QUARTER OF EVIL 2 – CATACOMBS

Level by Potter

Walkthrough by Treeble

Lara slides into some catacombs... Follow the path around the bend and collect some flares from the top of the crate in the far corner. Backtrack a bit to find a movable statue, pull it out of the way to reveal a dark crawlspace. Crawl in and run down the steps to reach a low ceiling room with platforms over lava.

You need to make running jumps at an angle to clear the area, usually hopping backwards from the corner and taking a side step (and perhaps an inch more) towards the middle of the tile should give you enough room. On the other side, loop around the broken pillar and through the next crawlspace, hop over the flames on the steps and towards the bottom of the room.

Hidden in the darkness are some shells on the right side of the movable pillar, plus a small medipack and the SHOTGUN itself behind it. Pull the pillar once to trigger an earthquake; with no visible changes in the vicinity, it's time to backtrack. Head upstairs and negotiate the tight jumps over the lava pit again. As you emerge out of the crawlspace back in the entrance room, you'll notice an overhanging ladder. Reach up and drop down on the opposite end.

You land right on top of some arrows. Enter the pathway to the right and a danger cue plays, don't rush in blindly. Instead, pop out your binoculars to spot the safe columns in the spike pit. A skeleton will be jumping around on the far columns, you can shoot it into the pit after taking a running jump towards the column by the right hand wall. Press the button on the opposite side of the pit, roll and use the binoculars to look straight down and you'll notice a safe spot amidst the spikes and a closed door. This is a timed door for a secret later on.

Hop back over the pit to the previous area and through the open door. When you reach the wide open area with the mummy and coffins, explore the opposite corners of the room to find arrows and flares. You can take the side passage to an empty pool if you'd like to retrieve the CROSSBOW, but you can't do anything else there yet so return to the area with the coffins and head further North.

As you approach the next doorway, notice the omega plate on the floor. This opens the timed door in the spike pit, so immediately roll and dash straight back and downstairs towards the pit. Jump to the first pillar by the right hand wall and then to the center pillar: its backside is climbable, so quickly make your way to the bottom and through the door. Navigate the claustrophobic dark corridor to find SECRET #1, a large medipack, at the end. Climb back out of the pit and head back upstairs.

Before crossing the omega plate on the floor, look to your right for another secret door in the corner. We'll be back here shortly. For now, head into the next room and explore the dark in the lower right side of the stairs for arrows. On the opposite side is a closed door which you can open by pressing the button at the top of the stairs, so go and do that.

As you slide down, a number of doors will close behind you and another danger cue will play. Don't panic and wait until Lara stands still. Save your game, just in case, and take notice of the pattern in the ceiling. Only the tiles marked with a square are safe, all the other ones will burn Lara to a crisp so carefully jump around the room to the button behind the pillar to flood that side passage pool. The nearby door opens, providing you a handy shortcut.

Safety drop to the corridor and head to the pool, then swim into the opening underneath the fountain face to find the HORSEMAN'S GEM sitting in an alcove. Go back to the open area and upstairs to place the gem and open the nearby door. To your right, retrieve the shells before stepping on the omega tile —the door on the opposite side of this floor opens briefly when you step on it, so sprint inside.

Use the blocks to make your way up to another pressure plate, step on it to reopen the exit door as well as another door in the upper floor. Don't waste any time and go back there, climb up and jump across the remains of the upper floor and run through before the door closes, dodging a skeleton on your way in. A number of mummies will considerately gang up on you, so use one explosive bolt to deal with the lot and claim the mythical LOAD scroll. The level exit door opens below, but we still have one more secret to claim.

On the upper platforms outside, you might have noticed another omega pressure plate. It opens that door right before the doorway threshold for a short time, so step on it and drop down, sprint downstairs and make a sharp left after crossing the omega tile into the room with the coffins. Jump into the open door for SECRET #2, a small medipack. You're done, so head back to the room with the timed doors and through the open side passage in the greenery to leave this place.