Tomb Raiders Traveler's Guide: Tomb Raider 2

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	Dagger of Xian -- General Strategy Guide

	1. KNOW THYSELF	If Tomb Raider 2 : Dagger of Xian is your first exposure to the Tomb Raider world, then this document is a must read for you. Before you head off to China, you'd do well to know what Lara is capable of and what she's not capable of. If you've never played Tomb Raider then making a stop at Lara's House for a little training will be essential for you. Lara will talk you through everything you need to know to get around in her latest adventure. Those that have played the first Tomb Raider game, will definitely also derive benefit the training session as well because it shows off a few of her new moves. There you will learn the fundamentals of running, jumping, climbing, swimming. All of which you will need to do in the real game. Also you will learn the limits of each skill so you will know whether you can make a jump or not before you take some flying leap off of a three story structure. Below are the things that you must know if you are to get Lara through the five areas of Tomb Raider II: The Dagger of Xian.

	1a. KNOW THE WORLD	Just like in the first Tomb Raider game, everything in Lara's world is divided up into equal sized blocks. This is to your advantage as you try to figure out how to get Lara from one point to another point in the game. In this document, when the word "block" is used, it refers the distance measured by the number of those blocks lined up in a row. Below you will find a detailed description of each of Lara's moves and how to perform them. Nothing more will be discussed in this chapter. If you want strategies and hints, you should consult the General Hints chapter.

	1b. KNOW THE DIFFERENCES	"This isn't your father's Tomb Raider." What we mean is that you need to be aware that this is not just new levels for Tomb Raider, but rather, this is a whole new game. If you are a veteran of Tomb Raider, be prepared to be surprised. Don't think that you can get by with the same old moves and same old tricks. Those rules don't apply here. One of the fundamental changes is the concept of "secrets". There are no longer any "secrets" as you once knew them. Instead, each level contains three (3) small statuettes of dragons. One of stone, one of jade and one of gold. Upon collecting the third of three dragons, you will be awarded with ammunition or weapons. There are always three statues on each level, so in this guide we no longer list the number of secrets in the summary information. Also different, is the summary information. There is no longer any way of really knowing if you (or we) have picked up all the items on a given level. The summary information at the end of each level no longer lists number of pickups. It merely lists the time you took to complete the level, the number of statuettes you picked up and the number of kills you bagged. Our guide will attempt to report the total number pickups, but we can't be sure of anything anymore. Feel free to contribute information on items if you find ones that we do not. (Credit will be given where due, unless you ask for your name to be withheld.) Along with those fundamental differences, the enemies behave differently and you will need to make use of lighting to get around. You can read more about those things in the General Hints chapter or in the Supplemental Enemies chapter.

	1c. KNOW THE KEYS	This section is specifically for the PC-CDROM version of Tomb Raider II. There are lots of short-cuts to important features of Tomb Raider II. Click on this link to view the Keyboard Definitions for Tomb Raider II.

	1d. KNOW THE STEPS	Picking Up & Using Objects	The most fundamental action in this game involve manipulating objects. To pick up an object, stand over it and press the action key. To use an object, stand facing and pressed against the object's receptacle and press the action key. The screen will change to the upper ring of items, and you can select the item you wish to use if it is not already selected by default for you. If it is the incorrect object, Lara will complain to you by saying "No".
		Run	This is what happens when you press the up arrow. The default action is for Lara to run forward. You can corner by pressing the left or right arrow in conjunction with the forward key.
		Hop back	If you press and hold the down arrow, Lara will take a hop back and continue hopping backwards until she runs into a wall, she falls off a ledge, or you let go of the key. Hopping back is essential for setting up running jumps.
		Turn	If you press and hold either the left or right arrow, Lara will begin to turn herself in place. She will continue to rotate until you let go, but be careful when rotating near the edge of a ledge or platform because it is possible to spin Lara right off of the platform (see slow turns).
		Walk	If you press and hold the walk key and then press the up or down arrow, Lara will walk carefully forward or backward respectively. She will not walk off the edge of a platform or ledge. You can have Lara walk around corners by pressing the left or right keys in conjunction with the walk key and the forward or back arrows. Lara can carefully negotiate fields of spikes or broken glass without taking any damage by walking instead of running. Walking is essential for lining up a standing jump across a single block. It is important to to release the direction key before you release the walk key when you are walking, because if you release the walk key before the direction key, Lara will begin to run in the direction of the key you are still holding down, even if it sends her off the edge of a cliff.
		Slow Turns	If you press and hold the walk key and then press the left or right arrow, Lara will slowly rotate in the direction you press. This is important to make sure you are properly lined up to make a jump, since without the walk key, you could easily overshoot your desired heading (see looking).
		Sidestep	If you press and hold one of the sidestep keys, Lara will carefully step to one side or the other depending on which you chose, while still facing forward. Lara will not sidestep off of any ledge or platform.
		Look	Often times, the "intelligent camera" will not give you the exact view of Lara's heading because she is in a tight place or has her back against a wall. In fact, sometimes the camera will give you a very nice but totally useless view of Lara herself when you really need see where she's headed instead. In these cases, if you press and hold the look key, the camera will move to directly behind Lara and slightly above her head. This is an essential thing to learn when trying to jump from a platform that is only one block in size onto another block that is exactly one block in size. With the look key depressed, you can use the arrow keys to rotate the view to look around. The limits of the look are based on how far Lara can turn her head and lean. You can also look while running. Start running forward and then depress the look key. The left and right arrow keys now allow Lara to look around instead of changing the direction she runs. Sometimes an action causes the camera to leave Lara show you what's going on else where. One important aspect of looking, is that when that happens, you can press the look key to end the view prematurely. You will find in some instances, the time it takes to watch that camera angle, will be costly.

	1e. KNOW THE JUMPS	Jumping in place	You can make Lara jump up and down in place by pressing the jump key alone. This jump is not actually "in place", exactly, but actually Lara will inch forward very slightly every jump. This jump is useful primarily for Lara to grab and pull up onto something directly above her. With the jump key depressed, Lara will continue to jump up an down in place.
		Standing Jump	A standing jump will span approximately one block. That is to say, it will get you over the adjacent block to the block beyond it. The move is performed by pressing the jump key, then followed immediately by pressing the direction which you want to jump. The best way to accomplish this move is to walk to the to the very edge of a platform or ledge until Lara will walk no further, then perform the jump in order to guarantee that Lara will clear the one block. One important of any jump forward is that Lara can alter her heading slightly in mid jump by pressing either the left or right direction arrow after she has left the ground. Performing this jump backward will cause Lara to perform a back flip, while performing this jump to either side will cause her to perform a sort of side flip. A variant of the back flip can be performed while scaling a surface or climbing a ladder. You will learn about grabbing onto things from jumps later. What you need to learn now is that attempting to grab something, even if you don't grab anything will change the trajectory of Lara's jump.
		Running Jump	A running jump will span approximately two blocks. The move is performed by pressing the forward key, then followed immediately by pressing the jump key. Lara will run forward two steps and then jump. The best way to accomplish this is to walk to the very edge of a platform or ledge until Lara will walk no further, then take a hop back and then perform the running jump. The hop back will guarantee you have enough room to run up to the jump. As with the standing jumps, when Lara is jumping forward, she can veer to the left or right if the respective arrow key is pressed after she leaves the ground. Sure it violates all known laws of physics, but it will come in real handy for our purposes. Also like the standing jump, attempting to grabbing onto things in mid-jump will change the trajectory of Lara's jump.
		Jump and Half Twist	This move is essentially a standing jump, except Lara also performs a twist in midair and lands facing the opposite direction (see reverse). This move is performed by first pressing the jump key, followed immediately by the direction the jump (either forward or backward) and with the jump key still depressed, immediately press the opposite direction (either backward or forward, respectively) or the reverse key. The time between the up and down key stokes is very short, so some amount of practice is needed before you master this jump, but if Lara is jumping a longer distance (like jumping down from a step) you will have a slightly longer time to perform the twist, thus making this move easier. Basically you need to have pressed the other direction key or the reverse key while Lara is still ascending. If you perform the jump backwards, not only does Lara do a twist, but it's actually a back flip twist. As of now there is no known place in the game in which this jump is essential, but it is quite useful in dodging enemies while keeping them in Lara's gun sights. A variant of this jump can be performed while scaling a surface or climbing a ladder.

	1f. KNOW THE MOVES	Draw a Weapon & Firing	Lara knows how to handle a gun. Just press the draw key, and she will whip out the last weapon she used. There are also shortcut keys that you can use to quickly draw a weapon other than the last used. Lara will target enemies that she sees automatically. You can fire a weapon by pressing the action key. Lara can continue to target and fire at a target while jumping, running, back flipping, turning and side jumping. Lara will maintain her sights locked onto the same target if you press and hold the action key. Also, she will continue to target an enemy even after it is dead, so remember to release the action key when an enemy goes down in order to retarget. (This is particularly important when there is more than one enemy in the room.) This is true of all weapons except for the grenade launcher. Keep in mind that Lara cannot hold her guns and a flare at the same time. Drawing a weapon while Lara is holding a flare will cause her immediately to chuck the flare. For more information about Lara's arsenal, you should read the General Hints chapter.
		Grabbing, Pulling up and Shimmying	When a jump is too long or high for Lara to make, you can grab onto the edge of platforms, blocks and ledges. Grabbing a ledge at the end of a running jump will allow Lara to span three blocks with Lara grabbing onto the fourth block, while grabbing a ledge after taking a standing jump will allow Lara to span two blocks with Lara dangling off the third block. Both these moves are performed by by pressing the action key after taking a jump while in mid-air. Another important action that involves grabbing onto ledges is climbing up onto blocks. When a block, ledge or bridge is within Lara's reach, you can press and hold the action key, and then press the up arrow or the jump key, which will cause Lara to jump straight up and grab onto the block above. While Lara is hanging from a ledge, you can choose to have Lara pull herself up by pressing the up arrow, or shimmy left or right by pressing the left or right arrows respectively, while the action key is still depressed. But grabbing is not just for climbing up, it is also used for climbing down. See Safety drops below.
		Scaling and Climbing	Lara's got a few new moves this time around, and this is one of them. She can now scale vertical surfaces if there are hand and footholds (such as a old stone wall, a bookcase, or a ladder). This move is similar to pulling up. To have Lara scale up a wall, have her stand squarely facing the wall, and press and hold the action key followed by the up arrow. She will find a foothold and climb onto the wall. While keeping the action key held down, you can use the up and down arrow keys to get Lara to climb up or down. Using either the left and right arrow keys or the sidestep left and right keys, you can get her to shift in the respective direction side to side. Shifting to the side far enough will usually result in a lack of footholds, at which point Lara will hang by only her hands. If there isn't enough of a foot hold, Lara will climb the surface using only her hands. This generally happens at the sides of ladders where there isn't anywhere for Lara to put her feet. By pressing the jump key while climbing, Lara will back flip off of the ladder or whatever surface she happens to be climbing. If the up arrow is depressed in combination with the jump key, then not only will Lara back flip off of the surface she is climbing, she will actually twist around in midair to face the opposite direction. If the action key is depressed the entire time, she can actually grab onto the opposite surface if it is scalable. Similarly Lara can also take standing or running jumps and "land" by grabbing onto the surface if it is scalable.
		Hanging & Safety Drops	You can drop off a ledge by walking to the edge of a ledge, turning all the way around, and then tapping the down key, followed immediately by the action key. Lara will hop off the ledge backwards, then drop and hang from that ledge. She will continue to hang there until you release the action key or have her pull herself up by pressing the up key. Another useful move is, if there is a crevice or ledge a little below the one Lara is currently hanging from, you can release the action key to allow Lara to let go of the first ledge, and then press and hold the action key immediately after and Lara will fall a little way then grab onto the ledge below the one she was just holding on to. Dropping down by first hanging off the edge of a block allows Lara to drop much further without taking any damage (though some damage will still be inflicted on Lara for really long falls, and death is imminent for ridiculously high drops, which Lara will inform you of as she releases one or more blood curdling screams as she falls to her death) and will henceforth be referred to as a Safety Drop. Another feature of the safety drop is that Lara will drop straight down, which would not be the case had she walked, ran, or jumped off the edge of a platform, in which case she would fall in a parabolic trajectory. Sometimes the result of such a fall is the missing of the ledge below. Safety drops are key... learn it, memorize it, and use it.
		Pushing & Pulling	Every so often, Lara will find herself in a dead end. She's a lot more resourceful and a lot stronger than she looks. If you spot a block that can be pushed or pulled, you just have to have Lara stand in front of it as close as she can get to it, facing it squarely, and then press the action button. Lara will squat slightly, getting ready to use all her might, to push or pull the block, depending on whether you press the up or down arrow, respectively, at that point.
		Reverse	Invariably you will find that making an about-face by turning Lara around is often too slow ( See Turning or Slow Turns). Those precious moments can spell Lara's demise if you are not careful. The reverse key will cause Lara to dive forward, roll on one shoulder and come up facing the opposite direction. This move can also be performed by pressing the forward and back keys simultaneously, But wait there's more: The reverse key has lots of undocumented features including the commonly ignored fact that Lara does move forward while reversing direction. This can be used to your advantage if, for example, you want Lara to step on a pressure plate that opens a timed door behind you. Also, if Lara is standing two steps shy of the edge of a platform, you can have her reverse right off of the edge of a cliff. Don't worry because you can immediately press and hold the action key and end up in the hanging position (see Safety Drop). (If you execute a reverse at the very edge of a platform, since there is no room for her to roll on her shoulder, she will simply step off the ledge. So be sure not to execute a reverse at the very edge or one step short of the edge of any platforms. Lara will not be given the opportunity to perform a safety drop because she didn't actually reverse directions and so is facing the wrong way.)
		Dive and Roll	This move is derived from the more useless swan dive move that Lara can do into water. On dry land, though, this move had some interesting uses in the original game, such as avoiding darts and nasty shocks. To perform a dive and roll, press and hold the walk key, then press jump and the forward key. Lara will gracefully dive forward and hit the ground rolling.

	1g. LEARNING TO SWIM	Wading	While standing in shallow water, Lara can wade around by pressing any of the direction keys or the left or right sidestep key. Movement is much like on land, except for the fact that movement is impaired as the water gets deeper until Lara must tread water. This is not so much a different move, but it is important to note that Lara will move slower and slower as she wades deeper into the water. Lara can draw her guns while wading.
		Swimming	Lara can swim quite well even if you can't. Just have her jump into some water and use the arrow keys to rotate Lara and the jump key to get her to do her breast stroke. Keep an eye on her air meter, because once she runs out of air, she will begin to take damage, and when she's taken enough damage, she will let you know that she's drowning.
		Treading Water	If Lara surfaces from her swim, she can tread water and maneuver around on the surface of the water. All the usual direction keys apply. To move forward or back you can use the up or down key respectively. To turn clockwise or counter-clockwise you use the right or left key respectively and to move left and right you use the left or right sidestep key respectively. Keep in mind that moving forward on the surface of the water is the slowest way for Lara to get around in the water. Either dive back down into the water or turn sideways and use the sidestep keys. You should use the action key followed by the up key to get Lara to pull herself up out of the water when she is at the edge of dry land.
		Flip Turn	Another new and much needed move for Lara is the underwater flip turn. While in water, if you press the reverse key, Lara will perform a flip turn like an Olympic swimmer and turn and face the opposite direction. This move is quite important when Lara needs to avoid underwater enemies.

	1h. USELESS MOVES THAT ARE JUST TOO COOL	Swan Dive	This is not a particularly useful move, but it's just oh so cool to have Lara swan dive into water rather than just jumping in. To perform this move, stand a hop or two shy of the edge of some water. Press and hold the walk key, the press jump and the up arrow to perform a perfectly executed swan dive into the water. This dive causes Lara to dive deeper and faster than just jumping in, so watch out for those underwater rocks.
		Forward Somersault Dive	When performing a dive from a particularly high platform, preferably into water, Lara can perform this graceful variation of the swan dive. Similar to the swan dive, this dive is performed by pressing and holding the walk key, then pressing the jump followed immediately by the up arrow keys. After Lara begins her dive, press and hold the reverse key. Lara will perform as many somersaults as there is time for before hitting the water.
		Pull Up Handstand Step Over.	This has got to be the most useless move that Lara can perform, but is included to show off Lara's gymnastic abilities, as if they are not apparent in the way she jumps around. Probably this move was included primarily to show off what a bunch of video game programmers can come up with while sitting around in a dark room staring at a digital babe for hours on end. To perform this move, Lara must start off in the hanging position. Then press and hold the walk key and then press the up arrow. Lara will pull herself up, then lift her body up and over her head into a handstand. From the handstand, Lara will lower one leg, bending backwards until it's nearly to the ground and she will flip herself upright.

	1i. HANGING ON!	Rope Slides	If you went through the training level, then this should come as no surprise to you. Lara can slide down rope slides (rip lines, zip lines, whatever you want to call them). To grab onto the handle of the rope slide, have Lara walk and stand squarely in front of the handles and press and hold the action key. Lara will grab onto the handles and begin to slide down. To release the handle and drop down, simply release the action key. Although hanging on is important, it is probably far more important to learn about letting go. Be careful not to be too anxious and release the action key prematurely. Lara will plummet to her death, but also, you do not need to ride the rope all the way to its final destination. In some cases, it is important to release the handle as soon as it is safe, to give Lara enough time and space to deal with enemies below.

	1j. LEARNING TO DRIVE	Lara will be able to pilot some vehicles in Tomb Raider II, including a speed boat and a snowmobile (or skidoo). It will take some practice for you you to learn how to steer these things, so take some time to familiarize yourself with how to maneuver these vehicles. A good time to practice is when there are no enemies around taking pot shots at you.
	The Speedboat		Firstly, it is important to know how to get out of the boat. Press the jump key and either left or right to exit the boat on that respective side. Lara will take a little jump to get out of a boat, so it's usually a good idea to maneuver the boat near a dock for her to land on. Maneuvering the speedboat will take some practice. Pressing the up arrow will accelerate the boat forward, and pressing the left or right arrow keys will cause the boat to move forward and turn in the respective direction. It is important to note that the boat does not spin in place when you press the left or right arrow keys, but rather the boat does move forward in the respective direction, making a small circle. Pressing the down arrow key will first brake the boat's forward motion, but after that it will slowly reverse the direction of the boat, and pressing the down arrow in conjunction with left or right arrow keys will cause the boat to slowly back up in that direction. The turn radius of the boat in reverse is much smaller than when moving forward. Without applying the reverse to slow the boat down when traveling, it will continue to drift forward a distance after the forward key is released. If you press and hold the action key in conjunction with the up arrow key (and you can also add the left or right arrow key to this combination too) Lara will increase the throttle and the speedboat will go much faster, allowing Lara to zip along or even jump over obstacles in the water. Be careful when bumping into things at high speed, because you can inflict serious damage to Lara.
	The Snowmobile		The first thing to know is that mounting the snowmobile is as easy as pressing the action key. As with the speed boat, to dismount the snowmobile, simply press jump and the left or right arrow key, and Lara will dismount the snowmobile on the respective side. Learning to maneuver the snowmobile will also take a significant amount of practice. The controls for the snowmobile are identical to that of the speedboat, but the two vehicles behave somewhat differently, as you will notice. The up and down arrows move the snowmobile forward and back, while the left and right keys turn the snowmobile left or right, respectively, while also moving it forward slowly. The left or right arrow keys in conjunction with the down arrow will cause the snowmobile to move backward and turn in the respective direction. When precision steering is necessary, hold down the walk key to steer the snowmobile more slowly. Snowmobiles have an important advantage over walking or running, they can climb surfaces that are too slippery or too steep to walk on, if you angle the snowmobile slightly up the slope while traveling across it. There are two different models of snowmobiles that you will come across in your travels. It is possible to achieve very high speeds on the red snowmobile, for the purpose of gaining momentum to jump off a ramp for instance, by pressing the action key while pressing the forward key. The left or right arrow keys can also be added to this key combination, to steer while engaging the "turbo boost", but trying to steer around while turbo boosting is discouraged, because it's very easy to lose control of the vehicle. Be aware that if Lara collides with solid objects while traveling at high speeds, she can inflict damage on herself, or even wreck the snowmobile and killing herself in the explosion. Conversely, Lara can also run down pedestrian enemies and kill them using the snowmobile. Even with the turbo boost, sometimes, it is necessary to get a running start in order to successfully perform a really long jump. The black snowmobile, however, is equipped quite differently from the red one. This much heavier vehicle cannot attain the speeds that the red snowmobile can, and thus it cannot make many of the long jumps that the red snowmobile can make. In lieu of speed, this unit is armed with a pair of high-power automatic machine guns. In this model the action key will activate the machine guns rather than the turbo boost. A significant part of the weight must be ammunition, because you will find that it has unlimited ammunition.