AIDING THE CRYSTALRUNNER DWARVES

 

Level and walkthrough by Colin Benson

 

 

This is the walkthrough for my "Aiding the Crystalrunner Dwarves" level. I will only give the quickest path through the level here. Secret Sapphires, Gold Coins and non-important pickups are not listed. (You'll have to find them all on your own.) Here we go:

 

You start my level by watching Lara drop into a cave. Draw your pistols and get ready to fight a winter wolf. Once he's out of the picture, run North and search the wall for a pit. Drop in and run North West through the room. (Don't bother with lighting a flare just yet.) Climb up into a corridor and continue North. Turn Right at the torch on the wall and run West. Light a flare and pull up into the dark crawlspace. Follow it through, turn Right and continue until you can drop into another room. You'll find yourself in an nice looking outdoor courtyard with two SAS standing on a bridge and one on the roof on the room above you. Take all three of them out with your pistols. (A hit-and-run strategy tends to work well for me.)

 

Search the Northern wall near the bridge for a lever and throw it. You'll see a camera shot of a door opening. Return to the crawlspace again and go back the way you came. Run East (past the wall torch) and into the inside of a glacier. Draw your pistols and take out the two Ice Demonesses. (There might also be an SAS here, too.) Watch out, the Ice Demonesses take out a large chunk of energy if they manage to scratch you. One of them will leave behind a Glacier Key when she's gone. Pick it up and go back to the wall torch and run South down the corridor, through the lowered room and back to the caves. Turn Right and Run East. Circle around the perimeter of this outdoor area to reach the lower level. Run North and place the Glacier Key in its hole. Go through the open door and run down the steps.

 

The next room has spiked "punching bags" swinging from the ceiling. Dodge the first two as best as you can. Climb down the pit to your Right (West) and throw the lever in the room below. You'll see a block of ice lower into the ground. Grab the Shotgun and climb back out. Safety drop down the pit in front of you. Throw the lever found in the room. You'll see the door at the end of the corridor open. Climb out, dodge the next two spiked "punching bags" and go into the next room. (Straight ahead and up the ladder is the room where you can "cash in" any Secret Sapphires you might find in this level.) Let's turn Right first and follow the corridor into the next room.

 

Here you can see six ice pyramids in the ceiling. Go around the perimeter, through the hole in the wall and down the stairs. You'll find yourself on a raised ledge. Run along and use your shotgun to blow the approaching skeleton off the ledge. Look for another hole in the wall and go down the second set of stairs. We're at the bottom now, so search the walls to the North West for a small stairway. Climb them and in the next room climb up the wall ladder. Here you'll find a long corridor with floor icicles popping out. Get close to them, wait for them to retract and run past. At the North West end of the corridor is a Jotunn Pillar. Pick it up and retrace your steps past the icicle spikes down the ladder and down the stairs. Look for a hole in the Eastern wall. Go through it, climb the stairs and follow the path to a dead end. Turn around and wait a second... the room has changed. Yes, this room is like a maze and it shifts around a lot. Run to the dead end in the North East corner of this new room. The room will change again. Follow the corridor and turn Left until you reach a dead end. (The room changes around again.) Turn the corner, run down the hall and turn Right and run North. Go around the corners and at the dead end the room will change. Turn around and run until you reach a new room. Place the Jotunn Pillar in its receptacle and you'll see a door open.

 

Drop down the pit in the center of this small room and fall down with the collapsing planks of wood. Light a flare, turn West and walk (don't run) down the corridor. (There are several deadly icicle-trapped floors here.) Look for a jump switch on the South wall and jump up and throw it. The door at the end opens up. Go through, climb the block and climb up the wall ladder to the West. We are back at the bottom of the pit. Go South West and climb the two big staircases back to the entrance of the room with the ice pyramids in the ceiling. Follow the corridor (take a detour to your Right if you recently found a Secret Sapphire or two) to a room with a smoking copper pot in the center.

 

Continue running East (we'll explore this room a little later) and into a winding sloped passageway. At its end, you'll find yourself in an open, outdoor cave. Find a pit here and safety drop down to the lower level. You'll probably encounter an SAS here. Take him out and drop down to the next lower level again. On this level, you'll need to take out an Ice demoness. (Remember, there is a ghost-busting statue to the North East here if you manage to trigger a ghost or two.) Once that is done, search for a small hole and drop down. In the connecting room, there are two ropes attached to the ceiling. Do a run jump from the ledge and grab the rope. Swing and jump over to the next rope. Now swing and jump to the opposite ledge. Go through the doorway and take the Wizard's Room Key sitting on the pillar.

 

Turn around and use the ropes to swing over the pit again. Climb out of the pit. Run to the North West and stand on the small mound of rock and snow. Jump up, grab the Western ledge and pull yourself up. (Lara can't hold onto a corner ledge, only ledges that are aligned to the West, East, North or South.) Run to the South and look for a ladder on the rock face. Climb it and jump off. Now go to the North West and look for a path that leads into a dark cave. You'll find one SAS and a beautiful crystal here. Once the SAS is out of the game, light a flare and look to the North East for a hole in the wall.

 

Go through and continue until you wind up at a new open cave. Go West to the Torch Holder, look near the walls for a jump switch and activate it. You'll see a door opening. Go out of the cave and run North. A pack of four hungry Winter Wolves will come to greet you here. Take them all out and go through the big building's doorway to the North East. Go thorough the room, climb the long staircase, pass through the next room, cross the slanted cement bridge and go into the next room. There is another SAS here. Put him out of your misery and climb down the hole in the center of the room. Run North and drop through the illusionary floor. Slide down the icy platform and fight the monstrous Man-Eagle. It might be a good idea to use your best weapons here. The Man-Eagle has a tendency to pin you against the walls or push you off the platform.

 

Once he's out of the picture, the nearby door opens up. Go through and in the next room, look for and throw a jump switch near the wall ladder. Once it is thrown, a door opens. Climb up the ladder and jump off. Climb up the next ladder and go back to where you smoked the latest SAS. The door to the South is now open. Go through climb the wooden blocks, jump and pull up to the wooden platform. Walk into the next room carefully. There are many poisoned needles shooting out of the walls here. Look around, plan and evade them all as you go North. Grab the second Jotunn Pillar and leave the room just as carefully as you entered. We are done with this section.

 

Drop down to the lower floor, leave the room, cross the slanted little bridge, climb down the staircase, go back to the cave, make your way through the dark cave with the crystal and go down the winding sloped passageway. You're now back in the room with a smoking copper pot in the center. Climb the ladder and take out the skeleton with your shotgun and watch out for the poisoned needles shooting from the wall. Go to the Western pillar and throw the jump switch attached to it. (You'll see the door below open. The jump switch also opens the door in the room with the six ice ceiling pyramids.) Drop down and go through the opened door. We are now inside a giant glacier. Turn left and jump along the ledges.

 

Use your shotgun to deal with the skeletons and make your way to the lever. Throw it and you'll see a door inside the glacier open. Jump along the ledges and make your way to the blue push/pull square pillar. (Watch out for the icicles that drop from the ceiling.) Pull the blue square pillar a few times so it's sitting on top of the patch of ground below the opening. (The ground looks a bit different on the place where you want to leave it.) Now turn around and go through the door you opened with the floor lever. Climb down the ladder and throw the lever. A block of ice will rise up where you placed the blue square pillar. Return to the room with the smoking copper pot. Turn left and go down the corridor until you reach the room with the six ice pyramids in the ceiling. Climb down the two flights of stairs again. We're now at the bottom. Go through the Northern archway and drop down. Use your Jotunn Pillar here and the big iron gates open. Draw your pistols or another weapon because you are going to have to tackle two Ice Demonesses and two Man-Eagles.

 

Once they are gone, head to the pool of ice to the North. You can see a scroll encased in the ice if you look carefully. You'll have to melt this ice to get at it. Run East and drop down the pit. Run West through all of the rooms and turn Right. Deal with the SAS and Winter Wolf. (How did they get way down here?) Follow the path into the next room and drop in. There's a ladder in the wall in the South West corner. Climb it and throw the floor lever at the top. You'll see a room you just passed through and the floor will start shooting jets of flame. (Their jets of flame are directly underneath the pool of ice, so you can probably guess what's happening now.)

 

We can't leave this room just yet. Go to the South East corner of the room. There is another push/pull blue pillar here and we are going to have to get it to the marked section of the floor in the opposite corner. Start out by pulling the pillar once to the North. Climb over the block and then pull the pillar once to the West.  Climb over the little block again and push the pillar once to the West. Over the block again and push the pillar once to the South. Go around and pull the pillar once West. Go around again and push to the pillar West. Once again, go around and pull the pillar to the North. Go back to where you first found the pillar and climb on top of the small block. From there jump and climb onto the higher pillar to the West. From here, do a running jump over the push/pillar. Now pull it twice to the West. Face North and push until the pillar is against the wall. Hop onto the block to your left. Face North West and jump over the pillar. Now push it East until it reaches the wall. Return to the little block behind you and climb onto it. Face North and jump onto the top of the wall. Drop over the opposite side and run East, turn left and pull the pillar once to the North. Look for another small nearby block and climb onto it. From here run, jump and climb over the wall. Now push the pillar once to the North. Return to the small block and use it to jump over the big wall again. Go to the Pillar and pull it five times to the West. Now go to the pillar and pull it once North. Go around the pillar and push it West until it's on the marked section. A block of ice will rise out of the ground. You can use it to climb out of this room.

 

Go through the corridor, turn East and go through the rooms again. (Watch out for the flame jets now.) Climb the wall ladder and we are back in the middle of the giant glacier. Go back to the ice pool and you'll see that now it has melted into water, thanks to the heat from the flame emitters directly below the pool. Take the DeBarrier Magic Scroll and run to the South West. Look for a floor lever to your Right. Throw it and a block of ice above raises up. Exit the giant glacier through the big iron gates. Climb the small wall ladder, then the two staircases until you are on the highest floor. Go through the doorway flanked by two wall torches. Turn left and jump along the icy ledges (watch out for more icicles) until you reach the block of ice you just raised from below. Use it to climb into the next room. Pull the pillar in this room until it is on top of the marked section of the floor. You'll see a camera shot of three doors opening on the opposite side of the glacier.

 

Go back the way you came and jumping along the ledges. Do not return to the room with six ice pyramids but stand on the nearby ledge. Face North West and jump to the next ledge. Continue along the ledges going North. Along the way, you'll encounter a Skeleton and an SAS. Take them out and climb the wall ladder into the next room. Here we are faced with a ceiling (which Lara can shimmy along) and steam emitters shooting from the walls. Before we do anything, check to see how healthy Lara is now. If she's weak, give her a potion. Now jump up, grab the ceiling and shimmy along. It's near impossible to go through without taking at least a little bit of damage. What you need to do is minimize it as much as you can. Wait between the Steam emitters for a break in their blasts and shimmy past quickly. (Note: Don't try to enter the game menu while Lara is here. Holding Ctrl and pressing Esc is a control break command for your computer. Use hot keys for potions or reassign the action key.)

 

Once you reach the end, drop down and perhaps give Lara a potion. In the next room is an Ice Demoness. Take her out and go through the opening to the South. Drop down and jump along the ledges heading to the East. Once you reach the end, go through the three doors we opened a few minutes ago and into the next room. Use the Wizard's Room Key to open the door to the next room. Now just place the DeBarrier Magic Scroll on the stone plate. Lara will cast the magic spell of "DeBarrier" and the whole level will shake as the Dwarf-Barrier breaks apart. Once the spell is complete, you win and the level ends.

 

(I hope you enjoyed my level.)