Desert Ruins and the Serpent Tower

Back to the Basics: Level 3

Level by Jackie Wu (GeckoKid)

Walkthrough by Dutchy

MS=Monkeyswing, CS=Crawlspace, MP=medi-pack, have fun!

Into the Ruins.

You slide into a desert valley, go to the other side where you can go down into an old ruin and the doors in front will open, throw the lever inside and wait on things to happen, the whole room changes, dodge all the attacking Mummies and go to the W side of the room, take the NW or SW passage to a wider W passage. Go down into that lower passage and come to the Serpent Tower (look up).

On and around the Serpent Tower.

Go over to the W side, R hand alcove and only use “Ctrl” to climb up into a crooked passage leading up to a room with 2 closed doors ( 1) (2) and a sloped passage up to the E. Come to the alcoves that give view to the Serpent Tower and a flyby will show the path leading up to the top of the Tower. Go into the R hand alcove and runjmp/grab to the ledge that goes around the pillar.

Top of the Serpent Tower, for the Crowbar.

Follow up to the Gem display at the top, go to the SE corner at the broken but still standing pillar and turn facing N to grab up to the roof, shoot the vases for some Ammo and get the Crowbar. (A Skellie wakes up, just get down fast)

Burner room - 1st Golden Star.

Drop back down and go to the NW corner steps and from there you can runjmp to the NW corner alcove with the broken roof in front, go in and be careful, where the MS and pool are, burners will start. Save and run to the water, get the ½ MP and go up to the waters edge from where you can just grab up to the MS and avoid the 1st two burners. You should be able to get past the next 3 burners in one go and then time the last one from hanging close as you can get, go to get the 1st Golden Star, run down into the water and go up the slope other side, crawl under the burner and time the run back through. From the broken ledge at the Serpent Tower, you can runjmp back to the steps on the big pillar. Go up and to the SE corner and see the alcove S.

Rope and Shaft jmp - 2nd Golden Star.

Runjmp to the alcove S, follow to a room with a pool and a Skeleton. Go in the L side opening overlooking the pool and runjmp/grab over to the pillar on the ledge S. Go into the room there and spot the rope and an alcove S, grab the rope and hit swing shortly, release swing and at the moment Lara puts her feet up on the rope again, (in the backswing position) hit swing again and she will go far enough to jmp and grab the alcove S (even to the crack over the alcove, if you want the Secret), throw the lever to get a block out of the wall at the Skeleton, so you can go push the button there.

If you want the Secret of this level, you will have to get up to that crack over the alcove with the lever and shimmy R all the way to a ladder going up, go E and follow to a big room, climb the centre ledges, get the Grenade gun, Shotgun and several sets of Ammo lying around on the ledge, then go down the ground floor and head N into a passage L and follow down to some Ammo between the glass panels, then go up again and to the other passage in the N of the big room. There’s a closed door at the end and a nice view out to a courtyard. Go back to the big room and to the S side, down to the room with the rope and go on with the job at hand. In the S, L of the passage back to the ladder is another door at the end of a tunnel. This door will open from the Underground City level once you collected all the Secrets there and then you can again get all the Goodies that you just picked up.

Go back down the ladder and drop into the room with the rope, go S and up to that pool and from the ledge (standing in some debris) you can see a short pillar on the N side, runjmp with a grab to land on it and quickly head over to that block under the button a bit to the L. When you push it a block lowers in the pool below, so dive in quick and swim N, find the triangular crevice and go into the tunnel to a shaft with sloped ledges. Pull up on the N side and backflip with a roll, keep jmping till you can grab the edge of the upper floor (on the 4th jmp after the backflip) Get that 1st Golden Star off the wall, a screenshot of the Serpent Tower room and the level where you’ll find the room to place the Stars later.

Drop back down into the shaft, swim back S and go back to the Skeleton, get onto the block with the triangular top, standing on the ledge in the water, standjmp/grab from the block to the upper ledge S, just R of the block with the broken pillar and get up onto the block with the pillar to runjmp/grab back to the N floor, go to the Serpent Tower again, runjmp/grab over to the steps and go down to the W side, just past where you got the 1st Star.

Skeleton room/Pillar push - 3rd Golden Star.

See a crack in the pillar between the alcoves, runjmp/grab to the crack and go L, enter the passage to a room with the Skeletons. You have to run and jmp over the ledges, picking up some Ammo on the way (if you happen to fall off the ledges, there’s a ladder in the SE corner) and end up in the NE corner, chased by a bunch of Skellies. Quickly grab the Shotgun on the ledge there (or the Grenade-gun for a more dramatic effect) and arm yourself with it, roll and shoot the Skellies off the ledge, push the button on N wall and see a block coming out of the W wall. Go over to the W side and climb the block to get up to the 1st floor and get that pillar right where you climb up, and pull/push it all the way under a circle Tile on the ceiling in the far E side. Skellies wake up and a block rises under the Star on N wall. just run there and quickly jmp up the block get the 3rd Golden Star, get down and to the hole where you can drop back down to the lower floor.

Fire pillar jmps - 4th Golden Star.

Go to the Serpent Tower and climb around the L pillar, from that alcove you can runjmp/grab back to the steps, go straight down to the E and runjmp into the alcove there, a Skellie wakes up. Draw the Shotgun and stand close to the Serpent Tower, as he comes for you, jmp/roll over him and shoot him into the abyss. A bit into the passage you can see the glass pane from which you got the Ammo before. Follow the passage to a pool with pillars and burners on top, go to the far W side and jmp to the 1st pillar, then to the one SE and then straight to the S, the last one is to the SW and then to the ledge where you can get the 4th Golden Star. Dive into the pool and head back to the N side, go down to the Serpent Tower again.

Placing the Stars.

Jmp back to the steps, go all the way down to the end and then runjmp with a grab in the end to land in the R hand alcove on S wall, go L and use the cracks in the pillars to go all the way around to the N side, drop at the MP and go in, shoot the vases for a ½ MP and go L, follow the passage jmping over the Mummies and come to the room where the 4 Golden Stars can be placed, in the SE and SW corner alcoves are some Goodies. The cover on the Gem is gone and the bottom of the Serpent Tower filled with water (also the door (1) S opened here. Go S and into that room with the 2 closed doors again, L and up to the 1st alcove you visited. Runjmp/grab from the R hand one to the steps and go all the way up to get the Horseman’s Gem.

The Pharos Knot.

The door (2) opens, go back down the steps to one floor above the alcove you just came from and runjmp with a grab in the end to land into that alcove (take the one opposite the lowest part of the steps, SW corner) Go down to the room with the doors and enter the S door to get the Pharos Knot. Go back up to the Serpent Tower and jmp down into the water, go N and into the L alcove, follow around the corner to the receptacle for the Knot and an elevator will get you one floor up, climb up and the next elevator goes up, go to the doors and they will open, a lever will set you free. Just jmp into the deep and the level ends.

03-01-2005.