STELLA'S TOMB RAIDER: UNFINISHED BUSINESS WALKTHROUGH
LEVEL 2: TEMPLE OF THE CAT |
Updated: 5/5/24(†) |
NOTE: Among the regular pickups in this level will be the MAGNUMS and UZIS if you didn't find them earlier.
LEVEL MAP by VGCartography (used with permission)
Temple of the Cat Video Walkthrough by Eldincy
HALLWAY WITH RAMP & ALCOVES: Turn around and use the switch to open the trapdoor. Drop down and retrieve the 2 sets of magnum clips (1-2) from the alcoves. The gold door doesn't open yet, so proceed up the ramp to the openings on the right. Inside are three cages with a mummy (1) and 2 small medi packs (3-4) inside. The switch opens all three cages. When you pick up the second medi pack (in either order) the mummy awakens. You can try and climb back through one of the openings and shoot the mummy from the hallway or use the shotgun at close range. When it is dead, flip the switch back to its up position to open the gold door near the bottom of the ramp.
BEHIND THE GOLD DOOR: Another mummy (2) lurks inside. Kill it from the raised doorway and enter the hallway. This is SECRET #1. Go to the top of the passageway but watch your back. Two panthers (3-4) attack from behind when you reach the goodies. When they're dead, pick up 4 sets of magnum clips (5-8).
NOTES: One of these ammo pick-ups will be the MAGNUMS if you don't already have them. Also, as you're picking up the clips you may notice some more magnum clips floating inside the wall to the right. This screenshot shows the spot. As far as I know, there's no way to get them. See the note below.
Return down the stairs and through the gold door. Make a U-turn to the left and go back up the first ramp, this time all the way to the top. Climb through the opening in the sandy colored rocks to the desert above.
OUTSIDE NEAR THE PYRAMID: Follow the path to the right. At the bend, jump through the gap between the rocks into a small hollow where you'll find 2 boxes of shells (9-10). Jump back through the gap and continue along the path. Two mummies (5-6) are lurking about the pyramid. Climb onto the carved block on the left to kill them from safety. If you jump up on the pyramid, you may run into a panther (7) as well. (See below.)
Pick up more shotgun shells (11) on the low block near the whitish rock outcropping. Off to the left (north) is an area with several boulders perched above. The first boulder (perched on the eastern slope) rolls as you pass in front of it. In the northeast corner is a depression behind the rocks with a box of shotgun shells (12). The second boulder, above this corner, only rolls when you jump onto the slope next to the shells, so you can avoid it if you like. The next one, high on the north slope, rolls as you run past it. So as long as you don't stop on the how hump of sand below it, it won't do any harm. The last two boulders are triggered when you pick up each of the 2 boxes of shells (13-14) in the corner. It's probably easiest to pick up the second box (i.e., the one in the corner) first. This triggers the boulder on the right. Hop back to get out of the way. Then pick up the other box of shells, triggering the boulder ahead, and quickly hop back or side flip to the right. Note that the last boulder will roll through the previous one, so even if you have triggered that boulder first, you still need to jump out of the way.
Go around to the right (west) side of the pyramid, where you'll see a carved stone block and some paw prints heading down a path. Move the block and find some shotgun shells (15) underneath. When you explore in this area, a panther (7) appears on the first tier of the pyramid at the far end. It can't get down to the ground. So, if you like, you can kill it now from below or from on top of the block.
POOL WITH TIMED DOOR: Follow the path behind the movable block to small pool. Jump in, pull the underwater lever below and to the left of the ledge when facing it. This opens a door at the other end of the pool, releasing a crocodile (8). Quickly climb out on the ledge to kill it. Pull the lever again to re-open the door. It is timed to close in a few moments, so swim through quickly. Retrieve the 1st ORNATE KEY (16) from the bottom. Doing so reopens the door. Swim up to take a breath if necessary and then swim back to the pool. Climb out on the ledge and return to the pyramid.
CLIMBING THE PYRAMID: Climb up to the first tier of the pyramid and kill that panther (7) if you didn't do so earlier. Another panther (9) emerges when you reach the fourth tier. It's triggered when Lara stands on or near the movable block set into the corner of the pyramid. It can only move between the third and fourth tiers, so you can easily shoot it from above or below. At the top of the pyramid, near the fence, are a small medi pack and shotgun shells (17-18). And if you jump up on the pedestal near the cat statue, you get a stunning wide-angle view of the place.
The two corner blocks below the pedestal move. Pull the left block out to the side, then push it out of the way so you can pull the other block out (as shown in this screenshot). Behind the second block is an opening. Safety drop down into a room where you'll find a large medi pack (19). The switch opens the nearby door. In the next room is a 2nd ORNATE KEY (20). Climb up and out, taking some shotgun shells (21) from one of the window openings before dropping down to the ground.
NOTE: If you want to get up on top of the pyramid and the building with the decorated columns, you can use the corner bug where the fifth tier of the pyramid meets the stone doorway. The spot is indicated in this screenshot. My Useful Bugs page has more information on using this technique. Or, if you're playing the PC version of the game, you can download Jeff Reid's patched savegames. The fifth and sixth saves in the group for level 2 put Lara in these otherwise unreachable spots. For help with savegame and .zip files see my help page.
INSIDE THE PYRAMID: Cross over the side of the pyramid to the southwest corner, above the pool where you killed the crocodile. Use the two keys to open the big doors. The passageways leading into the pyramid are laid out fairly simply, but since it's dark, I've included the diagram at right to make navigating easier. Turning up the brightness on your monitor can also help.
Inside the doorway on the left is a switch that lets in some light; don't use it yet. First, go to the right, guns drawn. You'll meet a panther (10) on the way. Continue until you come to a lighted area with a large medi pack (22). This is SECRET #2. Turning the lights on closes this door and it doesn't open again.
Now, if you like, go back and switch on the light, or just proceed to the next lighted room. Beyond the well-lit doorway is an alcove with a switch. Use it to open the golden trapdoor in the well-lit room. Return there and safety drop through the trapdoor onto a block above a floor full of openings.
Below are a catwalk (literally) and a pool. To kill the prowling panther (11) easily from above, follow either passageway (they connect), jumping over the holes, until you come to a pair of switches. Shoot the cat through the wide opening near the left switch. Flip the left switch, then the right one, then drop down into the water below and swim through the doors you just opened. These are timed to close after a little while, but once you get your bearings, there's plenty of time to get through. If you don't make it through in time, you can climb back up through one of the openings in the ceiling and use the switches again.
POOL WITH CROCODILES: A pair of crocodiles (12-13) wait in the next underwater room. There's a small opening in the ceiling just beyond the timed doors. Climb out here and shoot them if you like. Pick up a 3rd ORNATE KEY (23) and 2 small medi packs (24-25) in the alcoves on either side. Stand up near the cat statue for a glimpse of the next room. Then continue underwater to get there. Pick up 2 sets of magnum clips (26-27) from underwater alcoves, then climb out of the pool at the southwest corner.
ROOM WITH TIERED LEDGES AND RUNNING CAT MOTIFS: Take the 4th ORNATE KEY (28) from the low step with the cat face. Kill the panther (14) that appears on a ledge across the pool. There are magnum clips (29) underneath the movable block on the second tier and a 5th ORNATE KEY (30) on a higher step in the northeast corner. When you take that key, another panther (15) charges, so hop down to the step below to kill it from safety.
The 6th and 7th ORNATE KEYS (31-32) are on stone steps on either side of the barred archway. Two more panthers (16-17) guard these, one above each. They won't climb down from the top tier, so you can easily shoot them from below. Since you used two keys to get into the pyramid, you should now have 5 ORNATE KEYS. Use the 5 keys in the locks on the top level, north side. This opens the door in the room to the left of the locks.
SIDE ROOM WITH SPIKES: Enter and approach the opening in the floor cautiously. There are spikes below. Drop down onto the corner block, then drop down again. Jump over the spikes into the alcove with the shotgun shells (33). Jump back to the previous ledge and then to the alcove with the small medi pack (34). After picking it up, turn around and face out over the spikes. Take a standing jump to grab the horizontal crevice above the spikes and a little to the left (shown in this screenshot). Traverse to the left, pull up and slide down into a short passageway with a switch in a raised alcove. (Alternatively, from the small medi pack alcove, jump back to the flat area in the middle of the room. Then take a running jump to the opening at the top of the short ramp, shown in this screenshot. From there go forward and left to the switch alcove.) Use the switch to open the gold door in the room above. To exit, hop down from the switch alcove and go right. Climb up on the ledge and walk to the edge of the ramp. Take a standing jump down to the flat area in the middle of the room. Then climb out of the pit.
UNDERWATER ROOMS: Since it's easy to get disoriented here, I've included the map at left. It doesn't include all the barred windows, just the walls, openings and other major features. The blue square labeled 'H' is the hole where you jump into the water from the room above. Jump in and swim down and through a small opening at floor level on the left (north). Following the path marked with blue dots in the diagram, swim to the middle of the underwater room and pick up some Uzi clips (35). You can surface in this room to get air if you need it, but there's no place to climb out of the water. After a moment, a crocodile (18) enters through one of the openings in the east wall. You can either out-swim it or return to the opening where you started, climb out and shoot it.
NOTE: One shotgun blast will kill the croc, but luring it to the opening can take a while, and you may need to jump into the water several times to get its attention. If you don't care about getting all the kills, you can just avoid the croc while you do the necessary business here.
From the spot where you got the Uzi clips, continue along the path marked in blue: Swim through the square opening in the wall near the northeast corner. Head to the left into another flooded room with more Uzi clips (36) on the floor. Grab them and then turn around and swim back along the left (east) wall, now following the path marked in red. If you need air, return through the small square opening on the right and head for the ceiling to breathe (blue path). Otherwise, continue along the left (east) wall to the corner (red path). Turn right and swim forward to a lever on the left wall. Pull this to open the next gold door in the room above. The gate ahead prevents you from heading directly to the exit, so swim back to the corner, turn left and continue forward, now following the path marked with orange dots. About halfway along the (east) wall, swim back through the raised opening on the left. Go through the room where you got the first set of Uzi clips earlier and on to the raised opening in the far left (southwest) corner. Beyond that opening swim upward to the hole in the ceiling and climb back out.
NOTE: You can also swim all the way around the perimeter of the room from the entrance hole to the lever and back. If you go this way, the crocodile won't appear, but you'll have just enough air to make it if you don't hesitate at all.
ROOM WITH PRESSURE-PAD DOOR & MUMMIES: Go through the gold door you just opened. (The door leading back to the room with the spike pit will be closed now.) This next room has pressure pads decorated with pharaoh faces on the floor. Step on both and the doors open. There are 2 mummies (19-20) beyond, which much be dispatched. When the coast is clear, enter. Flip the 2 switches to move the boulder blocking the other doorway and open another door back in the ROOM WITH TIERED LEDGES AND RUNNING CAT MOTIFS.
Go to the doorway that was previously blocked by the boulder. Take a running jump from the doorway to the alcove with the small medi pack (37). This awakens the hibernating crocodile (21), which you can then shoot with pistols from the safety of the alcove. When it's dead, hop down and pick up the shotgun shells and magnum clips (38-39).
Climb up through the doorway above where you got the clips. Follow the passage to an opening where you can drop into the pool in the ROOM WITH TIERED LEDGES AND RUNNING CAT MOTIFS. Climb the ledges to the southwest corner room (to the left of the barred archway).
RAMP WITH MUMMIES IN ALCOVES: Pick up the Uzi clips (40) from the pedestal. (NOTE: This will be the UZIS themselves if you don't already have them.) The gold door here isn't open yet. There are 8 mummies (22-29) in the alcoves flanking the ramp. These animate when you reach various points in the room. Take your time exploring, keep your ears open for their telltale groaning, and you won't have to fight more than two at once. You can pick up the goodies on the ledges near the mummies now if you like. Doing so won't cause them to wake up. In all there are 4 sets of Uzi clips and a small medi pack (41-45).
Head down the ramp to the sandy area and take the left path. The first 2 mummies (22-23) awaken. You can head for the flat spot with the large medi pack (46) in the back left corner, or climb up on one of the blocks at the bottom of the ramp, and the mummies will not be able to reach Lara. Two more mummies (24-25) awaken when you pick up the Uzi clips (47) in the opposite corner, and another pair of mummies (26-27) animate when you approach the switch on the other side of the sandy area. The seventh mummy (28) awakens when you flip the switch. This opens the gold door at the top of the ramp. Head back there now. Pick up all the items lying in front of the mummy alcoves if you didn't do so before. Then exit through the gold door.
BRIGHTLY LIT ROOM WITH WIDE STAIRWAY: There's another gold door opposite this one, but it is closed. For now, turn right and start up the stairs, but watch your back: this is when the eighth mummy (29) wakes up. After killing it, go to the top of the stairs. Walk to the right corner. Be careful it's a long drop to the floor below. Step off the corner to land on the flat block below. From there, drop to the next lower block, then take a standing jump to the ledge across the gap, between the wall and the carved column. Jump to the small ledge ahead on the left, and from there to the yellow block with the decorative border and Uzi clips (48) on top. Turn to face the wall and jump straight up to grab the horizontal crevice. Traverse to the left until you can pull up. Turn right and climb up onto the ledge with the cat statue.
ROOM WITH SWITCH BEHIND CAT STATUE: Enter the room behind the cat statue. When you do, a golden bridge extends from the ledge behind you to the top of the stairs. Use the switch to open the gold door in the room at the foot of the stairs. Leave the switch room, but ignore the bridge and instead go after a secret.
SECRET ROOM & DEADLY SANDS AREA: (The path to the secret room is shown in this series of screenshots.) Exit the switch room and immediately turn left. Hang from the edge and drop onto the ledge just below. Turn so the tall, square column with carved hieroglyphs is directly behind Lara. Step back and grab the edge of the ledge. Then let go and drop to the square ledge below. Now turn so the tall column with the carved hieroglyphs is on Lara's right. Step back and grab the edge of this ledge. Then let drop to the ledge below.
There are spikes in the shallow pit straight ahead, and the sandy floor below on the right is deadly, so avoid it. Instead turn left and go through the small, square doorway leading to SECRET #3. Take the Uzi clips and large medi pack (49-50) from the ledges.
RAMP WITH BOULDER TRAPS & STAIRS LEADING UPWARD: The ramp at the back of the secret room leads back to the top of the temple, but watch out for the boulders. Run up the ramp to trigger the first one. Then, to avoid it, run through the small, triangular opening on the left. Do the same for the second, ducking into the alcove about two-thirds of the way up the ramp on the left. Continue up the ramp and turn left into a hallway with stairs.
A panther (30) appears on the ledge above on the left and runs down the stairs. You should have plenty of time to shoot it before it reaches Lara. When it's dead, climb onto the ledge and pick up the shells and small medi pack (51-52) in the alcoves. The bars in the other alcoves are now open so head for the one at the far end of the hallway and go through to emerge at the base of the stairs. Turn right and continue to the gold door you just opened.
BEHIND GOLD DOOR - ROOMS WITH GREENERY: Note the gold trapdoors in the ceiling of this room. For now, take the passageway at the back right corner. You'll meet a crocodile (31) on the way. Where the passage opens into a room with palm trees, there's a small medi pack (53) in an alcove to the right. Continue to a room with a pool. When you approach the large medi pack (54), another crocodile (32) appears. A third croc (33) lurks in the pool. Kill it and use the underwater lever to open the two gold trapdoors back in the first palm-tree room. Follow the passageway back there. Kill the panther (34) and climb through either of the trapdoors into the room above.
Stepping on the pharaoh face at the center opens the nearby trap door. Drop down and pick up a small medi pack and shells (55-56). The next door opens when you approach.
HALLWAY WITH THREE DOORS FLANKED BY SWITCHES: There are 6 switches in all; each pair opens one of the 3 doors. The door in the center has skulls above it. Open this door first, but don't go in; it's a trap.
NOTE: If you're after the thrill of accomplishment, it is possible to get through this room. Here's how: Enter and climb to the second from the highest step. Then position Lara at the back left corner of that step facing down the steps. Backflip to the top step, and the stairs turn into a slide. The 2 mummies (35-36) also animate. Press and hold Jump and Left, and Lara will slide and jump to land on the block on the left. (Alternatively, do the same series of moves from the back right corner of the step, jumping to the right to land on the right ledge.) Kill the mummy on this side, backing into the corner to keep from being knocked off the ledge. Kill the second mummy from the safety of this ledge. Take a running jump back to the doorway to exit. Note that killing these 2 mummies doesn't alter the total kills, since the 2 mummies you would encounter on the blue balcony around the huge cat sphinx later on do not appear.
There are also some changes in the terrain there after killing these 2 mummies in the trap room: On the blue balcony level, Lara can go right into the room near the steps going up, without having to circle all the way around, and the cat statue's tongue will already be extended.
(Special thanks to Theresa Jenne for tips on surviving this trap and Ivans Chou for clarifying the terrain changes that occur further on in the level and the total kills count. Visit Ivans's Tomb Raiders Traveler's Guide site, http://trinity.westhost.com/tomb/, for further tips and tricks you can use in these levels.)
SECRET ROOM WITH TIMED DOOR & MOVABLE BLOCKS: Stand near the doorway below the skull motifs. Stepping into the doorway opens a fourth door at the left (north) end of the hallway. It's timed, so back into the doorway between the switches, then run/jump down the hallway to get through the door before it closes.
Behind the timed door is a series of rooms with movable blocks. It's a rather complex series of maneuvers to arrange the blocks in order to get into each of the three rooms beyond the first. I have included diagrams (below) to illustrate. Each of the movable blocks is referred to by a letter. The various stages of the arranging are numbered 1-8. I've tried to make the description useful without the diagram, but having a visual aid certainly does help.
(1) When you enter the door, there's a movable block (A) directly in front of you. Push it forward once, then go around the side of it and push it again (2). Behind the first block is a switch, which opens the exit door. You don't need to use it yet. Next to the first block is another movable block (B). Pull it once, then go around to the other side and push it into the doorway (3). In order to unblock the doorway so you can get out later, you'll need to move the first block (A) into the corner on the opposite side of the switch by pulling it once, going around it and pushing it once. Now, you can pull the other block (B) out of the doorway and push it into the corner next to the first block (4). Moving the second block opens up another room, which also has a movable block in it (C), (4). Face the block so there are open squares on either side. Pull it once into the middle of the room, then go around to the right side and push it once (5). This opens up a passageway with another block (D) in it (5). Pull this block 3 times, then go around to the opposite side and push it against the wall (6). Now move the previous block (C) against the opposite wall, by pulling it once to position it in front of the other block (D), then going behind it and pushing it again (7). This opens up enough space to move the next block (E), which is in the room beyond (7). Pull this block once to get it out of the corner, then go around to the side and pull it 4 times to bring it through the doorway into the second room. Go around to the left and push it against the wall next to the other block (C), (8). There is one more block (F) in the opening to the final room (8). Pull this block out twice in order to get into the doorway behind it. This is SECRET #4: small and large medi packs, shotgun shells and Uzi clips (57-60). Return to the first room (with blocks A and B) and use the switch to open the door so you can exit.
ANTEROOM & LARGE ROOM WITH CAT SPHINX: Return to the room with the 6 switches. Depending on your strategy, choose one or the other door under the cat motifs. For all the kills, choose the right door. For 2 fewer kills, the left. If you enter via the right door, 2 mummies (37-38) attack: One drops from the ceiling above the stairs; the other appears just inside the large room beyond. If you enter via the left door, you don't meet these two.
Go around to the back of the cat sphinx and start up the steps. A third mummy (39) (or first, if you entered this room through the anteroom without mummies) sneaks up from behind. Continue up the steps and push the movable block. Pick up the small medi pack (61). Enter the small room and climb on the block with the cat face. Turn around and grab the gold ledge above. Pull up, turn around again and take a running jump to the gold ledge opposite. From here, take another running jump to grab the light blue ledge across from the cat sphinx. Pull up.
Head to the left and go all the way around the perimeter of the room, killing 2 mummies (40-41) as you meet them.
NOTE: If you entered the trapped room with the skull motifs in the previous area and killed the two mummies there, you can go to the right here since there will be nothing blocking your progress. Also, you won't meet the two mummies on this level.
SHORTCUT: You can use the corner bug at the tall, carved pillar in the northeast corner to jump directly to the upper level. From the top you'll get a lovely view of the cat sphinx and avoid a lot of tedious jumping. However, you'll also miss one kill—the mummy on the upper level. If you've never used the corner bug or need help, see my useful bugs page at https://tombraiders.net/stella/goodbugs.html. After jumping to the top of the pillar, pick up the walkthrough below at the section "ON TOP OF THE CAT SPHINX."
Enter the room at the corner, then proceed into the next room. Climb the steps, drop down to the bottom of the next room and pick up some Uzi clips (62). Then climb to the small opening at the top. From here, you'll get a nice clear shot at that panther (42) on guard in the cat sphinx's mouth.
Jump over to the gold block and from there to the gold walkway. Go to the end, take a running jump to the alcove on the right, then another to the pillar with the small medi pack (63) on top. From there, turn left and take a running jump to the next walkway, go to the end of it and take a running jump to grab the top of the pillar and pull up. Jump straight up to grab the edge of the opening above, pull up, and ready weapons to kill the mummy (43) that approaches from the west side of the room over the walkway. When it's dead, follow the walkway over which it came. Climb on top of the higher carved stone pillar (not the platform where the cat statue is). (NOTE: This is the pillar described in the corner bug shortcut above.)
ON TOP OF THE CAT SPHINX: From the pillar, take a running jump to the flat area in front of the cat sphinx's left eye. Pull up and take a step or two forward to draw out the mummy (44) lurking beyond. If you're low on health, or just want to play it safe, you can carefully hop back onto the flat spot in front of the eye and kill the mummy from there. Go to the back of the head and pull the switch to extend the cat's tongue. (Again, if you've killed the 2 mummies in the trap room earlier, the tongue will already be extended.) Slide backwards down the nose and grab the end. Drop to the tongue. Kill that panther (42) now if you didn't earlier. Enter the mouth, minding the gap in the floor, and pull the switch to open the gold door opposite. Cross the tongue bridge, go to the edge of the ledge overlooking the desert and step off to end the level.
†UPDATE HISTORY: 5/25/09 - First update since I began tracking changes. Added various screenshots and revised several sections for clarity. Added corner and fence bug details and links to Useful Bugs section.
12/1/10 - Fixed a typo in the header. There are 4 secrets, all covered in the walkthrough, but I had only listed 3 in the page header. Thanks to Melody for bringing this to my attention.
2/4/18 - Updated note about unobtainable magnum clips.
10/14/20 - Added note about alternate magnum location, thanks to a tip from Martin.
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.
5/5/24 - Added sequential kill and item counts in the walkthrough text.
NOTE ON EMBEDDED MAGNUM CLIPS: Initially I thought that the clips embedded in the wall at the top of the stairs in the starting area were some sort of graphical glitch, in which clips located outside were visible from here. However, when you explore the map using the Tomb Raider Level Viewer, it appears the clips are in fact embedded and unreachable. (screenshot) Thanks to Youngster for sharing this info and screenshot.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Special thanks are given to the participants in the alt.games.tombraider newsgroup, without whom some parts of this walkthrough couldn't have been written.
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