Tomb Raider 2: Dagger of Xian Walkthrough & Game Guide

Level 13: Catacombs of the Talion

Proceed ahead cautiously and drop to the either left or right of the stairs to avoid the stalactites above. Go through the opening at the other side to reach the next cave.

1st Secret – Notice the crevice on the left hand side. Grab it and shimmy to the right until you can pull up. Drop down at the other side and pick up the Silver Dragon and the Flares. Climb on the wall, drop backwards to grab the edge and shimmy to the left to return back.

Cave with yeti - You have probably heard of something roaring below. It is a yeti and is waiting for you. As it can take a lot of your health, you need to find a safe spot in order to kill it. Avoid shooting from above, because Lara cannot aim at it easily and it will take ages. There is a safe ledge down there and is exactly opposite the ladder. First, light a Flare to see clearly. Take a standing jump to grab the ladder and climb down. When the yeti comes beneath you, press Jump and Roll at the same time to jump over it and twist in midair. Take a standing jump to land on the safe ledge (or grab it if necessary and pull up).

The yeti will come beneath the safe ledge, so walk to the front right corner of the ledge (as you face the ladder - see this screenshot), draw your weapons and kill it. The range is so close and even with the Pistols you will finish it quickly. Sometimes however the yeti tends to stick to the wall below where you are standing, and remain there banging the wall with its fists. Lara may be able to aim it from time to time, but it is a real pain and it seems to take forever. So if this happens, jump down and immediately back-flip to land on the ledge again. The yeti should go away from the wall and you should be able to shoot it now. If however it sticks to the wall again, you will have to repeat the "jump down/ back-flip" routine at least once, depending on the weapon you choose.

Drop down and use the switch next to the bars to open a wooden door above. The camera shows the door from the other side and it also shows an anxious leopard. Climb up the ladder and dismount on the right. Opposite the ramp, you can see a wide opening. The leopard may have already reached the place, but if you shoot it from here, it will leave. Do it to get rid of it for now and slide down the snowy ramp. Jump at the edge to grab the opening and pull up. Or, slide down backwards, grab the edge, pull up and and press Jump to back-flip into the opening. Be careful of the stalactites on the left. Drop to the side of the steps and kill the leopard if you have not done so.

Area with pool and cage – Go through the door you opened and start heading down the stairs. When you reach the third flight of stairs, two thugs emerge from the door you came from. Take care of them and pick up their Large Medi Pack, Automatic Pistol Clips and two sets of Uzi Clips (or a pair of Uzis instead of one of the Clips if you do not have them).

(Note – If you already have the Uzis or you are not interested in getting all pick-ups, you can avoid altogether those two thugs. They are triggered when you pass or jump over the first three steps of the third flight of stairs. If you drop onto the fourth step, they will not show up. See this screenshot to get oriented.)

Notice the ledge on the left beneath the cage. It ends to a snowy ramp with snowballs at the top. This ledge will become a "safe" one in a while. Cross the area to the other side past the pool, and immediately turn around and run\ jump towards the stairs because two leopards attack. Jump on the "safe" ledge and kill them from there. Go up the snowy ramp to trigger the snowballs and quickly side-jump into the pool. Or, having the snowballs to your back, jump backwards to trigger them and take a standing jump to land on the ledge with the cage. You need to make the snowballs roll down, because they cover a switch you need to use.

Drop back down and go through the opening at the far right to reach a small room with a barred window. If you take a look below, you will see a huge area full of ice. This is the end of the next level. Pick up the Small Medi Pack and return back to the area with the pool. When you exit through the opening, turn right and climb up the rocks from the backside (as shown here). Take a running jump to the snowy ledge and cross it around to the right. Start running on the decrepit tiles and jump before reaching the end to grab the ladder. Climb up a bit and back-flip onto the ledge behind. Turn around, jump over the slide and use the switch to raise the cage. Slide down the snowy ramp and jump to land on the ledge with the cage (or grab it and pull up). Pick up the Tibetan Mask. When you do that, the trapdoor in the pool opens and the water flows below, draining the pool.

[Note - If you did not make the snowballs roll down before, they cover the switch. In that case, go back to the bottom of the slide, trigger the snowballs and return here. Or, stand against the wall having the slide on your left and side-jump next to the balls and switch (as shown here). You may need to side-step a bit to the left in order to position Lara almost in front of the switch. It may be impossible to jump over the snowballs, so make your way back the same way you came.]

Carefully make your way to the ground and drop into the pit, then through the trapdoor. Proceed carefully, because there is a spiked pit beyond. Jump over it and use the Tibetan Mask to open the gate at the end of the passage.

Area with wooden bridge above – Before going through the gate, notice the snowballs at the top of the ramp. They are five of them and they start rolling as soon as you pass through the gate. You can either go up the ramp and jump to the right in order to avoid them, or turn around and jump back over the pit. If you do the first one, make a U turn and jump on the block next to the entrance because four leopards attack. Kill them from there. If you do the second one, only three snowballs will roll, so be careful as you exit. Again, jump on either block next to the entrance and kill the leopards.

There are several closed doors around, so go up the ramp where the snowballs rolled from and vault on the first block to the left. Take a standing jump to grab the wide opening and pull up (as shown in this screenshot ). Drop to the (safe) block below, then to the ground. As you approach the next area with the frozen pool, two leopards attack. Immediately roll and run\ jump onto the safe block you came from and kill them. Two more leopards will come from behind you as soon as you enter the area with the frozen pool. You can jump to the same safe block and kill them from there, but until you reach it, they may have taken a lot of your health. To kill them without injury, try this: notice the rocks to the right of the entrance that leads to the area with the frozen pool. Line Lara to those rocks, having the entrance diagonally to your left. Side-jump to the left to enter the area with the frozen pool in order to trigger the leopards, and quickly side-jump to the right, then jump forwards and onto the rocks (see this screenshot in order to get oriented). Kill them from there.

Two more leopards (!!) attack when you enter the cave on the right. To kill them without losing health, enter the cave hopping backwards and quickly run to the left and jump to the safe block you came from. Take care of them. Enter the cave from where the last pair of leopards attacked and climb up the rocks to the left. Drop into the water and get the Tibetan Mask. If you take a look through the barred window, you will see something shiny. This is a Gong Hammer and you will not get it until the next level. Climb out of the water and then climb on the rocks. Two thugs are waiting for you now, so take care of them from above. If at some point they run away, you may need to hang from the edge of the block or/ and jump down, lure them back and climb up the block again to finish them off. Drop down and pick up their Small Medi Pack, Uzi Clips and two sets of Automatic Pistol Clips. Make your way back to the area with the wooden bridge the same way you came.

Go to the right of the ramp and around the corner. Climb up the ladder at the end of the passage and dismount on the ledge. Pick up the two pairs of Grenades and make your way down to the ground. Place the Tibetan Mask to open the door.

Dark room with yetis and cages – Drop to the platform below. What you hear are four yetis locked in the cages below. For now you are safe, so light a Flare to see clearly and go to the left, ignoring the steps that lead down to the cages. There are four closed gates that open by using the switch next to the burner, after jumping over the first two gaps. This switch also ignites the three burners here, raises platforms in the gaps and releases the four yetis, so you need to move quickly. As soon as you use the switch, side-jump to the left twice, roll and run\ jump to the exit. The yetis will follow you by going up the steps. Draw weapons and kill them as they come. Bear in mind that if you are late, the yetis WILL climb to the entrance, so be careful. One of them may stay in the cage beneath the entrance, so you need to go down and lure it outside. Once they are dead, pick up the two Large Medi Packs, two Uzi Clips and two pairs of Grenades from inside the cages.

Return to the four gates you opened before. You may have noticed the switch inside the room. It opens a door back in the area with the frozen pool, but also closes the four gates of the room you are currently in, locking you inside. To block the gates, locate the movable block in the corner, just to the right of the gates (as you face them). Push\ pull it into one of the doorways to position it on the grating floor. Enter the room from the first doorway (the left hand one as you face them), picking up the Grenades on your way (or the Grenade Launcher if you do not have it). Now use the switch to open the door in the area with the frozen pool, but block the closure of the gates at the same time. That way you can exit.

Outside again – Head to the exit and be alerted for the three thugs that are now waiting for you outside. Two of them are patrolling just outside the doorway and if you do not want to lose a lot of health, you need to kill them from inside. Pull into the doorway to alert them, draw weapons and shoot them whilst dropping backwards and into the room again. You need to stand against the doorway though, so their shots will not get you. Once they are dead, climb outside and pick up their two Shotgun Shells and two sets Automatic Pistol Clips (or a pair of Automatic Pistols instead of one of the Clips if you do not have them). If you have not alerted the third thug, he is lurking close to the ramp where the snowballs rolled before. Approach the area to attract his attention and run back to the dark room. He leaves some Uzi Clips and a Small Medi Pack.

Again, jump to the wide opening and go through the door you opened before. The snowballs start rolling when you reach the opening at the end of the first wooden bridge. When you do that, cut to the left and stand on the safe ledge. Continue up the second wooden bridge and take a running jump to grab the ladder on the right. Climb to the top and take a standing jump over the slide to enter the cave.

Cave with water - Approach the opening in the floor and jump into the water below. Quickly climb out of the water (there are several flat ledges around) and kill the three fishes. Swim to next cave, ignoring the flat ledge on the right, because there are falling stalactites.

2nd Secret – When you turn around to the left, search for a ladder on the right (as shown in this screenshot). There is a block beneath the ladder where you can climb out. Jump up to grab the ladder and start climbing up. When you see Lara's feet at the top of a rocky slope to the left, back-flip to land on the ledge behind. There is a slide that make it hard to land on even ground. If you drop on the slide, do not panic. Just jump and grab the ladder again. If you are having troubles with that, jump up to grab the ladder and Lara's feet should be at the very bottom. Make 14 'climbing up' movements and back-flip. Pick up the Jade Dragon, slide and jump to grab the ladder. Climb down and drop to the block below.

Swim to the third cave to reach a closed door. Climb on the block opposite the doors and take a running jump to grab the ladder. Climb up a bit and back-flip to the ledge behind. Use the switch to open the door below. Drop into the water and enter the room. A leopard appears when you step into the doorway (after the doors). So, turn with the entrance to your back, step backwards to trigger it and run to grab the block in the water opposite the doors. Pull up and kill it from there.

Use the switch in the room to open the doors at the top of the ramp, back where the red wooden bridge is. Exit the room from the other side and walk on the right ledge from where the pot is hanging. Beyond you can see an opening with a flat ledge in front and a slope below. Take a running jump to the slope and slide to the ground. Return to the area with the red wooden bridge through the wide opening.

Area with ramps, snowballs and pit – Go up the ramp and through the doors you just opened. Three leopards are lurking into the pit below, so take a running jump over the pit to alert them. The snowballs will not roll as long as you do not jump on the slides. Kill the leopards from above. It is quite difficult to aim at them from here, so you need to make them move. To do so, take a standing jump back to the entrance and a running jump back to the ledge with the snowballs. The leopards will start moving around and Lara can aim at them. Do this a few times and they will be dead. Drop into the pit and pick up the Large Medi Pack, Grenades and three sets of M-16 Clips. Use the switch to open the exit doors and alert another leopard. Take care of it, exit and go up the ramp. Jump over the pit.

The deal is to break the icy wall on the right hand side. You cannot do that, but the left snowballs can. So, bother only with those and not with the ones ahead. Stand in front of the slide facing the icy wall. Jump backwards to land on the slide and trigger the snowballs. Keep pressing the Jump button (do not slide at all) and run towards the icy wall, turning left before reaching it. Jump over the gap to land on the slope, pressing Action to grab the edge. Pull up and back-flip onto the ledge. The icy wall, which is now broken, should be on your right (see this screenshot to see how you can do it).

[Note – If for some reason you cannot do that and the snowballs keep killing you, you can cheat a bit and pass through the icy wall. Stand in the left corner of it. Lara's right shoulder should touch the icy wall and her left shoulder the wall on the left (as shown here). Now press forward and Lara will start running in the corner (without going anywhere of course). Keep pressing forward and the Jump button at the same time. Lara will eventually pass through the corner of the icy wall.]

Area with spikes and timed doors – There are two ladder tiles on the floor. They are involved with two timed doors, but for now let's go for a Secret.

3rd Secret – Step on the second tile on the left to open the nearby door. This is timed, but you have enough of it to climb through. When you enter the next room, take a look at the left hand wall. There is a part in the corner that differs from the rest and it is climbable (see this screenshot to get oriented). Climb up and dismount on the ledge to the left. Pick up the Gold Dragon (plus two pairs of Grenades and two sets of M-16 Clips as a reward for finding all the Secrets). Carefully drop down. Walk through the spikes and approach the other door (on the same side of the one you came through) that opens automatically. Do NOT drop on the tile in front the door or it will close (you need it open). Instead, take a standing jump to land next to the snowballs.

You should not have missed the third door in the previous room. This opens by stepping on the first tile, next to the broken icy wall. Stand at the back of the tile facing the door you came (which should be open now). Take a standing jump over the snowballs and keep pressing forward and the Jump button to land in the doorway (jumping at the same time over the tile that closes the door). Run straight to pass the door before it closes, but be careful not to fall down (it is a long drop). Either jump to grab the ladder or stand at the edge of the opening.

[Note - If the doors are closed or you prefer the tricky way, here is what you need to do: Step on the first tile to open the door in the next room and run diagonally to the left to pass over the second tile. This opens the nearby door, so keep running and jump into the doorway. Run diagonally to the right jumping over the spikes. The first door you just passed should be closing by now and may prevent you from seeing clearly, so you may need to perform a "blind" jump. Quickly pass through the second door.]

Take a standing jump to grab the ladder and climb to the bottom. Follow the passage to end the level.

 

     
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We would like to thank Nicky for her help. Many parts of this walkthrough would not have been written without her participation.
Last update:
17 September 2007: Text has been proofed and screenshots have been added.

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