ARMS RACE

Level and walkthrough by JesseG

The Thwarted Escape Plan, Get the Uzis

The level starts with Lara looking toward a cave. Run north through it and approach the open gate across the valley. You will be interrupted by a cutscene of a lever being pulled, which closes the wooden doors, and an Ice Woman appears from behind to attack you. After she is defeated she will leave behind the Uzis, which you will need to progress. Pick them up and travel back the way you came, to the small pond, which has some flares if you didn’t get them earlier. If you face the water surface and draw the uzis, you’ll see Lara taking aim. Shoot the uzis to turn the water to ice (as noted in the readme, special effects like this do not cost any ammo) and run on top of it to jump into the next cave. There is another pool of water, before proceeding you can dive in, uzi ammo is found on the seafloor. Pull up on dry ground and use the uzis again to freeze the water and cross the ice to continue east. At the end of the cave, jump onto the raised rock, then jump up and pull up into the opening above. Turn west and run to the back of the cave to find some M16 ammo. Exit the cave east to find yourself on the estate grounds.

Get the M16 Above the Garage

        For pickups you can take a detour and head south, go west between the fountain and garden area and find a large medipack behind the pillar on your left. The fountain also has uzi ammo at the bottom of the water. Continue to the southeast corner to find revolver ammo on the ground next to some trees. Go back to the cave and continue east until you reach a small building on your left with a keyhole - this is the garage and we’ll go there later. Turn left and look at the hill west of the garage, there is a landing that Lara can reach in the corner of the hill here. Jump up there and then jump and pull up onto the plateau. Take a running jump east and grab the roof of the garage, pull up. You can see a small opening in the mountainside to your left. You can reach it by taking a running jump from the peak of the roof. Inside is a Flamethrower Guy waiting to attack you. After he is defeated he will leave behind the M16. This weapon lets you set things aflame, an ability you will need soon. Exit the cave and drop down from the garage roof. For a pickup detour, return to the cave in the northwest and unfreeze the water you froze earlier. Dive into the eastern water hole to get a small medipack and uzi ammo before returning to the estate grounds.

To the Church for a Revolver and a Key

Go southwest to the church, it’s the tall white building between a fountain and the cave you exited from earlier. Enter and Lara will notice the torches on the wall. She will need to solve this puzzle to continue.

Hint 1: You will need to use both the Uzis and the M16 in this room.

Hint 2: Notice that there are dark marks behind two of the torches, but not the other two. What could that mean?

Solution: Use the M16 to ignite the southwest and northwest torches (with the burn marks behind them). Use the Uzis to put out the northeast torch, and leave the southeast torch unlit. This will open the door across from the entrance.

Enter through the now open door and as you approach the clearing, a cutscene shows a Teleporting Lady walking above you and activating the last of four teleporting nodes. She will start attacking you but will also use those purple nodes to teleport around the area. You will want to climb the ladder on the north wall to attack her from the same height. Once she is defeated, she will drop the Revolver, which lets you teleport to purple nodes. We will need this right away to clear a timed run.

Drop down and find uzi ammo in the northwest corner if you didn’t earlier, then enter the alcove in the southwest corner, which has a switch. This is a timed switch for the painting up in the east wall. Pull it and run out of the alcove with the revolver drawn. Aim at the purple node in front of the open painting and shoot to teleport there, then run through the opening before the painting closes. You are now on the floor above the entrance.

Notice the switch on the north wall, but don’t bother pulling it yet. Instead, pull up onto the wooden block on the east wall, then turn around, jump and grab the ladder. Shimmy to the right until you reach a landing with a white node on it. Touch it to turn it purple, then drop down to the switch, which is another timed one, this time for the trapdoor in the ceiling. Pull the switch and turn around while drawing the revolver. Shoot the purple node to teleport there, then jump + climb up to the room above before the trapdoor closes on you.

Grab the GARAGE KEY from one of the dressers at the large window, and a small medipack from the other one. Look up and notice a boulder held by a rope and pulley. Draw the M16 and shoot at the rope on the north wall (it is a steep angle, you will need to stand back a large distance to take aim). The rope breaks and the boulder crashes through the trapdoor below to open it. Make your way down to the ground floor and exit the church.

To the Sewers

 Return to the garage (northeast from the church) and use the garage key to gain access and find some flares in the southeast corner. No, none of these vehicles can be driven! Instead, open the manhole cover in the middle of the room and drop down into the sewers. For a pickup detour, freeze the water with the uzis and crawl north through the crawlspace. Climb up left to find a large medipack. Return south through the crawlspace and unfreeze the water with the M16, and drop down into the water, swimming south.

You will enter a large sunken cavern. Swim around the pillar in front of you to find uzi ammo on the ground. Continue south and pull up onto land to find M16 ammo next to the starfish. Drop back into the water and swim through the hole in the floor, into a chamber with a large blue crystal in the middle. Continue swimming down to the floor, then spot a lever in the south wall. Pull it to open a door above, swim up and through the new opening. Dodge the blade traps here and continue through the tunnel until you can surface for air in a square area. You can’t swim west, but you can swim through the small opening east. Doing so leads Lara up to a fountain inside the large mansion. Leave the fountain and you will see a cutscene showing the exits opening up, so you can now enter and exit the mansion as you please.

The Rolling Ball Puzzle

Activate the teleportation node just west of the fountain to ease travels later. There is a small medipack on the throne just ahead. Then go northwest to find a sitting area, there is a lasersight on a table there. Pick it up and the double doors behind the fountain open. Go back there to find a tall boulder maze. Before solving the puzzle you will want to make all of the white teleporting nodes purple so you can get around more easily. The first is on the ground floor, touch it to make it purple. Climb up on the table to the south and then up to the platform where switch four is, activate the node there. Back to the ground, climb up on the white table to the north, then pull up to the platform with a pushable block. Activate the node here. Push or pull the block to reveal a switch. Climb up on the block to reach the landing above, another teleportation node here. Jump to the northwest landing and then jump and pull up to the platform just above you. Jump to the higher landing south of you, then turn back north, jump and grab the landing to activate the teleportation node here. Turn back and make your way to the large platform in the west wall. There is some uzi ammo on the window sill above here. Jump south and use the raised landing to jump and pull up above. Another teleportation node here. Jump backwards onto the crumbling platform east, followed by a forward jump and grab to the above landing. Another teleportation node here. Jump west to the crumbling platforms and jump up to the higher landing in the west wall. Jump north to the landing there. Jump backwards onto the east slope, then jump off of it to grab the landing above. Pull up and activate the teleportation node here. Take a running jump toward the west crumbling platform, rolling in mid-air so that you can jump forward and grab the higher crumbling platform, pull up and reach the final teleportation node to activate.

Now that all teleportation nodes have been activated, it’s time to solve this rolling ball puzzle. The goal is to get the ball to roll onto the green square at the bottom of the maze.

Hint: The fans in the maze push the ball upward in whatever direction it is rolling in. Which fans will help the ball reach its goal? Which ones will only get in the way?

            Solution: Fan #s 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9 and 10 should be active. The rest should be turned off.

            Once the ball reaches its goal, the key will appear on the ground below. Return to the ground floor and pick up the BALCONY KEY.

Secret detour: Using the switches to direct the ball to five of the dead-ends in the maze (indicated with a red light) will open a door in the southwest corner of the ground floor that leads to a secret. Each time the ball reaches one of these dead ends, a flame will appear there. Once all five flames are lit and the door is open, enter and climb down the ladder and pick up SECRET #1, a small medipack, a rocket, M16 ammo and shotgun ammo. Return up the ladder and leave.

Ascending the Mansion     

Exit the puzzle room and go to the south part of the mansion lobby. Use the balcony key on the keyhole that is on one of the pillars here. A trapdoor above you opens. Jump onto the windowsill in the southwest corner, then onto the wooden block, and then jump and grab the ladder. Shimmy left around the corner and then climb up onto the next floor.

Once you’re on the second floor (or first floor for those outside the US), you will hear the double doors open to the staircase. Go to the southwest corner past the piano and harp, there is an opening to a balcony with a teleportation node to activate (not necessary, but may be useful later) and revolver ammo on the patio table. Head back inside and face north, you will see some parallel bars to swing on. Start by hopping back two squares and then taking a running jump to clear the balcony and grab the first pole. Swing to the second pole and then swing and grab the ledge in front of you. Shimmy right around the corner twice, then pull up onto the slope, jump and roll in order to grab the next pole. Swing to the last pole, then swing into the library ahead.

Head east to find a rocket on a pedestal next to the double doors, which are now open. Now Lara needs to solve this pushable block puzzle to get upstairs.

Hint #1: Lara can push blocks that are stacked on top of each other.

Hint #2: Lara will need to push two stacks together.

Solution: Pull out the block that is on the ground between the two windows, and push it under the higher block that is across from it inside a pillar. That’s not enough to pull out that higher block, so go find another block on the ground under a pillar to the east. Pull it out and push it next to the other ground block. Pull out the higher block onto the lower one, now you can push the stack of two blocks under the hole in the ceiling. That’s one stack, now we need another. Push the remaining block on the ground into the open spot under the window. Pull out the block from the left side of the window frame until it is on top of the other block. Pull out this stack of blocks and then push it next to the other stack so that both stacks line up with the pillar next to the hole in the ceiling. Use the hole in the window frame to jump onto these stacks and pull out the block from the pillar so that you can climb onto it and pull up to the next floor.

Getting the Shotgun  

            Lara will emerge in a bathroom on the third floor (second floor for those outside the US). Exit and turn right to find an open bedroom, enter to get uzi ammo on the floor. Exit and go down the hallway to the east, all the way to the end where there is a tall bedroom (note the door and keylock on the south wall along the way). Here is another little puzzle to solve: you want to reach the higher balcony in this room. The switch in the east wall will toggle the two lifts, so one will rise while the other lowers.

Hint #1: That teleportation node must be up in the air for a reason.

            Hint #2: What if Lara were able to teleport while in motion?

            Solution: Pull the switch and immediately jump left onto the lift as it rises up. Touch the teleportation node, then drop back down and push the switch again. The east lift should be lowered and the south lift should be raised. With the revolver ready, go to the northeast corner and take a running jump toward the teleportation node. During the jump, shoot the node to teleport higher up and land on the southeast landing. Turn right and jump to the raised lift, then jump again to the southwest landing. Finally take a running jump and grab to the balcony in the northwest corner.

Once on the balcony in the northwest corner, you will find the OFFICE SUITE KEY next to the bed. This is for the keyhole you passed in the hallway to this room, so drop down and go use the key to open the door.

            Enter and the door shuts behind you, trapping you with a Shotgun Man. Fight him head-to-head at your own peril, because he will frequently stop you in place for a few seconds. To gain the upper hand, note the three pink rugs on the floor. Lara can set those aflame with the M16, so take aim at the rugs and fire. Then position yourself to make the shotgun man walk over the flames toward you: this will hurt him and he will stop to stomp out the fire (which Lara can reignite afterwards). Once the fight is done, he will leave behind the Shotgun for you to pick up. This will let you stop traps and enemies in place for a few seconds (note that you will need ammo to use it on a mortal enemy). There is a pushable table in the room, push it south toward the wall and use it to jump and grab onto the bookshelves. Pull up to find a small medipack up here before leaving the area.

The Torture Chambers

            Make your way down to the ground floor of the mansion (either using the stairs or the teleportation node on the ground), then go into the kitchen in the southeast. There is a switch here, pull it and enter the door that it opens. Get the shotgun out and use it on the fan to stop it, which lets you pass through it. Do the same with the next fan (remember that you can only stop one thing at a time, so you will need to wait for the first fan to resume spinning). Lara will emerge in a gloomy chamber with a Skeleton roaming about below. Drop down and find flares in the inner corner of the south wall. Note the spikes blocking the exit to the east. The spikes stop working when the wooden platform is stepped on, so lure the skeleton onto it and use the shotgun to stop it in place. Take this time to quickly get past the inactive spikes. Drop down and jump off of the slide to avoid the next spike pit, then slide down into a narrow corridor.

Head south. Use the shotgun on the blade traps at the right time to get past them safely (or you can dodge them normally), then note a red light on a marked tile in front of you. Stepping on it will make a rolling ball drop down from the trapdoor ahead. Get the shotgun ready and step on the tile (this closes a gate behind you), then shoot the rolling ball as soon as you can to stop it in place. Run into the corridor in the east wall before it starts rolling again. There is a trapdoor raising and lowering repeatedly here. When Lara aims with the shotgun at the trapdoor (this only happens when it is fully raised), shoot it and then jump onto it to pull the switch before the trapdoor falls out. This will open the exit, go through to the outside.

Getting the Rocket Launcher

You are in a graveyard. There are many tombstones that can be moved. For pickups you can move the central east tombstone for a rocket, and the southwest headstone to find uzi ammo. There is another pressure pad next to the entrance that raises a trapdoor on the west wall when stepped on, we need to use this trapdoor to ascend. There are two ways to do this. A direct but more difficult method is to stand on the pressure pad and shoot the raised trapdoor with the shotgun, before jumping onto it to reach one of the landings above. Another method that gives you more time to move is to use a skeleton friend: Look for some dark marks underneath a headstone near the center of the area, and pull it back to make the Skeleton appear. Just as you’ve done before, lure the skeleton onto the platform next to the entrance, and shoot it with the shotgun to stop it in place there. This keeps the trapdoor raised, so quickly jump onto it and then jump onto one of the brick buildings before the trapdoor lowers. For a pickup detour, jump up and shimmy along the roofs along the north wall until you can jump to the brick building against the east wall. Shimmy along the roofs here and pull up at the end to grab a large medipack.

Go to the brick building against the west wall, grab the ledge and shimmy left around the corner twice. Drop down and grab the ledge behind you and pull up. Here in the southwest corner you can grab the ceiling above you, stand at the peak of the roof and jump up to grab it. Swing forward and keep pushing forward to make Lara transfer to the ladder on the side of the structure. Continue climbing up and jump off at the top to the ledge behind you.

Get the shotgun ready. Step onto the flower tile to activate an expanding block in front of you, and shoot it with the shotgun before it fully expands. This will let Lara jump on top of it (one way is to stand in front, press Jump and hold Forward so she lands on top), use that to pull up onto the next landing above. Step on the flower tile and run forward past the expanding blocks coming at you (you can sprint but it is not necessary). Jump and grab the metal ladder and climb up. Jump off and roll while pressing left to land onto the slope behind Lara, slide down and grab the ledge and shimmy right to find the crawlspace in the south wall. Pull up and crawl into the vent and drop down. Continue forward and you will enter a wine cellar with an Anti-Gravity Man dropping down from above to attack you. After you deal enough damage to him, he will do a high jump onto a landing above. To follow him, look for the pushable block on the floor. Push it over to the pillar in the south wall that has a hole in it. Jump up onto the block and into the hole, then jump up to the hole in the next pillar. From there, take a running jump to the west wooden platform where the enemy is and continue the battle. When he has taken enough damage, he will do a long jump to the opposite platform. You could continue shooting at him from here, or you can get closer by taking a running jump to the north pillar with a hole in it, and another jump from there to the opposite platform. Finish him off and he will drop the Rocket Launcher, which will let you use those green nodes to reduce Lara’s gravity for a short time. If you want to try it right away, shoot the green node toward the ceiling of this room, then you can drop down to the floor without worrying about taking damage. If you haven’t already, you can find revolver ammo behind the bar in the southwest corner.

Ascending to the Top of the Mansion

Exit via the northwest to find another chamber with a green node up above. Shoot it with the rocket launcher and vault onto the ledge in the south wall. Pull up, turn around and take a running jump to grab the landing on the other side. Pull up, and head in the northwest corner past the laundry machines to find a switch to open the doors here, gaining access to the rest of the mansion from the laundry room. Step out onto the balcony and activate the teleportation node, find the revolver ammo in the southwest corner if you haven’t earlier, then head back to the laundry room to continue your ascent. Look up to spot parallel bars in the ceiling. To reach them, stand with your back to the north wall and shoot the green node with the rocket launcher again. Put it away and take a running jump to grab the first one. Swing to the next bar, then to the opening across from you in the south wall, before the antigravity effect stops. Grab and pull down the trapdoor in the ceiling and climb up to the next room.

Notice there are several pushable mirrors on the floor here, but there isn’t much use for them yet. Look for the green node in the middle of the ceiling and hit it with a rocket. Climb up on one of the central pillars. Up here, with anti-gravity jumps you can get a small medipack and uzi ammo on the north balcony, then look for a jumpswitch on the south wall. It’s going to be a long drop, so use another rocket on the green node first, then jump and grab the switch before slowly falling to the floor (Lara will take a little damage), as a green dot in the opposite wall is shown to you.

A red laser is now pointing out of a block in the south wall. Lara will need to solve this puzzle to open the exit on the other side of the room.

Hint: The laser needs to be directed into a similar looking block in the north wall, using the pushable mirrors on the ground.

Solution: The mirror to the west of the laser can be pushed in front of the laser to reflect it to the east.

In the southeast area there are two mirrors, you need to swap them so that the laser bounces north, then west.

In the next area are three mirrors, but the first one doesn’t need to be moved and bounces the laser north. Move the next mirror nearby to reflect the laser west, then move the last mirror against the west wall to have the laser bounce north into the northwest corner.

In the northwest corner, move out the mirror to reflect the laser east.

In the northeast corner there are three lasers. Find the two easternmost mirrors and push them east. Take the third mirror and push it east, then south. It reflects the laser north. Then push the northeast mirror west below the exit, and the other mirror goes behind it. The laser will bounce west and then north again into the green dot under the exit, a red flash indicates you are done.

Once the exit is open, hit the anti-gravity node with another rocket and go north through the new opening - don’t jump too far as there is a spike pit in here. Use your lowered gravity to take a running jump across it. Then pull the switch to open the doors which lead out to the top floor of the mansion lobby. Hit the anti-gravity node in the ceiling here, and jump onto the diamond in the west wall, and jump off to get across to the other side. Activate the teleportation node, we’ll be back here later as there is nothing but a keyhole. To get some pickups on the way down, use the low gravity node again and safety drop from the diamond protruding from the west wall (south side) to grab M16 ammo. Drop to the flat ground one level below to grab shotgun ammo. Drop or teleport to the ground floor.

Detours for Secrets

Now that you have the rocket launcher, you can choose to go after the rest of the secrets before finishing the adventure.

Secret detour 2: Go to the entrance of the rolling ball maze chamber, facing the fountain. Pull out the rocket launcher and inch forward until the green node is in range. Shoot it and quickly turn back and run to the southeast corner of the rollingball maze room. Take out the revolver and use the lasersight to shoot the highest teleportation node on the north side to teleport up there. Quickly face south and take a running jump to the other side, using the crumbling platform to get onto the balcony with SECRET #2, a large medpack. Make your way back to the ground floor.

Secret detour 3: Go outside to the southwest corner where there is a flower garden. Shoot the green node with the rocket launcher, then use the mound to jump up onto the roof above the flowers. Look for an opening in the west mountainside. Shoot the green node again and jump into it. Shoot the green node one last time, then quickly jump up to the north landing, then take a running jump south over the sloped rock. Run to the southeast corner and jump up and grab the crack above before the anti-gravity effect ends. Shimmy to the right and pull up into the crawlspace. Crawl south until you can stand. Face north, jump and grab the slope and pull up. Jump between the slopes so that you can land on the east landing. From there, pull up into the cave above. Continue east and find SECRET #3, shotgun ammo, a rocket, and revolver ammo. Exit by using the lasersight on the revolver to teleport to the node outside, or go back the way you came.

Secret detour 4: Go outside to the southwest corner where there is a flower garden. Shoot the green node with the rocket launcher, then use the mound to jump up onto the roof above the flowers. Look toward the east at the balcony, where you should have activated the teleportation node earlier (if not, you’ll want to go do that first). Shoot a rocket at the green node again because you will need to be quick. Immediately pull out the revolver and use the lasersight to teleport onto the balcony. Stand on the left rail and grab the roof above, then shimmy left to the flat landing. Pull up and quickly jump up to the window sill. Shoot out the windows and slide into the bedroom to find SECRET #4, shotgun ammo, a rocket, and uzi ammo. The bedroom door is now open so you can exit that way.

Secret detour 5: The southeast corner outside has a high landing to reach. The best way to get there is to shoot a rocket at the green node at the fountain, then quickly head south, using the revolver to speed up your travel. Turn left and jump up to the landing. From there you can jump across the landings to the south until you reach the entrance to a pit. There is a ladder here, so use it to climb down safely where you will activate a teleportation node. The camera shows there is ice below. To descend safely, you’ll need to get the M16 ready. Drop off of the ledge while facing toward the middle of the cave, and shoot the ice with the M16 to turn the ice into water before you make impact. Swim west and climb out into a narrow space with a crack in the east wall above you. Grab it and shimmy to the right until you reach a crawlspace. Go through and find SECRET #5, shotgun ammo, uzi ammo, and revolver ammo. Go up east and turn left into a small chamber with a narrow opening through which you can see the teleportation node you activated earlier. Stand in the southeast corner facing the opening, take out the revolver and use the lasersight to teleport out of there, and exit via the ladder.

Getting the Final Key

 On the ground floor of the mansion lobby, use the anti-gravity node before entering the bathroom in the northeast. Pull up onto the windowsill to find a. Then pull the switch in the east wall to open the door. Run through and jump up before the anti-gravity effect is gone. Use the shotgun to get past the fan as you have done before. You’ll also activate a teleportation node at the end of the vent.

Careful, the floor in the room below is covered in electrified water. Jump onto the box on the right, then face north. First you’ll want to make gravity lower by using the rocket launcher on the green node. Then take out the uzis. Take a running jump and right after you pass through the waterfall, shoot the water surface to freeze everything to ice before you land. Climb up onto the crate with the teleportation node and a monkeyswing above it. First pull out the M16 and fire it at the water to thaw the ice. Then take out the rocket launcher and shoot a rocket at the green node. Quickly grab the monkeyswing and follow it to the end. Continue pushing forward to transfer to the ladder above the waterfall. Climb up the ladder one step, then jump backward and roll in mid-air. You should be able to grab the other side if the anti-gravity hasn’t run out yet. Pull up and pick up the KEY TO THE POINT OF NO RETURN (take this name seriously - any further exploration should be done before using this key). Use the two teleportation nodes with the revolver to return to the vent and exit back to the mansion lobby.

The Final Showdown

Teleport to the top floor of the mansion lobby and use your newly acquired key on the keyhole that is across from the double doors. The doors open. Use a rocket on the green node (we will see why soon), enter the new opening and proceed down the hallway north. The floor suddenly gives way under you - but if you are lucky enough to have anti-gravity enabled then you can jump off the slope to clear the gap and find a rocket around the corner. Drop down and crawl through the dirt on the right. Exit the crawlspace to find that a Giant Statue coming to life. It will freeze the floor before charging at you. Careful, if it smacks the ground near you then Lara will be stuck in place for a few seconds. Fire at the giant until it is dealt enough damage to jump up to the balcony. It will turn the ice back into lava before starting an assault of fireballs. To get closer you could try freezing the lava with the uzis to cross, but the statue will reverse it with its next attack. Instead, you could shoot a rocket at the green node to get a bigger jump across to the other side of the lava. Or you can simply shoot at it from afar. Continue firing at the statue until it is defeated. Shoot another rocket at the green node so that you can jump up and grab the balcony. Pull up and enter through to the security room in the back, where a Masked Man ambushes you. Once you shoot him enough (he does not take many hits), a cutscene shows Lara lose all of her special weapons - except her trusty pistols, which she defeats him with. Pull the lever switch to open the doors that closed on you at the very beginning of the level. You find yourself outside next to them, so go ahead and run up the hill past the doors to finish the level.