One Room Challenge – Secrets of Babylon

Level by AgentXP

Walkthrough by manarch2

NOTES:

-In the start menu you can decide which outfit Lara wears in the level. This has no other effect, though.

-In this level there are several shortcuts and skippable things, I'm only describing one possible route that makes use of everything of relevance in here.

Into the Hub Area

After getting started, Lara slides down in front of a closed door. Head N and to the square in front of the corner. Turn W, backflip onto the rear slope and jump to grab a high crevice. Shimmy right around the corner and use the Down button to jump into the alcove. Use the jumpswitch above your head to open the door, drop down and enter the hub area of this level. Shatter a vase SW to find Wideshot Shotgun Ammo; if you move around a bit a harpy probably appears so kill it.

First High Jumpswitch

Dive into the water and spot two underwater passages W with spikes. Time the spikes both times and use the two underwater levers, then get out again – pulling the levers raises a trapdoor in the upper part of the room. In the NW corner is a hidden passage where you can find the Shotgun. Now climb out of the water for now and head to the closed gate to the S. Jump up to the crevice to the left of the door (on the raised part of the floor) and shimmy left around several corners until you can't go further left. Use the backwards jump to get to the opposite ledge, shimmy further left and climb up onto a platform. Turn W and jump to the pole (a stand-jump from about the middle of the ledge should work), from here to the second one and to the far W ledge. Run onto the SW ledge, run-jump to the far S one and jump up to the monkeyswing standing close to the W wall. Get to the crossing, then left, monkeyswing over the closed trapdoor and the spikes and finally to the jumpswitch on the N wall. Drop above it and pull it, you drop and the door in front of you opens.

Second High Jumpswitch

Head through and around the right corner. Jump over the lowered tile with spikes into the right alcove, a skeleton wakes up from that hole. Ignore it for now, stand at the E side of the tile facing W, then jump up to the slope ahead, backflip onto the second slope and from here jump to the ladder. Shimmy right around two corners, climb up a bit and backflip with a midair turn to grab the jumpswitch and pull it down. After landing head to the pool and wait for the skeleton, then use the Shotgun to shoot it into the pool. Two doors have opened after using the jumpswitch – the W gates leading to an area with quite a lot of potential work (you can go there later) and also an underwater door NE in the main pool. This is the next goal so dive into the water and swim there.

Pools

Ignore the left opening and wait for the spikes to disappear to quickly swim through into the next room. Besides a raised block hiding an item in the middle, there are also two passages branching off. Swim into the N passage and up to find an underwater lever. Use it to open a trapdoor somewhere else. Now swim out and into the passage in the middle of the S wall. After a few turns you can find the Lasersight at the end; swim out and NW through the spike trap, then go for air in the main pool. When that is done, dive again into the NE passage and this time swim into the left passage. You arrive in a chamber with a vase and a boulder on top of a ramp. Swim onto the tile in front of the boulder and then quickly to the right to avoid being hit by it. The boulder breaks the vase and reveals Wideshot Shotgun Ammo. Now swim further W, ignoring the hall to your left since there's nothing of interest for you.

Pushable Puzzle I – Moving the Statue Out

The trapdoor you've just opened is above you; you can find a pushable puzzle here but the statue is still blocked so swim forwards and use the underwater level far W to lower, but also raise blocks in the puzzle room. Climb out at the open trapdoor and pull the statue out once, then go into the NE corner, stand close to the pushable facing S and press Action so that Lara embeds herself in the space between the statue and the pushable and can push the statue forward once. Now drop back in the water, use the underwater lever W again and climb back into the puzzle room. Pull the statue once S and once E, now return to the underwater lever a final time, use it. This time you don't have to go through the trapdoor but you can also swim through the narrow opening S in a long pool. Climb out – you are in the section to the east of the main hall where the gates are also open. Head NE and spot the passage to the pushable (also notice a receptacle for later), pull it out twice and now pull it all the way S to the corner, then W to the corner and thereon N onto the first marked, i.e. raisable, block. Leave it there for a while.

Pillar Jumping for Two Jumpswitches

Head to the N side of the room and to the most NW pillar. The left side  of the high crevice is reachable so climb up here and use the backwards jump to reach the S pillar, now shimmy right around several corners and climb up on the block. This is also the destination of the statue. Use the various crevices on the pillars close to the W wall to get to the far SW pillar where you can climb up on the S side. First jump into the SW passage and use the lever to raise the block with the statue. Now jump back to the pillar, go to the SE corner and stand-jump to the ladder. Climb up and get to the monkeyswing (if it doesn't work directly, move one step down and then up again). Turn and get all the way to the other side , avoiding a fire trap. When the second fire trap goes out get to the jumpswitch and pull it down, you'll drop on the floor level. Another block has raised near the passage leading back to the main hall, and the crevice it creates with the broken pillar is your next goal. So jump back up to the crevice, jump to the S pillar, shimmy left around two corners, jump to the next S pillar, do the same again to get to the next S pillar, shimmy left around a corner and jump back to the block. Shimmy right around a corner and use the jump up (pressing the Jump key) to reach and pull the jumpswitch. This one opens the gates leading into the S room.

Pushable Puzzle II – Destroying the Statue

After dropping down head in there. Carefully time your jumps over the spike traps and make your way onto the central fenced area (all pits are deadly even when the spikes move away).  Jump to the S ladder and climb it up. At the crevice drop and immediately grab again, then use the jump upward to get over the crevice, on top backflip to the wooden ledge where you can pick up the Torch. Drop down to the entrance with it and head back out to the hub room. Kill the harpy and light the Torch on the S wall torch. Now light the pedestal in the water to the right of the W gates to not only awake a skeleton (you know what to do), but also open the S gates. Leave the Torch – you don't need it anymore – and get through. There's nothing in the water but you can jump up to a nearly invisible crevice to the left of the entrance, then shimmy right until you can climb up on a ledge with the Revolver. Drop down and leave this area, you'll be back later. Return to the eastern area and combine the Revolver with the Lasersight. Above the entrance is a swinging ball you might have noticed before; you can now shoot it to release a rope. To get there, there are several possible options, the easiest being that you just stand below the rope, jump up and grab the rope. Turn S, swing a few times and jump far S to the alcove's ledge, climb up and use the lever to raise another block near the pushable statue. Drop down to the floor level and make your way up there via the crevices, you should by now know the path. You now can move the statue onto the N tile, quickly hop back to avoid the hammer which will destroy the statue. Pick up the first Talisman of Baal Piece here and drop down.

The Machine Head

Dive into the pool in this area and exit through the small N gap. This time swim through the SW passage, avoiding three spike traps, and arrive in a room with a machine head who, if you stay too long at the same place, will shoot deadly bolts on you. There are quite a few underwater levers in here but for now the most important is that you get air so swim into the upper alcove in the SE corner, use the lever to open the NE exit door and swim out to the main pool where you can get air. Now swim back in the room with the head and use two underwater levers: one to the W in a gap below the platform with the head, one in the upper SW corner (with a spike trap in front to avoid first). A block has raised to the right of the entrance so that you can safely use the last underwater lever which lowers a block in a previously visited underwater room. Return to the main pool to get air again, then swim into the NE passage, then ahead, avoid the spike trap and in the next room you can find the lowered block. Pick up the second Talisman of Baal Piece from the depression and return all the way to the main pool. Climb out, head into the E area and thereon into the S room with spikes. Make your way to the central platform, combine the two Talisman Pieces to the Talisman of Baal and place it on the receptacle. A cutscene shows the machine head is destroyed and you have access to an item where it was. Return to the N chamber and then the main area. Now dive into the pool, swim into the S area and pick up the Star of Night where the machine head was.

Getting the Artifact

Return to the main pool, climb out and head once more into the W area. Go into the NE chamber and place the Star of Night on the right hand receptacle. A cutscene shows night has come and a new passage has been revealed in the area to the south of the main hall. First get rid of an attacking skeleton, then head into said area and then into the NE passage to wake up the bull. Lure it back into the main hall and stand in front of the button to the left of the N gates. Wait for the bull to run towards you and sideflip in the last moment so that the bull crashes into the button and the spikes on the central pillar are deactivated. Make your way up to the high NE platform via the various crevices, from here you can jump to the central pillar and pick up the Lunar Stone. A gate opens SW in the southern area, jump down and run into the newly opened passage to finish this level.

THE END