RIVER OF THE SACRED BEETLE

By Theresa Jenne

(Walkthrough written by the level author - thanks to Treeble for the link to the web archives for the much-missed Tombraiders.com).

As the story is told, the River of the Sacred Beetle is guarded by skeletons. Past intruders who have met their end and now guard the river. Your quest, should you choose to accept it, is to find the Sacred Beetle.

Top of the waterfall:

Face up river and look to the left. Notice that you can see through the leaves on the wall? Take a simple jump over the sloped ground and enter the area with darts. Push the lever to open a underwater door in the nearby stream. Swim through the underwater tunnel and pick up the Hathor Effigy.

Return to the top of the waterfall where you first started. Walk backwards over the water fall, slide down and grab the edge of the waterfall. Let go and immediately press the Action key to grab the small crawlspace just below the waterfall. Enter the crawlspace and pick up some flares. Press the switch on the wall to open a nearby door while avoiding the mummy. Crawl out the side of the cave, drop down and enter the newly opened door. Pick up a large medi-pack and another goodie for Secret #1. Drop into the water and pick up blue shotgun shells just under the ledge to Secret #1. Swim to the island.

Island at bottom of the waterfall:

Find the ledge to climb onto the island and pick up the shotgun and red shotgun shells. Lure the skeleton to the center of the island and use the shotgun to blast him towards the lake until he falls in. Swim to the bottom of the lake near the center waterfall. Swim through the underwater tunnel and climb out. Carefully walk up the slope and look overhead for a spiked ball. Carefully run through the uphill corner to trigger the spike ball without getting hurt. Pick up the red shotgun shells and go up the hill. Do a jump grab and climb out through the grass to trigger a skeleton (if you have not already done so).

Top of the waterfall:

Lead the skeleton on a merry chase up river away from the waterfall.

Up river:

A white ghost and another skeleton join in the chase after you. Jump in the water and swim up river until you find the brass underwater statue of a bird. Hang around the statue until the white ghost blows itself up. For the skeletons, just jump across the water at the upstream end and shoot them as they jump over the water. Jump over the sloped ramps in the dark corner, enter a crawl space and pick up the Pharos Knot. Place the Pharos Knot in the receptacle by the tan door. Enter and pick up Ornate Handle and a small medi-pack.

Top of the waterfall:

Return back to the waterfall and find some red shotgun shells near a tree on the left side of the waterfall. Jump across the river and look down at the lake on the right side of the waterfall. Notice the slanted ledge between the two waterfalls. Drop over the edge backwards, slide down and shimmy to the left. Shimmy until you can go no further, then drop to the ledge below. Pick up crossbow ammo in the skull cave. Take a long running jump to the sloped ledge near the wall, slide down and grab the edge. Shimmy to the left underneath the waterfall and around the corner until you can go no further. Climb up on the slanted ledge and do a back flip to land on the ledge behind you. Jump over the square with the skulls. Save your game. Climb up to over look the tree tops.

The Treetops:

Take a long running jump straight ahead near the wall to the lower tree branches. Blast the skeleton over the edge and pick up some crossbow ammo. Take a long running jump with grab back to the cave ledge. Turn and face the trees. Take a diagonal long running jump with grab to the upper tree branch. (NOTE, you will fall through the leaves on the upper branches - a bit of laziness when I created the level.) Secret #2! Carefully jump from branch to branch and shoot the skeleton when it jumps. Pick up the crossbow. Return to the branch near the cave. Take a standing jump with grab to the high ledge above the cave. Drop in the hole and pick up crossbow ammo. Use the swan dive (Walk + up arrow + Jump) to dive into the lake.

Lake:

Swim over near the fence and look for a small underwater tunnel to the left of the fence (between the island and the fence). Swim through the underwater tunnel. Climb out and stay along the right wall of the cave to avoid the spike balls. Combine the Ornate Handle and the Hathor Effigy to make the Portal Guardian. Place the Portal Guardian on the black and red stand to open the door.

Cave above whirlpool:

(Note you can slide down the waterfall and do a standing jump with grab to get some shotgun shells, but if you do this, you will miss the Sacred Beetle!!!!! ) Carefully safety drop down into the cave above the whirlpool. Do a standing jump with grab to monkey bars above the whirlpool and swing across to the ledge on the other side of the whirlpool. Pick up the Sacred Beetle (which will appear in your inventory as the Mechanical Scarab.) Look at the note in blood left by a previous visitor to survive - Ralph Kennedy. Drop into the whirlpool and get sucked away. The Sacred Beetle has no use in this game, it is the artifact that Lara came to get.

Cave with fires:

From the cave to the whirlpool, swim across the room and enter the underwater cave in the corner on the opposite side. (There are some bones above the cave entrance.) Continue swimming until you can swim up and get some air. Climb out and pick up red shotgun shells and then jump across the hole where you entered and drop into another underwater chamber. Swim up to air and climb out. Turn around and do a standing jump with grab to a higher ledge and a jump grab to a higher ledge. (Pick up the shotgun. in case, you don't have it.) Drop down to the ground.

Temple with pool:

Kill the two skeletons. You may want to try out that crossbow or just lure them to the pool and blast them into the water. Enter the temple. Shoot the vases to find more red shotgun ammo, then pick up the Music Scroll at the top of the stairs. Kill two more skeletons. Climb up to the tallest part of the hedge and take a long running jump with grab to the rope. Slide to the bottom of the rope and line up a swing to the top of the temple. Hit the Jump key at the highest part of the swing. Land, pick up the red and blue shotgun shells, then climb up on the wall to find the smaller pool on the side of the temple. Take a long running jump to land in the pool and lure the white ghost to the brass statue of the bird. Drop into the large pool with the fountain and find the underwater tunnel. Swim through the tunnel and climb out. Drop into the water on the other side, take a right in the underwater tunnel and swim back to the cave with fires.

Cave with fires:

Swim across the lake and climb out by the door. Place the Music Scroll on the gray tablet by the door. Enter the newly opened door and push the lever to turn off the fires. Drop into the water and swim back toward the cave to the whirlpool and climb out on the left side. Quickly walk across the platform and take a long running jump with grab to the second fire platform, climb up and immediately start running, take a long running jump with grab to the third platform. Climb up and start running to take a final long running jump with grab to the high platform to the high ledge at the edge of the lake. If you don't make it, push the lever to turn off the torches and try again.

Lake with waterfall:

Swim to the waterfall and find the underwater tunnel to the right of the waterfall. Swim down the tunnel and climb out. Push your way past the mummy and press the switch to open a door at one end of the monkey bars. Find the ledge near the fence and climb out of the water. (Save your game often while near the waterfall, for it is a very long trip to make it back!) Take a diagonal long running jump to the ledge on the other side of the lake. Next take a standing jump with grab to the ledge below the monkey bars. Swing across the lake on the vines and drop down on the other side. Kill the skeleton and pick up the red shotgun shells near the waterfall. Jump grab to the next set of vines and swing across the lake to the cave with a door. Not much you can do now, so jump to the lower monkey bars and swing across the lake again, take a left on the monkey bars and go away from the waterfall. Drop down on the ledge. Enter the cave, kill the skeleton and pick up blue shotgun shells, a small medi-pack and the Pharos Pillar. Swing across the monkey bars back to the cave with the door. Place the Pharos Pillar in the receptacle by the door.

Enter the dark cave and notice the darts whizzing by. Crawl avoiding the back wall. Press teh Draw weapons (space bar) twice to draw your guns and shoot the vase while in the crouching position. Pick up the Hathor Effigy, a small medi-pack and shotgun shells. Crawl to the back wall and trigger the skeleton. Lure the skeleton out by the water and blast it into the water. Swing across the lower set of monkey bars to the waterfall. Drop down on the ledge. Take a long running jump with grab to the vines on the left side of the water falls. Climb up and sideways and drop down on the ledge.

Trees above the waterfall:

Kill the skeleton. Cross the land bridge towards the corner with the blue shotgun shells. Kill the skeleton. Facing the blue shotgun shells in the trees, stand near the tree on the right with your back to the lake. Step backwards and slide down the ramp. Shimmy to the left and look for a small crawlspace in the wall. Drop to the crawlspace and enter for Secret #3. Pick up a large medi-pack, and red and blue shotgun shells. Drop into the water, swim to the ledge by the fence and make your way across the monkey bars back to the vines by the waterfall. Climb up.

Return to the trees with the blue shotgun shells and pick them up. Find the Ornate Handle in the trees above the cave with the door. Make your way across the land bridge above the fence and take a long running jump to the two trees by the wall. Pick up a small medi-pack and red shotgun shells. Kill another skeleton. Pick up red shotgun shells in the trees on the right side of the waterfall. Cross the skinny land bridge back to the black and red stand near the waterfall. Kill one more skeleton. Combine the Hathor Effigy and the Ornate Handle to create the Portal Guardian. Place the Portal Guardian on the black and red stand to lower the rope. Take a long running jump with grab to the rope, slide down to the bottom of the rope and line up a swing to the top of the waterfall. At the highest point of the swing, press the Jump key to fly over the waterfall and land in the water above it.

Pyramid:

Climb out of the water and avoid the spike ball on the right side of the river. Make your way to the front of the pyramid on the right corner. Use simple diagonal jumps to jump up the corner of the pyramid to the top. Pick up the Pharos Knot which lights fires on the pyramid. Slide down the pyramid avoiding the fires. Kill the skeleton. Swim down the channel on the right side of the pyramid. Enter the underwater tunnel beneath the pyramid and swim keeping the wall on your left side to avoid the many spikes. (You may want to save a game and try the spikes, they do strange things to Lara.) Swim and find the air hole. Climb out, place the Pharos Knot in the receptacle to open the door. Slide down the ramp to end the level.