LEVEL 8: TOMB OF TIHOCAN

Kills: 8  Supplies: 13  Other: SCION OF TIHOCAN  Artifacts: 2  Relics: 0  Rubbing Rewards: 0

NOTE: If you didn't find the 50-CALIBER PISTOLS in the previous level, you'll get them at the end of this level.

UNDERWATER TUNNELS: CHECKPOINT 1 is actually in the MIDAS STATUE ROOM from the previous level. Jump into the square pool and swim to the bottom. Then turn around and follow the underwater tunnel forward, right, left, then right again until you come to a vertical shaft with light streaming down from above. Swim upward here to an air pocket where Lara can breathe. You'll definitely need to tap Interact as you go to make Lara swim faster or she'll drown before you reach the air pocket.

When Lara's air meter is full again, swim down then forward. Go past the tunnel from which you came, which is now on the left, and continue, following the tunnel to where it ends in another vertical shaft. Swim upward to the surface and CHECKPOINT 2.

Push the wooden crate through the doorway and shoot a rat in the room beyond. Move the crate beneath the switch and climb up to pull it. This opens the trapdoor in the corner.

In the Nintendo Wii game, there's another cryptex puzzle instead of the switch. The solution is hidden on a plaque above the small doorway. Push the crate next to the opening and climb up. Face the dust-covered carving and press Interact. Use the brush to clear the dust away and then make a rubbing of the clue: Sigma (S), Omega (W), Pi (P). Hop down, move the crate beneath the puzzle and climb back up. To solve the cryptex, turn the bottom cylinder once to the left. Then turn the middle cylinder twice to the right. The trapdoor on the other side of the room drops open.

Drop down through the opening, kill 2 more rats. If they take Lara by surprise, just crouch and for whatever strange reason, they won't do any damage. Once you've dealt with them, go through the doorway to CHECKPOINT 3.

NOTE: This area will look familiar to players of the original Tomb Raider. Here, in Anniversary, the Cistern and the Tomb of Tihocan have been merged into a single level.

THE CISTERN – UPPER LEVEL: As you enter, Pierre's voice, commenting on how refreshing the water is, echoes off the stone walls. Ignore him and take a look around. There are three levels in this huge room: The UPPER LEVEL, where you are now, includes various alcoves, ledges, poles and hooks, as well as a large wheel mechanism in an alcove on the left wall. The EXIT FROM THE CISTERN is via the balcony on the right wall. Naturally you can't reach it yet. The MIDDLE LEVEL has more ledges and alcoves, a number of circular openings covered by metal grates and a second wheel mechanism. The LOWER LEVEL, currently flooded, has a couple of square trapdoors in the floor, one of which has something shiny inside. A pair of crocodiles swim in the pool far below.

As you'll guess if you played the original game, you'll be using the wheels to flood and drain this area in order to access different areas. This time it's not nearly as complicated, though. If you come to this walkthrough after flooding or draining part of the cistern too soon, don't worry. You can climb up and down between the different levels and use the wheel mechanisms as many times as you need to in order to get everything done. Also, there is no one correct order for doing things. I've presented what I hope is a path that gets every kill and pick-up with minimal backtracking.

Leave the first wheel mechanism on the upper level alone and the middle level dry for now. (If you already turned the wheel and flooded the middle level, turn the wheel again to drain it.) From CHECKPOINT 3 in the entrance, turn right and take a running jump to grab the horizontal pole jutting out from the wall. Swing around, jump and grapple the metal hook on the wall above. Wall run and jump to grab a handhold above the rough alcove to the left.

Climb around to the left, drop into the alcove and pick up a set of 50-caliber clips. Climb the handholds on the right side of the alcove. Climb to the right and jump to grab onto the freestanding pillar. Climb on top of it and pick up your first mini SMG ammo. Take a running jump back to the handhold above the alcove (the same one you grabbed after the wall run). Climb around to the left and jump back to grab the handhold on the other side of the alcove. Climb to the left as far as you can, jump and grapple the hook above. Wall run and jump to the corner ledge on the left.

Follow this walkway, taking running jumps across the gaps, all the way to the next corner, where you'll find a box of shotgun ammo. Turn left and take a running jump to grab the horizontal pole. Swing and jump to the next pole, then to the ledge ahead. Push the wooden crate off the ledge. It falls to the level below, triggering CHECKPOINT 4.

Grab the handhold on the wall. Jump to grab the handhold above and climb to the left. Jump to grab the next pole, swing around and jump to the ledge beyond it. Cross this ledge and grab onto the handhold on the wall beyond. From there, jump to grab the next horizontal pole, swing and jump to the next pole, and finally to the long horizontal ledge on the far wall. Climb along this ledge to the left and around the corner into a small alcove. Jump back to grab the handhold on the opposite side of the alcove. Then continue climbing around to the left until you can pull up into a larger alcove with another wooden crate. Push this one off the edge as well.

The quickest way down to the middle level is by diving into the pool, but first you must take a running jump across the jagged gap in the walkway connecting this alcove and the long perpendicular walkway ahead. To make this jump, run forward, jump right at the edge and hold down the Jump key to keep Lara in the air longer. Otherwise, she'll fall short and plummet to the stones below. (Alternatively, you can return along the wall the way you came and climb down the handholds below the ledge from which you pushed the first crate.)

CISTERN – MIDDLE LEVEL: If you dive into the water from above, immediately swim away from the 2 crocodiles to the edge of the pool opposite the wooden fence with the metal bars (i.e., near where the second crate landed when you pushed it off the ledge above). The edge is low enough for Lara to climb out here. If one of the crocs manages to grab Lara, alternate tapping the Left and Right direction keys (or wiggle the left analog stick from side to side) to break loose. Then swim away, climb out of the water and shoot the crocs from dry land. Note that you can still hit them with pistols even if the targeting reticule is gray instead of red. It just takes a little longer. Using manual aim may help.

Now turn around so Lara's back is towards the pool and head for the dark corner ahead on the right, where you'll find a small medipack. Get it, then push the wooden crate off the ledge into the water.

Turn so the pool is on Lara's left and head toward the far wall (below where you entered the CISTERN). Use the low stone ramp to climb over the half-wall on the left. Turn the second wheel mechanism to drain the cistern completely and trigger CHECKPOINT 5.

Continue around the perimeter of the room. Pick up a large medipack beneath the pile of rocks in the next corner. Climb over the low wall to the double ramps behind the metal bars. Vault up onto the wall ahead and shoot the crocodile below before hopping down. Continue to the left, past the long ladder, to the spot where the first wooden crate landed when you pushed it off the ledge above. Push the crate off this ledge into the now-empty pool. (There's a gap in the lip surrounding the pool near the middle of this area.)

To get down safely, climb onto the fallen chunk of stone walkway, jump onto the wall ahead and drop down in the dark corner near where you picked up the small medipack earlier. Head to the left to the first ledge above the empty pool (i.e., where you shot the crocodiles). Hang from the edge, drop to grab the horizontal pole sticking out of the wall below and then drop to the floor.

NOTE: If you have come to this walkthrough after climbing down to the bottom of the room but have not yet pushed the crates off the top level, don't worry. You're not stuck. To get back to the top of the room, first follow the instructions below for CLIMBING FROM THE LOWER TO THE MIDDLE LEVEL, use the wheel mechanism to flood the lower level. Then follow the path described a few paragraphs below that, in the section titled RETURNING TO THE UPPER LEVEL. Once on the upper level, work your way around to each of the crates as described above under THE CISTERN – UPPER LEVEL.

CISTERN – LOWER LEVEL: Move each of the wooden crates onto one of the square pressure pads. One opens the grating above the wooden platform with the metal ring. Later, when you re-flood the cistern, this will float to the surface and you can use it as a stepping stone. The other pressure pad lowers the metal fence alongside the pool.

There's a shiny spearhead artifact and some ammo beneath the second square grate, but you can't reach it yet.

CLIMBING FROM THE LOWER TO THE MIDDLE LEVEL: Pick up the small medipack on the floor in the corner behind the heap of broken stonework. Then cross to the opposite corner (i.e., the one directly below the wheel mechanism on the middle level). Stand facing the stone ramp and run toward it. Just as Lara reaches the base of the ramp, jump onto it and quickly jump again. With careful timing, Lara will leap onto the ramp and instead of sliding back to the floor, she'll jump and grab onto the ledge above and behind. Pull up and climb the ledges ahead to reach the wheel mechanism.

If you're having trouble with the double-jump technique, you can take a longer but easier way out: Climb onto the pile of stones in the same corner where you found the small medipack. Jump onto the ramp, slide, jump and grapple the hook above. Wall run across to the ledge in the corner to the left. Jump to grab the next handhold, climb around the corner to the left, jump to grab the higher handhold, and then jump back to grab the horizontal pole. Swing, jump and grab the next handhold. Climb all the way around to the left and jump to the next horizontal pole. From there, swing over to the next handhold and climb to the left until you can pull up onto another chunk of stonework in the next corner. Turn left, step forward, slide down the slope just a little and jump to grab or land on the ledge ahead. Pull up and climb the ledges ahead to reach the wheel mechanism.

CISTERN – MIDDLE LEVEL (again): Turn the wheel mechanism once more to flood the lower level and trigger CHECKPOINT 6.

Before climbing back to the UPPER LEVEL, return along the perimeter of the room (or swim across the pool) to the double ramps, which are now accessible since you lowered the fence using the pressure pad. Use the grapple to pull the small wooden raft to the top of either of the ramps. You may need to climb onto the wall when you first start pulling to get close enough to the raft. Then drop down and finish the job from the ledge at water level. Later, when you flood the middle level, the raft will float upward and you'll be able to use it to reach the balcony with the exit. Now return to the wheel mechanism.

NOTE: At this point you may want to turn the wheel again twice, draining the pool and refilling it, in order to use CHECKPOINT 6 again. Then, if Lara falls during the next climb, you won't have to repeat the business with the raft. Just be sure to fill the pool before climbing up.

RETURNING TO THE UPPER LEVEL: First climb onto the inverted stone archway near the wheel mechanism and jump from there to the wall ahead. Then drop down on the other side, where you were before. Run up the long, stone ramp and grab the lowest handhold on the square pillar. Jump to grab the handhold above. Climb around to the left and jump straight up to grab the horizontal bar. Climb to the other side of the bar and face the corner ledge. Swing around, jump and grab onto it. Pull up and climb the handholds in the alcove to reach a small ledge overlooking the horizontal bar.

Take a running jump to grab onto the corner handhold on the square pillar. It's a long jump, so be sure to hold the Jump key down for a moment after takeoff. Then press Interact to keep Lara from slipping when she catches the handhold. Pull up, grab the next handhold and climb all the way around to the other side of the pillar. Jump up to the handhold above and pull up onto the walkway near the first wheel mechanism.

CISTERN – UPPER LEVEL (again): Turn the wheel mechanism again to fill the pool to the upper level. This triggers CHECKPOINT 7. Now you can either head straight for the exit on the far side of the pool (skip to that section below) or pick up a few more items, including the artifact you saw earlier.

On this side of the pool, there's a circular opening on the wall between the alcove with the wheel mechanism and the alcove where the second wooden crate was. Now that the water level has been raised, you can swim down to that opening and through the hole at the top of the grating. Get the large medipack inside and swim back to the surface.

Now face the opposite wall of the CISTERN. There are two pick-ups inside similar dead-end pipes on that side: shotgun ammo in the one between the far right corner and the balcony with the exit and a small medipack in the one just below and to the right of the left corner ledge.

ARTIFACT #1: Swim to the square walkway surrounding the balcony with the exit. A straight section of walkway juts out from the square one toward the center of the pool. Swim down beneath this walkway to find a lever on the back of the square support column. Pull that lever to open the grating above ARTIFACT #1 (25/44). Then come to the surface. Swim out to the middle of the pool to spot the artifact on the bottom. Swim straight down to get it and the 50-caliber clips in the same compartment. Then return to the surface.

NOTE: You can, of course, drain part or all of the cistern before going after the artifact, but you'll have to refill it to reach the exit. The method I describe just saves time and effort.

CISTERN EXIT: To reach the exit, swim to the square walkway surrounding the balcony. It's too high for Lara to pull up, so swim through the gap in the walkway and climb out on the small wooden platform you moved earlier.

NOTE: If you did not free the wooden platform from the compartment at the bottom of the pool and move it into position before raising the water level, you won't be able to reach the exit. You'll need to go back and do that now. Follow the walkthrough above if necessary.

Hop onto the walkway and then grapple and pull the wooden platform closer to the balcony. Jump back onto the platform. From there, jump to grab the edge of the balcony and pull up near CHECKPOINT 8.

LONG AQUEDUCT: Jump into the pool below the spouting faces and swim to the bottom. A strong current pulls Lara through a long pipe and dumps her into a small pool in an underground cavern. Come to the surface near CHECKPOINT 9. Climb out on the small ledge and pick up some shotgun shells. Then jump back into the pool and swim downward and to the left. Swim through the tunnel to a larger pool where you can surface.

THE TOMB OF TIHOCAN: In the middle of the pool is a wide ledge with the tomb entrance. Swim all the way to the left to a smaller, rectangular ledge where you'll find more ammo for the shotgun and 50-caliber pistol.

ARTIFACT #2: Hop back into the pool and face the ledge where you just found the ammo so the tomb entrance is behind Lara. Swim down and to the right to find another underwater tunnel. It's probably a good idea to locate the tunnel first then swim to the surface to breathe. Position Lara on the surface just above the tunnel, then swim down and into the tunnel to get ARTIFACT #2 (26/44). There's no place to surface so quickly swim back to the big pool.

Now swim around to face the wide ledge with the tomb entrance. Below the left side of this ledge is another tunnel. Swim down and follow it to the end. Climb out of the water in a small room and pull the switch to open the door to the tomb and trigger CHECKPOINT 10. Return through the flooded tunnel the way you came. Climb out on the wide ledge and enter the tomb, crossing CHECKPOINT 11. Approach the pedestal with the SCION OF TIHOCAN.

Cinematic: Lara reads the inscription on the crypt. "Here lies the God-King Tihocan, one of the Triumvirate, keepers of the three pieces of the Scion, leader of the chosen after the great betrayal caused Atlantis to be lost beneath the waves. . . . She slides the sarcophagus lid aside only to find the crypt empty, but before she can react, she feels a gun at the back of her head. Pierre DuPont gloats that following her instincts rather than watching her back has just cost her two pieces of the Scion. Lara says that's not a price she's willing to pay, and when Pierre asks if it's worth her life, she says it is.

Interactive cut scene: In order to survive the confrontation with Pierre, you must press the keys that correspond to the on-screen icons to duck and evade his fire then disarm him. The correct controls are as follows:

• Windows & Macintosh PCs: Down, Right
• PlayStation 2: Circle, Triangle
• PSP: Circle, Triangle
• Xbox 360: B, Y
• Nintendo Wii: First, hold the nunchuk and remote level and thrust forward. Second, hold the Wii remote sideways and punch forward.

If you don't press the correct keys or are too slow, Lara dies and the game reloads at the beginning of this cut scene. If you succeed, Pierre runs out of the tomb, only to find that the centaur statues flanking the doorway are actually undead guardians charged with protecting the Scion. They animate and move in on the feeble human who has dared to steal it. Pierre, always good at thinking on his feet, tosses the Scion to Lara and attempts to escape. But it looks like Pierre's instincts aren't so hot either. The centaurs were not built to forgive; they trample poor Pierre and then turn their attention to Lara.

NOTE: If you didn't get the 50-CALIBER PISTOLS in the Coliseum, you'll obtain them from Pierre and they'll be available after this cut scene.

FIGHTING THE CENTAURS: CHECKPOINT 12 registers at the start of the battle. Defeating the 2 Atlantean centaurs requires a multi-part strategy.

First, some defensive tactics:

• The centaurs have several forms of attack: physically trampling Lara with their hooves; fireballs, which do a fair amount of damage if Lara happens to be right under them when they land; and a green petrification ray—similar to the gaze of the mythological gorgon Medusa—which can turn Lara to stone.
   
• To avoid the physical attacks, try and keep your distance from the centaurs as much as possible. I realize this isn't easy with two of them, so it may help to concentrate your attacks on one centaur at a time and just try to stay out of the other one's way. Move in a wide circle around the open area and if you get too close to a wall or the water, run back toward the center or start circling the other way.
   
• When one of the centaurs tries to trample Lara, quickly jump or roll to the side, or crouch on the spot and most of the time the beast will leap over her rather than running her down.
   
• Avoid the fireballs by running, jumping or rolling away from any spot where one is about to land. A telltale smoky, yellowish cloud just above the ground gives you a little warning. If you keep moving all the time, most of the fireballs will miss.
   
• Use medipacks as needed. Remember small ones restore only a fraction of Lara's health, while large ones restore full health.
   
• Do not try and swim away across the pool. If you do, the centaurs will fire-bomb Lara to death.
   
• The centaurs only use the petrification ray when enraged. Like the T. rex in the Lost valley, these enemies have a rage bar below their health bar in the top right corner of the screen. When you shoot a centaur repeatedly, its rage bar will gradually increase. When it maxes out, the beast will become enraged. The first time this happens, one of the centaurs will direct the petrification beam at Lara. At this point you need to holster your weapons or Lara will be turned to stone. Depending on which combat mode you're using, either release or tap the Target Lock key to holster weapons. Or, just stop running and crouch. Since Lara can't crouch with weapons drawn, she'll automatically put them away and the ray will go over her head. This is especially handy if you use Advanced Toggle combat mode (below). One PS2 player also suggested tapping the Triangle (Interact) key repeatedly to prevent Lara from being petrified if the green beam hits her.
   
• If Lara is petrified, alternate tapping the Left and Right direction keys very quickly (or jiggle the left stick from side to side) to break out of the stone shell. Then run away. If you take too long to break free, the centaur will kick Lara, doing substantial damage. If her health is low before she becomes petrified, this can shatter her, killing her instantly.

You can't destroy the centaurs using gunfire alone. Instead, you need to provoke their attacks and turn these against them. Here's the basic offensive strategy you'll need, along with some optional tactics:

• Use regular pistols with unlimited ammo to shoot at one of the centaurs. The first time it becomes enraged, it will use its petrification attack, as described above. Crouch or simply holster weapons to avoid being turned to stone. Then, once the green flash has subsided, lock onto either centaur and continue firing.
   
• The next time either centaur becomes enraged, it will pause where it's standing, rear up on its hind legs to roar, and then charge at Lara. Now you must use the adrenaline dodge and headshot maneuver:
   
  • As the centaur charges, stop shooting but keep a target lock on it. This is automatic if you are using Advanced Toggle combat mode; otherwise, press and hold the Target Lock button.
     
  • Then, as the enemy bears down on Lara and the screen blurs, keep moving to the left, right or backward by holding the appropriate direction key or pressing on the control stick. Then then press Crouch to dodge.
     
  • If the dodge is successful, you'll see two gray targeting reticules converge on the centaur. If necessary, move the camera to keep the centaur in your sights. Wait until the reticules overlap and turn red and then fire.
     
• The adrenaline dodge works a bit differently in the Wii game. Fire continuously at one of the centaurs until it becomes enraged. Then stop shooting but maintain a target lock (Z). When the centaur bears down on Lara and the screen blurs, begin moving to the left, right or backward using the control stick and then EITHER press Crouch (Control Pad Down), as though you were doing a regular evasive roll, OR, shake the nunchuk rapidly from side to side. If your dodge is successful, Lara will then leap out of the way. As she does, you'll see a red targeting reticule on the centaur's head. Aim the Wii remote inside that red target and fire.
   
• After a successful headshot, the centaur will be momentarily stunned and will slump over revealing the back of its shield. Quickly holster your weapons and press Grapple then Interact to snag the ring on the back of the shield and pull, flinging the shield onto the ground.
   
• Continue using regular pistols to attack either centaur. It doesn't matter which one you target, but try to concentrate your fire on one enemy at a time. Stay close to the fallen shield as you shoot but keep moving to avoid incoming fireballs. When the centaur you're attacking becomes enraged and starts to stare green rays at Lara, run to the shield and press Interact to pick it up. If necessary, press Left/Right to pivot on the spot and face the centaur. (Lara can't run with the shield, only pivot.) When you hold up the shield, the petrification ray will be reflected back at the centaur, temporarily turning it to stone.
   
• You only have a few seconds to act, so if you have ammo available, switch to more powerful weapons during the brief cut scene that shows the centaur being petrified. (The 50 caliber pistols work best since Lara is more maneuverable while holding them and they are faster to reload, but the shotgun is OK if you can get close enough.) The first time you petrify a centaur, Lara automatically drops the shield after the cut scene. So as soon as you regain control, run toward the petrified centaur shooting. Try to do as much damage as you can before it revives. Then switch back to regular pistols and start the process again.
   
• The next time you enrage either centaur, the one that still has a shield will charge. Lock onto it and repeat the adrenaline dodge maneuver as described above. Once it is stunned, use the grapple to steal its shield.
  
  NOTE: You don't have to take both shields, but I do recommend it. You can use the first shield to petrify either centaur; however, if you do take the second shield, the centaurs will no longer charge when enraged. They'll only use the green ray, so you can petrify and destroy them more quickly without having to worry about being trampled.
   
• Once both shields are on the ground, stay close to either one, target either centaur and keep shooting until it becomes enraged and powers up the green ray. Quickly pick up the shield and use it to reflect the ray. As soon as you see the green flash, press Interact again to drop the shield and start shooting.
   
• You may have to enrage and petrify each centaur a few times in order to do enough damage, but once their health bars are depleted, the centaurs will shatter into tiny pieces. When you destroy both of them, the level ends.

Additional notes:

• For the adrenaline dodge to work, you need an open space so Lara can roll to the left or right. This can be difficult when both centaurs are still in action, since the one that isn't charging will often cross your path as you attempt to roll away from the one you're targeting. In this case, dodging backward (i.e. rolling away from the charging centaur) may work better, as long as you don't make Lara roll off the edge into the water.
   
• The centaurs' health gradually regenerates, so it does help to concentrate on one centaur until it's destroyed, then move on to the second. This isn't critical, as long as you're constantly attacking and not just evading. But if you tend to be cautious and take your time in battles, this is something to consider.
   
• Occasionally, even after successfully stunning a centaur using an adrenaline dodge and headshot, it will freeze without exposing the back of its shield. This shouldn't happen often. So just repeat the process and try again.
   
• If you do use the shotgun to shoot the petrified centaurs, be sure to get in nice and close to do maximum damage. If possible, reload before provoking the petrification gaze attack. Then Lara won't run out of ammo and waste valuable time reloading while the centaur is still petrified. (To reload manually, draw the shotgun and press Interact without firing.)
   
• If you get very lucky—and so far I've only been able to do this a couple of times—you can petrify both centaurs at the same time. You probably won't have time to destroy both of them, but you may get in a few extra shots this way.

If you're having trouble with the strategy above, or if you just want to try something different, here's an alternative to direct combat in which you trick the centaurs into killing themselves:

• When the battle starts, save manually in a new save slot just in case this method doesn't work for you. It does not work for everyone, and if it fails, you will be stuck in a bad spot and unable to continue without reloading the earlier save.
   
• Target one of the centaurs so its health bar appears in the top right corner of the screen. Then run to the edge of the ledge and jump into the water above the tunnel that leads to the switch—just to the right of where the edge of the island forms a little square notch. Do not jump into the water anywhere else or you won't be able to avoid the centaurs' fireballs and Lara will die. Quickly swim down into the tunnel, using a medipack or two on the way if Lara does get hit by a fireball. At the end of the tunnel, climb out of the water on the ledge with the switch. CHECKPOINT 10 registers again.
   
• Now just wait and watch as the centaur's health bar gradually depletes. I can only guess what the two of them might be doing to each other as they wait and wonder what happened to Lara, but whatever it is, it's not doing them any good. While this is going on, you can take a bathroom break, get a snack, do your nails, whatever. If its health bar stops moving downward, try changing position on the ledge or taking a quick dip in the water. Sometimes this will get things moving again. It will take a while—at least 10 minutes, maybe longer—but eventually the first centaur will be reduced to zero health and die. You'll know this has happened when the yellow health bar disappears.
   
• Unfortunately, the other centaur won't do the same thing until you've gone back out and gotten a target lock on it. This is the tricky part. You need to swim to the end of the tunnel and up to the surface. Then very quickly climb out of the water before the centaur can fire-bomb Lara to death. You may need to use a few health packs to do this. Take a couple of shots at the centaur, so you can see its health bar, and then swim back to the switch and wait for it to commit suicide. When it's dead, the cut scene kicks in.
   
• Alternatively, after killing the first centaur this way, you can swim to the surface, pick up the shield it dropped and use it to beat the second centaur. You won't need to take the second centaur's shield, just enrage it until it uses the green petrification ray, reflect the ray back at the centaur to petrify it, and shoot it until it comes after you again. Repeat the process until it is destroyed.

NOTE: As stated above, this exploit does not work in every version of the game. Some console players report that it works on the first centaur but not the second. That may still be enough. If you can get the first centaur's shield, you can use it against the second centaur. However, several Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2 users have reported that defeating one centaur this way can result in a bug in which the controls subsequently freeze up if Lara is hit by the petrification ray. The only solution for that is to quit and restart. If the cave strategy doesn't work for you, just reload your manual save at CHECKPOINT 12 and concentrate on beating the centaurs in the regular way (enrage, adrenaline dodge, etc.).

IMPORTANT BUG NOTES: Apparently there are several possible bugs here. Some players are unable to complete the adrenaline dodge maneuver despite using the correct controls and timing. Some are unable to grapple the rings on the backs of the shields. Others can grapple but not pick up the shields from the ground. So far I do not know of any definitive solutions to these problems, but I have included some possible fixes in the footnotes below.

When you've defeated both centaurs, the final cinematic for Greece begins. Lara takes the two pieces of the SCION and fits them together. Their mystical power evokes some kind of hallucination or out-of-body experience in which she falls through space and eventually comes to hover alongside three giant figures. As they speak, it becomes clear that these are the three erstwhile rulers of Atlantis. Tihocan, the male on the left, accuses the crouching female of tainting the power of the Scion and breaking the sacred triumvirate of Atlantis, as well as maiming Qualopec, her own brother and fellow king. Qualopec, the mutated figure on the right, says that although Tihocan has ended her treachery, it is his own face that will haunt her nightmares. Tihocan asks the woman if she has anything to say for herself, but before she can answer, Lara floats away. She has a brief vision of a third piece of the Scion moving toward what looks like an Egyptian-style doorway. Then she falls back to earth outside Tihocan's tomb. She pulls herself together and picks up the Scion once more.

Now it's just a quick motorcycle trip to the Egyptian desert. . . .

FOOTNOTES

POSSIBLE FIX FOR ADRENALINE DODGE GLITCH: If you're doing all the moves correctly but are not able to do the adrenaline dodge (i.e., the tutorial icons And the two converging targeting reticules never appear—not in the centaur battle and not in the fight with the T. rex), then I may have a solution. It requires some effort, though. You'll need to go way back to the beginning of the City of Vilcabamba level, where the player is first introduced to the adrenaline dodge in the tutorial with the bear. If you are able to complete this tutorial correctly and do the adrenaline dodge and play on from there, the adrenaline dodge should then work on the T. rex and, later, the centaurs. Many thanks to pArTyb0y and marcus4hire for this info. (As far as I know, this only applies to the Xbox 360 version.)

POSSIBLE FIXES FOR SHIELD BUGS: A number of players have encountered bugs in which they are unable to grapple or pick up the centaurs' shields. Perhaps this will addressed in a forthcoming patch, but in the mean time, here are a few suggestions other players have shared with me:

• Make sure you are using the adrenaline dodge technique correctly so the centaur is stunned and slumps forward revealing the ring on the back of its shield. The walkthrough above includes detailed instructions.
   
• Once you've successfully stunned one of the centaurs so the back of its shield is exposed, holster your weapons, make sure Lara is within grappling distance, face the centaur squarely, grapple the shield, wait for a full second (this is the important part) and only then press Interact to pull on the cable.
   
• Reduce the screen resolution in the Options menu. You may need to experiment a little to see which setting works best for you, but if you have a very high-res or wide-screen monitor, a lower setting may do the trick.
   
• Disable 'Full Screen Effects' in the Options menu.
   
• If you encountered a problem while installing the game in which the installation stalled at 95%, follow the instructions on the Eidos support site to reinstall. This process fixes a number of potential bugs that result from an incomplete installation.
   
• If all else fails and you're playing the PC, Macintosh Wii or PSP game, try downloading a savegame file     from Stella's site, linked below.

SHIELD BUG/LARA FREEZE-UP WORK-AROUND - UPDATED 12/30/08: Many players who have tried the alternative method, in which you swim into the tunnel beneath the combat area and wait for the centaurs to destroy themselves, have found that this causes yet another bug, in which Lara freezes and you are unable to control her at all, requiring you to restart the game.

Here is a new technique, which incorporates some of the above, along with a fresh strategy for preventing the Lara freeze-up bug. This comes from Janine B., who managed to beat the centaurs this way using the PlayStation 2 game. This may or may not work in other versions, but it's worth a try. I paraphrase what she wrote here:

• When fighting the centaurs normally, I could not grapple either shield. So, I tried the alternative method—getting a lock on one centaur, swimming down the underwater tunnel and waiting for its health bar to disappear completely. This happened very slowly, but eventually the first centaur did die.
   
• I then swam up to the surface and found that, although centaur 1 had disappeared, I could not pick up its shield. So I began to attack centaur 2 by avoiding his green ray and adrenaline dodging him.
   
• At this point, the fight music had stopped, and centaur 2 was still making a throwing motion at me but with no fireballs being discharged whatsoever.
   
• I found that if I stood near centaur 1's dropped shield, centaur 2 did not seem to harm me (charge me, run me over, etc.). So I did all my 'fighting' with centaur 2 while standing on centaur 1's shield. Doing this both protected me and avoided the 'loss of control of Lara' bug from occurring.
   
• When centaur 2 used the green ray against Lara, I stayed near the shield and crouched to avoid being petrified by the ray. At first I thought the loss-of-control bug was activated when centaur 2 turned Lara to stone if you didn't crouch quickly enough, but when I used the strategy of staying near the shield, I did actually get turned to stone once and was able to break free without activating the bug. So I think the key is where Lara stands.
   
• When adrenaline dodging centaur 2, it was enough to stay near the shield. The shield was on the left part of the arena near the corner in the back (as Lara gets out of the water and faces the flames) and I think staying in the left corner generally means you can play on without the game freezing. I think moving to the centre or right side of the arena (as Lara gets out of the water, facing the flames) might activate the bug that causes Lara to freeze.
   
• I thought that, seeing as I wasn't able to grapple centaur 1's shield, I would not be able to grapple centaur 2's shield. This was not the case. As long as I attacked centaur 2 standing on or near the first shield, I was able to attack normally and grapple the second shield, eventually killing him.

Walkthrough text, maps, diagrams, and all other original images copyright © 1997-2008 Stellalune.
All rights reserved.

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