Level 35 - Menkaure's Pyramid - Guide for Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation

LEVEL 35: MENKAURE'S PYRAMID

Secrets: 1*

CAVE: Pick up the Uzi clips (2 sets) to the left and right of the starting position. 
Climb up the blocks to the trapdoor in the ceiling. Jump to grab the switch at the 
edge of the trapdoor to open it. (This works best if you stand Lara directly under 
the switch facing out toward the cave. Then jump straight up, pressing Action to 
grab.) Climb through the trapdoor to the desert above.

DESERT NEAR THE PYRAMID: A gigantic red scorpion attacks almost immediately. A few 
shotgun blasts will take it down, but try not to let it get too close. In addition 
to causing damage, its sting is poisonous. Head downhill to the intersection of 
paths. Off to the left (south), there's another giant scorpion attacking a soldier. 
The soldier is friendly enough if you don't harm him, but if you do kill him you'll 
get some extra revolver ammo. Backtrack to the intersection, then go left (west). 
Pick up a large medipak ahead on the left. Then come back to the intersection again. 
Turn left (north) toward the deep pit.

Take a running jump across the pit on the left side. Follow the path between the 
rocks. There's another giant scorpion around the corner to the right. Kill it and 
continue to the break in the wall on the north side. You'll need to cross another 
chasm to get to the base of the pyramid. Take a running jump across the pit on the 
right side to grab the ledge. Pull up. Now you'll have to kill another giant 
scorpion, along with one of those huge nasty beetles.

AT THE BASE OF THE PYRAMID: You'll notice some enticing flat areas on the face of 
the pyramid just begging you to climb them. Wait for just a little while and you'll 
be able to save yourself a bit of backtracking. For now, head to the right (east) 
side of the pyramid, toward another deep excavation pit with a building on the other 
side.

BUILDING WITH GUARD UNDER SIEGE: To get across the pit, you can use a complicated 
series of jumps across the angled blocks (as in the second secret in the City of the 
Dead level). Or, to simplify things, stand Lara at the northwest rim of the pit, 
where the rim juts out over the pit in a small square ledge. Face south and take a 
running jump to grab the back of the angled block ahead (as shown in this 
screenshot). Pull up, slide down the back of the block and jump to land on a flat 
spot ahead. Kill another giant beetle off to the left (east).

Save your game before entering the building. The outcome of the next fight will 
determine whether or not you get a secret later in the game.

Use the Action key to open the door. Inside you'll find a guard being attacked by a 
giant scorpion. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to kill the 
scorpion before it can kill the guard. In order to avoid targeting the guard, run 
into the room and around to the left side of the scorpion. Then start firing. You'll 
want to use a fairly powerful weapon so the huge insect won't have time to kill its 
prey. If you succeed, a movie plays:

Cut scene: The scorpion flings the guard against the wall as Lara, now using 
pistols, finishes it off. She kneels by the injured guard.

If you check your inventory now, you'll see that you have not only THE GUARD'S KEYS 
but also the ARMORY KEY, which you'll use later to access the secret in the KHUFU'S 
QUEEN'S PYRAMIDS level. If the guard is killed in the fight with the scorpion, you 
can pick up the GUARD'S KEYS, but you do not get the ARMORY KEY.

Go around to each of the corner alcoves and pick up regular and wideshot shotgun 
shells and 2 small medipaks before exiting the building.

The excavation pit on the right (east) prevents you from getting to the two smaller 
pyramids. (You will get there in the next level.) For now, go back across the pit on 
the left: Jump up to grab the edge of the sandy colored rock outcropping on the 
right side of the pit. Then traverse to the left around the corner and across the 
pit. When you can't go any farther to the left, let go and slide onto a flat spot 
near the far (north) edge of the pit.

CLIMBING THE PYRAMID: (The following sequence is illustrated in these screenshots. 
The numbers in this text refer to the numbers on those screenshots.) (1) Walk up 
onto the low, flat block at the base of the pyramid on the right (east) end. (2) 
From here you can get to another flat spot one tier above. (3) At the left side of 
this flat spot, climb onto another flat spot on the tier above. Kill the giant 
beetle. (4) Now you'll need to take a diagonal standing jump up and to the left to 
the next flat spot. (Jump from the middle of the ledge at the left side.) At this 
point, you'll be on a long, flat spot on the third tier from the ground. (5) Take a 
running jump along the bottom edge of this flat spot toward the left (west) side of 
the pyramid. (6) You'll land on a slope and slide down to a long flat area two tiers 
below. At this point you'll need to kill another giant beetle. Now start working 
your way up the left side.

(7) Walk to the left end of this flat spot. (8) From here you can climb up two 
tiers. (9) Climb up three more tiers at the right side of this ledge. Now you should 
be level with the doorsill. You may be able to kill a giant beetle lurking in the 
doorway. If not, you'll need to do it when you get there. (10) Take a running jump 
along the bottom edge of this flat spot to land near the doorway.

(NOTE: For running jumps along the pyramid, line up each jump so Lara takes off just 
a tiny bit before the edge, or she'll nick her foot on it and end up doing a 
standing jump instead. Also, be sure not to press Action while in the air, which 
shortens the jump.)

You're at the door now and, if you've followed this walkthrough, you've got the 
GUARD'S KEYS. First unlock the door, since you'll need to make a speedy exit in a 
moment. Now take a brief detour for a secret. (This sequence is shown in these 
screenshots.) Hop down onto the flat spot below the right side of the door (left 
side if you're facing out from the pyramid). Take a diagonal standing jump up to the 
next flat spot. (Jump from the middle of the ledge at the right side. Or, if this 
particular jump is too difficult, instead take a running jump along the bottom edge 
of the lower flat spot to land on another flat spot on the same tier a bit farther 
on.) Kill the giant beetle that flies up at you. Then turn back toward the doorway 
and climb up two tiers (three if you made the alternate jump).

Now you should be on the tier above the door. Take a standing jump over the slope to 
the ledge on the right side of the door, where you'll find a small medipak. Take a 
running jump to the ledge on the other side of the door. Pick up the REVOLVER (or 
ammo if you already have the weapon), which is secret #1 (65/70). When you do, a 
swarm of beetles comes out of the pyramid. To escape them, drop down and run through 
the doors into the pyramid. The beetles will follow but only as far as the load-in 
to the next level.