NEVADA LEVEL 3: AREA 51
Updated: 4/30/24(†)
Secrets: 3 Pickups: 36, including the MP5 and SHOTGUN, 2 Code Disks, 1 Key, 1 Code Card and the Element 115 artifacs Kills: 38* Save/power-up crystals: 4
*NOTE: The number of kills is approximate, since the number of enemies that appear in certain areas depends on your actions, and the prisoners may help kill the soldiers. If you don't kill the 2 prisoners, but do trigger and kill all possible soldiers, and destroy all gun turrets, you'll get 38. Note that one of the regular pickups here will be the GRENADE LAUNCHER if you didn't get it in the previous level. Be sure to find all the secrets so you can access the bonus level at the end of the game.
The PlayStation Demo is substantially different from the full level in the game. Dr Kirk has graciously shared his PSX Demo Walkthrough in PDF form. Please do not reproduce this on any other site without his permission. You can contact him here. There are also a few video versions on YouTube.
LEVEL MAP by VGCartography (used with permission)
Area 51 Video Walkthrough by Eldincy
Objectives: The main goal in this level is to locate the Element 115 artifact. In order to do so, you'll need to find various code disks, keys, and passes in order to open doors and move obstacles in your path. First, find a way out of the starting area and into the underground complex. Once inside, find a code disk and key, which will enable you to reach the electric train tracks. Follow the tracks into the top-secret lab facilities. Inside the lab, you must then locate the keycard that will allow you to launch a missile. You'll then be able to retrieve another code disk, which will unlock the final area with the artifact.
LOADING DOCK AND ARMORY: Exit the truck and climb over the first MJ-12 box on the left to find a small medi pack (1). (screenshot)
Climb back over the boxes, run forward with weapons drawn, and take out the MP with the baton (1) before he reaches the handprint scanner at the end of the hall and turns on the lasers in the ARMORY. The ARMORY is the little room with the red rifle sign at the end of the hall on the left. If the coast is clear when you get there, go in and pick up the MP5 SUBMACHINE GUN and 2 sets of clips (2-4) for it. If the guard has managed to activate the lasers, either restart the level and try again or go on without the SMG for now. You'll have other chances to get it later in the game. (screenshots)
The switch in the ARMORY turns on the lasers so you can't get out. If you accidentally pull it, just do it again to turn the lasers off.
CRAWLSPACE WITH MOVING LASER TRAP: Exit the ARMORY, turn right, and press the button just a little farther along the hallway to open the crawlspace. Crawl in and grab the large medi pack (5) on the right. Then light a flare and climb into the raised opening. (screenshots)
Watch out for the rolling laser trap ahead. Hold the Crouch button as you crawl forward to prevent Lara from standing. Turn left and as the laser array moves past you toward the other end of the passageway, quickly crawl forward up the slope. At the top of the slope, Lara can stand, and the lasers can't touch her. Pick up another large medi pack (6). Then turn around and step forward to the crawlspace. Crouch down but don't crawl forward yet. Wait until the laser array comes toward you. Then crawl after it as it moves away. When you reach the low point in the passageway, stay crouched, facing the slope ahead, and when the lasers pass overhead going in the other direction, stand, run forward to the ladder and climb up. (screenshots)
GUARDED HALLWAY WITH DETENTION CELL AND LASER BEAMS: Advance halfway into the crawlspace. You can now see the guard (2) in the hallway, but he can't see Lara. When he passes going to the right, crawl out and shoot him before he runs to the end of the hallway and activates the lasers. (screenshot) You'll probably need to use one of your more powerful weapons to bring him down quickly. If he manages to turn on the lasers, you can either reload and try again or continue as described below. You won't miss anything.
Use the switch on the wall opposite the crawlspace from which you just emerged to open the door on the left and free another prisoner. Inside his cell, behind the door, is a small medi pack (7).
The ramp at the other end of the hall is protected by motion sensors rigged to a gun turret (3). (As in the last level, you can shoot this type of turret for an extra kill, but you will lose health in the process.) To avoid this trap, go through the crawlspace on the right before the ramp. If the guard activated the lasers spanning this hallway, you can still continue. Just crawl under the first set of sensors and into the crawlspace. (screenshot)
After entering the crawlspace, turn right and pick up a box of flares (8), climb onto the ledge ahead, and then crawl through into the room with the gun turret (3). It's safe as long as you don't shoot at it or touch the laser tripwires. (screenshot)
WINDOWED HALLWAY AND SECOND ARMORY: Exit the room with the gun turret, turn left, and run up the ramp into a glassed-in hallway. Kill the MP with the baton (4) before he can reach the handprint scanner on the right and seal off the second ARMORY. (screenshot) If you're too late, you can still continue, but the armory door will be closed, and you'll miss the harpoons, grenades, and rocket (9-11) inside. The button inside the room opens and closes the door. There's no need to press it, but if you do, you'll need to press it again to get out.
NOTE: The High Security Compound walkthrough includes a note about the significance of the MJ-12 crates.
OUTDOOR AREA: Continue to the end of the windowed hallway. Save the game here if possible since the next sequence is a bit tricky. Pull the switch and fall through the trapdoor. Draw one of your more powerful weapons as you slide to the ground below. The Desert Eagle works well here. Then hurry around to the right and kill the soldier (5) before he reaches the handprint scanner. If he manages to do this, he'll release a pair of German shepherds (6-7) and also close a grate that will prevent you from getting the first secret. You'll have to reload and try again if you want it. You'll know he's reached the scanner if you see the dogs. If there are no dogs, all is well. (screenshots)
Alternatively, pull the switch to open the trapdoor, slide down to the ground, and circle carefully around to the right, making sure Lara stays hidden behind the wall so the soldier doesn't see her. Use Look to peer around the corner, and when the soldier moves off to the right, sidestep or flip to the left and shoot him before he can go for the scanner. (screenshot)
NOTE: It is possible to get the secret plus all kills in this area if you're careful. After pulling the switch and falling through the trapdoor, go around to the left instead of the right. Walk forward slowly and look around the corner to the to spot the soldier. Be sure to stay behind the wall so he doesn't see Lara. When he turns around and heads away from you, run forward into the hole with the grating floor. Go around to the opposite corner fall through the trapdoor. Run to the corner on the right and crawl in to get the secret before the soldier closes the door. Crawl out, deal with the MP, who by now has noticed Lara. Then climb up and take care of the soldier and dogs.
Crawl into the tunnel to the left of the scanner panel for some grenades (12). Continue out the other side of the crawlspace. Climb out of the hole and head to the right to find some shotgun shells (13) lying out in the open. (screenshots)
NOTE: If you don't already have the GRENADE LAUNCHER, you'll get it here instead of the grenades.
Now hop down into the pit with the grating floor. Avoid the black trapdoor in the right corner for now. Go around to the left and pull the switch to raise a small door below on the right. (This is not the door over the secret. That's the one below on the left. It should already be open if you killed the soldier before he could reach the scanner earlier.) Walk around the grating to the trapdoor. Fall through, kill another guard with a baton (8), and crawl into the little alcove with the save/power-up crystal (1)—that's SECRET #1. (screenshots)
Crawl out of the secret alcove and into the other crawlspace straight ahead. This is the one you opened with the switch above. (screenshot)
ENTRANCE TO UNDERGROUND COMPLEX: Pick up some Desert Eagle clips and MP5 ammo (14-15) in the alcoves on the right side of the crawlspace. You may be able to shoot the guard with the club (9) in the hallway below through the trapdoor in the floor. If not, step on the trapdoor, fall through, and deal with him. Then take his small medi pack (16).
Follow the corridor away from the area with the glass floor. Turn the corner and throw the switch to open the cell door, releasing another prisoner from solitary. He'll then run out into the hall and help you deal with another MP with a baton (10), who comes running. Enter the cell and crawl into the prisoner's half-dug escape tunnel for a large medi pack (17). (screenshot)
Return to the main corridor. Go back around the corner, past the trapdoor where you dropped in, and over the glass floor. This corridor ends in a T and there are gun turrets (11-12) with motion sensors at each end. Your friend George moves like a careless whisper and can manage to slip past the sensors. It's possible to jump over the sensors in the right corridor, but if you go through the crawlspace just before the T on the left (screenshot), you'll get some goodies: a large medi pack (18) just inside the crawlspace and the SHOTGUN (19) lying on the floor below. After grabbing the gun, crawl forward into the main corridor.
Turn left, and run down the ramp and around the corner. If you released the prisoner, he will probably have killed a second MP (13) here. If not, you'll need to do that. There's also a soldier (14) standing at the end of the hallway. If you keep your distance and wait patiently, the prisoner may deal with him as well. (screenshot)
In the middle of this corridor, in a large alcove, are two metal doors facing each other. The buttons at each corner of the hallway activate the security cameras behind these metal doors. It's not necessary to use the cameras, but if you do, you can see there is another soldier inside each room. When you enter the alcove, the hatch directly ahead closes, the side doors open, and the 2 soldiers (15-16) emerge. (screenshot) If the prisoner is still alive, you can open the doors, roll, and run away. He may then deal with one or both of the gunmen for you. One drops a small medi pack (20).
Use the switch in the left room to open a crawlspace in the right one. (screenshot) Go through the crawlspace to the next room, which is behind the hatch you closed when you released the soldiers.
Walk through the motion sensors and kill the MP with the baton (17) who comes down the ramp to investigate. There are no gun turrets here, so it's OK to trigger the sensors. The alarm shuts off by itself after a minute, so just try and ignore it for now.
MISSILE SILO: Go up the ramp and when you come to the T intersection with the window ahead, turn right. Continue up the ramps to a tall room containing a huge missile. Kill the soldier (18) on the scaffolding. Then move to the right side of the catwalk, drop down to the floor, and climb the ladder in the opposite corner to get the soldier's CODE CLEARANCE DISK (21). (screenshot)
Drop down to the floor and climb the other ladder to get back to the entrance. Go down the ramps and turn right into the next room.
ROOM WITH MISSILES, CONVEYOR BELT, AND HOOK: Drop down, taking care to avoid the motion sensors crisscrossing the floor. You don't have to use the ladder on the left side of the ledge, but it's a good way to make sure you don't accidentally drop down into one of the sensors. Or, if you want an extra kill, shoot the gun turret (19) in the corner. Tripping the motion sensors will then set off an annoying alarm but won't hurt Lara. In the dark area to the left of the conveyor belt, you'll find a small medi pack (22). Jump carefully over the sensors to reach the computer in the corner below the gun turret. Use the CODE CLEARANCE DISK in this computer to raise the missiles off the conveyor. (screenshots)
Turn around, jump over the sensor, and then climb onto the ledge with the moving hook. Draw pistols and jump in place while shooting to smash the purplish vent ahead. Behind it is SECRET #2. Follow the duct to the left and climb down a ladder to find a save/power-up crystal (2). Then return up the ladder and through the duct the way you came. (screenshots)
BUG NOTE: Be sure to shoot the vent before climbing into the duct. It is possible to pass through the vent without breaking it first, but some players have found themselves stuck in the duct unable to break the vent from the other side.
Run carefully past the moving hook and pick up the shotgun shells (23). Hop down onto the conveyor belt. Now that you've raised the missiles, you can stand on top of it. Take a running jump from the conveyor belt to grab the ladder above the angled concrete footing. (screenshot) Climb to the upper level, kill the armed soldier (20) hiding in the corner, and take his HANGAR ACCESS KEY (24). (screenshot) Move to the opening above the ledge near the entrance. Drop and hang from the edge of the floor. Then let go, quickly grab the edge of the ledge below, and pull up. (screenshot)
Exit into the hallway, turn left, and head up the ramp and through the twisting passageway to the MISSILE SILO. Drop down and go past the base of the missile and through the doorway at ground level. (screenshot) Avoid the hole in the floor of the next room for now and instead continue to a lock where you can use the HANGAR ACCESS KEY to open a nearby door.
ELECTRIC TRAIN TRACK: Go through the door into a small waiting room and kill an MP with a club (21) lurking on the left. Go through the doorway where he came from but do not jump onto the electrified track! Instead hop down into the area below the track and head to the left. At the end of the track, climb the ladder to a little control room. Press the button to summon the train. Climb back down and return along the tunnel. Just before the train car, crawl under the track and climb the short ladder into an alcove with some shotgun shells (25). (screenshots)
NOTE: If you don't already have the SHOTGUN, you'll get it here instead of the shells.
Turn around, walk to the edge, and take a standing jump to land on top of the train car. Turn left and walk forward along the top of the train car. Stop at the edge and pull up into the passageway above. (screenshots)
Walk over the first set of grates. It's safe. When you come to the second set, use the ceiling grates to monkey swing over them; otherwise you'll fall onto the electrified track when the grates below fall open as you pass over them. To prevent Lara from being fried by the moving laser trap, monkey-swing as close to it as you can. As long as you stop before the darker section on the wall, Lara will be safe, since that's as far as the trap goes. Wait until it moves away and follow it forward two squares until you can drop onto solid floor. (screenshots)
NOTE: If you're able to hear the game audio, listen as you monkey swing along and you'll hear the first two grates fall open as you pass over them. Then pause and wait for the laser array to move off before swinging forward after it. You'll hear the third grate fall open as you pass. Then continue forward onto the next square before dropping down.
Follow the passageway to a room with an opening in the floor. Drop down near the ladder onto the small, square ledge below. Walk to the edge and take a standing jump across the electrified track to land on the platform on the other side. If you don't care about getting all possible kills, take down the MP with the baton (22) before he runs away. If you allow him to reach the room at the top of the ramps, he will alert another soldier. If you want the extra kill, you'll need to let the MP go for now. Before following him up the ramp, drop down next to the track and pick up some more shotgun shells (26) on the left. (screenshots)
RAMPS AND CORRIDOR LEADING TO THE SAUCER ROOM: Follow a series of ramps past a closed door and up through several turns. If the MP (22) waiting by the tracks got away, you'll need to kill him on the way up, plus a soldier with a gun (23) at the top of the final ramp.
Move forward cautiously. There's a gun turret (24) mounted in the far corner, rigged to 3 laser tripwires spanning the corridor. The lasers can be difficult to see in the dimly lit hallway. Before attempting to jump over the first one, examine floor tiles. They have the same starburst pattern of tiny holes as the burners in the last level. If you line Lara up with the center of the star design on the tile before the one with the laser and then take a standing jump forward, you'll clear the beam without Lara's feet touching it. (screenshot) Do the same thing for the second beam. Then crawl under the third. (screenshot)
Turn left and follow the hallway past a locked room housing a UFO. There's another gun turret (25) mounted at the next corner, but as long as you didn't trip the sensors before, or start shooting at the gun, it won't activate. Turn the next corner and climb over the stack of MJ-12 boxes.
COMPUTER ROOM WITH CATWALKS: If you want all the kills, head into the next room but don't kill the baton-wielding MP (26) immediately. Let him run off and use the handprint scanner. This activates a set of laser tripwires connected to the gun turret (27) in the main room and alerts another soldier (28), who emerges from the hallway on the left. Kill both men and destroy the gun turret. (screenshots)
NOTE: Alternatively, kill the MP before he can arm the lasers and call the other soldier. Not having to deal with the gun turret makes the next sequence easier.
Climb onto the bank of computers in the middle of the room in order to reach each of the catwalks. Press the 2 buttons to call in a pair of soldiers (29-30) , eliminating them one at a time. Note that they do not come through the doors you open with the buttons but rather appear in each of the side hallways. As long as the laser tripwires haven't been activated (or you destroyed the gun turret), you can run and jump around all you like as you fight. If you haven't destroyed the turret, take care that you don't hit it by accident or it will start shooting. (screenshots)
Once you've dealt with the soldiers, get ready for a timed run. The right button (when facing them) opens the inner doors and closes the trapdoor above the pit in between the two sets of doors, allowing you to run over it. The doors stay open and the trapdoor closed for about 45 seconds. The left button opens the doors beyond the pit, which then stay open for about 20 seconds. So you'll need to open the inner door first, then the outer, and then run through before the timers run out.
Here's the sequence: Climb up to the right button, save the game if possible, and then press the button. Press Look to get Lara's perspective back, backflip off of the catwalk, roll, and take a running jump angled slightly to the right in order to land on the computers in the middle of the room. Run across them and jump at the end to grab the other catwalk. Pull up, turn right, and run forward to the left button. Press it, Look, backflip off the catwalk, roll, and run through the open doors. This is shown in a series of screenshots, as well as a short video walkthrough.
NOTE: This method is quick but does involve losing a little health when you jump down from the catwalks. If that bothers you, try this alternative sequence: Press the right button, press Look, turn right and run along the catwalk, jumping at the end to land on the bank of computers. Run across the tops of the computers and jump to grab the other catwalk. Pull up, run to the other button, press it, press Look, and then run back along the catwalk, veering to the left at the end to land on the computer instead of the floor. Then run through the doors into the next room. I haven't shown screenshots for this sequence, but it's part of the video.
SMALL ROOM WITH FIVE SWITCHES: Kill the soldier (31) lurking behind the low wall with 5 switches. Pull the second from left and the two rightmost switches to open the room with the flying saucer. The switches that actually do something are the ones that give you "visions" of the saucer room door. As far as I can tell, the other two don't do anything. When you've finished, exit through the small door to the left of the switches. It opens automatically as you approach. (screenshot)
NOTE: Alternatively, if you want to avoid combat, you can run in and quickly pull the 3 necessary switches. Then run out through the little door to the left of the switches before the soldier emerges.
Go through the room with the computers and catwalks and exit the way you originally came in. Climb over the MJ-12 boxes and follow the hallway around to the entrance to the SAUCER ROOM. After pulling those switches, the metal doors should now be open.
SAUCER ROOM: Cross the room to the back right corner and press the button near the ladder to open the trapdoor above. Climb up past the trapdoor you just opened and then press Jump to backflip off the ladder onto the ledge behind you. Turn around, pick up the shotgun shells (27), and then walk out onto the angled support beam directly ahead. Turn left and take a running jump from the outer corner of the support down onto the catwalk above the saucer. Drop down off the end of the catwalk and take the ginormous LAUNCH CODE PASS (28). Slide down the side of the saucer to the floor. (screenshots)
BACK TO MISSILE SILO: Exit the SAUCER ROOM and turn right. Follow the hallway past the laser tripwires and gun turret (counted earlier). Remember to crawl under the first laser and jump over the second and third so you don't trigger the gun. (screenshot) Continue down the ramps. (The little door on the right is still closed.) When you come to the train platform at the bottom of the ramps, take a running jump across the electrified track onto the square ledge with the ladder. Climb the ladder to the room above. (screenshot)
Go through the passageway with the overhead laser array. To cross the open floor grates safely, walk to the edge, hop back once, and then wait for the laser array to move toward you. As it passes overhead, take a running jump to grab the grates on the ceiling. (screenshot) Then monkey swing forward to the farthest ceiling grate before dropping down. As soon as you jump and grab, Lara is safe from the lasers, but If you drop too soon, she'll fall onto the electrified track. Continue forward over the closed grates and drop down through the hole in the floor onto the train car. Then hop down between the train car and the windows. Do not jump directly onto the track or Lara will be electrocuted.
Climb into the little room on the left, where you shot the MP earlier. Then follow the passageway, past the lock where you used the HANGAR ACCESS KEY, to the small room with the opening in the floor just before the MISSILE SILO. This time, safety drop down through that opening. (screenshot)
LAUNCHING THE MISSILE: In the hallway below, use the switch to open the door with the black and yellow markings. Cross the small room directly beneath the missile and use the LAUNCH CODE PASS in the card reader to uncover the launch button, just around the corner. Save the game if possible. Press the button to fire the missile and open the door behind you so Lara can escape. Immediately press Look, then roll, side flip to the right, and sprint forward into the next room to avoid being toasted as the missile is launched. (screenshots) You've gotta wonder what Lara just blew up.
NOTE: The camera can be a little disorienting here. Although the camera is facing Lara when she rolls after pressing the button, you still want to press Jump + Right to take that side flip. If you press Left, she'll flip to her left, into the wall. Once she lands in the middle of the room, the camera will move behind her once again.
CLIMBING UP INSIDE THE MISSILE SILO: Return through the button room, turn left, go to the end of the passageway, and climb the ladder to the small room above. Head down the ramp to the missile room. Inside, make a U-turn to the right and climb the long ladder. (The other ladder doesn't go all the way to the top of the room.) At the top of the ladder, dismount on the right. Note that until you launch the missile, the trapdoor at the top of this ladder is closed, preventing you from climbing all the way up. (screenshots)
At the top of the ladder, move into the corner and position Lara facing the ledge with the large medi pack (29) and her back against the wall. Take a running jump over the railing and the gap beyond to land on the ledge with the medi pack. Grab it, turn around, and draw pistols. You can probably take out the baton-wielding MP (32) on the ledge above. Then walk to the edge and take a standing jump back over the railing to the ledge near the ladders. Climb all the way to the top. If you shot the MP from below, dismount on the left. Otherwise dismount on the right so you'll have more time to shoot him as he approaches. (screenshots)
Use the switch to open the doors. Enter and follow the passageway to a crawlspace. Crawl in and turn right but don't go forward yet. There's a rolling laser trap just ahead. To get past it, crawl after it as it moves away. Then as soon as Lara can stand again, jump straight up to grab the grate on the ceiling. Monkey swing along above the lasers to the farthest grate. Then when the laser array moves off behind you, drop down and quickly crawl through. (screenshots)
Pick up the grenades (30) on the other side. Then head down the ramp, turn left, and continue to a dead end. If Lara stands just below the ceiling light and draws the MP5, she'll be able to target the soldier (33) on the guard tower outside from the safety of the tunnel. (screenshot) It's difficult to see him from here, so tap the fire button lightly to shoot short bursts and avoid wasting ammo. When he's dead, Lara will stop targeting him. Then you can climb up and out.
OUTDOOR AREA WITH GUARD TOWER: Kill another MP with a club (34) at the top of the ramp on the left. Climb the soldier's tower and take his MP5 clips (31). (screenshot) Unless you save first, do not attempt to jump from the tower over the fence. The top of the fence is electrified, and Lara will be killed.
Drop down and head down the ramp into the building, take out another soldier (35) and relieve him of his CODE CLEARANCE DISK (32). Pull the switch to open the trapdoor outside near the tower. Go back up the ramp and drop down through the trapdoor. (screenshot)
Follow the passageway to the corner and stop. Wait for the laser array to come toward you. When it moves away again, run after it. Then duck near the bottom of the ramp to avoid it as it approaches again. (screenshot) Once it passes, you can stand up and continue around the corner. Walk to the edge of the opening in the floor and jump to grab the grating on the wall. Climb down and go through the open door to emerge in the hallway with the ramps between the ELECTRIC TRAIN TRACKS and the SAUCER ROOM. (This is that small, metal door you passed a few times before.)
Turn left and go up the ramps and through the hallway with the laser tripwires and gun turret (counted earlier) once more. (screenshot) Turn the corner near the gun turret and then re-enter the SAUCER ROOM.
SAUCER ROOM AND ALIEN AUTOPSY LAB: Go straight through the room and down the ramp into a tiled laboratory. (screenshot) Use the CODE CLEARANCE DISK in the computer to turn on the lights and open several nearby doors. Enter the alien autopsy room. The entrance is on the far left when facing the lab window. Inside you'll find a small medi pack (33) in the dark corner near the window and a save/power-up crystal (3). (screenshot)
NOTE: If you're playing the PC or Mac game, you may want to save this crystal for later. There's a long drop coming up, which will cost Lara a lot of health. You can then return for this crystal to top up Lara's health bar.
Exit the autopsy room and head up the ramp, but instead of turning right into the SAUCER ROOM, continue forward down another ramp into a lab with a huge fish tank—though technically it's a mammal tank, since there are orcas swimming inside it. Go around the tank to the far corner and pick up some flares and Desert Eagle clips (34-35). (screenshot)
You'll notice another save/power-up crystal inside the tank. That's the third secret. You can't reach it from here, though. You'll have to take a more roundabout route.
Return up the ramp and turn left into the SAUCER ROOM. The trapdoor beneath the alien ship is now open, but if you want that secret, don't climb inside yet.
ORCA TANK: Instead, once again climb the ladder in the corner and backflip onto the walkway. Turn around to face out into the open room. Then walk out onto the sloping support on the left. At this point the UFO is below and to the right, the ladder behind Lara on her left. Take a running jump to grab the support ahead—not the closest one on the left but the one straight ahead that slopes down toward you. Pull up, turn left and you'll see a doorway below. This door will be open if you have used the CODE CLEARANCE DISK in the computer as described above. Take a running jump, pressing Action to lower Lara's arc, so she lands in the doorway. This is SECRET #3. (screenshots)
NOTE: If you just want the secret for the bonus level and don't care about actually getting the crystal or swimming with the whales, you can step up into the hallway so the chime sounds. Check the stopwatch in your inventory to make sure the secret has registered. Then skip the next bit of business and drop down to the floor.
Inside this passageway there are two stacked laser traps. Walk to the edge of the ledge overlooking the lasers and hop back once to set up the next jump. When the upper laser array moves away, take a running jump to sail over the lower one, which will be heading toward you. Run forward into the doorway. (screenshots)
Slide down the ramp into the orca tank and claim another save/power-up crystal (4). Enjoy a little dip and some lovely whale song. Don't worry; the playful pair of orcas won't hurt Lara. Just watch your air meter and head for the hole in the ceiling when you need to breathe. When you're ready to move on, climb out through the hole and up into the room above. (screenshots)
To get back through the laser trap, stand in the doorway facing the moving laser arrays and wait for the lower one to reach the far end of the hallway. Just as it starts to move back toward you, take a running jump forward and over it. Run forward and pull up onto the ledge ahead. Top up Lara's health if necessary and then safety drop from the doorway to the floor, losing about half Lara's health in the fall. (screenshots)
NOTE: If you left the save/power-up crystal in the alien autopsy room, as described in the previous note, return there now to use it. Remember, it's at the back of the saucer room at the bottom of the ramp on the left.
INSIDE THE UFO: Climb into the saucer through the hatch underneath, which also opened when you used the CODE CLEARANCE DISK. This ship has clearly been built with Gallifreyan technology—it's bigger on the inside! Follow the passageway around to either side. You'll hear the trapdoor closing behind you. Climb up through the hole in the ceiling to the middle level. (screenshots)
As you explore this room, a soldier (36) comes down the ramp behind one of the barriers. Deal with him. Then go to the top of the ramp and and climb up through the brightly lit, square hole into the next room. The ELEMENT 115 (36) artifact is sitting on the lumpy pedestal in the middle of the room. When you step onto the pedestal, 2 more soldiers (37-38) appear—one to your left, one to your right. If you don't care about getting all the kills, you can quickly pick up the artifact to end the level. Otherwise shoot the men and then take a look around. It's not every day you get to see the inside of an alien spaceship. Just don't get too close to the window on the right with the flashing yellow light or Lara will suffer severe radiation damage. When you're ready to move on, just take the artifact to finish the level. (screenshots)
NOTE: In some versions of the game, this artifact will be mis-labeled as the ORA DAGGER, and you'll find ELEMENT 115 in the last South Pacific level instead. TR3's head level designer, Richard Morton, told The Tomb Raiders Traveler's Guide this is a mistake, and the artifact found in Nevada should be called ELEMENT 115. This makes more sense since according to UFO conspiracy theory, ununpentium, the element with atomic number 115, was supposedly used as a power source for alien technology. For details visit the Wikipedia entry on Materials in Science Fiction.
Mr. Sardoc has created a patch to fix the artifact name mix-up, along with numerous other bugs. See this thread on tombraiderforums.com for details and download link.
WORLD MAP - SUGGESTED ORDER FOR PLAYING THE MIDDLE LEVELS: I recommend going to the South Pacific next, but I don't believe this is as crucial as the choice of Nevada directly after India. As far as the storyline goes, it probably makes more sense to visit the South Pacific last before heading to Antarctica, but my reasoning is purely practical. You'll benefit from the extra harpoons you'll collect during the South Pacific levels when exploring certain underwater areas in London.
†UPDATE HISTORY: 3/28/14 - First major update since this walkthrough was created in 1998. This revision includes many new screenshots as well as various other corrections and clarifications.
11/23/15 - Fixed error in maximum kill count, thanks to a correction from Shkelqim. I had listed 39 but it is in fact 40. The walkthrough itself remains unchanged since the previous update.
7/15/17 - Finally added a link to Sardoc's TR3 patch, which fixes the Ora Dagger/Element 115 name mix-up.
2/5/24 - Added VGCartography's level maps, with permission. Visit VGCartography on DeviantArt for high-res versions, and follow on Twitter/X and YouTube for more fantastic game maps.
4/30/24 - Added sequential kill and item counts, which will hopefully be helpful for both the classic and remastered versions. Made a few minor tweaks to hopefully simplify counting as you go. Full remaster updates coming eventually. Thanks for your patience.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Special thanks to participants in the alt.games.tombraider newsgroup, without whom some parts of this walkthrough could not have been written. Thanks also to Annie, Domino, Helena, Ingrid, Jeff Reid, Kasumbu, Kevin M., Lijo, Mirva, My A, Paul, and, who suggested alternate strategies and pointed out a few things I missed; to Dan and Phobos for explaining the difference between an assault rifle and a submachine gun; and to the Tomb Raiders Traveler's Guide, for explaining how to get all the kills in the area with the first secret, as well as clarifying the Element 115/Ora Dagger issue.
WAS THIS WALKTHROUGH HELPFUL? If not, I apologize and invite you to contact me with any questions. If you need help right away, I recommend the r/TombRaider subreddit. Other fan-run forums are listed at tombraiders.net/stella/community.html. If this site was useful, please consider supporting it financially or in other ways. For details, visit tombraiders.net/stella/support.html. As always, I welcome your corrections/suggestions. Thank you!
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