USE YOUR SURVIVAL INSTINCTS
The greatest tool at your disposal is your Survival Instincts, which
reveal points of interest by scanning the environment, and as this power
is unlimited you should use it regularly to check out your
surroundings. If you're moving or in water the effect only lasts around a
second, but if you activate it while standing still it will continue
until you move on, allowing you to use the right stick to look around
and take in the full scene.
Survival Instincts reveal animals (yellow) and enemies (red) with a
glowing hue, which is useful for identifying targets from a distance and
planning your next move accordingly. After hunting or combat it will
also highlight animal corpses that have not been skinned and bodies that
haven't been searched, so use it to ensure you've collected all the
spoils of your efforts before leaving the current area.
This power indicates areas of the environment you can interact with
once you have the appropriate gear, such as scalable walls once you get
the climbing tool, so you can plan your route up to higher locations. It
can also be used in dark tunnels and caves to reveal the path ahead,
preventing any nasty surprises from creeping up on you.
MASTER THE RIGHT SKILLS FIRST
Lara has a total of 24 skills that can be unlocked by earning XP,
covering Hunting, Brawling and plain old Surviving, and although they
all have their individual benefits you can significantly speed up your
progress by selecting the right ones to master first.
Your first upgrade should be Survivalist, which gives you additional
XP when searching animal corpses and food caches, followed by Advanced
Salvaging and Bone Collector, which award you an increased amount of
salvage from animals and crates. This will increase the speed you gain
XP and salvage for the rest of your playthrough, giving you faster
access to further skills and upgrades for your gear.
To get the maximum benefit from skill upgrades you should unlock each
one as soon as you collect enough XP, by heading straight to the
nearest day or base camp when the "+1 Skill Point" notification appears
on screen.
WIN EVERY FIGHT
When enemies are nearby Lara will crouch into her combat-ready
stance, and in this mode you will automatically take cover behind
objects by simply moving near them. Aiming will pop you out so you can
target your foes, then after taking your shots release aim to retreat to
cover again. When moving between cover objects, tapping B/Circle to
duck or pressing it twice to roll will minimise the damage you take.
When targeting enemies always aim for headshots, as these will take
down most regular adversaries in a single hit. Later in the game you
face armoured enemies who will soak up arrows or bullets, again go for
headshots on these to shoot off their helmets before following up for
the kill. In some locations you'll have a searchlight shining in your
face which severely restricts your visibility of the area ahead, however
you can shoot out the bulbs so you should make that your first
priority.
If your opponent gets in close then dodging a melee blow while aiming
allows you auto-target them, making a follow up attack simple to
achieve. When combat becomes more regular you should invest some skill
points in Brawler upgrades for dodge counters and kills, as these are
quick and efficient ways of dealing with enemies.
Once everyone has been eliminated Lara will exit her combat-ready
stance and stand up straight again, indicating that the threat has
passed and you can now safely explore the area.
SNEAK TO GAIN AN EDGE
Although Lara is well equipped to deal with combat situations, it's
quicker and much more effective to use stealth wherever possible. If you
can approach an enemy without being detected, then get in behind them
and follow the button prompt for a silent takedown.
If you can't get close enough for a takedown, the bow and arrow is
perfect for silently taking down enemies from a distance. Hold down the
trigger to build power then release for a deadly headshot, but if your
target suddenly moves you can release the aim button to cancel the shot
without losing an arrow.
To avoid suspicion you should pick off any foes stood on their own
first, though make sure they're not in view of anyone else before
proceeding. When using a stealthy approach you get a couple of seconds
grace before enemies react, so if two are close together you should have
enough time to take one of them out then quickly eliminate the second
with a follow up shot before they can raise the alarm.
FIND EVERY COLLECTIBLE
Throughout the game there are plenty of documents, relics and GPS
caches to be collected, and your progress towards finding them all can
be tracked at any time from the map screen. The best way to locate them
is to invest in the Orienteering skill, which reveals collectibles
through obstacles while using Survival Instincts. This also adds them to
your map once spotted, so scan each area carefully to build up a
complete record.
Collectible icons on the map are marked with a '?' until they are
picked up, at which point they become a solid black icon. Those marked
with a padlock are in areas you cannot presently reach, so ignore them
and come back later. To easily identify the location of a collectible,
mark it on your map by moving the cursor over the icon and choosing
'Toggle Local Waypoint', then exit and activate Survival Instincts to
reveal a blue marker that will guide you to it.
The other way to track down collectibles is by finding treasure maps,
some of which are the reward for completing Optional Tombs and the rest
are found as collectibles themselves in other areas. Treasure maps can
be found in the following locations:
- Coastal Forest (Complete map) - On a platform up a tree northeast of the Forest Ruins base camp
- Mountain Temple (Complete map) - Under a waterfall just west of the Mountain Temple base camp
- Mountain Village (Relic map) - Tomb of the Unworthy reward
- Mountain Village (GPS map) - Tomb of Ascension reward
- Mountain Base/Base Exterior (Complete map) - Down the zip line directly above the Radio Tower base camp
- Shanty Town (Relic map) - Well of Tears reward
- Shanty Town (GPS map) - Hall of Judgment reward
- Geothermal Caverns (Complete map) - On a raised platform just north of the Catacombs base camp
- Summit Forest (Relic map) - Stormguard Sanctum reward
- Shipwreck Beach (Relic map) - The Flooded Vault reward
- Shipwreck Beach (GPS map) - Temple of the Handmaidens reward
- Cliffside Bunker (Complete map) - Next to a sealed bunker entrance on your right after exiting the main bunker
- Research Base (Complete map) - In the corridor after beating the lift puzzle
- Chasm Shrine (Complete map) - On a raised platform above the winch puzzle
Be aware that some collectibles are found in the Cliffside Bunker
area on the southern tip of the island which doesn't have a fast travel
base camp, and once you've completed the game it can only be accessed
via Shipwreck Beach.
EXAMINE RELICS TO REVEAL SECRETS
Once you find relic collectibles, you can rotate and examine them
from the discovery screen that pops up at the time or by using the relic
menu afterwards. Although this is merely a cosmetic effect for some of
the items, others can yield hidden secrets or amusing asides after
giving them a closer inspection.
Relics that can be examined are marked with a magnifying glass, and
while you rotate the item the pad will vibrate stronger as you get
closer to the point of interest. Home in on the right area and you'll
receive an XP bonus along with some additional information about the
piece, some of which turn out to be not quite what they seemed!
TRAVERSE AREAS SAFELY
There are plenty of risks involved as you make your way through each
area, so being prepared can save you from a slip and an untimely falling
death. Lara can make some pretty large jumps, but always be ready to
hit X/Square if the prompt appears when landing to save yourself. You
also have a degree of movement while in the air, which you can use to
steer Lara towards a safe landing spot or ledge.
Falling from a large height into water will often still kill you, as
most of the rivers and pools found in the game are only shallow and
won't break your fall. However, you can safely drop distances that would
normally be unsurvivable if you land on a zip line, which can
significantly speed up your descent from a high location if the
opportunity presents itself.
KNOW YOUR LIMITS WHEN EXPLORING
As you progress through the game you unlock additional equipment that
allows you to access new areas, starting with the climbing tool and
progressing to rope arrows, explosives and more. However, there will be
points in the story where you arrive in an area before you have the
proper tools to fully explore it.
Using the fast travel base camps you can return to previous locations
at any point, so bear this in mind if you're struggling to get to a
certain area and can't see a way to reach it. You might not have the
correct equipment to get there yet, so instead of getting frustrated you
should move on with the story and come back later when you have more
gadgets at your disposal.
UPGRADE YOUR GEAR
To upgrade your weapons you need salvage, which is found by breaking
open crates or searching animal corpses and enemy bodies. This can then
be spent at base or day camps to improve your gear. Upgrade your bow
first as this can be used for both head-on combat and stealth, then
focus on augmenting the rifle once unlocked to give yourself some
serious firepower for later fights.
To improve each weapon beyond a certain point, you need to find the
relevant parts to unlock the next set of upgrades for it. These parts
are found at random in crates and on enemy bodies, so make sure you
check as many of these as possible along the way. There are many salvage
crates hanging in nets that must be burned in order to release them,
which are much easier to collect once you unlock the fire arrows.
COMPLETE HUNTING AND COMBAT CHALLENGES
There are a number of achievements/trophies for completing various
hunting and combat challenges, such as killing and skinning 10 large
animals and rope pulling 5 enemies off ledges. Although it's much easier
to take care of these during your main playthrough, it is still
possible to complete them once you've finished the story.
The best location to find any animals you're missing is Summit
Forest, as all three types (large, small and flying) can be found and
hunted in that one area. Enemies continue to spawn in Mountain Village,
Shantytown and Shipwreck Beach, so travel to those parts of the map to
take care of any outstanding combat trials.
BONUS TIP - SOLUTIONS TO THE OPTIONAL TOMBS
There are seven optional tombs found during the game, and although
these can be skipped they provide a healthy XP boost for completion
along with a map revealing the collectibles for that area. If you find
yourself stuck on any of them, here are the solutions for reaching the
treasure...
Mountain Village - Tomb of the Unworthy: Jump on the centre
cage then quickly jump off to the far side and light your torch, before
jumping back on the centre cage and burning the three wraps hanging
down. Climb up to the original platform and push the larger cage off the
side, then jump up to the centre cage from underneath and use it to
reach the climbable wall on your left.
Mountain Village - Tomb of Ascension: Use the mechanism to
close the window, and then wait a few seconds before activating the
mechanism to raise the central platform. Quickly climb onto the platform
before the window reopens, then leap onto the far wall when you're
blown up to it and wall jump up to the beam above. Traverse left then
jump onto the raised balcony.
Shanty Town - Well of Tears: Pick up the canisters and throw
them up into the cage, three of them is enough to drop the cage to the
floor. Head down to the cage and throw the canisters out, then run back
to the upper level and leap onto the rising cage before quickly jumping
left to the high platform.
Shanty Town - Hall of Judgment: Jump up to the shelf on the
left of the statue with candles to pull it down, then use your rope
arrow on the pendulum to break the shelf on the right hand side. Place
the three canisters on the base of the ramp to weigh it down, then run
and jump to the climbable wall above the furnace.
Summit Forest - Stormguard Sanctum: Shoot the explosive pile
on the first level with a fire arrow to remove it, then use another fire
arrow to dissipate the gas before quickly climbing up to level two.
Look to the far side of the jump and shoot the next explosive pile to
clear the path ahead, then leap across to the climbable wall and head
up.
Shipwreck Beach - The Flooded Vault: Hit the switch upstairs
to activate the power, then the one downstairs to open the door. Burn
the tether off the raft, then move round to the broken wall and use rope
arrows to pull the raft towards you. Use the raft to get around the
corner to your right then pull down the girder above you to lift the
broken light out of the water, allowing you to cross to the far side.
Pull the raft towards you here, then use the girder to raise the light
out of the water and quickly pull the raft underneath it, allowing you
to walk through the water to the stairs on the far side.
Shipwreck Beach - Temple of the Handmaidens: Turn the
mechanism to raise the cage and release the buoy, then quickly climb the
platform on your left and swing on the pole as the buoy pushes it
around in front of you. Then use a rope arrow to pull the next pillar
around, and again swing on the pole as the buoy pushes it around to
reach the climbable wall.