grab the higher ledge. Jump again to pull up. Push the boulder off the ledge to raise the tree branch. Drop down, run up the angled rock and jump to grab the protruding horizontal branch. Swing around it and jump to grab the rock ledge ahead. Pull up and move forward to CHECKPOINT 5.
ENTERING THE RUINS: The shiny disc blocking the doorway can be moved using Lara's magnetic grapple. The in-game text explains how it works: press Q/Square/X to grapple, Interact (E/Triangle/Y) to pull the object and Q again to detach the grapple. (NOTE: Objects that can be grappled generally have that telltale metallic shine. You'll see many more of these as you go along.)
Crossing the threshold triggers a cut scene ("Second Contact"), in which Lara sneaks up on 2 mercenaries gossiping.
This is a good spot to practice your combat skills, since the checkpoint is close by. Combat is different than in previous games. In addition to guns, Lara now has an arsenal of other combat maneuvers. Targeting is somewhat automatic, but you can change targets by moving the mouse/right stick. Check your instruction booklet.
After dispatching the mercenaries, see if either dropped a health pack and pick it up. Then face the falls and stand on the low rock outcropping below. Jump to grab the ledge and traverse to the left. Tap Interact (E/Triangle/Y) to get across before the ledge crumbles away. If Lara doesn't make it, just try again, jumping sideways to clear the broken area. Jump to grab the horizontal pole behind Lara. Still hanging, turn to face in the opposite direction. Then swing around the pole, jump and grab the next ledge. Traverse around the corner to the left. Move the camera behind Lara and then jump to the left to grab another ledge. Jump up twice to reach a flat ledge and CHECKPOINT 6.
Turn to face the falls and walk to the edge near the hanging vine. Jump forward to grab the vine. A running jump is bad here and will make Lara overshoot the vine and land on the rocks below. She'll lose a little health and have to climb back up (or force you to reload from the checkpoint).
Get the vine swinging and then jump to the ledge behind the falls. Climb into the alcove to get the bronze reward (4/10). Drop back down to the ledge. (NOTE: To safely drop and hang from a ledge without fear of falling, just hold Walk and tap Forward.) Move behind the falls to the other side of the ledge.
Turn to face out over the open area below. There are two horizontal poles (chameleons' tongues, actually) high on the left wall. Take a running jump to grab the first. Swing around and jump to grab the second. Swing around again and jump to land on the path ahead. This is CHECKPOINT 7.
There's a mercenary ahead on the right behind the rocks. Watch out for the sheer drop-off to the left as you fight him. Pick up a health pack if he drops one.
NOTE: Lara can only carry 3 health packs. (No more bottomless backpack.) So if you already have enough, you won't be able to get this one. Of course, if Lara has lost any health, use one pack now and pick up the replacement.
Where the mercenary had been lurking, there's a wide gap where you'll need to use the magnetic grapple to swing across. The in-game text explains how to do it (i.e., face across the gap and press the Jump key twice to grapple and swing out; hold the Forward button to swing higher and then jump to leap off).
On the other side of the gap, climb the stairs. Lara looks up to the left to spot a bronze reward (5/10). Use the magnetic grapple to pull it down. Then continue along the path to the temple.
A cut scene ("Falling In Love Again") shows Lara discovering the ruins. Naturally the bad guys are only a few steps behind.
TEMPLE EXTERIOR: Just beyond CHECKPOINT 8 the game educates you about the "environmental hazard indicator", a yellow triangle with an exclamation point, which appears on objects that can be shifted, blown up, etc., thus causing damage. To kill the 2 mercenaries without firing a shot, watch them from the tunnel opening and, when they're standing together at the base of the slope, press Interact (E/Triangle/Y) for several seconds to shoot the rubble, dislodging some loose rocks, which roll down and crush the bad guys. (Ouch!) If one or both survive, slide down and finish them.
Two more mercenaries hear the disturbance and approach from the left. Kill them and pick up any health packs dropped so far. Before going on, get the bronze reward (6/10) tucked away in the far right corner (i.e., right if Lara's back is to the slope). Go up the path to the left toward the dangling vine, where you'll meet another mercenary. Kill him and pick up the SMG SUBMACHINE GUN.
NOTE: Unlike health packs and ammo, which are added to Lara's inventory when she runs over them, weapons must be picked up manually (with E/Triangle/Y). To switch weapons while fighting, press End (D-Pad Down). The HUD shows the number of rounds in the current clip, as well as available backup ammo for that weapon. The PDA is updated as you go along to include information about each new weapon, including the maximum number of rounds Lara can carry for that gun.
From the ledge near the dangling vine, go forward and pick up the bronze reward (7/10) near the tall, gray pillar. Backtrack to the ledge below the vine.
Use the vine to swing across the gap to the higher ledge. Don't rush down the hill yet. You can't see them all, but there are6 mercenaries down there: 4 near the small bridge and tall stone pillar, 2 more behind the Jeep. You may be able to take out one or two of them from the hillside using the SMG, but you'll have to move closer to kill them all.
The tall pillar is another environmental hazard. That is, when Lara gets close enough, you'll see the yellow "!" icon, indicating she can shoot it to make it topple and crush anyone standing below and to the right. Press Interact to do that. This is a bit tricky to achieve in the heat of battle, but it's fun.
When fighting groups like this, try to keep moving. Take cover if possible when Lara isn't actively fighting (e.g., behind the breakaway stone walls, Jeep, etc.). Use health packs as needed, but unless you have more than you need, try to wait until Lara's health is below 50%, otherwise you're wasting them. Then run over any health packs enemies drop to add them to your inventory.
If you fall into the gap below the small stone bridge, pick up the bronze reward if you didn't get it earlier and work your way back around, via the swinging vine, to the fight.
A few soldiers drop SMG clips. You'll also find the RC650 ASSAULT RIFLE, which you have to pick up manually, and several clips for it.
NOTE: Lara can only carry one additional weapon besides her standard pistols. Picking up a gun causes her to drop any other gun she's carrying. I recommend taking the RC650 here, since it's more versatile and more ammo is available.
Make sure you've picked up all the goodies and face the temple. Before going inside, scan the front of the building with your binoculars in RAD mode. A crumbling stone panel on the middle level to the left of the stairs conceals a silver reward (2/5). Climb up, shoot the stones and grab the idol. Now enter the temple.
Lara confronts another pair of mercenaries in a brief cinematic ("Death by Irony"). You don't get to fight them, though, as they are finished off by a deadly trap.
TEMPLE ENTRANCE: Pick up the rifle ammo dropped by one of the men and then descend the short flight of steps to CHECKPOINT 9.
Watch out for the deadly spike trap beneath the floor ahead. It's not difficult to make out which sections of floor retract, but Lara can also kick the small boulders to trigger the trap. Walk forward to the edge of the pit and trigger the opening of all four sections of floor before using the magnetic grapple to swing across. Otherwise, the grapple cable can get stuck causing Lara to fall into the trap.
Go up the stairs. Before entering the ROOM WITH PULLEY AND CHAINS, go into the narrow passage to the left, where you'll find a bronze reward (8/10). Return to the main passage and go left to the chain room. Over the headset, Lara hears Alister and Zip speculate on the purpose of the mechanism. Lara would rather do than discuss. Locate the elevated opening near the 2 vertical chains. Facing the opening, climb the left chain until you reach the weight and can't go further. Jump to grab the chain on the right. Climb up a bit farther and then jump back to the left chain above the weight. Climb higher if necessary. Then jump into the opening.
NOTE: If you're having trouble making these jumps, it may help to move the camera behind Lara first (using J/L2/LB), since the jump controls work relative to the camera.
Follow the passage to another small room with a chain. Jump to grab it and slide down or just hang from the opening and drop to the floor. There's only one way out. Follow the passage to CHECKPOINT 10. Jump into the pool and swim down and to the right then up to the surface. Climb out on a small ledge where you'll find a bronze reward (9/10) hidden behind some rubble. Jump back in the water and swim down through the brightly lit tunnel on the right. Surface and climb out of the water near CHECKPOINT 11.
TRAPPED CORRIDORS: A jaguar lurks to the left at the bottom of the ramp. Keep moving as you fight it. If it gets too close, it will knock Lara down. When it's dead, go down the steps and advance carefully. A block trap lines the hallway ahead. Try and time your run so you start to pass between the blocks just as they begin to open. If necessary, jump or roll near the end to clear the trap before it closes.
A longer series of block traps lies ahead. This time use the movable cage to protect Lara as she goes through. Press Interact (E/Triangle/Y) to grab the cage and use the direction keys (left stick) to push the cage ahead of Lara through the trap. When you've pushed the cage between the second set of blocks, climb over it and run through the rest of the way to prevent Lara from being crushed once the cage clears the trap. Continue to the next room.
LARGE ROOM WITH ELABORATE MECHANISM: A short cut scene reveals various points of interest. Save at CHECKPOINT 12. Before attending to the puzzle, go to the right along the back wall to find a bronze reward (10/10) in an alcove. Also, kill the jaguar lurking down below in the flooded area. You may need to go to the end of the central walkway to spot it. Then move back to get a clear shot.
To open the exit at the far end of the room, you must activate the 3 square pressure pads in the floor on the upper level. The left and right pads control the gears on each side wall. The center pad actually raises the door. All three pads must be depressed at the same time for the mechanism to work. To do this, you'll need at least 2 of the 3 movable crates. Lara will press the third pad.
One crate is already on the upper level. To retrieve another crate from below, use the seesaw-like stone structure to the left of the walkway as a catapult: First, push the crate out beneath it. Then move the crate onto the lowered end of the seesaw. Climb up to the walkway and jump onto the raised end of the seesaw to fling the crate up onto the ledge. Climb onto the ledge and move one crate onto the center pressure pad and another onto one of the side pads. Then stand on the remaining pad. The two huge gears unlock, and the door opens.
To get the hidden gold reward (1/1), you'll need to fiddle with the door mechanism a bit more before you go. Assuming you're still working with 2 crates and Lara herself as the third weight, leave a crate on only one of the side pads. Move the crate off the center pad and then back onto it. The mechanism starts to work but can't raise the door with one of the gears disengaged. Step on the remaining pad just long enough to raise the door partway. Positioning the door correctly is important. Step off the pad once the carved notches halfway up each side of the door line up with the higher pair of horizontal crevices on both sides of the door. If the door opens too far, you won't be able to reach the secret alcove, so you'll have to start over: Close the door by depressing the two side pads but not the center pad. Then repeat the steps above.
To reach the exit, go to the back left corner of the room (i.e., left when facing the exit). Climb onto the low ledge, jump and grab the vertical chain. Climb the chain and jump to grab the opposite ledge. Traverse around to the right. Jump to grab the ledge above and jump again to pull up. Jump straight up to grab the horizontal chain. Swing hand over hand to the opposite ledge. Turn to face out into the room and walk off the edge to drop and hang. Let go and grab the ledge below. Again, traverse to the right. Jump to grab the horizontal pole. Swing around and jump to the ledge near the exit. This is CHECKPOINT 13.
Before going for the gold, look for the silver reward (3/5) on one of the ledges high above the huge gear on the far side of the room. To get there, cross the wide ledge near the exit. Jump to grab the small ledge on the carved support column and traverse to the around the corner to the right. Jump to grab the ledge above. Jump again to pull up. Jump straight up to grab the horizontal chain and traverse hand over hand to the opposite ledge. Pick up the silver statue and return to the exit the way you came.
To get the gold reward, face either of the stone panels flanking the exit door. Grab the first carved horizontal crevice. Jump to grab the next higher crevice. Traverse toward the door and jump to grab the mouth-like hole in the middle of the door. Jump up to grab the top of the door. Jump again to grab the ledge above and once more to pull up. Cross CHECKPOINT 14, take the gold statue and climb back down.
Exit the room to trigger an interactive cut scene. Press the keys/buttons indicated on the screen to help Lara navigate the trap. (These differ for PC and consoles.) Press the wrong buttons and she'll die. Note the silver reward down below. You'll retrieve that shortly.
Continue along the hall to CHECKPOINT 14. Round the next corner and stop at the edge of the pit. A jaguar lurks below. You can kill it from here if you like. Either use pistols with manual aim or use the rifle, tapping the trigger button lightly so as not to waste ammo. Walk off the edge to drop and grab. Traverse to the right and then drop down ledge by ledge to the floor.
ROOM WITH EVIL COAT RACKS: As you explore, Alister cracks wise regarding these odd looking devices. The silver reward in the alcove is tempting, but don't forget the other silver statue. Locate the lighter gray section of wall just below the entrance. Push this movable section of wall forward to reveal a low tunnel. Use the PLS to light the way as you follow the tunnel to the silver reward (4/5) that you glimpsed during the Interactive cut scene. Return along the tunnel to the room with the "coat rack" spikes.
In the diagram to the right, blue arrows show the path to the silver reward; green arrows indicate the way to the exit. Stand on the raised area in the corner of the room with the alcove containing the reward behind Lara to the right. Face the left horizontal "arm" of the rack straight ahead and take a running jump to grab it. Momentum pivots the rack 90 degrees clockwise. Now you're facing the center rack. Swing and jump to the next rack, which then turns. Swing and jump to the next rack, which also turns. Now you're facing the wall below the exit. Swing, jump and grab the horizontal crevice in the wall. Traverse to the right, jump past the rough area of wall and continue along the crevice to the right. Jump away from the wall to grab the nearest coat rack, which then turns 90 degrees. Still hanging, turn around to face the reward. Swing around the bar and jump to grab the sill of the alcove. Pull up and take the silver reward (5/5).
To reach the exit, jump from the alcove back to the coat rack. It rotates so Lara faces the wall. Swing around the bar and jump to grab the lowest crevice. Climb to the right, then up, right again, then up again. Traverse left, jump the gap and continue to the left. Traverse around the corner and let go to land in the elevated exit tunnel.
Climb out and follow the hallway to the right. Near the end of the hall you'll pass CHECKPOINT 15. Enter the room beyond and approach the rope bridge.
This chamber brings back memories of a similar dais in a different time and place. In the following cut scene ("Nepal - Part 2"), Lara's flashback to childhood continues. Back in the present, in a second cinematic ("James Rutland Talks"), Lara encounters the mercenaries' boss on the rope bridge. We also catch a glimpse of a blonde woman, whose identity will soon become clear, lurking in the nearby helicopter.
LARGE CHAMBER WITH ROPE BRIDGE AND STONE CIRCLE: When the cut scene ends, Lara finds herself on the bridge under fire from the helicopter off to the left. Run forward, jumping the gaps in the bridge. At the last gap, take a running jump along the right side of the bridge. The bridge is slightly higher there, making it easier to grab the edge of the platform. Pull up, cross CHECKPOINT 16 and get ready for a fight.
NOTE: If Lara dies before crossing the bridge, the game reloads at the previous checkpoint. To skip the cut scene, wait for it to start, press Escape (Start) and then select "Skip Cinematic" from the menu.
Eight mercenaries lurk among the standing stones. Keep moving, use the stones for cover. Use jumping and dodging moves but avoid the edges of the platform; it's a long way down. Move the mouse/right stick to lock onto different enemies. Heal as needed and run over any dropped health packs and ammo to pick them up.
When the last mercenary falls, a cut scene ("The Stone Dais") starts. Lara examines the pedestal more closely and finds it nearly identical to the one she encountered as a girl in Tibet. Her replies to Alister and Zip are enigmatic at best, but she tells them there's more work ahead.
LEVEL COMPLETE: Finishing Bolivia allows you full access to Croft Manor from the main menu. Prior to this, Croft Manor loads but most of the level is off-limits. Depending on which rewards you recovered, various bonuses may also be available. Completing any level also unlocks it in Time Trial Mode. You can then replay the level as a race against the clock to unlock more goodies.
*NOTE ON REWARDS: Finding rewards (formerly known as "secrets") unlocks various extras in the game.
**NOTE ON CONTROLS: I apologize to PlayStation and Xbox players for the PC-centrism of this walkthrough, but that's the system I use. When referring to specific keys, I try to include PS2 and Xbox 360 controls in parentheses after the PC keys (PS2 first then Xbox, where they differ). If I have incorrectly listed any controls, please correct me. In case of confusion, or for further tips on using the controls, please refer to your instruction booklet.
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