Back to Basics 2008 - The Mask of Ettal Otaihccam

Level by Die Basis 

Walkthrough by Yoav

 

Start by falling into a cave. Pick up a small medipack nearby and head over to the waterfall and shoot the four wolves. Look at the east wall (on the near side of the waterfall) for a triangular hole, then climb into it and drop into a cave. Kill the bats and go a little bit further, shoot the jug and get the Skull Key. Pick up flares and a small medipack, and get back to the waterfall. Cross it into a big cave, a quick look around tells you that you need an object and another key.

Head west to find a receptacle for the skull key you're carrying and open the gate. Carefully enter the passage and be ready to trigger a rolling boulder when you approach the slope, then climb up and reach a main area with three ways to proceed, but first you have to deal with two dinos. Kill the dinos, then get some flares near the skeleton. Take the south way and look for a large medipak on your left and notice the right closed door. Cross the waterfall and pick up a small medipak. Go east and pull a very well hidden switch in the bush. Go back to the door you opened and follow the passage, by approaching the gate it will open and enter the room.

Don't touch the object on the pedestal, it's a trap. Simply pull back the two cages two times and the NW door is open, get inside and pick up an Ancient Wheel. Then get the Crowbar next to the pedestal and the first door re-opens.  Get back to the main area (take a left in the passage and head north, away from the waterfall). Go to the west wall and bring the missing wheel to the row and open the next door. Arrive at a room with a few speared-skull huts and closed gates. Head over to the north-west statue and push it west (pull it and you'll be spiked) to reveal a timed switch.  Pull it to open the door in the NW corner (now blocked by the statue you pushed), quickly pull back the statue and run around through the opening into a burning floor passage. Monkeyswing across the passage to the other side (ignore the alcoves to your right), drop down and pull the switch, then go back.

Follow the new passage until you see a hanging skeleton in an alcove to your right. Climb into a crawlspace above it for Secret #1 and get a compass. Keep following the passage, and at the end cross the burning floor by using the monkeyswing (again, ignore the side alcoves) and pull the switch at the end. A gate opens next to you and also a block is raised in the previous room. Climb the block and turn to face south-east, run/jump into the hut and pull there a switch (take a side jump to get back out). Then climb the next raised block, reach through the skeleton's ribs and pull the switch. Head over to the raised block east, climb up and notice the burning south hut. Turn to face the north-west hut, run/jump into it and pull the switch to put out the fire. Side jump out and climb back up on the block. Jump to the south hut and pick up a Torch, and jump out. Now you have to light the torch, but there is no fire; well, not yet, as you have to work for this a little.

Take the torch with you SE and go back to the main area. Head back south over the waterfall and drop the torch in a safe place. Take the east opening side and look for a timed switch just inside and to your right. Pull the switch, roll and sprint down the passage, turn right to face a deep pit and jump/grab the first raised ledge. Pull up and jump to the next ledges in the same manner. Watch for the moving blade when you jump the last ledge. Follow the new passage, look for flares in the right alcove. Notice the receptacle when you enter a room with a cog lever protected by a spike trap. Get the shotgun ammo next to the cog and go outside this room. Right in front of you part of the wall is covered with darker green leaves, there you can crawl into a crawlspace.

Reach a place with a swinging sledgehammer, kill the bats, then go around it to the south side for flares. Facing east to the sledgehammer and pull there a jumpswitch to lower a block next to you. Now pull the switch to stop the sledgehammer and pick up an Inca Idol. Crawl back and use the Inca Idol in the receptacle at the previous room to neutralize the trap in front of the cog. Pull the cog at least six times to open a timed door and start running out the room over the west cave, near the door press the "alt" key and Lara will do a roll and pass under the closing door. Note from Moderator:  I was never able to master this timed run after innumerable efforts.  If others are daunted by this game-stopping moment in the level, a savegame past the timed door has been posted on the third page of this thread: 

http://forum.laraslevelbase.org/wbb/index.php?page=Attachment&attachmentID=35837&h=1bf200fac4aa42a3c021adbc1920132fae2fefb2

 

A little bit further on, enter a room, head over to the center pedestal and take the Inca Hut Key. A white spirit shows up, quickly run behind the raised block and pull back the skeleton to open a short gate above.

Climb the block, face north and pull up inside the hole, crawl to the end and drop back beyond the waterfall. Step back once for a small medipack while the wraith self-destructs.  Now take the west opening and arrive at a small place with huts. Take a sidejump over the fence, pick up a small medipack, then use the Inca Hut Key. Jump back, go south and look for an opened door between the columns. Enter and pull the jumpswitch, go out and head north, the door next to the hut is open. Go to the end of the passage, notice the left closed gate, pull the switch and run back, enter the room you opened. Oops, there are two people who live here. Get rid of them, then pick up the shotgun ammo and large medipack. Climb up into the west and east lofts and shoot the jugs you'll find in the back alcoves.  This will turn on the fireplace down below.

Now head back to where you dropped the torch earlier, come back here and light it, then get back to the main area. Head north, take the north opening and jump over the water hole and use the torch to light the wolf's head. Enter the cave of a very angry T-rex, get all medipacks around, you definitely need them to deal with this giant monster. Go the place west where the T-rex sleeps, get shotgun ammo in the back left corner, then pull back the skeleton and pick up the shotgun. Dispose of the T-rex with a well-placed belly shot.

Now you have to pull/push the cage (partially hidden in an alcove) into the nearby hut. This is made unnecessarily tedious by the uneven terrain. When you finally get it there, you raise a block behind you. Stand with your back to the rocky wall, face north and line up with the right side of the block, backflip and jump forward, grab the edge and climb onto the block. Run/jump and grab the horizontal pole, swing forward and grab the next one, swing, jump off and land with a left curve onto the north block. Run/jump to the east block and finally run/jump grab to the south block. Climb up the east ladder until you reach the top.  Don't pull up, but backflip into the room; otherwise, you get killed by a spike trap. Get from the pedestal the Inca Plate, then look carefully in the bush in the NE corner. Pick up the Inca Key and the south door opens, follow the next passage to the end, you'll drop directly into the water hole.

Go back to the main area, and from there take the east opening down the rocky ramp to return to the beginning cave. Use the Inca Key in the receptacle near the east wall to open the gate and step forward slowly to trigger a spear trap in the passage.  Run past it and follow to a mill pool. Kill the baby dinos (don't jump or pull up onto the block, it's spike trapped), then go around the pool to the left, get a large medipack and notice the moving blade in front of the mill. Jump into the water and open an underwater door in the north wall. Swim inside for Secret #2 and get another compass. Roll, swim back and pull the lever on the west wall, it stops the moving blade.

Pull out of the pool and stand in front of the mill. Press the action key, and Lara will grab the mill and at the top she'll jump forward. Land onto the ledge with a right curve but without grabbing, and use the crowbar to get the first Inca Beetle. Now run/jump to the north ledge and get the second Inca Beetle. Get back to the beginning cave and use the Inca Plate to open the south doors. Run up the slope and be ready to trigger two rolling boulders. Note from Moderator:  I just turned to the right, hugged the bushes in the west wall, and the boulders rolled by harmlessly. Then continue up the slope to a room, go south-west and get from the SE bush some shotgun ammo. Now place both Inca Beetles in the south and north wall receptacles, this will raise two blocks west.

Climb up to the top and take from the pedestal The Mask of Ettal Otaihccam. Quickly avoid the skeletons by climbing into the west opening, turn around and use the zip line to cross the room and land on the east block. Pull the switch to open the next door. Enter a series of small caves. Pull the skeleton ahead and get the crossbow. Follow out this cave and kill two dinos, then enter the east cave, pull the switch (each switch you are pulling opens some gate in another cave). Near the bars get some crossbow explosive ammo, turn around and go outside to kill two wolves. Head north and enter the cave, pick up crossbow explosive ammo hidden in the bush. Use the crowbar to open the west door, enter inside for Secret #3 and get an extra compass.

Go across to the east cave and pull there a switch, load explosive ammo and blow up the skeleton. Head over to the faraway south cave, enter the east cave and pull there a switch to awaken another skeleton. Make your way back north, enter an earlier east cave near the end, pass to the next cave and pull a new switch. Run back to the earlier south cave, enter the east cave and run to the end. Kill the fighter at the intersection. Pull the switch and once again go back to the north cave, enter east, run to the end. Kill another fighter and find the last and final cave. Run up the east slope and quickly move left to avoid the rolling boulder. Pass through the waterfall at the opening to find the finish trigger, so you can load the next level as you wish.