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| Tomb Raider III -- General Hints | ||
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1. KNOW
THE
TRICKS
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The following are strategies, hints, and tricks that will help keep
Lara alive. Although much of this chapter is copied directly from
the general hints section of our original Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider
2 guides, they still apply here. Along with the old hints, there are
several new ones too. Some tips help you take advantage of inherent weaknesses in the game The rest of the tips involve using your resources smartly. Know which weapon to use and when. Know when you should use a Medi Pack and when you shouldn't and why. Keep these things in mind and you will have a lot less trouble. |
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Safety Drops
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Always use safety drops, unless there's a boulder hot on Lara's tail. The time it takes to do a safety drop may save Lara just enough health to get through the rest of the level without needing another Medi Pack. If you're tired of waiting for Lara to stand in place and turn around. Learn the reverse-roll-safety-drop. | |
Unstuck
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One thing about the Tomb Raider games is that you're never ever actually "stuck". (There are rare exceptions to this rule, of course.) In many situations you may think that you're at a dead end, but in there is invariably some exit from the place you're in. Look for a button or a switch to activate. Check the blocks to see if any of them are movable. See if any of the walls are scalable. Find a ledge to jump or climb to. Look for crevices to shimmy across or crawl spaces to enter. If Lara is alive and well, then there is likely a way out of that situation. | |
Bait
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Sometimes, before dropping down a hole into a room below, you might think there is an enemy down there just waiting for you to drop in, and most of the time there is. One of the reasons the first thing I mentioned in this section is Safety Drops is because you can also dangle Lara down a hole or off a ledge as bait to wake up or draw out any creatures that might be below. Then you can pull yourself up and shoot at it from above. | |
Save Now
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The <F5> key will bring you directly to the save game page on the passport. You'll learn why it's important to have a quick path to "save game" as you get further along in the game. | |
Marksmanship
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Do not underestimate Lara's abilities with a hand gun. Apparently, she can aim and fire while doing back flips and side somersaults. This is an important method of dodging the attacks of enemies while blasting them. Remember, as with the first game, Lara automatically locks onto an enemy when you press the action key. Always release the action key once an enemy is dead to prevent Lara from wasting precious ammunition by pumping lead into a dead enemy and to prevent Lara from getting mauled by other enemies because she is keeping her lock on a dead one. Finally, if possible, it is always to your advantage to fight an enemy from higher ground. | |
Picking a Fight
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When battling enemies that fire back at Lara from a distance, a very useful strategy is to simultaneously dodge and fight. This can best be done by repeatedly taking alternating left and right side flips while firing at a stationary enemy. A useful strategy for combating enemies in close quarters is to shoot and jump or run past the enemy, quickly reverse roll and fire at the enemy from behind. Just as the enemy has a chance to turn around, quickly run past again and reverse roll and continue shooting from behind. | |
Sink or Float |
One interesting nuance of this game that you can take full advantage
of is the fact that Lara can wade slowly into shallow pools, and light
a flare or draw a weapon. However most enemies can not swim.
Therefore, it is to your advantage to have Lara run into a shallow
pool and draw a weapon to take out enemies that don't fire back, like
tigers and yeti for example. The converse is also true. Most underwater enemies cannot exit the water to chase after Lara. When convenient, clear out underwater foes before jumping in, or once you are underwater and you find enemies, swim to the nearest safe place to exit and pick off the underwater enemy from safely. |
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When Not To Kill |
Another interesting facet of this game is how enemies can travel on
surfaces that Lara cannot. For instance, enemies can run up and down
slopes that are two steep for Lara to tread on. Instead of sliding
down, they run around unimpaired. However, try to never kill a human enemy when he is standing or running around on a slope. What will happen is that they will drop dead on the slope, and whatever they were carrying, if they were carrying anything, will land at their feet. The result is that Lara will be unable to obtain those objects. Wait until the enemy is on flat ground to kill him. |
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Friendly Fire
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Similar with what happened in the Barkhang Monastery in Tomb Raider 2, you can choose to either become allies or enemies with certain groups of people in this game. There are also situations where the animals that you will encounter that may help you if you don't kill them immediately. However if you do choose to kill some potential human allies, you can sometimes collect extra ammunition from them. | |
Quick! Hide!
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In Tomb Raider III, it can often be to your advantge to employ stealth. Look for situations in which it may be to your benefit for Lara to remain undetected by enemies, instead of charging at them with guns blazing. In the case of human enemies, you can often tell the line of sight of the enemy either from the direction his face is turned or from the path of the laser sights on his weapon. Lara can use the crouch and crawl moves to hide behind crates or sprint past an area before being detected by the enemy. | |
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2. KNOW
THE
TOOLS
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Besides running, jumping, and fighting, it is important to be familiar with the other equipment that Lara might be carrying around. However it's not enough to just know what they do, but also how to use them strategically. |
Stopwatch
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Gone is the compass that no one used in the original Tomb Raider, but as in Tomb Raider 2, it has been replaced with a stopwatch that allows you to collect statistics of your current game at anytime in the level instead of at the very end. You can see how many secrets Lara has picked up, how long you've spent in the current level, how many kills were made, how much ammunition was used, and even how far Lara has traveled (in kilometres of course). One thing the stopwatch will not tell you is how many items you've picked up. |
Medi Packs
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Use these sparingly and hoard them for the later levels. Learn how
much health you think you'll need to finish a level. If Lara is
injured and you think you can get her to the end of the level, then
don't use a Medi Pack because Lara's health will be restored to
full at the beginning of the next level. It is also important to distinguish the difference between Small Medi Packs and Large Medi Packs. Small Medi Packs will restore Lara's health by half of the total health bar, while Large Medi Packs will restore Lara's health bar to full health. One important feature of Medi Packs is that they contain poison antidote. If Lara is poisoned by a snake or a poisonous dart, her health bar will turn yellow, she will continue to take damage until she dies from the poison. In the event that Lara is poisoned, you must use a Medi Pack at some point to cure her. However if Lara has enough health remaining, it is often a good strategy to look around for other poison darts or snakes and deal with those hazards before using one of your precious Medi Packs. |
Flares
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Be aware of areas that are dark and consider using a flare before
entering because Lara may not have time to light a flare when she gets
inside. Also, Lara can toss flares after lighting them. This is
particularly useful in large rooms, where you can toss a flare into
the room to see what's inside. |
Crystals
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The strategy for using crystals is different depending if you are
using the PC or the Sony PlayStation (PSX) version of Tomb Raider
III. This was the result of a compromise between the way save game
crystals work in the original PSX version of Tomb Raider and the "save
anywhere as often as you like" feature that was incorporated into both
the PC and PSX versions of Tomb Raider 2. As mentioned in our General Guide section, in the PSX, the
crystals are blue and you must use a crystal in order to save the
game. On the PC, the crystals are green and restores half of Lara's
health immediately. For PSX players, the best strategy is to save sparingly in the earlier levels in order to hoard up crystals for the later levels. Try to save only after the completion of a particularly difficult segment or after you have been playing for a long time and don't want to have to repeat all the progress that was made. For PC players, who can still save anywhere and as often as they like, the strategy for using crystals is very different. Preferentially use crystals over small Medi Packs because the crystals act immediately and you can't carry it away. Also, before using a crystal, check to make sure you've dealt with all the enemies and traps that are in the vicinity to get the maximum benefit from a crystal. Always grab a crystal before leaving an area. |
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3. KNOW
THE
WEAPONS1
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Lara's arsenal is more powerful and visually stunning in Tomb Raider
III than in either of the previous games. Besides the additional
visual effects of wisps of smoke curling up from Lara's gun barrels
and the flurry of empty shell casings that are ejected from her guns,
Lara has access to more weapons than ever before. It is vital that you
know the strengths and weaknesses of each weapon. This is a guide to
selecting the right weapon for the right situation. The
characteristics of each weapon will be described and compared
below. Legend: |
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Pistols2
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Once again Lara sets out on her adventures armed only with these
trusty sidearms. With one in each hand, these handguns allow Lara to
show off her nimble footwork while pumping endless rounds into her
enemies. When drawn, Lara automatically targets the first enemy in
front of her. The pistols are the weapon of choice for the weaker
enemies and for "shooting fish in a barrel". If you press and hold
the fire key, Lara will continue pumping rounds into the target that
she has a lock on. Although reliable, pistols inflict little damage.
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Shotgun
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Lara's shotgun gets a new look in Tomb Raider III. This 12 bore
weapon does the most damage at close range and can often bring enemies
down with one or two shots. That fact is important to know because
the shotgun becomes a strategic weapon in areas where evasive
maneuvers are not possible, such as a small room. It makes the best
use of your limited shotgun shells and is the safest way to deal with
the shotgun's long recoil time. |
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Desert Eagle
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The Israel Military Industries [IMI] .50 caliber pistol, the
Desert Eagle, (licensed in the United States by Magnum Research Inc.)
is the most powerful handgun available to Lara. Although the weapon
is limited to a 5 round clip, this gun packs enough power to punch
through body armor if required. This handgun replaces the magnums
from the original Tomb Raider game and the automatics in Tomb Raider
II. Lara will wield only one of these powerful pistols while
supporting it with her other hand to deal with the weapon's strong
kick. The heavy damage produced by this weapon as well as the short
recoil time, makes this one of the most formidable weapons in Lara's
arsenal. However, because of the limited ammunition that can be
found, save this weapon for taking down enemies at close range, when
it is necessary to bring down the enemy quickly, and for the tougher
enemies at the end of each area.
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Uzis
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Uzis are best for those hard to kill enemies that require many
rounds of ammunition to bring down, because these fully automatic 9 mm
pistols put out the most rounds per second. However, the Uzis are
more suited for battles at close quarters, since they are not as
accurate as the pistols or the Desert Eagle when attempting to hit a
target at a large distance. Uzi ammo can disappear quickly if you
have an itchy trigger finger, so use the Uzis wisely.3.
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Harpoon Gun
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The harpoon gun makes its second appearance in the Tomb Raider series,
and is meant for underwater battles. It can fire four harpoons
successively before Lara must reload it. However, because of its
required reload time and the light damage it inflicts, this weapon
actually proves to be quite impractical. The best strategy is get out
of the water and pick off the underwater enemies with some other
weapon.
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MP5
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The more compact Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun replaces the larger
M-16 assault rifle of Tomb Raider II. The MP5 is renowned for its
reliability and accuracy, even when firing its 9mm ammo on
full-automatic. This weapon has the longest range of the weapons
available in Tomb Raider 3 and is ideal for taking down enemies before
Lara is detected. Lara cannot be running or jumping while firing this
weapon.
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Grenade Launcher
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The grenade launcher and the grenades themselves in Tomb Raider III
has been significantly redesigned, both in appearance and function.
Unlike the case in Tomb Raider 2, where grenades would explode on
contact with a wall or floor, the grenades in Tomb Raider 3 will not
explode until a short period of time after they are fired. Therefore,
grenades may bounce around on the ground and off walls before they
detonate. This can be used strategically to bounce grenades around
corners or down holes. If a grenade is launched directly at an enemy,
it will explode immediately on contact. Don't use this weapon at
close range because the long recoil and reload time will leave Lara
vulnerable to attacks.
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Rocket Launcher
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The rocket launcher is new to Tomb Raider III, and is meant as a
weapon for destroying objects and enemies that are far away. It
actually works similarly to the grenade launcher in Tomb Raider 2,
where the projectile will explode on contact, but the main difference
is that the effective range of the rocket launcher is much further.
Although this is a powerful weapon, there are limited rockets to be
found and so they should be used sparingly. (Note that we noticed
that when an enemy is killed with a rocket, the kill counter is
incremented by two instead of one.)
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4. KNOW
THY
ALLIES AND
ENEMIES
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One big advantage in your travels is to know what enemies you're up
against. You should know how they attack and how quickly they do it,
what is the best way to avoid them, and what weapon works best for
taking them out. The following are some principles that you can use when encountering enemies. You may not want to read this section until after you've met each particular enemy for the first time because finding out what the enemies are can really spoil the thrill for you. Click that BACK button on your browser to go back. Otherwise you can click this link to go to the directory of enemies that can be found in Tomb Raider III. |
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Footnotes:
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