ENDURANCE MODE DLC: GUIDE TO CHALLENGES AND ACHIEVEMENTS/TROPHIES
Updated: 4/17/21(†)
Special thanks to John T. for contributing this walkthrough. Visit his site, The JHN Files, for news and opinion pieces, videos, and reviews, including this blog post, "Rise of the Tomb Raider's Endurance Mode Is a Lot More Fun Than I Thought," which inspired me to ask for his help with this.
A downloadable expansion to Rise of the Tomb Raider, available either as part of the Season Pass, or as an individual add-on, Endurance Mode sees Lara become stranded in the subarctic Siberian wilderness after the snowcat in which she was travelling suffers an unfortunate breakdown.
Armed only with her trusty climbing axe, the most basic of bows, and a severe case of amnesia which has caused her to forget almost everything she learned in the single-player campaign—video-game logic, eh?—Lara sets out on foot in search of various artefacts scattered throughout the wilderness. Freezing temperatures and the possibility of starvation are ever-present threats, but there are other obstacles in Lara's path, too: Trinity agents and Deathless Ones walk amongst the trees of a forest crawling with the often dangerous animals that call it home. Lara must face all this and more as she searches for what she came for, before calling for extraction to get the hell out of there. If, of course, she manages to survive that long....
Endurance Mode's forest is procedurally generated—no two outings will ever be quite the same, and there is no in-game map for reference. There are, however, a number of constants to be found amongst all that procedural generation. And so my goal with this guide is to provide enough information about those constants, along with a few tips, to enable you to overcome them, no matter how and when they're presented to you.
Co-op play for Endurance Mode was added along with the release of the 20 Year Celebration edition of the game. It is covered in detail below.
Endurance Mode is accessible from the Expeditions menu, found on the game's main menu. After selecting Endurance as the game's Mode, you can either choose to play a Tutorial, or jump straight into the Siberian Wilderness. Currently, the Siberian Wilderness is the only map available for Endurance.
Once you've made your choice, you can set your desired difficulty level. As in the main game, there are four to choose from, but it's worth bearing in mind that difficulty affects the points you earn for defeating enemies.
ADVENTURER will earn you 0.5x points per kill.
TOMB RAIDER will earn you 1x points per kill.
SEASONED RAIDER will earn you 2x points per kill.
SURVIVOR will earn you 3x points per kill.
No matter your progress in the main campaign, Lara will—by default—set out stripped of most of her Skills, Weapons and Equipment, all of which can be regained over the course of an expedition by unlocking them at base camps. It's important to note that progress does not carry over between expeditions, and you cannot save your game during an expedition to return to it later. Each expedition must be completed in a single sitting, and every time you set out, you'll have to start from scratch.
NOTE: It's worth mentioning that all of the following is based on setting out without using Cards to alter Endurance Mode's gameplay. Used correctly, Cards can, in fact, bypass most of the above. For example, various Outfit Cards can unlock some of Lara's Skills, with Master-class Outfit Cards unlocking every Skill from every tree. Furthermore, the plethora of Weapons Cards available can greatly improve Lara's starting arsenal. Bear in mind, however, that any card that makes things easier for the player will negatively affect the overall score of an expedition. For more on this, see the Cards section of this guide.
SKILLS
Though you can upgrade Lara's Skills in any order you wish, it's a good idea to do so strategically in the early stages of your expedition. Three Survivor Skills are unlocked by default: Hollow Point Bullets, Dragon Fire Shells, and Eye for Detail. Given that Endurance is all about survival, however, you can benefit greatly from tending to the Hunter and Survivor skill trees first, particularly the following Skills:
EQUIPMENT
Unlike her Skills, Lara will start out with a decent amount of Equipment already unlocked. The Rope, the Combat Knife, the Wire Spool, Small Oil Flask, Crafting, Enhancement and Refinement Tools are all available by default. As with Skills, though, it's a good idea to approach the unlocking of the rest strategically. Two pieces of equipment in particular should be at the top of your list:
The more you can carry, the better, and both these pieces of Equipment let you do just that.
WEAPONS
By default, Lara will start out without most of her Weapons, which, though very convenient from a gameplay perspective, is a little bit odd. If there's one thing Lara ought to have learned by now, it's that she should carry a small arsenal wherever she goes. Still, Lara finds herself stranded in the wilderness with only a Recurve Bow, Vintage Climbing Axe, and the Combat Knife.
Further Weapons, however, can be scavenged from the corpses of enemies, and then upgraded at base camps using various resources. (Cloth, Hide, Hardwood, Boar Fat, Deer Antlers, Salvage, Technical Parts, and Chromite Ore all contribute to weapon upgrades.)
Before jumping into Endurance Mode proper, you can play a very brief Tutorial that will show you the ropes.
Neither Challenges or Cards can be set prior to starting the Tutorial, and, unlike true Endurance, which features a short cutscene, you are dropped into the forest without preamble. A series of brief pop-ups will teach you the basics as you set out. Search for Crypts and Ruins in the forest, find Artefacts, don't let Lara starve, and keep her warm. Nothing extensive.
A short distance ahead of where Lara starts, you will find a Crypt, guarded by 2 enemies. It's the only Crypt in the Tutorial, and though, at first glance, it appears similar to them, this Crypt is not at all representative of those you will find outside the Tutorial. After the standard base camp, it consists of a spike pit trap, a short tunnel, and a single Artefact. Once this Artefact is collected, you will be prompted to light a Signal Fire and make your escape from the wilderness.
And that's that.
Each Endurance expedition kicks off with a short cutscene in which Lara determines that her snowcat is well and truly out of commission. Ignoring her team's advice to head somewhere safe and await rescue, she resolves to set out of foot to find various Artefacts before Trinity can get their hands on them.
First things first. Unless, of course, you're going for the A Little Late Challenge (below), you'll want to hop onto the back of the snowcat and pry open the strongbox there. It contains a decent amount of resources to get you started. Numbers of each will vary, but these resources will usually consist of Arrows, Cloth, Hardwood, Oil, and Ammunition.
Once you've done that, pick a direction and set out. Though you may not think it necessary so early, it's a good idea to collect every resource you see. (They'll light up with a golden glow when using Survival Instinct). This gets you into the habit of doing so, and will serve you well as the days pass.
NOTE: A 'day' in Endurance Mode is split into two sections: Day and night. Both last somewhere in the region of five minutes—sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less—with the day always being a little longer than the night. Unfortunately, there is no way to be more specific as to how long each lasts. It varies from day to day, and night to night.
HUNGER
In the top-left corner of the screen, represented by a circle with a fork and knife icon, is the Hunger meter. Unless Lara eats regularly—really, really regularly. You have to wonder where she puts it all!—this meter will decrease over time, turning from green, to yellow, to red, before flashing, indicating that Lara is starving and nearing death. The meter can be replenished by—you guessed it!—eating.
There are a variety of things to eat in the wilderness. Smaller snacks, which will replenish a little of the meter, include, Berries (found in baskets and on bushes throughout the forest, and sometimes in Crypts), Rabbits, Squirrels, Birds, and small stashes of food found at various Enemy Camps and Shelters. Larger meals, which will replenish much more of the meter, include, Boars, Deer, Wolves, Giant Cats, Bears, and the occasional carcass Lara will stumble upon in the forest. Not all carcasses are edible, but those that are can be real lifesavers.
It's a good idea to eat everything and anything you can when exploring the wilderness, even if you don't think you need it. Unlike the Warmth meter, which we'll come to shortly, the Hunger meter can be overfilled. Collecting food when the base meter is full will fill a semi-circle around the outside of the meter, and prompt Lara to comment on saving whatever it is to eat for later. It's a good strategy to treat this semi-circle as your Hunger meter, only allowing the true meter to decrease if it absolutely can't be helped.
The Hunger meter will deplete more quickly if Lara is engaged in strenuous activities, such as sprinting.
NOTE: There are various Cards that can change the way Hunger works in Endurance Mode, making things easier for the player. These are: LOST GIRL, SCAVENGER, KAIN, SMALL GAME HUNTER, and BLOODLUST. For more information, and to learn about Cards that can make Hunger more of a challenge, see the Cards section of this guide.
WARMTH
Alongside the Hunger meter is Lara's Warmth meter, represented by a campfire icon. This too will decrease gradually over time, and, unlike the Hunger meter, cannot be overfilled. If not replenished, Lara will start to freeze to death. As her Warmth drops to red, Lara's movement will be restricted to a slow trudge—although this is possible to get around by jumping and rolling your way to safety.
Warmth can be restored by various types of fire. There are base camps to be found scattered throughout the forest, and just inside the entrance to each and every Crypt. These require five pieces of Wood to light, but, it's worth noting, will eventually go out again, requiring a further five pieces of Wood to rekindle. Occasionally Lara will stumble upon pre-lit fires in drums at various Enemy Camps. It's a good idea to look around for these—resources are always tight in Endurance Mode, and if you don't absolutely have to use them, don't. You can usually see these fires from a distance, so keep a look out for a telltale yellow glow amongst the trees.
Lanterns can also be used as portable heat sources. Carrying a lantern will not increase Lara's Warmth meter but will stop it from dropping. Naturally you can't fight while carrying a lantern, but lanterns are very handy while moving from place to place.
In desperate circumstances, Lara can shoot a flaming arrow into the ground (or smash a Molotov or shoot a red gas can) and jump around in the flames for a moment. This really is a last resort, though, because doing so can kill her quite quickly. You need to warm up, and then get out of the flames as quickly as possible. Though not essential, it's a good idea to make sure you have some Cloth and Herbs to heal Lara before doing this, and bear in mind that it is by no means a lasting solution. The amount of warmth you'll get is negligible. It will simply buy you a little more time to find a proper fire.
Just as sprinting will deplete Lara's Hunger meter faster than normal, so too will various things affect the Warmth meter. Nights are always colder than days, the occasional blizzard will cause Warmth to pretty much plummet, as will water. You can't avoid blizzards, but you can, in most cases avoid water, so unless you absolutely must, avoid going into it at all.
It's always a good idea to stay pretty close to a fire at night and during blizzards. You can still venture out if you wish, but if you find yourself discovering nothing, and your Warmth running low, don't hesitate to turn back. You can always set out again once replenished.
NOTE: As with Hunger, there are various Cards that can make Warmth easier to deal with. These are: NIGHT OWL, RAZIEL, HOT BLOODED, POLAR BEAR, CONFLICT OF INTEREST, and DEAD OF WINTER. For more information, see the Cards section of this guide.
ENEMIES: HUMAN & OTHERWISE
Cold and hunger are not the only things Lara has to contend with in the wilderness. The forest is also crawling with Trinity Agents, Deathless Ones, and various dangerous animals.
Trinity Agents will be the first armed enemies you encounter, and will, initially, be of the rather weak variety. As the days pass, however, stronger, armoured enemies will start to show up, culminating in the appearance of Deathless Ones. By the time these more challenging enemies begin to appear, you should have amassed enough Skill Points to unlock a fair amount of Lara's Skills, so this is nowhere near as daunting as it seems.
Given the constantly poor visibility, enemies can be hard to spot amongst the trees during the day. (At night, Trinity Agents carry torches which are fairly easy to spot, with Deathless Ones carrying torches of the flaming variety.) Lara will, however, point out when they're near, saying, "They're here...." or by making some other ominous statement. She will also automatically drop to a crouch when foes are close-by—and the same goes for dangerous animals.
Mainly, you have to keep an eye out for Wolves, Giant Cats, and Bears.
Wolves are not hard to take down, but can deal some serious damage. In most cases, you'll hear them before you see them, with howls announcing their presence. Giant Cats and Bears, however, are exceedingly dangerous, and should only be confronted if Lara is in serious need of food, or if you happen to be going for any of the Challenges associated with them.
As with Wolves, you'll usually hear Bears roaring before you see them. Giant Cats, however, can be stumbled upon with alarming ease, and where there's one, there's always another. If you encounter them, you have two choices: get up high, out of their reach, or fight them. Once they've seen you, Giant Cats are incredibly difficult to escape from.
NOTES: You should only engage enemies or animals if you're prepared to see the fight through. It can be tremendously difficult to lose them once they're aware of you, and alerting a few of them tends to draw others to your position. The Hunter skill Master of the Land reveals when an exotic animal is nearby (with an on-screen pop-up) and lets you pinpoint its location using Survival Instinct. If you don't need to fight the beast for a Challenge or crafting ingredient, you can then flee or climb a tree/building for safety.
Points of interest will appear naturally as you explore the wilderness. A pop-up notification will inform you when you've discovered one, also telling you how many of that particular thing you have found in your current expedition.
The various points of interest you can find throughout the wilderness are as follows:
CRYPTS (Marked by a Tombstone Icon)
Crypts are pretty much the reason Lara is in the wilderness. They will always have a base camp just inside their entrance, and beyond, in their labyrinthine depths, you'll find plenty of Artefacts, along with, at the core, either a Codex or a Sarcophagus. These will provide Artefacts, and sometimes various Skills or Ancient Bow Parts. (See the THE OLD WAYS Challenge.)
NOTE: The Survivor Skill Intuitive, which highlights collectibles, even through walls, is incredibly useful when searching Crypts.
Finding your way to the core is not as easy at it might sound, however, as Crypts are littered with traps. Though there only seem to be a few basic layouts for the Crypts themselves, allowing you to become familiar with them as you play, the traps are always in different places, so it's pretty much impossible to put together a flawless guide to getting through them.
NOTE: You may wish to equip the Well Read card prior to starting your expedition. This will make all traps glow red when using Lara's Survival Instinct.
The three kinds of trap you'll encounter are as follows:
It's by no means a rule, but I would suggest that you always have full Hunger and Warmth meters before venturing into Crypts. It's possible that you will get lost inside, and starting off with meters maxed will buy you more time to find your way out. Occasionally, some Crypts will have a small amount of Berries inside them, but this really isn't much. Also bear in mind that the campfire at the Crypt's entrance will likely have gone out when you return to it, so either get out of there before Lara starts to freeze to death, or make sure you have enough Wood to light it twice.
NOTE: You will never find animals in Crypts, but on rare occasions you may encounter a group of Trinity Agents.
RUINS (Marked by a Viaduct Icon)
Ruins are considerably less common than Crypts, and considerably less useful, too. You'll find a few scattered Artefacts and resources amongst them, but no Codices or Sarcophagi. Take care when searching Ruins, because they're sometimes crawling with enemies or dangerous animals.
Ruins will always consist of a large tower, and the remains of a smaller building nearby. A ladder inside the tower will provide access to the top, where you'll often find various resources or Artefacts. The smaller building nearby will always contain a base camp.
ENEMY CAMPS (Marked by a Skull Icon)
Enemy Camps are found throughout the wilderness. They often contain various components for crafting throwable weapons and distractions, and, rarely, small amounts of food. There will usually be a base camp nearby, or a pre-lit fire—but not always. Enemy Camps can be captured by killing any Trinity Agents in the vicinity. There's no real use to capturing them, other than that it will earn you some XP.
BASE CAMPS (Marked by a Tent Icon)
You'll find base camps at various points throughout the wilderness. They are always found inside the entrance to Crypts, and in a small building near Ruins. You have to light the fire before you can use a base camp. This requires 5 pieces of Wood. Once the fire is lit, you can use a base camp to upgrade Lara's Skills and Equipment. base camp fires are not permanent, and will eventually go out, requiring you to spend more resources if you wish to rekindle them.
SIGNAL FIRES (Marked by a bonfire Icon)
Signal Fires are your way out of the wilderness. For more information, see the Extraction section of this guide.
SHELTERS (Marked by a House Icon)
Shelters are found throughout the forest, and will help slow the depletion of Lara's Warmth meter. They're particularly useful if you're caught in a blizzard, and contain quite a few resources for you to gather. Occasionally, there will be a base camp nearby.
LANDMARKS (Marked by a Magnifying Glass Icon)
You'll stumble across quite a lot of these over the course of an expedition. They're often points where past explorers met their end, and are always worth stopping to investigate as they tend to be resource-rich.
Extraction is the only successful way to bring an end to your expedition. When you're ready to make your escape, you must find (or return to a previously discovered) a Signal Fire—marked by a bonfire icon when using Survival Instinct—light it, and await rescue. Predictably, though, it's nowhere near as straightforward as that.
Firstly, Signal Fires require resources to light—5 Cloth and 5 Oil. If you don't have enough resources, you have no choice but to go off and find them. This is where getting into the habit of collecting any and all resources throughout your expedition can prove useful.
Secondly, the helicopter can take a little while to show up, and the lighting of the Signal Fire will attract any and all enemies in the vicinity to Lara's location. So, before lighting the fire, be prepared for a fight. Depending on how long you've spent in the forest, the difficulty of this fight will vary. Early on, relatively weak enemies might show up, but if you've spent enough time in the wilderness, armoured enemies and Deathless Ones will join the fray. There doesn't seem to be any perfect way to gauge how difficult these enemies will be. In my own experience, I've had Deathless Ones show up as early as Day 4, or as late as Day 10.
You will be kept updated on far away the helicopter is as you wait/fight. When it shows up, a line will be dropped for Lara to climb. Even though it glows when using Survival Instinct, this line can be quite difficult to spot, so your best bet is to look for the helicopter in the sky rather than the line itself. Once you've found it, simply interact with the line, and a very brief cutscene showing Lara's escape will play.
Give yourself a pat on the back—you're done!
Challenges are extra, optional objectives players can set for themselves before venturing out into the wilderness. There are a total of 48 Challenges available for single-player Endurance Mode, but only five can be equipped per-expedition. Challenges must be selected at the start of the mission in order to be completed. Once set, Challenges must be completed during a single expedition. If you fail, you can try again next time, but progress will not carry over. After completion, some Challenges have a cool-down period, during which you will not be able to set them again. Challenges you've successfully completed will be marked with a tick on their icon.
Additionally, 15 of the Challenges will unlock an Achievement once completed. Again, it bears repeating that, in order for the associated Achievement to unlock, the appropriate Challenge must be set prior to the beginning of the expedition.
Below, I've listed each of the available Challenges, organised by the number of Credits the player can earn by completing them, and with a note indicating which carry an associated Achievement/Trophy. There are a fair few Challenges whose requirements are pretty self-explanatory, but, where appropriate, I've included some tips on how to go about completing them.
500 CREDITS
WHO NEEDS A MAP? (Achievement/Trophy) – Locate 5 Crypts. – The game will inform you via a pop-up notification when you've discovered a new Crypt. That same pop-up will also tell you how many you've found so far.
ARCHAEOLOGIST (Achievement) – Collect at least 5 artefacts in a single expedition.
FAST REFLEXES (Achievement/Trophy) – Destroy 3 ceiling spike traps after being caught in them. – You have to act quickly here. It's a good idea to use a weapon with a decent rate of fire for this one, and to make sure that it's always fully loaded. Reload, reload, reload. It can cost you the Challenge—and your life—if Lara pauses to do so herself, mid-spike trap.
HAPPY CAMPER (Achievement/Trophy) – Survive for 5 days. – This is the first of a few time-based Challenges. To avoid pointless repetition, I'll outline the basics here. Firstly, this means that you must survive five days and nights. (See the SURVIVING THE WILDERNESS section of this guide.) This particular Challenge should unlock at the beginning of the sixth day. You'll want to make sure you keep your supply of wood as full as possible, in order to light campfires to stave off the cold. In desperate circumstances, craft a fire arrow, shoot it into the ground, and dance around in the flames for a moment. This is dangerous, though, as Lara can die alarmingly quickly from fire, so it really is a last resort. As for food, shoot/collect everything you see. And I do mean everything. As much as possible, keep the Hunger meter overfilled. Especially when going for the more lengthy Challenges, it's really not a good idea to tempt fate. Better safe than sorry.
VACATION (Achievement/Trophy) – Escape the forest after surviving for 7 days. – See HAPPY CAMPER. Challenges that task you to "escape the forest" require you not only to survive but to perform a successful Extraction. (See the EXTRACTION section of this guide.)
GREAT ESCAPE – Escape the Siberian wilderness with 5 or more Artefacts. – See VACATION.
ONE WAY TO DO IT (Achievement/Trophy) – Warm up from freezing by standing in fire. – This seems easy, but can, in fact, be fairly risky. I found that the easiest way to complete it is to fire a flaming arrow into the ground, and jump into the flames. Keep your finger poised over the heal button, and once you've taken some damage, don't hesitate to get out of there. For whatever reason, you can't stand in campfires to complete this Challenge.
NOMAD – Light 5 base camps. – base camp fires each require 5 Hardwood to be lit, so gather all you can if you're going for this one.
PACKMASTER – Kill 7 wolves.
ARCHER – Kill 5 enemies with the bow. – This shouldn't be too difficult, as Lara starts out with a bow by default.
QUIET KILLER – Stealth kill 5 enemies with the bow. – Though it's technically a melee attack, sneaking up behind enemies and strangling them with the bow does indeed count towards this Challenge.
ACCURATE – Kill 5 enemies with headshots. – The Dead-Eye skill, which places an indicator over an enemy's head when a headshot is perfectly aimed can be of use with this one.
BULLET HOLES – Execute 10 enemies with headshots using a pistol. – See ACCURATE. Pistols can be scavenged from dead enemies or equipped using a Card.
SHADOW KILLER – Kill 15 enemies undetected. – These kills do not have to be completed back-to-back. It's fine to be detected by one group, but pick up where you left off with another after taking care of them.
BRAWLER – Kill 5 enemies with melee attacks.
COCKTAIL PARTY – Kill 5 enemies using Molotovs. – Molotovs can be crafted using Cloth and bottles found throughout the wilderness. As in the main game, once lit, a Molotov must be used or discarded. You cannot store them for later use.
GUNSLINGER – Kill 3 enemies with the pistol. – See BULLET HOLES.
POISONOUS – Kill 5 enemies with poison arrows. – See STILL TASTES GOOD (below).
RIDDLED WITH HOLES – Kill 5 enemies with the rifle. – Unless equipped using a Card, rifles can be scavenged from dead enemies.
CLOSE QUARTERS – Kill 5 enemies with the shotgun. – Unless equipped using a Card, shotguns can be scavenged from dead enemies.
OBSERVANT – Activate 3 ankle traps without being caught in them. – Found in Crypts, ankle traps are notoriously difficult to spot. As with SKILLFUL RAIDER, the Well Read Card is very useful here.
1000 CREDITS
MASTER ARCHAEOLOGIST (Achievement/Trophy) – Collect at least 10 artefacts in a single expedition.
THE OLD WAYS – Collect all the parts for Grim Whisper Bow. – There are 4 parts in total, found in the Sarcophagi in Crypts. Once you've collected all parts, you must return to a base camp to craft the bow.
OVERCOOKED – Eat the meat of 5 deer killed with explosive arrows.
RAIDER (Achievement) – Open 5 Codices or Sarcophagi. – Codices and Sarcophagi are found in the Crypts.
SKILLFUL RAIDER (Achievement/Trophy) – Open 5 Codices or Sarcophagi without getting caught in a trap. – Unless you have an incredible run of luck, this will take some time. And it's key that you let it—the whole Challenge will fail if you activate a single trap. Take things slowly, moving a few steps at at time, always keeping an eye on the floor for signs of traps. Do not hesitate to spam your Survival Instinct here. If you have it, equipping the Well Read Card prior to setting out will make traps glow red when using Survival Instinct, which is incredibly useful as some of them are quite tricky to see.
It's important to note that various ceiling traps are designed to be triggered as you leave the Crypts, and will not trigger if you walk over them on your way in. It's also imperative that you simply give up on those Crypts with the crumbling floor spike traps. They are too easily triggered and can cause you to fail the Challenge even if you land well clear of them. Unless you have the patience to attempt this Challenge again and again, trying to tempt fate is simply not worth it.
Given that you'll probably have to visit more than five crypts to complete this Challenge, it can be a good idea to go after some of those for spending a fair amount of days in the wilderness.
WELL DONE (Achievement/Trophy) – Eat the meat of 5 birds, squirrels or rabbits killed with fire. If you're having trouble with this, try equipping the Sparrowhawk outfit, which makes non-predatory animals scare less easily.
STILL TASTES GOOD (Achievement/Trophy) – Eat the meat of 5 wolves that were killed with poison damage. – This can be time consuming, as wolves don't tend to appear very often. You have to be ready when they do, so go out of your way to collect poisonous mushrooms, allowing you to craft a full stock of poison arrows. Mushrooms can be found throughout the wilderness in some—not all—rotting trees, but seem to be most common in Crypts, and are usually not too far in. Or equip the Toxicity Card, which grants unlimited poison arrows, at the start of the expedition.
Keep an ear out for howls as you explore, indicating that there are wolves nearby. When you find some—or they find you—DO NOT shoot the wolves themselves with the poison arrows. This will not count towards the Challenge. Instead, shoot the ground very near the wolf/wolves, and allow it/them to die from the poison fumes. Then, approach the corpse and tuck in. Rinse and repeat until the Challenge is awarded.
NATURE RETREAT (Achievement/Trophy) – Survive for 7 days. – See HAPPY CAMPER.
SURVIVALIST – Survive 5 days without ever freezing or starving. – See HAPPY CAMPER, and ROUGHED UP.
NOPE (Achievement/Trophy) – Escape the forest on Day 1, without recovering any artefacts. – This is as simple as it sounds. Gather some resources, find a Signal Fire, and get out of there as soon as possible. See VACATION.
VEGETARIAN – Escape after surviving for 3 days, with at least 3 artefacts, without eating meat. – See HAPPY CAMPER, and VACATION. Instead of hunting animals for food, keep an eye out for berries.
GREAT HAUL (Achievement/Trophy) – Escape the forest after surviving 10 days, with at least 10 artefacts. – See HAPPY CAMPER.
ROUGHED UP – Escape the forest while both freezing and starving. – The Heat meter will flash red to indicate that Lara is freezing. Similarly, the Hunger meter will flash to indicate that she is starving. See VACATION.
GREAT ESCAPE II – Escape the Siberian wilderness with 10 or more artefacts. – See VACATION.
A LITTLE LATE – Open the chest in the back of the snowcat after collecting 5 artefacts. – If you're not careful, this can be a royal pain. Unfortunately, Lara doesn't have any bread up her sleeve to leave a trail of crumbs to follow back to the snowcat, but if you play it right, she has the next best thing: Survival Instinct. Once you've discovered something of interest, Survival Instinct will show an icon over its location when activated, as long as you're in the vicinity. Therefore, your best bet to complete this challenge is to travel in a straight line. When you discover something, make sure the icon is behind Lara when you move on. Then, once you've collected your five artefacts, simply head back the way you came, using those icons as a rough guide. It's really not ideal, but it works.
ICE IN THE VEINS – Kill 5 enemies while freezing. – See ROUGHED UP.
SHARPSHOOTER – Kill 10 birds. – See WELL DONE.
DEER HUNTER – Kill 10 deer. – See WELL DONE.
HARE-BRAINED – Kill 10 rabbits. – See WELL DONE.
SMALL GAME – Kill 5 squirrels. – See WELL DONE.
DESPERATE MEASURES – Kill a bear while starving. – See ROUGHED UP.
INTO DARKNESS – Kill 5 enemies with melee finishers.
BACK STABBER – Kill 5 enemies with melee stealth attacks.
1500 CREDITS
GREAT OUTDOORS (Achievement/Trophy) – Survive for 10 days. – See HAPPY CAMPER.
CALL ME CURIOSITY – Kill 5 giant cats. – Take care when going for this one. Where there's one of these monsters, there's always another. They're hard to kill, and just as deadly. In fact, unless you're going for this particular Challenge, or are on the verge of starvation, avoid. Avoid, avoid, avoid!
OVERBEARING – Kill 5 bears. – Again, bears are tough to kill, so take care when going for this one.
CARNIVORE – Eat 1 of every animal (i.e., Rabbit, Squirrel, Bird, Boar, Dee, Wolf, Giant Cat, Bear).
As with the Challenges, you can equip a total of 5 Cards before setting out into the wilderness. This is totally optional, and can be ignored if you wish. Though it will result in your overall score being lowered, when used carefully, some Card combinations can make Endurance Mode significantly easier. Conversely, various Cards can also be used to make surviving the wilderness much tougher, but will result in a higher overall score.
Though most other Cards can be used—many of the Outfit and Weapon Cards are useful for surviving the wilderness—there are 18 Cards specifically associated with Endurance Mode. I've listed these along with their effects, below. Percentages represent each Card's effect on your score. For general information and a list of all Expedition Cards in the game, visit Wikiraider.
POSITIVE EFFECTS (Making Things Easier, But Lowering Score)
LOST GIRL (-5%) – At night, melee finishers on enemies replenish health and hunger.
NIGHT OWL (-5%) – Time of day has no effect on cold, but hunger doubles at night.
COLD BLOODED (-10%) – Deal additional damage when freezing.
RAZIEL (-15%) – Melee finishers grant a medium amount of warmth.
SCAVENGER (-15%) – Dead enemies have a change of giving food when looted.
KAIN (-15%) – Melee finishers grant a medium amount of food.
HOT BLOODED (-25%) – Killing enemies grants a small amount of warmth.
SMALL GAME HUNTER (-25%) – Small animals give twice as much food.
BLOODLUST (-50%) – Killing enemies grants a small amount of food.
NEGATIVE EFFECTS (Making Things Tougher, But Boosting Score)
POLAR BEAR (+25%) – Get hungrier while swimming, but warmth is not affected.
BATTLE HUNGER (+25%) – Damage increases hunger.
COLD ARMS (+25%) – Increases cold while bow is drawn.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST (+25%) – Increased warmth from fire damage, significant warmth from explosions.
FROSTBITE (+50%) – Temperature drops more quickly with each day that passes.
INSATIABLE (+50%) – Hunger increases with each passing day.
DEAD OF WINTER (+75%) – Cannot freeze, cannot bandage, and hunger is increased. Regain health and hunger using melee finishers on enemies.
DEEP FREEZE (+100%) – Warmth is lost at a slower, steady rate, and cannot be regained.
RABBIT MALNUTRITION (+100%) – Eating meat from small animals increases hunger.
INFECTION (+100%) - Enemies replaced with Infected enemies.
A downloadable expansion to a downloadable expansion, Rise of the Tomb Raider's co-op Endurance Mode sees Lara once again become stranded in the subarctic Siberian wilderness—but this time, with company! Unfortunately, though, the case of amnesia she was suffering from in single-player Endurance seems to be contagious, because Lara's partner, too, sets out with minimal survival skills and weaponry.
Though much remains the same as its single-player counterpart, there are some differences to Endurance's co-op experience, new Challenges to be taken on, and a few things to bear in mind before setting out.
P.S. This guide took entirely too long to finish. That's 100% down to me, and nothing to do with Stella, whose patience I massively appreciate. Also in the massively appreciated department is the help of @TombRaiderArch and @Vagabondo5591, who ventured into the wilderness with me as I worked on this guide, and the willingness of @IndyCroftcom to lend a hand, even though we never quite got around to it. Time zones, eh? *Shakes fist.*
This mode is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC (not Xbox 360). It is included, along with all of the other DLC, in the Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration edition. If you already own Rise of the Tomb Raider for PC or Xbox One, you can get co-op Endurance by buying either the Endurance Mode DLC pack or the Season Pass.
As with standard Endurance, co-op is accessible from the Expeditions menu. Select Endurance as the game's MODE, and choose Multiplayer from the PLAYERS menu. There is only once choice of LEVEL: Siberian Wilderness, but the map is procedurally generated, so each expedition will be a little different.
After selecting CONTINUE, you'll be presented with the matchmaking screen, from which you can choose to invite a friend or search for a random player. Although each player can choose his or her own difficulty setting, in fact, the lower setting will apply to both players during a given round. As in single-player Endurance, difficulty affects both players' scores. To recap:
ADVENTURER will earn you 0.5x points per kill.
TOMB RAIDER will earn you 1x points per kill.
SEASONED RAIDER will earn you 2x points per kill.
SURVIVOR will earn you 3x points per kill.
UPDATE: If you're having trouble maintaining a stable connection while playing co-op Endurance on Steam, try switching to an earlier build of the game, specificially version 811.3. To do this, navigate to Rise of the Tomb Raider in your Steam Library. Click the gear icon below and to the right of the game banner (screenshot) and choose Properties. In the next window, click Betas. Then choose build 811.3 from the drop-down list. Click OK and Steam will install that version. Both players will probably need to change builds in order to make it work.
These remain largely unchanged from the single-player experience, detailed above.
Though the solo and co-op Endurance experiences are largely the same, heading into the wilderness with a friend does introduce some significant additions and tweaks. The most important of these are listed below.
LOOKIN' GOOD
Your appearance and that of your partner are in no way the most important things to consider here, but there are some details to note. Firstly: by default, you will always see yourself as Lara, carrying an orange glow stick, and your partner as Nadia, carrying a blue one. If either player sets an Outfit Card prior to setting out, however, their appearance will change on both players' screens.
The effects of most Cards are shared between both players. Outfit Cards are the exception. Further information can be found in the Cards section below. Details about Endurance-specific Cards can be found in the single-player section above.
"HOW YOU DOIN'?"
Just as your own status is represented by Hunger and Warmth meters at the top-left of the screen, so too is your partner's. Taking the form of a small, person-shaped icon to the right of each of your own, your partner's meters aren't quite as informative. They will simply switch from green, to yellow, to red, depending on your partner's condition, flashing when said condition is critical. (screenshot)
This will soon become second nature, but if you and your partner become separated, just activate Survival Instinct. Your partner's location will be marked by a green beacon with a person icon.
SHARING THE LOAD
Perhaps the most important thing to note is that you and your partner can share both resources and food to keep each other going. This happens automatically upon the collection of items, and is dependent on being within a certain distance of your partner. If you are close enough to share, a small icon representing two people will be shown to the left of the button prompt for picking stuff up. (screenshot) Additionally, if you're carrying a lantern, your partner will also benefit from its heat, as long as they are within a few feet of you.
SECOND CHANCES
Unlike with the single-player experience, getting killed or caught in a trap doesn't always mean the end of the road in co-op. At the beginning of each expedition, you are allotted two extra lives, though you can carry a maximum of three. (Again, refer to the UI screenshot.) These lives are shared with your partner and allow you to revive each other should one of you reach a grisly end.
If this happens, you will have exactly one minute to reach your partner and hold Interact to revive them. If you don't make it in time, game over—even if you have additional lives to spend. So, it's a good idea to stay reasonably close to each other, and never to venture into Crypts alone, no matter how confident you are of your ability to make it through.
An additional life will be granted upon opening the Codex or Sarcophagus found in each Crypt, up to a maximum of three. Obviously, one life is spent each time you save your partner from death—or vice versa—and once they've run out, the expedition will end immediately if either character dies.
GIANT CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE?
Ideally, you'll be able to chat with your partner using mics as you play. If that's not an option, however, the game does provide a decent method of non-verbal communication: marking. If you aim at a place or object in the forest using one of your weapons and press the jump button, you'll create a marker that both you and your partner can see. Location markers take the form of a downward-pointing arrow, enemies—both human and otherwise—a skull, foodstuffs a knife and fork, points of interest and traps a magnifying glass, and so on.
Handy though they are, these markers tend to vanish quite quickly, so it's a good idea to keep an eye on them, and re-mark whatever you had highlighted should you need to.
"IT'S A TRAP!"
Most traps function identically in co-op as they do in single-player—the exception, however, is the good old spike pit. Once triggered, the spikes will recede into the ground, allowing one player to revive the other; however, the spikes will reset themselves once you're out of there. Don't be fooled into thinking a pit is safe just because it's already been triggered.
Additionally—and this really nasty—I've had a few instances in which a Crypt that didn't contain a spike pit on the way IN did so on the way OUT. I'm honestly not sure if this was a glitch or not, but it did happen more than once, so it's definitely worth bearing in mind.
NOTE: Equipping the Well Read Card will make it MUCH easier to spot these monsters, and all other breeds of trap, too.
MAKING YOUR ESCAPE
Calling for EXTRACTION in co-op functions identically to the single-player experience (above). The sole difference is that the evac helicopter will drop two ropes, and you must each grab one to escape. One player cannot leave without the other.
As with single-player Endurance, you can use Cards to alter your co-op experience. Each player can select two cards which, in most cases, apply to both players, for a total of four cards. The only exception seems to be Outfit Cards. For example, if you choose to use a Card granting a particular weapon, both players will have that weapon, and any associated upgrades—but if you use one enabling an alternate Outfit, your partner will not get said outfit, nor any of the Skills it may grant.
If you haven't done so already, you may want to review the single-player guide for specific Card recommendations.
Co-op Endurance adds 19 new Challenges. Most, though not all, of the single-player Challenges can also be set for co-op, but in co-op each player may only set two challenges. Despite this, all four set challenges apply to both players. As with single-player, challenges must be completed during a single expedition, and some, after completion, will carry a cool-down period. Additionally, a Challenge that has been chosen by your partner will be unavailable to select.
Thirteen of the new challenges will unlock a Trophy or Achievement upon completion. Again, it's important to bear in mind that, in order for the associated Trophy/Achievement to unlock, the corresponding challenge must be set before starting the expedition. As all Challenges apply to both players, Trophies will unlock for both, regardless of who set the corresponding Challenge.
Additionally, the requirements listed for the Trophies and Achievements on their respective platforms can be very misleading, and—in some cases—downright incorrect. Always follow the requirements listed for the Challenges themselves, and you'll still get your Trophies. The in-game Challenge requirements are listed below.
As in the single-player guide, the Challenges are organised by the number of Credits earned for completing them. I've also included some tips for those that aren't self-explanatory.
500 CREDITS
NO ONE LEFT BEHIND (Trophy/Achievement) – Revive a player three times in a single expedition. Given that you start out with two lives, you'll need to venture into a Crypt and find the Codex or Sarcophagus there to gain another. Also, as with many Challenges, progress in this one is shared with your partner—for example, if you revive your partner once, and they save you twice, it will still count as three revives, and you'll both complete the Challenge.
GET AWAY FROM HER! (Trophy/Achievement) – Kill an enemy or animal attacking your partner while your partner is in critical condition. All you have to do is kill an enemy attacking your partner when said partner is close to death in combat—i.e., when the screen turns grey. If your partner is starving or freezing, but otherwise in good health, the Challenge will not be completed. Unfortunately, unlike with starvation and freezing, there's no on-screen indication that your partner is critically injured. Fortunately, the Challenge will be unlocked for both players regardless of who saves whom.
NOTE: The in-game requirements for the Get Away From Her! Challenge are the only ones that matter. Bafflingly, the PlayStation Trophy description tasks you to 'Kill an enemy melee attacking your partner', whereas the Xbox Achievement reads 'Kill an enemy attacking your critically injured partner'. This lack of clarity represents a serious lack of quality control, but it is what it is.
ALONE TIME (Trophy/Achievement) – Spend at least one day more than 60 meters apart. This isn't too difficult—the main thing to bear in mind is that, in-game, a 'day' means a day and a night. Simply head in opposite directions until you're notified that the Challenge has been completed. If you're on the right path, Lara will comment on your being so far apart. Given that you'll end up being quite a distance from each other, it's a good idea to focus solely on surviving, and not to venture into any Crypts. If you get caught in a trap, it's unlikely your partner will be able to reach you in time, and, even if they do, doing so will cause your progress with the Challenge to be reset.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS (Trophy/Achievement) – Kill an enemy marked by your partner, or mark an enemy that your partner kills, five times. In order to mark an enemy, aim a weapon at them and press the Jump button. A skull icon will appear above a successfully marked foe.
TEAMWORK (Trophy/Achievement) – Warm up from freezing by standing next to a campfire lit by your partner. You will both complete the Challenge if your partner stands near a campfire lit by you.
"TEAMWORK" (Trophy/Achievement) – Collect an artefact while your partner is down. Simply collect any artefact while your partner is in need of revival. Obviously, bear in mind that you only have a minute to revive a player once downed, so don't venture too far in search of artefacts. This Challenge is best attempted in Crypts.
SISTERS OF ARTEMIS (Trophy/Achievement) – Kill a combined total of 10 dangerous animals in a single expedition. Wolves. Big Cats. Bears. Kill a total of 10—regardless of how many each player personally kills—and you'll complete the Challenge.
A SNACK FOR TWO – Eat the meat of 5 rabbits or squirrels with your partner. Remember, in order to share the meal, your partner must be close-by. A small icon representing two people will appear next to the button prompt if they are (as shown in the UI screenshot).
SAY "AAAH" – Eat with your partner while at least one of you is starving. See A SNACK FOR TWO. Starvation is represented by a flashing Hunger meter.
ADVENTURE FRIENDS – Escape the forest with 5 artefacts.
PICK-ME-UP – Revive a player. (See Second Chances, above.)
1000 CREDITS
ADVENTURE BESTIES (Trophy/Achievement) – Escape the forest with 5 medium and large artefacts. Any combination of medium and large artefacts totalling five will suffice here. Both types of artefact are found in Crypts, medium ones in Codices, and large ones in Sarcophagi.
UPDATE: Contrary to the above, it turns out any combination of medium and large artefacts will NOT do. Various forums will tell you otherwise, but I can definitively confirm that it didn't work for me. (As frustrating as it is, it's possible this Challenge is simply glitchy.)
Here's what eventually worked in my case: the host (the player who invites the other to join them via the matchmaking menu) must set the Challenge, and the host alone must collect the various medium and large artefacts required. It doesn't matter where the other player is at the time.
To be safe, I recommend collecting EXACTLY five of each—which, unfortunately, means you'll need to visit at least 10 Crypts. To save some time, make use of the 'Intuitive' Survivor Skill, which, once you get roughly halfway into a Crypt, will allow you to see whether a medium (Codice) or large (Sarcophagi) artefact awaits within.
Even if you're lucky enough to collect five of each medium/large artefact in just 10 Crypts, you'll be in for quite a long expedition. With that in mind, it's a good idea to play on the lowest difficulty (Adventurer) and equip some Cards that'll give you a distinct advantage in combat (Toxicity, Boomtown, Blazing Inferno, for example.)
Both you and your partner are free to collect as many small artefacts as you wish during the expedition, so it can be a good idea to go for the MASTER AND APPRENTICE Challenge (requiring you to survive for ten days with at least 20 artefacts of any size) at the same time.
THE NIGHT IS DARK (Trophy/Achievement) – Clear three enemy camps at night in a single expedition. Fairly self-explanatory this one, but bear in mind that you don't have to clear three camps in a single night. Additionally, the associated Trophy/Achievement is called FOR THE NIGHT IS DARK.
A DINNER FOR TWO (Trophy/Achievement) – Eat the meat of 3 wolves with your partner. See A SNACK FOR TWO.
SISTERS OF ATHENA (Trophy/Achievement) – Kill a combined total of 25 enemies in a single expedition.
1500 CREDITS
A FEAST FOR TWO (Trophy/Achievement) – Eat the meat of 3 bears with your partner. See A SNACK FOR TWO.
TEAM SURVIVAL – Escape the forest after seven days without using a single revive.
BONDING TIME – Escape the forest after surviving for seven days with at least 10 artefacts.
2000 CREDITS
MASTER AND APPRENTICE (Trophy/Achievement) – Escape the forest after surviving 10 days with at least 20 artefacts collected.
We hope this guide has been helpful. If you have any questions, you're welcome to contact John or Stella. Have fun and stay warm!
†UPDATE HISTORY: 5/28/16 - First draft of walkthrough posted online.
11/26/16 - Added PS4 Trophies and made a few minor formatting tweaks.
12/27/16 - Updated links to John's new site (finally!). Co-op Endurance tips coming soon!
2/12/17 - Added section on co-op Endurance mode (also by John T.) and tip on employing the Master of the Land skill to avoid apex predators, thanks to a tip from Ted W.
5/1/17 - Added 'Infection' to the list of Expedition Cards. Whoops!
1/17/18 - Added the note about equipping the Sparrowhawk outfit to make the small game challenges easier. Thanks to Rapierman for this tip.
3/15/18 - John updated his 'Adventure Besties' challenge strategy after unlocking the Platinum trophy.
4/17/21 - Stella added the note about choosing earlier build on Steam to maintain a stable connection during co-op play. Thanks to Dutchyraider for this tip.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Again, I want to thank John T. for writing this excellent guide to the Endurance Mode DLC. I hope it has been as helpful to you as it was to me. Visit his site, The JHN Files, for insightful coverage of Tomb Raider, Jurassic Park, and more.
WAS THIS WALKTHROUGH HELPFUL? If not, I apologize and invite you to contact us with any questions. As always, both John and I welcome your questions, corrections, and suggestions. Thank you!
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Stella's Tomb Raider Site: tombraiders.net.