SAVING, CHECKPOINTS & TECH SUPPORT: This game incorporates autosave checkpoints. If you only rely on one save slot, you may run into trouble if you get stuck, encounter a bug, or if your autosave becomes corrupted. To avoid problems, I highly recommend changing your save slot in the pause menu at least once per level. If you encounter a bug that can't be fixed by restarting the game, reloading a different save, restoring a backup save in the Xbox version, or rebuilding the game cache in the PC version, I encourage you to visit the Official Rise of the Tomb Raider Support Forum and or put in a support request with Square Enix. I also have PC save files for download.
AREA 6: ABANDONED MINES
Updated: 5/28/17(†)
Camps: Pantheon Corridor
Weapons/Gear: Combat Knife, Crafting Tool, Bolt Action Rifle Component (2/4)
Relics: 1 Documents: 5 Murals: 1 Coin Caches: 3 Survival Caches: 3 Strongboxes: 2
Monoliths: 1 Archivist Maps: 1 Explorer Satchels: 1
Challenge Tombs/Codices: none Crypts: none Challenges: none Missions: none
Area Maps: Abandoned Mines
NOTE: All document, relic, and strongbox locations are fixed and numbered on the level map; however, the exact items may vary depending on the order in which you find them.
For subsequent visits, check out the section below on Revisiting This Area Later in the Game and the separate Abandoned Mines Collectibles Guide.
OBJECTIVE: Find a Way Through the Mountain
OLD MINING TUNNEL: As you follow Jacob through the tunnel, voices from somewhere ahead indicate that Trinity's forces have arrived ahead of you. Just after you climb through the raised opening a rockfall separates Lara from Jacob. At this point, you'll need to move quickly to escape the collapsing tunnel. Run forward, following the only path open to you. There's no trick to this. Just keep moving. When you reach a pair of tunnels and falling rocks block the one to the left, veer to the right and you'll soon reach a safe spot. Continue forward and climb over the low wall into the cave beyond.
CAVE WITH BROKEN ELEVATOR: There are 3 Trinity soldiers here: one standing on the ledge above on the left and two more on the ground. Quietly move forward to the crates on the left so they don't notice you. (screenshot) You could then try to use distraction to draw one of them away and kill them one at a time, but these guys are not too hard to fight. If you take out the men on the ground first (using the Double Shot Skill if you've unlocked it), you can then kill of the one on the ledge. If he notices you, he'll start throwing grenades, but he won't jump down. So just move from left to right, from cover to cover, and shoot at him until he falls.
Search the bodies and pick up rifle ammo near the boxes on the right, magnesite, mushrooms, and a survival cache (1/3) buried near the left (north) wall. (screenshot)
To get out of here, you'll need to bring down the broken elevator. Start by using the green-lit console next to the elevator shaft. This drops the elevator a few feet but not far enough to reach. Push the movable cart toward the ledge on the north wall. Now you can climb up there and get a new piece of kit: the COMBAT KNIFE. (screenshots)
Stand near the rope-wrapped post and press Melee (Y/F/Triangle) to cut the rope, clearing the way so you can jump across to the next ledge. Cut the 2 vertical ropes to drop the elevator to the bottom of the shaft. Jump down, climb on top of the elevator, and jump over to the ice wall. Climb to the top. Then jump to the left to grab one of the wooden slats on the outside of the elevator shaft. Climb around the corner to the left, upward, then around the next corner. Climb then jump to the left to grab the ledge. Pull up into a wide passageway. (screenshots)
TUNNEL LEADING INTO THE RUINS: Read the document (1/5) sitting on the crates for XP and Russian proficiency. It is Noble Efforts from the Soviet Power series. (screenshot) Follow the tunnel to a wide corridor lined with long-dead bodies, crumbling statues, and other rubble. Gather some mushrooms, pick up a stack of Byzantine coins, and examine another document (2/5), Missing Men from the Soviet Power series, lying on the ground (also XP and Russian). (screenshot)
Advance carefully. If you unlocked the Bright Eyes Skill by completing the Red Mines Challenge Tomb, the crumbling floor ahead will glow red, warning of the spike pit below. Jump over this trap to avoid being skewered. (screenshot)
Climb the stairs to the Pantheon Corridor Base Camp. On the wall to the right of the campfire is a mural (1/1), The Prophet's Arrival from the Byzantine Inscriptions series (Greek). (screenshot) There's no fast-travel option from this camp—after all you're trapped in an old mine—but you can rest here and make upgrades. If you have a skill point to spend and don't already have the Brawler skills Thick Skinned, Iron Hide, or Heart of Stone, these are good choices now that combat is starting to get tougher. Fast Healer and Field Medic, which allow you to bandage wounds more quickly, will also come in handy. Resting here also unlocks a document from the Camp Journals II set called Lost.
Continue upstairs to an open area with a view of the ruins. Lara spies some Trinity soldiers attempting to force open an ancient door, and your goal is updated.
OBJECTIVE: Break Through the Door
COMBAT IN THE RUINED CHANCEL WITH SHALLOW POOLS: Move stealthily into the room on the left and take cover behind the nearest low wall. There are 6 enemies ahead, but if you're patient, you can take them out one or two at a time. As you crouch below the glass jar sitting on the wall, a pop-up explains how to craft SMOKE GRENADES. Grab the jar and hold RB/Middle Mouse/R1 to combine it with cloth from your inventory. Aim in the vicinity of the first enemy and throw the grenade just like other projectiles. Smoke grenades don't kill, but they do a great job incapacitating enemies so you can finish them off with an arrow or stealth attack. (screenshots)
If none of the other enemies notice this—and they didn't when I tried it—move forward, wait for the smoke to clear, and then target the second man standing near the far wall with his back toward Lara. He's wearing a helmet, so a bow headshot won't work, but you can shoot him once with a charged shot and then follow up with another arrow or two, killing him before he can alert his buddies. (Or use a gun equipped with a suppressor.) When he's dead, move around to the small hole in the crumbling wall between you other men outside. Aim through this hole and use a poison arrow to take out the helmeted enemy near the anti-aircraft gun. (screenshots)
Now move around to the wide doorway leading outside. There are other low walls here where you can hide and craft molotov cocktails (and/or exploding gas cans if you've unlocked the Incendiary Bombs skill). There's one enemy directly ahead, and 2 more men come out of the alcove on the left to see what happened to the guy manning the big gun. Try to throw a firebomb while they're still clustered together. You can kill two or possibly all three this way. Quickly finish off any survivors, who are now fully aware of your presence. (screenshots)
If you screw up your stealth tactics—or just prefer a more exciting fight—there are plenty of low walls in this area that you can use for cover. You'll also find bottles, jars, and cans for crafting projectiles, plus ammo, salvage, and various other supplies scattered about. There's no need to avoid the square pools. They are shallow enough to run through, so not hazardous except for being out in the open.
After the fight, loot the bodies and pick up supplies. There's also a document (3/5), Resistance from the Soviet Power series, on the table near the curved wall of the chancel. (screenshot) A strongbox (1/2) located in the alcove where the last two enemies came from contains a CRAFTING TOOL that unlocks a new tier of weapon upgrades. (screenshot) Another document (4/5), Radio Silence from the Soviet Power series, is sitting on a crate near the anti-aircraft gun. (screenshot)
NOTE: There are four tiers of weapon upgrades. The first is available at the start of the game. The other tiers are unlocked when you obtain each of three tools: the CRAFTING TOOL, the ENHANCEMENT TOOL, and the REFINEMENT TOOL. You'll find two in strongboxes and buy the third from the SUPPLY SHACK. So if you've already purchased the CRAFTING TOOL, the one you find here will be the ENHANCEMENT TOOL.
CROSSING THE CANYON THE FIRST TIME: Cross the canyon using the cable stretching from the anti-aircraft gun to the massive doors. Pick mushrooms growing in two places along the left side of this ledge. Then move to the right side and slide down the cable to the precariously balanced truck. press Interact for a saving grab. Then quickly climb around to the left and pull up onto the solid ledge. If you go too slowly, the truck falls into the canyon taking Lara with it. (screenshots)
Move up the slope and push the small cart filled with rocks off the edge. Stand near the winch and fire a rope arrow into the second cart. Lara automatically anchors the line to the winch. Use your axe to turn the crank, pulling the cart up the slope as far as it will go. Then cut the rope line to send the cart rolling back down the slope toward the truck. As the cart and truck slide over the edge, the ledge tilts and crumbles beneath you, but Lara should automatically grab the edge. Pull up onto the ledge and move up the slope. (screenshots)
During the mayhem, the second truck that was parked at the top of the slope also slid off the edge, so you can now enter the area behind the wall of ice. Climb onto the wooden ledge and raid the basket of herbs. Then use the rope line to cross the canyon once more and re-enter the ruins on an upper level. (screenshots)
COMBAT IN LARGE ROOM WITH CHANDELIERS: Follow the curving walkway. Drop down, pick more mushrooms, and craft as many poison arrows as you can. Before jumping down into the next room, scope out the layout. As soon as you hit the floor, 3 Trinity soldiers notice Lara and attack from the northeast end of the room. As far as I know, there is no way to sneak up on them. They each exhibit different behaviors: One shoots from cover, one throws grenades, and one pulls a knife and runs straight at Lara. (screenshots)
Start by moving forward to crouch behind the low wall and adjacent column. There's rifle ammo here and, if you have the Incendiary Bombs skill, a red gas can off to the right. Grab the gas can and hold RB/Middle Mouse/R1 to craft a petrol bomb while moving back under cover. Then use the rope line to cross the canyon once more and re-enter the ruins on an upper level. (screenshots)
If the knife-wielding guy survives the explosion and charges toward Lara, shoot him as he approaches. If he gets too close, use the dodge maneuver you practiced back in the COPPER MILL: Hold LT/Right Mouse/L2 to keep a weapon pointed at him. Then, as he lunges toward you, press B/C/Circle to dodge. If you have unlocked the Dodge Counter skill, a successful dodge triggers a brief QTE. A large, circular icon appears on screen. Wait for the thin gray circle to contract all the way into button icon in the center of the circle. Then press Melee (Y/F/Triangle) to temporarily disable the enemy. Quickly move in and press Melee again to attack. With the basic Dodge Counter, you must then tap Interact in time with the prompts to choke the enemy with your bow. After you've unlocked Dodge Kill, the second-tier version of this skill, you'll only have to press Melee once to perform a melee kill on an unarmored enemy. Later, the Dodge Kill Mastery skill will let you kill heavily armored foes this way. (screenshots)
While you fight the first 3 men, 2 more enemies come through the doorway to the northeast. One uses cover and shoots with a rifle. The other charges at you with a knife. Try to shoot him before he gets to you. Then finish off any survivors. (screenshots)
Once you've taken care of the first group, 4 more soldiers drop in from above. They detonate smoke bombs of their own, making it harder to target them as they approach. Your reticle will still turn red if you have a live target, so pay attention and shoot when you see red. If you use a poison arrow, you may be able to take out more than one enemy at a time. (screenshots)
Alternatively, shoot the wooden block holding up either of the massive chandeliers to drop it on anyone standing below. This is less reliable but much more stylish! Even if you don't manage to crush anybody, dropping the chandeliers destroys some of the barriers the enemies can otherwise use for cover. (screenshot)
Similarly, the low wall where you start this fight may not make it through to the end. If you don't immediately kill the grenadiers, their explosives will destroy this wall, forcing you to take cover elsewhere. There are many columns you can hide behind, so keep moving and don't let the bad guys corner you. (screenshot)
After the fight is over, search all the bodies and pick up ammo and supplies. There's also a small pile of coins in one corner and a survival cache (2/3) buried in the corner diagonally opposite. Just outside the doorway to the northeast is a container with cloth and another Byzantine coin, and a monolith (1/1). It's written in Greek but if you've been studying hard, you should be able to read it. Doing so reveals 3 coin caches on your map. The nearest coin cache (1/3) is buried by the curved wall on the southwest side of this room. (screenshots)
The exit is in the corner to the left of the open doorway. Slide down the slope, jump over the spike pit, and latch onto the ice wall with your axes. Then climb into the passageway above. (screenshot) If you missed anything in the ROOM WITH THE CHANDELIERS, you can turn around at the top of the ice wall and use the horizontal poles to swing back across. (screenshot) Then slide, jump, and climb back up again.
DARK TUNNELS WITH SPIKE PITS: After climbing the wall of ice, follow the dark passageway down a short flight of stairs. Turn left to find some mushrooms and a relic (1/1), A Father's Sword from The Athanatoi set (Greek). (screenshots)
NOTE: If you're not familiar with the Athanatoi, this Wikipedia article should prove enlightening.
Turn around and continue past the stairs you just came down, to the edge of a large spike pit. Jump across the stone pillars to the L-shaped ledge on the far right. Gather more mushrooms and dig up a coin cache (2/3) buried near the corner of the L-shaped ledge. Take the arrows if you need them, and then carefully jump over the concealed spike pit. In the alcove ahead is a pile of coins and an Explorer Satchel (1/1), which reveals the locations of any survival caches and strongboxes you have not yet found. (screenshots)
NOTE: If you check the map while exploring this area, you'll see the base camp icon nearby. It's actually above your current location. You'll have a chance to revisit it soon.
Turn around, jump back across the spike pit—do not attempt to walk along either edge of the pit or Lara will fall in—and return to the left. Use a rope arrow to pull down the barrier in the arched doorway and go through. Just ahead on the left side of the passageway is a ledge. Climb up to find herbs, salvage, and a document (5/5), Broken Tracks from the Soviet Power series (Russian). (screenshots)
Drop down and continue to the left (northeast) toward the red light. Jump over another concealed spike pit and get some cloth from a container in a dead-end alcove. Turn around and jump to latch onto the wall of ice above and to the left of the spike pit. Climb up to emerge in the RUINED CHANCEL WITH THE SHALLOW POOLS where you fought the first Trinity squad earlier. (screenshots)
SECOND FIGHT IN THE RUINED CHANCEL WITH SHALLOW POOLS: When you return to this area, 3 more soldiers have staked it out—one with a rifle, one with a shield and baton, and one throwing grenades from the ledge above the newly strung rope ladder. There are many places you can take cover and many objects you can craft and throw. Here's one strategy that worked for me: As soon as you emerge from the hole, run to the left toward the curved wall at the back of the room. Hide behind the low stone wall and shoot the guy with the rifle first. The man on the ledge can't see you here, and it will take a few moments for the one with the shield to lumber toward you. (screenshots)
Once the rifleman is dead, turn your attention to the man with the shield as he approaches along the right side of the shallow pool. Either hit him with a molotov; toss a smoke grenade and then, while he's choking, move around to the left and shoot him with a poison arrow; or wait for him to get close and use the dodge maneuver. Target him with any weapon. Then, when he swings at you with his club, press B/C/Circle to dodge out of the way. He'll lose his balance briefly, leaving him vulnerable to attack. If you have the Dodge Counter skill, this triggers a QTE. A large, circular icon appears on screen. Wait for the thin gray circle to contract all the way into button icon in the center of the circle. Then press Melee (Y/F/Triangle) to stab the bad guy with an arrow, destroying some of his armor. If you don't yet have this skill, there will be no button prompt. Instead just shoot him in the back or or hit him with your axe while he's open. Due to his heavy armor, it will take a few successful dodges to bring him down. If necessary, move past him so he doesn't block you into a corner. Then turn to face him and repeat the dodge maneuver until he goes down and you see the Melee prompt above his head. Move in close, so the skull icon turns from red to white, and press Melee to attack. Tap Interact at the next prompt to finish him with a bow choke. (screenshots)
The last enemy is on the ledge above the rope ladder to the northeast. Move around to the opposite side of the room, near the hole where you climbed out of the tunnels, to get a clear shot. Target him or shoot the red fuel barrel next to him to cause an explosion. If he throws a grenade before you can kill him, move out of the way and try again. Once he falls, it's over. (screenshots)
Before moving on, make a few more pickups in this area. If you deciphered the mural earlier, you'll find the last coin cache (3/3) buried just around the corner to the south. (screenshot) Climb the ladder to the ledge where the last enemy was standing to locate the final survival cache (3/3) and a locked strongbox (2/2) containing a BOLT ACTION RIFLE COMPONENT (2/4). (screenshot) You could follow the southern passageway back to the Pantheon Corridor Base Camp or just wait until you reach the next camp. There's no more combat in this level.
CROSSING THE CANYON AGAIN AND OPENING THE HUGE DOORS: Scramble up the wooden wall opposite the strongbox. At the top is an Archivist Map (1/1). This reveals document and mural (or possibly relic) locations, but if you followed this walkthrough you'll have already found them all. Jump across the gap, slide down the zip line, and grab onto the crane jutting out over the canyon. This causes the huge bucket at the top of the zip line to fall. Climb around to the right then up onto the crane arm. Now follow the crane arm down to the body of the machine. Turn left, jump across the gap onto the metal catwalk, and then head up the slope and around to the right. (screenshots)
Jump down off the ledge and head down the slope past the cart with the winch on it to find a box of supplies near the left wall. Now push the winch cart about halfway down the track so it's lined up with the falling water off to the right. Go around to the other side of the cart and fire a rope arrow into the bucket, attaching it to the winch. Now crank the winch until the bucket is directly beneath the falling water. If it doesn't line up exactly, adjust the position of the cart on the track until it does. The bucket fills with water, becoming heavier until it finally falls into the canyon, dragging the cart with it and breaking open the huge doors. (screenshots)
When you regain control after the cutscene, run up the ramp and jump to grab the crane. Pull up and run forward. Jump across the gap, continue to the end of the crane arm, and then jump down to the wide stone ledge below. In another brief cutscene, Lara almost falls but catches the edge and pulls up. Continue running forward toward the doorway as all hell breaks loose. As you approach the doorway, the floor ahead collapses. Jump across the gap to safety. (screenshots)
GIANT STATUE OF THE IMMORTAL PROPHET: In a more extensive cutscene, Lara examines the statue and the mosaic inlaid into the floor around it. This mosaic includes a reference to an atlas that she deduces might reveal the location of the Divine Source.
OBJECTIVE: Enter the Valley
Before leaving this room, pick up a stack of Byzantine coins at the base of the statue (screenshot) and crack open 2 salvage crates, one in each of the side alcoves. Proceed downstairs, turn left, and follow the wide hallway, jumping over a concealed spike pit as you go. (screenshot)
Beyond this trap, steps lead down to a flooded passageway. Wade into the water and then hold LT/Right Mouse/L2 to dive beneath the surface. Hold B/Shift/Circle to swim faster as you press forward on the left stick. About halfway along this tunnel there's an air pocket where you can surface to breathe and heal if necessary. Then dive again and continue forward. This part of the tunnel is a little longer but if you keep moving forward, holding or tapping B/Shift/Circle to swim faster, you can make it before Lara drowns. You then emerge on the northwest side of the GEOTHERMAL VALLEY. Even if you're playing on one of the harder difficulty settings, don't bother using bandages to heal, since Lara's health will be restored when you use the campsite just ahead.
REVISITING THE MINES LATER IN THE GAME
It's possible to get all the collectibles on the first pass, but if you missed any, you can return to the Pantheon Corridor Base Camp via fast travel. The separate ABANDONED MINES COLLECTIBLES GUIDE can also help locate any major items.
To get back to the CAVE WITH THE BROKEN ELEVATOR, follow the passageway north of the base camp. Jump over the spike pit. At the end of the corridor, turn left and continue along the tunnel to the cave with the elevator. (screenshots)
To get from the base camp to the RUINED CHANCEL WITH THE SHALLOW POOLS where you fought the two groups of Trinity soldiers earlier, head up the stairs to the south. Then go around the corner to the left. From there, you can return to the DARK TUNNELS by climbing down into the circular pit, which is marked on the annotated level map. To reach the ROOM WITH THE CHANDELIERS, go through the DARK TUNNELS to the southwest, jump across the pillars in the large spike pit, go up the stairs on the left, and then swing across the horizontal poles into the chandelier room. (screenshots)
To get back to the base camp from the ROOM WITH THE CHANDELIERS, slide down the slope in the northern corner of the room, jump at the end of the slope, and latch onto the ice wall with your axe. Then proceed through the DARK TUNNELS, following the same route as in the main walkthrough (above). Then climb the ice wall above the spike pit at the northeast end of the tunnels to emerge in the RUINED CHANCEL WITH SHALLOW POOLS through the same circular opening marked on the level map. (screenshots)
The area with the PROPHET'S STATUE on the far side of the chasm is no longer accessible, but there are no important items there. Once you have everything you need, return to the base camp and fast travel back to wherever you left off.
†UPDATE HISTORY: 12/26/15 - First draft of walkthrough posted online.
1/30/16 - Added PC keyboard controls and made a few minor tweaks.
2/17/16 - Attempted to clarify the section on the Dodge Counter maneuver and Dodge Kill skill tree.
5/1/16 - Added the Quick Collectibles Guide plus additional details and screenshots for the section on revisiting this level later in the game. Made a few other minor changes in the process, including the addition of the supply box near the winch cart toward the end of the level. Thanks to Robin W. for the heads-up.
10/11/16 - Added PS4 controls.
5/28/17 - Revised the order of the strongboxes in the Soviet Installation, which consequently changed the item found in the strongbox in this level.
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