MERCENARY DEPOT

Level by David Troska (Trocinth)

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth


Run down the ramp into the warehouse area. Draw your pistols and start shooting the dog that's running toward you, and at the same time hop back into the safety of the tunnel as another dog attacks from your left. When both are dead, run to your right toward the SE corner of the warehouse and climb up onto the taller crates there. Facing the SE corner and angled slightly to the left, take a running jump and grab to the ledge and pull up. Turn to your left, walk forward a step or two and jump up to grab the overhead platform. Pull up and run into the east opening. Pick up the large medi-pack and the CROWBAR in the small room, then go out and drop down to the previous ledge and from there to the warehouse floor.

Run across to the opening in the NE corner and go up the winding ramp until you reach the east platform overlooking the warehouse. Walk out to your right. You can see a crowbar door ahead to the north, but a crate is blocking your way. Standing a couple of steps back from the crate and facing slightly NW, take a running jump to clear the crate and grab the north edge of the platform. Pull up, run forward and use your crowbar to open the door. You hear a burst of alert music, so draw your pistols and shoot the dog when it bursts around the corner of the crate ahead.

Go to the NW corner of this room, look to your left and note the closed door, and jump up to grab the trap door handle in the ceiling. Step forward and pull up into the dark passage. Run forward to spook a few bats, and kill them before proceeding. Continue west down the passage and kick open the door in the next room. Throw the floor lever in the room beyond to open the door you noted earlier. Go back there and emerge on the north platform overlooking the warehouse. Run toward the NW corner while drawing your pistols and deal with the SAS who comes out toward you. Pick up the UZIS he drops, run to the other end of the west platform and pick up the uzi ammo, then go back and enter through the NW doorway.

Push the floor lever to open the trap door in the floor beside you. Drop down into the narrow passage, stop to pick up the small medi-pack, and use the ladder to climb down through the hole at the south end. Drop down into a room containing the motorbike. Mount it from the right side and drive it through the barrier in the north wall. Turn to your right and drive the motorbike through the flimsy wooden barriers in the opening leading back to the warehouse. Drive forward to the tracks and turn left to guide the motorbike up the steep ramp. Drive north to the closed gate and dismount.

Go back down the track into the first open area south and turn to your right. Safety drop onto the bridge below and shoot the SAS who steps forth out of the east opening. Reverse roll and head into the torch-lit west room. Turn left and run up the stairs. Pull up onto the platform, go into the large wet alcove and throw the floor lever to raise a block in the east room. Return to the platform and slide down the slope onto the bridge. Run across to the east room and turn to your right once you're inside. Locate and climb up onto the block you raised. Pull up onto the west platform and pick up the nearby uzi ammo. Run about halfway down the platform and turn to your right. Take a running jump and grab to the roof of the central structure and pull up. Pick up the uzi ammo and stand at the north edge. Line yourself up with the jump switch on the far wall and take a standing jump and grab to activate it. The gate opens in front of the motorbike, but you're not quite ready to proceed.

Go outside to the bridge and jump into the water below. Swim through the south opening and in the next underwater room go through the east opening and pick up the uzi ammo in the enclosed room. Go back out, swim down through the hole in the floor and enter the east opening in the next room. Pull out into a dark storage room and locate the ceiling trap door near the east wall. Jump up and pull it down, then turn to your left and jump up to grab the edge of the ramp above. Pull up and run up the ramp into the next room. Don't dash madly forward, however, as a sentry gun is poised to rip you to shreds. I found no way to get through this next section unscathed, so make sure Lara is at full health and save your game.

Run east into the room as the sentry gun opens fire from your left. When you near the SE corner turn left and take refuge behind the large crate. Pick up the REVOLVER lying on the floor nearby and take a deep breath. Run along the east wall to the NE corner, then turn left and run like mad to the NW corner. Pull up onto the crate, jump up to pull down the ceiling trap door, and pull up into an upper room. Go into the SW passage and grab the revolver ammo at the other end, then jump over the pit and pick up the large medi-pack in the alcove. Climb down the ladder in the west face of the pit and pick up the LASER SIGHT in the north alcove below.
Combine the revolver and the laser sight, hop back to the east alcove and see the exposed back side of the sentry gun through the slit. Shoot the canister for the satisfying sight of an exploding sentry gun, then use the ladder to climb back up the pit into the upper alcove.

Back flip into the passage and return to the previous room. Drop down through the hole in the floor onto the crate in the room where the sentry gun was, and locate the floor lever. Push it to open the nearby trap door in the floor. Drop down into the lower room and pick up the NITROUS OXIDE FEEDER for your motorbike. Before leaving this area, pull back up and look near the crate at the NE corner of the sentry gun room for a small medi-pack. Run back down the ramp in the SW corner and drop down into the small storage room. Jump into the water and swim back to the pool. Go through the south opening and pull out at the opening on the east side. Run forward and climb up the ladder into a ramped storage area.

Run forward past the crates as another sentry gun ahead opens fire. Quickly turn to your left and into the passage beyond the reach of the bullets. There's no real need to do this, but if you really want to exact revenge upon that sentry gun you can crawl around the protective enclosure to the other side of it, then sneak up from behind and blow it away. Whatever floats your boat. Drop down onto the track below and run north to the motorbike. Insert the Nitrous Oxide Feeder and then mount the motorbike. Back it up a little bit, then gun it forward, using the sprint key for some added power and speed, and clear the pit into the next area. Break through the barrier and run over the SAS that are awaiting you in the next room. Drive over to face the closed door in the east wall and dismount. Climb onto the crate at the north end of the track and take a standing jump and grab to the north ledge. Pull up, turn right and jump over the gap to the next ledge, and follow to some uzi ammo.

Safety drop to the floor and go to the NW opening. Vault up over the block in the passage and climb up the ladder at the far end. When you're near the top, back flip into an upper passage. Turn around and follow the passage into a larger room with two parallel water canals. Run to the west end and go through the NW opening into a smaller room with a floor lever. Throwing the lever opens a door in the east wall of the canal room, but only for a few seconds. If you're unable to make it across the room in time (it's not all that tight), you'll need to come back and throw the switch in both directions to try again.

When you get through the open door, pull down the ceiling trap door in the east alcove of the next room. Turn to your left and pull up into the short passage. Step forward and pull up onto the bridge spanning the 3-SAS room. Run across to the other side and slide down the slope to your right. Follow the passage to an underground area where another SAS is waiting for you. Kill him and note the nearby closed door in the west alcove. Go to the north end of the platform and face east. Take a running jump to the alcove and use your crowbar to open the door to your left. Go inside and throw the floor lever to open the door that allows you to drive the motorbike in here.

Take a standing jump and grab back to the platform, pull up and go retrieve your motorbike. Jump the gap and drive up the slope into the east opening. You can dismount when you get across, as you can now complete the level on foot. Follow the passage and make the indicated turns until you step out onto a ledge overlooking a large and deep room. Turn to your right and run to the south edge of the ledge. Take a standing jump and grab to the ladder and climb down to the south ledge below. Turn around and take a running jump to grab the rope. Swing forward, jump forward onto the facing ledge and run forward into the north alcove. Throw the floor lever to open a door elsewhere in this large room.

You can use the rope to swing back to the previous ledge and climb down to floor level using the ladder in the supporting column, or you can simply safety drop from here to the crate against the north wall. Run to the column in the east wall and climb the ladder there. Pull up at the top and turn to your left. The open door appears to block your way into the next room, but it's an easy matter to drop back, grab the edge of the ledge and shimmy past the door. Pull up, run into the next room and throw the floor lever. A cut scene shows a magical ice bridge spanning the large room outside.

Go back to the ledge, shimmy past the door, climb down the ladder to floor level and note the closed trap door in the floor near the SE corner. Use the ladders to get back to the ledge where you entered this room (back flip from the second ladder), then use the ice bridge to cross over to the east side. Throw the final floor lever to open the trap door you noted just now, and go back down the same way you came up. Drop down through the exposed hole near the SE corner, turn to face the steep slope south, and save your game.

Step forward and you'll start a long downward slide. Jump over a fire pit, and when you reach the bottom you'll change directions and resume sliding to your left. There's another fire pit awaiting you below. As soon as you make that left turn and begin sliding into an area where there's more ambient light, jump forward and grab the overhead monkey bars. Monkey swing forward into the next room as Lara's theme music starts playing. When you drop down and read the message on the wall ahead you'll know you've reached the end of the line.