BtB2024 - PEAK PYRAMID

Level by Loch

walkthrough by MigMarado (June 2024)

Welcome to the “Peak Pyramid” walkthrough!

This is meant to guide you through, hopefully letting you know about every pick-up along the way, if you like prodding levels to the fullest.

You should not require this walkthrough, though. The author provided tools to get you through all hurdles.

Be advised: there are different endings depending on how deeply you explore the game.

Resut Hotel room

The level’s setting is made clear by the cameras and the accompanying text. Lara is trying to find Jonah in his Hotel room. Lara is only able to walk.

Explore at your leisure, you shouldn’t need any pointers at this stage. If you want to make sure you found everything, see the section below.

[Details: Enter the kitchen towards Lara’s left. Approach the frying pan and interact with it to check Lara’s thoughts. Exit the kitchen and go to the balcony, to the left. Climb the few steps further left, which lead to an enclosed area. A table besides the bench will have Lara interact with a cup of coffee. After checking the pyramids outside the balcony, walk around the fountain. She also is intrigued by the back of the statue in the fountain. Continue around the fountain to Jonah’s PDA. Let Lara check it. Go inside the bedroom area. Approach the bed from the left and interact with it. Choose “yes” if you’re ready to go ahead and leave the Resut Hotel room.]

Nom Village

Walk towards the bridge straight ahead. Let Lara fall in the water. Swim to the right into an underwater cave and find a First Aid Kit. Swim back to the other side, opposite where you fell off the bridge, to climb out. Jump across the gap on the bridge and enter the village through either side of the rock column. Go towards the woman in the left side of the buildings opposite the entrance. She will give you a quest to find an olive, the Sacred Fruit from an ancient tree. A door will open. You can interact with the priestess using the action key for more information.

Proceed to the right. You will find a monkey swing to get you through a gap. Say hello to the villager and proceed to get through another gap. This time you’ll use a swing pole. Enter the door and get to the roof. Use the pushable block to get to the ladder. Go straight ahead. Jump through the gap. The lady in the balcony offers a warning. There is an elevator (stamped with the Eye of Horus) next to her. Do not use it yet. Notice Mr. I. Jones seems to have enjoyed the view.

Go through the gap to the right and across the bridge. There is a gap in the stone wall. Find the tree and get the precious Sacred Fruit. You cannot use it just yet. Go back through the bridge and use the elevator (Eye of Horus) next to the villager that warned you before. Wave goodbye to Indy. You will find the priestess straight ahead. Talk to her and get access to the bedroom. Follow the instructions of the village priestesses within. When they tell you to, use the Sacred Fruit.

Sandstorm

Walk ahead through the storm. Lara will guide you through until she slides down into a dry stream. The olive tree (in front of Lara to the right) has more of that Sacred Fruit, which provides health. In the background of this area, you see the Peak Pyramid and four obelisks: a large one and three others, in the distance, planted above irregularly shaped large stone columns. Closer to Lara, you can see a large pharaoh to the left, with a drain and a Gayer-Anderson cat statue in honor of Bastet right above him. If you go to an area snuggled in the rocks, behind the pharaoh, there is a shining golden book. Approach it for some knowledge about this Desert area. In the same general area (to the right of Lara’s original position) you see a domed structure (the Dome) with more Bastet cats on its upper decoration. Further on to the right there is a staircase with a flame on top. Go there.

You will find the rock-cut entrance to the steps left of the staircase. When you are near the flame, you get energized. You are informed of how this torch works by in-game text. Lara starts running down the staircase. Steer her as needed. Guide her behind the dome, passing right of the cactus. Keep going around the wall to your right until you reach a bricked wall. Burst through it and drop the torch. Grab the Small Waterskin. In-game text will tell you it is a source of health. The bottom right corner shows you whether it is empty or not. It will fill when Lara is in water. Exit and go back to the Dome. The back of the Dome (the darkest area near the wall) has a switch above its door. Jump and grab to activate it.

Enter the dome and go straight ahead until Lara stops on her own. You can see one of the obelisks blinking straight ahead now. Go through that exit. (If you look to the sides, you will see more objects blinking and wondrous lights. We’ll get there.) Approach the obelisk and interact. Choose to get the clue and read it both on-screen and in the inventory (open the Deciphering the Hieroglyphs item). Follow the directions therein.

[Details: Go near the large pharaoh statue. To the right there are stepped surfaces you can jump to get to a monkey swing. It is made up of wooden planks and green vines at the edge of the ravine above. Monkey swing to the platform opposite the dry lake. Push the block down to the dry lake. Get down there and push the block once more in the same direction. Exit the lakebed and enter the Dome. Exit through the left of the Dome. Use the pulley that appeared below the flame. Be quick now. This section is timed. A platform is protecting the precious flame from any rainwater. It will soon fall back and let it burn out. Re-enter the Dome and exit through the right. Everything changes around you. Enter the Dome again and go through the front. You can relax now, the rain has stopped and the flame will burn. Get to the flame and become energized by the torch. Go to the lake and use the floating blocks to get across, with some timed jumps. Light the brazier to open the door.]

Pyramid Complex

When you enter the Pyramid complex, first climb the steps on Lara’s right. Proceed upwards. At the top of the main stairs, turn back to face the large obelisk. Go to the right of the ram-headed sphynxes besides the obelisk. Fight the black cats at a cave entrance to get a SECRET inside, the SHOTGUN. After getting it, go below the large Bastet cat statue to flip a lever. This will come in handy later. Look below to make sure the little obelisk near the Dome is still there. If it isn’t, go inside the Dome again and exit through the front. That will also help you later.

Go back to the large obelisk, facing the same way as before, above the large staircase. Now go towards the left of the ram sphinxes. Look for an olive tree with another Sacred Fruit, overlooking the dome at the end of the path. Go back near the large obelisk yet again, this time facing the Pyramid. Approach the garden ahead. Speak with Nephthys. She will give you guidance. Approach Nephthys for more information, if you wish. Do not go to the left just yet. (You’re free to do so if you wish, this is my suggested playthrough order.)

Go to the garden and pick up the Large Waterskin from the well to the right of the lake. Both waterskins will be automatically filled if you walk in the lake. Loot at the three columns to the right of the lake, beyond the well. You will notice there are only two obelisks on top of the columns to the right. The column with no obelisk on top has a flame at its base, and an open grate. Do not go in just yet. (Again, you won’t be penalized if you do; this is just how I suggest you play.)

Go back outside the garden and flip the switch that Nephthys provided, to the left of the goddess. After the gate opens, enter the corridor and go straight ahead. You’ll see Jonah. Run towards him. He will get replaced by a couple of skeleton guards when you get closer. Run from the skeletons and enter the smaller corridor to the right (as you go back in the direction you came from). Be careful. Jump over the green tile and get to the edge of the grate. Turn around. When the skeletons go over the green tile (activating the spikes and opening the grate behind you), jump backwards and grab the ladder. Climb down into the…

King’s Rest

If you look all the way to the right, you will see a lever. If you look at the column to the far left, you will see a blinking weapon. Both can be reached later. Otherwise, you will see (from left to right) a waterfall, another Dome, another flame, an escalator and a ram-headed sphinx statue. There are also huge columns there, and a volcano in the background. Below you there is a lake. Jump in.

Swim to the right side, getting out of the lake into the beach. Go all around the far right column and find a set of stairs. Climb it. To the left you will find more stairs going around the ram sphinx. Go up and find the SCROLL OF TELEPORTATION in the chamber behind the sphinx. If you search to the left, you will find a large golden book. There you’re able to read the myth of the King’s Rest.

Get back down and find your way to the Dome. For example, you can go towards the flame. Then, jump the gap in the direction of the flickering camel. Find another ladder to the left, near the obelisk. Head to the dome from the obelisk, by sliding down through the gateway below. Go to the right around the Dome to get to the entrance. Jump and grab the switch above it.

Enter the Dome. Exit through the front door. You will now find the dark obelisk beyond the ladder near the larger, lighter obelisk from before. Reach the dark obelisk and get the instructions from the hieroglyphs. They are detailed in the inventory, within the Deciphering the Hieroglyphs item. Follow the guidelines.

[Details: Enter the Dome and exit through the right side, provoking an earthquake. Find the escalator connecting the columns on the opposite end of this area. To get there, go near the flame through the walkway, by jumping over the gap midway through. Proceed through the grassy part of the walkway until you reach the circular bottom of the escalator. Get on top of the escalator (with the Eye of Horus) and shoot the target on the opposite column. You are now at the top of the escalator. Go around this circular structure to reach another moving segment, the lift or elevator (another Eye of Horus). You will have to jump and shoot the target in front of Lara. Beware that this starts a clock. Jump below and jump near the flame to the left. Jump right into the other part of the walkway and run towards the waterfall. Don’t go in the water. Jump to the other bank and then jump into the path just behind the right side of the left waterfall. Then reach the Dome entrance and exit through the front. Jump your way to the elevator before it goes back up. You should be on it when it does go up. This segment can be tricky, though. You have to get to the waterfall and around the dome as fast as possible. When you exit through the front of the Dome, jump onto the dark brown blocks and then to the ones above, and run to the escalator. A few tries should suffice. Now find the other movable tile (Eye of Horus escalator) around the upper circular structure. Shoot the target in front of it. You’ll go down the escalator (you may wish to do this (*) too, instead of coming back later; see the asterisk below this Details section). You can now grab the green torch by approaching the brazier, after jumping a new gap midway through the walkway to the flame. The green torch makes you dizzy. You’ve gone through the looking glass. Now left is right, and vice-versa. You’ll manage, don’t worry! Take a running jump over the gap towards the Dome, so you get to the sloping ruins of the other part of the walkway. Reach the side of the Dome. Jump across to the other bank, over the lava. Go towards the stream of lava coming from above. Jump towards the gap to its right. Find the entrance to the dome and exit left. Go up the steps that replaced the slope just now. Climb to the walkway with the large obelisk. Run and jump all the way until the end of the walkway. The volcano is too close, so your heat tolerance gets lower. Should it run down, you will catch fire. If you do, the game will tell you to roll over twice to put it out. I recommend avoiding that altogether. Light the brazier with the Bastet cat.]

You can go back to the large obelisk after lighting the Bastet cat brazier, taking care to run and jump fast not to catch fire, if you take the walkway. Near the large obelisk there is a hill with marked tiles showing you the way to a blue-lit small room. Don’t go in yet. Go to the left and climb up the gray rock. Continue left until you reach the limit of the rock outcrop, almost behind the meshed dark cube with the lantern. Get Lara to where she can no longer walk any further (pressing the Walk button, I mean). Jump straight ahead over the rock ridge. You can now see a blinking First Aid Kit. Be careful getting it though: there is a tricky slope which will send you down.

(*) Enter the Dome again and exit through the right. Re-enter and exit from the front to fill the room with lava again. Find your way to the staircases near the ram sphinx, on the opposite side of the walkway. Go down the steps and you will see brown blocks. Jump from one to the next until you reach the niche with a ladder near it. Go up the ladder. Flip the switch. This will come in handy later.

(Recommended: Go back to the Dome and exit through the front so that the dark smaller obelisk stays visible, if it is not there now.)

Now find and enter the small blue-lit room to be teleported beneath the Pyramid Complex. Get out from behind the curtain and pull the movable block with the Bastet cat inside of it. Then push it from the other side until it drops in a small hole on the floor. You have opened the first curtain and risen the scroll plinths on either side of it. Find the right one (to your left) and place the scroll of teleportation. Another curtain rises and the plinth disappears. You now can teleport back to the King’s Rest. We’ll use that later for some fun stuff. Go back up to the top of the stairs now. Find Nephthys where you last spoke. After a little bit of unnecessary but funny stats, you can now go through the gate on your right. You must use the switch Nephthys provided for you to enter the…

Queen’s Mantle

Go down the corridor by a curious hammer and pulley set. Jonah is right there! As you approach him, once more he disappears, turning into a mummy monster. Run back to the pulley. Use it. If your timing is right, the monster will get obliterated by the hammer. Go back towards where the monster started chasing you. Climb down the first ladder, and down the second one. Let Lara drop her grip when at the bottom of the ladder. Lara slides down, but gets forgivingly stuck in the railing below. So you don’t need to fret about being quick to jump and grab. Jump and grab anyway. Monkeyswing all the way to the cage and drop down.

Take a running jump from the cage to the sandy area to the side of the Dome, right in front of you. Climb down the left side to reach the Dome. Jump and grab the switch to open it. Enter and go straight ahead. Lara will stop and see her options on either side and straight ahead. Exit through the middle door in front of you. Let yourself slide to the water. Swim to the right, around the base of the Dome. When you reach the back, you will find an area where Lara can wade, and then walk. Climb the steps there to reach the Dome entrance. You may notice the Sacred Fruit in an olive tree halfway up the steps. It’s inaccessible now. You can grab it soon, underwater (see the Details section below). Climb to the sandy spot with the flowers and butterfly from before. You will find an obelisk there. Check its hieroglyphs for further clues in the inventory.

[Details: Enter the Dome. Exit through the right. Jump ahead and grab the monkey swing, which you’ll use to get back on the staircase leading to the Dome. Re-enter the Dome and exit through the front. You should be swimming now. Go back around the left for the Sacred Fruit in the tree. Swim back to the exit you took just now from the Dome. Swim straight ahead from the Dome and find a pulley in the landing above the Horus bridge, just above the water. Pull it. You opened a door below. Now go back inside the Dome. Activate your options, by swimming over half the way to the front gate, beyond the circular floor decoration. Exit right. Jump your way up from column to column, towards the blue flame. The jars are breakable. Approach the flame for the blue torch. This new torch allows you to jump much farther and land without hurting Lara. You’ll be using this power quite a lot (if you want to explore this level to the maximum, at least). The hint you can get here is not for the first set of jumps, it’s only for the last one, later. Go down the steps near the torch. Go to the right and find a rock-cut entrance. Slide down the cave. Lara will slide to the left next. Near the bottom of that slope, jump and aim to the golden tile right of the Horus bridge. Jump and land near another pulley. The grasshoppers will blow out your torch. Throw it away. Interact with the pulley ahead of you. Now go back to the flame. You can either a) climb the Dome and jump through the columns again, or b) dive towards the left of the Horus bridge and exit the water in the landing ahead of you to the left, then find a ladder around the other side. After you have the flame (the hint is still not for now), go back to the same slide. You’ll jump near the end of the first slope now, to go through the golden gate opposite. Jump near the railings again. And then jump the railings again but aim at the golden tile. Slide all the way down both slopes now. Jump to the golden tile and jump again, aiming towards another slope. At the bottom, jump again and reach the final golden tile. Jump to reach the bottom of the steps leading to the Dome. Enter the Dome and exit left. Go across the first bridge and jump over to the partial bridge. Your torch will be extinguished. Lose it. Go to the right, take a (regular-sized) jump over the gap. Interact with this first pulley again. Go back to where your torch got drenched just now. Climb up this new set of stairs. You will reach the top near another bridge. Jump onto it. Go under yet another smaller bridge and take a left into the pool. Find the spewing wall switch. This will activate a tricky timed section. You may want to save your game. This may take a few tries. Have fun with it. You will make it! When Lara lands (after going down the drain), run to the flame while turning to drop down and reach the slides you used before. (The hint refers to this run of jumps.) As you slide down, jump towards the Horus bridge, to the area just in front of the falcon statue. Run to the center and jump straight ahead from the middle flowers in the Horus bridge through the gate you opened while it was underwater. Perform a running jump straight ahead. Jump from the next golden tile to the sand, roll and jump to another golden tile. Now comes your last golden tile. You’ll reach the outcrop run through a metal walkway. You can relax now. You’ve cleared the waterfall which will soon restart (and which would have killed your precious torch). Find your way inside. You will notice a familiar pick-up, which you won’t take right now (you’d lose your torch if you did). Go to your left and find a staircase. Go up to the broken bridge and carefully do a standing jump from the edge. Instead of going to the pool, follow the stairs in the opposite direction (to the right) and reach the top. Perform another standing jump across to the brazier under the Bastet cat statue. Light it.]

After you light the brazier, opening the teleportation exit (and future entrance), go back down the broken bridge. You may need to jump and hold the action key, then quickly release for Lara to land in the staircase below the path. Find the SCROLL OF TELEPORTATION in the room below the pool. Near the chair you can read the story explaining the Queen’s Mantle when you approach the large golden book.

Go back all the way up to the brazier you lit a moment ago, underneath the Bastet cat. It will give you the blue torch when you approach it. From the brazier, look towards the area with the cage where you first entered. You should also see the area with the obelisk that gave you hieroglyphic hints (which may not be there now). From up there, you can also see a well-lit outcrop to the right. It has an olive tree on it. Super-jump there. Now aim at the lever on the dark wall, or rather at the platform just below it. Take a running super-jump from near the opposite end of the outcrop. If you do it from the edge you will bump the wall and miss the platform. Ditch the torch and flip the lever. This will do wonders later.

Before you leave, some more super-jumping. Go back to the brazier giving you the blue torch. Get back to the slopes on the cave nearby. Jump near the end of the first slope now, to go through the golden gate opposite. Jump near the railings again. Then jump the railings again but aim at the golden tile. Slide all the way down both slopes now. When you jump now, don’t aim towards the golden tile. Aim to the slope left of it instead. Jump and roll. Now jump again on this new slope and aim to another slope to the left. Jump back from that and jump again. You have landed on a new area. Find some crates and shoot them for a First Aid Kit.

Now enter the Dome and exit through the front. You are thus making sure you leave this area with the obelisk still visible (Useful later).

Go back in the water. Find your way to the blue-lit exit. If you exit the Dome through the front, you can swim straight ahead, going around the base of the pool and brazier area to find an area where you can climb out of the water. After climbing out on the left side, use a small island to jump into the sandy area with a cactus. Head to the exit (blue light). Use another small island to jump into before you breach the gap into the exit area. You are now in the area of teleportation. Use the Scroll of Teleportation on the remaining plinth to the left. You will be using the teleportation rooms soon enough.

Some fun

Climb out of the teleportation area. Go straight left and climb to the Desert area where you first came from after the sandstorm, the one with the first Dome. You will find the lake you filled with water earlier on. Go left to the brazier you lit first and get “energized” (Lara gets the red torch). Re-enter the Pyramid complex and find the teleportation area at the bottom of the staircase. Go into the right-side teleportation room and return to the Queen’s Mantle to break some stuff. You will see there are some minor consequences to teleporting back. These will wear off. Enjoy the cost of transferring matter too fast. That is definitely a funny feature, not a bug (as much as I may or may not have thought otherwise at some point). Jump toward the small island and back to the sand. Go straight ahead. Jump over the other small island. There are no more (mandatory) jumps. Keep going, in the same direction, until you find the entrance to a cave with a bricked wall. Break through it and lose the red torch. You can now collect the REVOLVER for another SECRET.

Go out of the cave again. Jump towards the base of the pool and brazier area to your right. Walk around until you’re near a waterfall (unless you’ve messed about with the pulleys, that is). There is a ladder on that wall. Climb until you reach the limit. Jump backwards. Now grab the upper part of the ladder. Climb to the blue flame and get the super-jump power. Face the exit and take aim towards the sandy area with the cactus. Execute a running jump there. Near the edge of this area, take another running jump straight into the blue area exit. You’ll be in the teleportation area again.

Orb of Immunity

Go up to the top of the Pyramid complex staircase. Nephthys will let you know some more fun data. She will give you the ORB OF IMMUNITY. She will even invite you to the Peak Pyramid. The goddess will let you in when you wish to speak to her again.

Some more fun

Let’s not go to the Pyramid yet. Not everything is what it seems... There’s more to find and explore. Run to the right corridor and super-jump over the gap which first lead you to the Queen’s Mantle the hard way. [Speaking of hard way, there is a way to shimmy along the wall to the right, then pull up, jump, roll and rotate so you can land on the following area. It is hard to do, so you might as well use the super-jump.] Land on the opposite side, near some crates. Lose the torch and shoot the crates. You now have found another SECRET, the UZIS.

Now, let us get the super-jump again. Yes, more blue flame shenanigans. Go back to the teleportation area and enter the teleportation room to the right. Go up to the blue flame. Jump to the exit again. In the teleportation area, enter the other teleportation room (right again, from this side). You are back in the King’s Rest. Use your super-jump to get on top of the large column with the blinking object on it. It’s in the lake alongside two other columns, including the one you dropped into when you first arrived in the area. The jump can be tricky. Save files are your friend here, more than I could ever be. Get the BOW, another SECRET.

Go back to the area where you interacted with Nephthys, upstairs from the teleportation area. Don’t talk to her just now, though. Believe me, you want to find this next item (you can actually do this in whichever order you want, I’m just being silly).

Yet more fun or The object “they” don’t want you to get

Near the lake behind Nephthys, look up towards the tops of the large column to the right. There should be no obelisks there, if you have them on display outside in the Desert area, as well as in King’s Rest and Queen’s Mantle, near their respective Domes. For this section to work, you must have also done other fun stuff. More specifically, you must have turned the levers. That means 1) near the big Bastet cat statue and also in 2) King’s Rest and 3) Queen’s Mantle. This is described above. Search for “lever” on your browser. Those are the only levers I talk about. Levers. Levers. Oh, okay, I’ll lever you be.

At the bottom of the same columns, you should see lit fires, and open grates. The symbol for each area, and its corresponding power, decorate the platforms where you can drop into more underground adventuring. Go to the grate to the left, with the regular (reddish) fire. Jump in, the water’s fine. You’re now sliding down while magically holding a red torch. When you reach the first green tile, jump to land on it. You are now endlessly running, torch in hand. Maneuver Lara so she breaks the first bricked wall, then jump from platform to platform until you reach the last bricked wall, to the left beyond the last crooked platform. No more torch, no more running. Find the pushable block and push it down over the edge. Turn back and enjoy the ride after entering the blue room with all the lights. (You can also fall into the water below and enjoy a similar ride.)

Get out of the pool. You are near the teleportation room, at the bottom of the Pyramid complex. Climb back and reach the second grate. It has a green flame on it. Jump in again. This time you feel dizzy (the green torch will do that to you). Slide past the first green block and jump onto the second one. Take your time now, save files are your friend. Jump through the platforms until you reach the brazier. Light it. Now push the pushable block, the same one from above, over the edge, even further down. Behind is another blue room with fast lights. Use it. (You can also fall into the water below.)

Go back near the big columns in the Peak Pyramid garden and approach the blue flame. Jump in for one last ride. Oh, you look so good! Have you lost weight? Yes, you have. That’s all in the blue torch you’re holding. Slide to the bottom of the slope. Jump when you reach the railing or just before. Jump straight ahead again. You can drop the torch now and gain back those pounds. Climb up and pick up THE KEY OF QED. Jump in the water and find yourself in the pool below the Pyramid complex again. Get on your way to Nephthys. You now should have everything you need to enjoy the rest of the game.

Peak Pyramid

Speak to Nephthys. Say “yes”. Inside the Peak Pyramid, the walkthrough isn’t your best friend: the Orb of Immunity is. You can test your mettle by not using it, though. You should now have enough firepower, as recommended by Nephthys, and health to survive the ordeal. After the fight, you will get a warning. Heed it.

Jonah’s room, again

When you’ve arisen from your dream, you may want to draw your weapons. Lara will share her thoughts. If you happen to shoot something in Jonah’s vicinity, he will share his thoughts too. Lara will notice the statue, especially its backside. She can also now wade in the water around the statue. There are two possible endings. If you don’t have The Key of Qed or want to keep it for some reason, go to Jonah and accept his offer to leave the room, letting sleeping dogs lie. And letting Jonah have a lie down too. If you want to use The Key of Qed and get the other ending, after having gone through all that trouble of getting the key, say “no” to Jonah. Shoot the back of the statue instead. Drop into the pool and push The Key of Qed up the statue’s keyhole.