NECRO'S DOMAIN 3 - HORDAK'S TOMB

Level by Lee Dunning

Authorized walkthrough by Phil Lambeth


Lara begins by sliding down a long slope. Start jumping immediately, and on the second jump you should be able to grab a wall ahead. Climb up and pull up into SECRET #1. Run forward and take the large medi-pack from the pedestal. Climb back down using either side of the wall, because for some reason Lara won't grab the edge if she jumps back from the middle of the wall. Release and slide down the rest of the way to the bottom of the slope. Step forward and you'll see a wall-to-wall gauntlet of spikes in the long trench head. Look up and you'll see more of the same overhead. Take a running jump across the spikes and grab the star-studded wall. Climb up a rung or two and shift to the right until you're close to the connecting wall. Climb up and pull up into a spike-free area. Run left behind the spikes until you come to an opening in the north wall.

Vault up into the opening and you'll be confronted with more spikes. However, this little gauntlet is deceptively simple to conquer. Between each spiked tile is a safe tile, so wait until the spikes retract, run across to the safe tile, and so on until you reach the opening at the other end. Step forward and slide down into an immense area. Draw your pistols and shoot a bat, then a wild dog that come to the attack. You can explore the area around the huge pyramid if you wish, but I found nothing except some strange blocks in the corners and three more bats. However, there's something out of the ordinary about the blocks in the NE corner. The one in the middle can be moved, so pull it back and push it aside to reveal a floor lever. Don't push it yet if you're interested in what it does.

Approach the front "door" of the pyramid and another bat will lazily descend. Pull the block back (you can't miss it, it's darker than the rest of the pyramid) and push it to one side, then use the ladder to climb a long way down into the bowels of the pyramid. Three or four scorpions scuttle forward to greet you, so deal with them before continuing. There are three pharaoh statues nestled in the corners of the room. Nothing further to do here for now, so climb back out to the entrance of the pyramid. Go over to the floor lever in the NE corner and throw it. Climb back down into the pyramid and you'll find that the entire wall in the NW corner has lowered to reveal a gaping, terraced hole. Climb down the terraces until you reach the lower floor. Shoot four scorpions that come forth to challenge you in the passage, then run forward into a room with two wall fountains.

Turn right and enter the east passage, and you'll quickly come to what I'll call the hub room. A flyby gives you a sweeping view of this room, taking in three pharaoh statutes against the north wall, each one requiring a Sands of Time that you'll locate during your journey and bring back here, three openings in the east wall that lead you to your separate tasks for the Sands of Time, and a south passage that you'll use to continue with the level after all three Sands of Time have been placed. Look up on the south wall. You'll see a row of six red tiles with different designs (except that a scarab is on either end). Make a sketch of these designs, in the order in which they appear, as this information will be of help to you later.

There's no particular order in which you must accomplish your tasks, so by sheer random choice let's start with the rightmost passage in the east wall. Run through the passage into a blue-tinged room with a central fountain of sand. A wild dog lopes up to greet you (and another belatedly joins it), so dispatch them and then climb up onto the fountain blocks. Even though sand is pouring out of the ceiling, the shaft is filled with water. Jump down and swim to the bottom and through the north opening for SECRET #2. Pick up the UZIS at the end of the passage, flip turn and swim back up. Use the corner ledge to pull out of the water, and explore the tops of the blocks in the corner of the room for two stashes of uzi ammo, a small medi-pack and some shotgun ammo.

Go through the long south passage and climb the ladder at the end. As you pull up onto the ledge you can hear the creaking sound of a door opening in the room below. Use the ladder on the other side to get down there, and go into the open doorway near the NE corner. Enter a lava room and make a series of simple jumps to the tiles (stopping for some shotgun ammo on the tile against the south wall) until you reach the other side. Go inside the passage and pull the chain once, then go back the same way you came.

In the first room the door near the SE corner is open now. Go inside a step or two until you hear action music, then hastily go back and get out of the doorway as a spike ball comes rumbling down into the first room. Go back and start running up the middle of the ramp, as the two remaining spike balls drop from the sides and won't hurt you. Vault up onto the platform at the top and pull the chain once. Reverse roll and run back down to the first room. The door across the room near the SW corner is open, so go inside and find yourself in another lava room.

There's a disguised gauntlet of flame tiles before you, and here's the safe route (refer to your sketch if you'd prefer to do it yourself): step forward onto the scarab tile, angle to the right and from the back of the scarab tile take a standing jump to the tile with the oval and the letter A. From the left rear corner of that tile angle again to the right and take a standing jump to the tile with what looks like a perching bird. Turn back and face west. Simply walk forward onto the tile with two parallel squiggles. Turn to the left and take a long standing jump to the oval tile in the last row (and don't stand too close to the corner when you make that jump, or you'll catch fire). The final scarab tile is safe, so run forward and pull the chain once.

Return to the first room, following the same route, and now the final door near the NW corner is open. Enter a room filled with tall pillars and go to the SE corner. Climb onto the block there, turn to your right and climb onto the adjacent one. Take a running jump and grab west to the pillar in that corner, pull up and climb the block to your right. Now you need to make a series of jumps to sloped pillars. Start by facing north, and from the middle of the block take a standing jump to the first sloped pillar. Keep the jump key depressed, and without having to slide at all take four jumps to a level surface. Step forward and climb to the top of the adjacent pillar, turn left and hop to the ledge. Turn right and take a series of hops and grabs where necessary to reach the chain in the NE corner. Pull it once and see the room fill with water, saving you a tedious trip back down. Dive in and exit via the east doorway. Turn right and swim to the SE corner. Surface and pull up onto the ledge.

Climb the blocks to your right and emerge in a ramped room where you'll find the first SANDS OF TIME on a pedestal. Reverse roll, return to the water-filled room and swim across to the north end. Pull up and use the ladder on the other side to climb down to the passage below. Follow the passage to the blue-tinged room and keep going until you reach the hub room. One task down, two to go.

Go into the middle east passage and vault up onto the ramp. It looks like a perfect setting for a spike ball trap, but not to worry. Just run up the ramp and follow to a large room with tall pillars. Turn left into the east passage and run up the stairs until you reach an opening that overlooks the large room with pillars. Angle slightly to the right and take a standing jump to the top of the nearest pillar. There are clearly marked monkey bars in the ceiling, so jump up and grab them, and follow the path to a pillar against the north wall. Release and drop down to the top of the pillar, turn to your left and take a running jump and grab west to the next pillar. Pull up and jump forward into the corridor. Follow to a floor lever and throw it. An earthquake ensues, indicating that a major transfiguration is taking place outside.

Reverse roll and return to the opening. Run off onto the top of the pillar below and safety drop to the floor. Go back to the east passage and run up the stairs again. Jump to the top of the nearest pillar, and this time turn to face west. Take a running jump and grab to the relocated pillar and pull up. Take another running jump and grab to the pillar against the west wall and pull up. Turn left and take a standing jump into the south passage. Run up the winding stairs until you reach an opening where a giant slicer-dicer is making its rounds.

Wait until the slicer-dicer passes by, then jump over the obstacle into the curved passage. Run to the other end and pull up into the opening to your left. Hit the crouch key to protect yourself from the returning slicer-dicer, then turn to your right and climb the ladder. Pull up, face west and take a running jump to the next ladder. Climb up to the top, pull up, run forward and turn into the left passage to avoid the slicer-dicer. Run forward into the next room. As you do so, the door behind you cranks shut. Ahead are five rows of tiles bearing a familiar design. To your right are three blocks and to your left two blocks. All can be pulled onto their designated tile. Referring to your sketch, start with the scarab tile on the first row and pull the corresponding west block onto it. For the next, pull the east block onto the tile with the oval and the letter A. Next is the perched bird tile, next is the tile with the two parallel squigglies, and finally the tile with the single oval. When you place the last block in the prescribed manner, the door in the south wall creaks open.

Run through the passage and into the next room. Run up to the pedestal and take the second SANDS OF TIME. When you do so, the door in the east wall opens. Enter and follow the passage, shooting the scorpions and wild dog that lurk therein. At the other end of the passage is a closed door that opens as you approach it. Turn left and find yourself back at the slicer-dicer area. Wait until it goes by, then turn right and climb back down the ladder. Take a running jump east and climb down the ladder to your left. Wait until an opportune moment and drop down into the curved passage, run to the other end and jump to safety through the west opening. Run down the stairs to the opening that overlooks the pillar room. Jump to the nearest pillar and safety drop to the floor. Exit via the opening in the NE corner. Return to the hub room and enter the leftmost passage in the east wall.

Follow the passage until you come around a corner facing a ladder. Duck into the side passage to your left and pick up the large medi-pack before proceeding. Then go to the tall ladder and climb to the top. When you finally pull up, you look forward only to find another tall ladder. And after you climb that, a third one. And then a fourth one. Just when you think your patience is going to be exhausted, you finally pull up to find yourself overlooking a deep and dark room. Save your game here, as your next task is likely to require several tries at least. There are three parallel slopes that bring you near the bottom of this impossibly deep cavern (now you know why there were four tall ladders to climb). Step forward and allow Lara to start sliding downward. You can see regular black lines that show up in the slope like cracks in a pavement. When Lara reaches the 12th such line, jump off the slope with a curve to the left so that you hopefully land near the upper end of the facing slope. If you jump too soon you'll fall to your death. If you jump too late, you'll overshoot the slope and fall to your death. That's why I said it's likely to take several tries.

When you land safely on the facing slope, you'll start sliding backwards. Hit the action key so that Lara grabs the edge when she reaches the end. Pull up and take a rolling back flip to clear the gap and hit the third slope that will bring you safely down to a stable surface. Turn right and walk end to the north end of the ledge. Turn right again and take a standing jump with grab to the first of many pillars in the lava. Pull up and take an angled standing jump to the left to the next pillar. The sloped pillars are red herrings, so avoid them. Take a standing jump and grab to the squared-off pillar to your right. Take a standing jump to the next pillar slightly to your left, then another standing jump to the next pillar slightly left. Then a standing jump to the next pillar slightly to your right, and pull up onto the taller pillar to your right. Walk forward and turn left at the bend. Take a standing jump to the next pillar east, then a running jump and grab to the next one. Pull up and take a standing jump to the ledge east. Turn right and walk to the south wall. Turn left and pull up onto three blocks in succession. It looks at first as if you've run out of options at this point, but you find that you can climb the wall here. Do so and shift to the left until you can drop down onto a taller pillar.

Turn left and take a running jump east to a level surface in the SE corner. Slide down the slope backwards, grab the edge at the end, pull up and take a rolling back flip to clear the gap. You'll slide down the next slope to a stable, level area. Turn left and take a running jump west to the next pillar, then another running jump with grab to a pillar facing a ladder. Pull up and climb the ladder. When you reach the top, step forward and climb the ladder to your left. Climb the third ladder to your right, then follow the ledge carefully to the north end. Take a running jump north to reach the next ledge, then turn right and follow to a block. Pull up, walk forward and take a running jump east with grab to the next ledge. Walk forward and take a running jump down to a ledge where the exit door opens when you land.

Enter the passage and run past a hole in the ceiling until you reach a lava room. Follow the walkway to the right and enter the west opening. Run up the ramp as the door closes behind you and take the third and final SANDS OF TIME from the pedestal. A rumbling earthquake indicates that more topographical changes have taken place elsewhere. The wall on either side of the pedestal is climbable, so climb up through one of the holes in the ceiling and pull up into an upper room. Exit through the south opening and draw a weapon to deal with three scorpions you'll encounter as you turn the corners. When you reach the end, drop down into a room with a translucent floor, through which you can see the lava room down below. The floor is marked with designer tiles, so refer to your sketch.

The scarab tile in the first row is safe, so step onto it. Angle to your left and take a standing jump NW to the tile with the oval and the letter A. Turn NNW and jump over the row of ovals to the tile with the perched bird. Face NNW again and jump over the next row of ovals to the tile against the west wall with the parallel squigglies. Turn to your right and take a standing jump NE to the tile with the single oval, then turn left and hop over the final row to safety. Exit through the north doorway and navigate the blocks so that you drop down into a darker passage. Head north down this passage and eventually return to the open doorway to the deep and dark lava room. I hate to tell you this, but you're going to have to retrace your steps painstakingly through this area. (Don't worry; the slopes you encountered earlier have been reconfigured to allow a safe--but more tedious--return.)

When you get back to the opening high up in the SW corner, climb down the four ladders and run along the passage until you return to the hub room. Place all three Sands of Time in the laps of the pharaoh statues, and after each one you'll get a cut scene of sand filling the room to the south. Go there and find that you can run across the tightly-packed sand to the other side of the room. Pull up into the south opening between the spewing sand fountains and follow the passage to another sand-filled room. Pull up into the east opening and follow the passage to yet another sand-filled room. Pull up into the east opening and run up the long ramp. At the top, turn right into a room where Sahib will engage in an extended dialog with Lara. When camera control is restored, run forward and take the EYE PIECE from the pedestal.

An earthquake and action music tell you that something dramatic is about to take place. Run into the west passage and through the door that has just opened, and into another dark room where a spike ball drops down right in front of you. Turn left into the east passage for SECRET #3 and pick up the large medi-pack. Reverse roll and return to the previous room. Turn left and run close to the wall to evade the falling spike balls. Turn left into the south opening and note the builder's expression of thanks to you for playing his level. Climb the blocks ahead and the level ends when you reach the top.