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----------[TOMB RAIDER II WEAPON & ITEM GUIDE]-----------
By Tom 'Da Bomb' Brookes
----------[Disclaimer]----------
This FAQ/guide for Tomb Raider II - The dagger of Xian may not be reproduced in
any way without my prior written permission. Please do not link to this page
unless with permission, but feel free to print this off for personal use only.
Any tampering or plagiarism of this guide is a copyright infringement and
against the law. You may ask me questions relevant to this guide, but please
read the guide first, and if you still have a question, please label it
clearly. Your question(s) will be featured in the FAQ part of this guide (if I
get enough), and if you want your e-mail address withheld, then by all means
ask for your e-mail not to be mentioned. My e-mail is
[email protected].
Please do not send Spam or insult my guide.
Now onto the guide.
----------[Version History]----------
Version 0.9
-----------
July 12, 2003 - Completed the majority of the guide up to the secrets section.
Version 1.2
-----------
August 16, 2003 - Added 2 items to the hardware list and fixed a few spelling
errors.
Version 1.5
-----------
August 31, 2003 - I corrected the spacing and improved the explanations.
----------[Contents]----------
1. Introduction
2. Your weapons
- Pistols
- Shotgun
- Automatic Pistols
- Uzis
- M16
- Grenade Launcher
- Harpoon Gun
3. Your hardware & Equipment
- Stopwatch
- Flares
- Secrets
- Small Health Pack
- Large Health Pack
4. Battle Tips
5. Conclusion
NOTE: An FAQ section will be added if I receive enough questions
----------[Introduction]----------
You may be asking right now, "Why create a guide on this topic about such as
game?" Well, I have designed this guide to give you some interesting
information about each weapon and tips on how to use it effectively. The reason
I created a guide for Tomb Raider 2 was because
a) I have the game
b) Several people have expressed interest or confusion about the game and
c) I may help you beat this very tough game.
Finally, I will not include instructions on how to control Lara, as that is
what the instruction manual and training course are for. Enjoy! If you cannot
read this guide because the lines are too long, then it may be best to change
to a smaller size.
----------[Your Weapons]----------
Though Tomb Raider 2 is more of an exploration game than a shooter,
weapons are necessary in progressing through each level and eventually beating
the game. Lara Croft will start off with her trusty pistols and shotgun, but as
you advance through the game, you will find better weapons that will serve you
better in some situations than others. This
guide will express some tips on using the weapons. The ranking shows how the
weapon fares up to the others, so I have put them in rankings to show the best
and worst.
Pistols
----------
Power: 1.5/10 (Poor)
Clip Capacity: N/A
Ranking: 6th (out of 7)
Overall: 5/10 (average)
Additional Notes: Reprising their role from the first game, these trusty
sidearms come with unlimited ammunition and will serve you well at the start of
the game. I believe these handguns are underrated, because though they are not
very powerful, they fire rapidly and will never run out of ammunition. Take on
smaller enemies such as rats and spiders, as these pistols cannot contend with
tougher enemies such as humans. An exception to this rule is in the event that:
a) your enemy cannot hurt you so you can take as much time as you want
b) your other weapons are out of ammunition or
c) you have a very small amount of ammunition and need to conserve it by using
the pistols.
They may have a low power rating, but because they can fire 2 at once, that
rating does not seem so bad.
Shotgun
------------
Power: 6/10 (good)
Clip Capacity: 1
Ranking: 4th (out of 7)
Overall: 6.5/10 (decent)
Additional Notes: The shotgun is your second weapon that you start the game
with. Unfortunately, you start with only 2 shots (enough to take out a single
tiger) and you have to reload after each shot. Though this does not take very
long, it does limit your firing speed, and so increase the amount of damage you
take while being attacked. Shotgun ammo is also pretty sparse during the first
few levels, so conserve the ammunition by weakening long-range opponents (that
cannot hurt you at that time, such as thugs with clubs) with the pistols. To
make up for all that, the shotgun provides a high amount of damage per shot and
will easily kill the enemies you face during the earlier levels where you do
not have better weapons. Overall, it is powerful, but has sparse ammo and a
slow rate of fire.
Automatic Pistols
-------------------------
Power: 2/10 (poor)
Clip Capacity: N/A
Ranking: 5th (out of 7)
Overall: 6/10 (decent)
Additional Notes: The automatic pistols are basically as more powerful version
of your first sidearms that fire slightly quicker. Because of this, enemies can
be taken out faster with less ammunition used. The problem with this weapon is
that ammunition is again scarce and hard to come by. For this reason, they
should only be used for easy targets, such as spiders, rats or the occasional
long-range thug. Disappointing.
Dual Uzis
--------------
Power: 3/10 (poor)
Clip Capacity: N/A
Ranking: 3rd (out of 7)
Overall: 7.5/10 (good)
Additional Notes: These powerful dual Uzis are fast firing handguns that can
easily kill tough enemies. A lot of ammunition is available, so these are an
excellent set of weapons to use that will be your main weapons during the
latter half of the game. Try not to go crazy with these, as they will run out
of ammunition quickly, but in short bursts, they are excellent. If you have not
got any M-16 ammunition at the end of the game, then the Uzis are
a good replacement that you can take on the dragon with!
M-16 Machine Gun
---------------------------
Power: 4/10
Clip Capacity: N/A
Ranking: 2nd (out of 7)
Overall: 8.5/10 (great)
Additional Notes: The M-16 is an excellent weapon that is similar to the Uzi.
Ammunition may be hard to come by in certain areas, so be conservative. This
may not be to hard, because its high rate of fire and sheer power will easily
take out all kinds of enemies. Save this for the hard enemies such as
mercenaries, ninja's or the dragon, otherwise you will soon be relying on your
Uzis. In a word: Excellent!
Grenade Launcher
--------------------------
Power: 10/10
Clip Capacity: 1
Ranking: 1st (out of 7)
Overall: 9/10 (excellent)
Additional Notes: The grenade launcher is your most powerful weapon that will
destroy all common enemies in a single shot. Multiple enemies can be damaged by
a single grenade, if they are close together. Do not worry about damaging
yourself if you are too close to the blast, as for some
reason the explosion does not hurt you. The problem with this weapon is that it
has a slow firing rate (though that is cancelled out by the sheer power it has)
and has a very limited amount of spare ammunition lying around, so be
conservative. Save this only for the toughest enemies!
Harpoon Gun
------------------
Power: 3.5/10
Clip Capacity: 4
Ranking: 7th (out of 7)
Overall: 4.5/10
Additional Notes: This weapon may seem attractive, because it is the only
weapon that works underwater and so the best to use against frogmen, but
unfortunately it has many problems that lessen its effectiveness. Firstly, the
power of the weapon is poor and usually serves only to stall an enemy, so
unless you use a different weapon, it will take many shots to kill a person.
This is made worse by the fact that only 4 shots can be fired, and then you
have to reload. As with the shotgun, this will increase the risk of damage
being done to you. Ammunition is also incredibly sparse, which may be useful
because it will deter many from using it. Overall, it is a poor weapon, even if
it is more versatile than all others. Basically, only use this if you
absolutely have to!
----------[Hardware & Equipment]----------
Stopwatch
---------------
The stopwatch is a useful tool that can be accessed in the gameplay menu. Lara
traded her compass from the original game, so directions such as North, East,
South, and West cannot be used. Instead, you get several statistics, such as
how far you have gone in a level (in terms of meters and kilometers), how long
a level has taken, and how many health packs used (a small health packs
registers as 0.5 of a pack while a large medi pack registers as 1). The watch
will also see if you have missed any secrets during the course of the level.
Flares
---------
Some levels in Tomb Raider are covered in a cloak of shadows, so Lara has
brought along a few flares to pierce the darkness. Be sparing with these, as
they are quite rare to find and you only start of with two. Though they may not
do any damage, they will illuminate traps, switches and other important
passageways. They even work underwater and last for around a minute. Because of
this, the flares are invaluable to you and are necessary to help you progress
through the game.
Secrets
-----------
In most levels you are able to find secrets that will lead to new discoveries.
For example, in the first level, you will find a stone dragon, a Jade dragon
and a Gold Dragon. There are usually 3 secret statues in each level, which
match the above descriptions.
Small Health Pack
-----------------
The small medi pack comes in handy after short battles, as it will increase
your health by 50% to a maximum of 100%. In order to conserve these, only use
them when you have less than 51% health left, as otherwise you will be wasting
this. If on fire or drowning, it is possible to continuously heal yourself, but
performing this trick will eventually kill you anyway. Very useful, so conserve
them as best you can.
Large Health Pack
-----------------
These large packs will increase your health by 100% to a maximum of 100 so in
other words, this is an instant heal. Rarely use these on the earlier levels,
as they become very scarce on later levels. Again, you can keep yourself alive
if on fire or drowning, but that is not recommended. Overall, the large health
pack is incredibly useful and should be conserved until desperately needed.
----------[Battle Tips]----------
You may need all the help you can get in Tomb Raider, even with all the above
weapons and hardware. Because of this, I have provided several tips that will
help you either avoid a fight or get out of one unscathed.
O There are many more human enemies than there were in
the original game (players were annoyed by the
continuous killing of wildlife), which adds a
greater degree of difficulty to the game. Most human
enemies can follow Lara anywhere, so do not let the
fact that they are on a different platform than your
character fool you.
O When shooting a group of enemies, remember to
release the trigger each kill to ensure you do not
continue pumping rounds into a dainty morsel.
O If you are in a fight and are losing, do not be
afraid to retreat. Run around a corner, raise your
gun, and the stupid enemy will follow you!
O Try to confuse enemies by using Lara's athletic
capabilities. Jumping over an enemy will cause
it/him to attack in the wrong direction while you
get ready to fire.
O Do not ever let yourself get cornered, as if a thug
with a club traps you, you will not be able to
escape easily nor fire your gun(as soon as you try
to fire, he will hit you again).
O The AI in Tomb Raider 2 is not impressive, so it may
be worth your while to use that to your advantage.
O If being attacked on the ground, do not jump into
any nearby water! If the water is not deep enough,
you will simply wade and will not be able to jump in
any direction, which will make you an easier target.
Even if the water is deep enough to swim in, you
will only be able to fire your harpoon gun, which,
as said before, should only be used for aquatic
fights.
O Lara has limited underwater combat capabilities, so
it is always best to fight on land.
O Animals can easily be killed; jumping to a platform
that cannot be reached by their attack will allow
for you to kill them with your pistols while they
try to attack you.
O Do not waste health packs; small injuries require no
Medical treatment, so only health when you are close
to death. Do not be too late though!
O Save the best guns for the hardest enemies, and use
the poorer guns for your common enemies.
O Don't be afraid to just not fight. Leaving an enemy
behind will save ammunition, and possibly health.
Sure, it/he may attack you once or twice, but that
may not be as bad as using a lot of ammunition and
losing even more health.
O If you have been set on fire by the flamethrower
wielding enemies or the final dragon, then jump into
a refreshing pool of water to put out the flames.
O Try to listen, so that you can identify any nearby
threats. Thugs will grunt and shuffle while Eagles
will squawk.
Unfortunately, those are all the combat tips I can think of now. Check at a
later date for more, or if you have any then please send them in! Your name
will be added to the Credits list.
----------[Conclusion]----------
I have enjoyed creating this guide and I hope have enjoyed reading
it and found it useful. Send in your questions for an FAQ section, and join me
again for more FAQs.
Other Guides I am working on:
- The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers combination &
upgrade guide (this combination guide explains every
upgrade you can purchase, if you should buy it and
most importantly, why)
- Medal of Honor: Frontline weapons FAQ (an explanation
& description of each weapon in this great game, plus
some battle tips)
- Gran Turismo advanced techniques & tactics (a
description of every dirty trick you can use and a few
advanced racing techniques)
Thanks to Core Design for creating this game, gamefaqs for hosting it and you
for reading it!
