When Shadow of the Tomb Raider was released back in 2018, the series developers teased that it would be the most difficult Tomb Raider game to date. The action-adventure title, 19th in the Tomb Raider series, introduced extensive, customizable difficulty settings to tailor Lara Croft’s journey to each player. In addition to four main difficulty levels, players could alter the combat, exploration, and puzzle difficulty.
SOTTR certainly delivered when it came to challenging puzzles. Let’s take a look at some of the most difficult puzzles in the game, from both the main story and the challenge tombs.
10 Box Of Ix Chel
The frustrating part of this puzzle is the enemies you’ll have to defeat to complete it. The goal is to fill the water basin and open the doors. Attach the rope from the spinning mechanism to the dragon statue and turn it to the right of Lara. When you do this, a savage will emerge from the crawl space. Defeat it to move on.
Clear off the debris from the dragon statue, which will cause more savages and archers to emerge. You’ll have to repeat this process with the other dragon statue, but more savages will spawn before you can clear the debris. After you turn the other water wheel, a cutscene will play.
9 Judge’s Gaze
The goal of this Peruvian Jungle challenge is to raise the ladder. Push the trolley on the left towards the ladder to raise the stone. Move the next trolley until the teeth fan out, then fire an arrow into the stone above. Climb the wall, trigger the rope trap, and crawl under. Jump onto the counterweight to get the ladder to stick halfway up.
Push the trolley once again until the teeth fan out and attach the rope to the opposite stone. Jump onto the counterweight, essentially repeating the first steps, and the ladder will extend all the way up.
8 Kuwaq Yaku Door
To open the gate inside the Kuwaq Yaku ruins, you’ll need to solve a riddle using a series of symbols. Initially, you will have to manipulate plates until they lock into the right position, opening up footbridges to two side rooms. You must be very careful, as the bridges will crumble.
Take notes of the symbols in the side rooms and manipulate the dials in the main room again. A gate will open, but another will be behind it. Opening it will cause the floor to crumble, so head back to the dials and copy the side chamber symbols. The final clue can be found in Lara’s journal under Maya Date.
7 Underworld Gate
This Peruvian Jungle challenge tomb uses a crane to reach the reward. Start by rotating the platform enough to fire a rope arrow across the pit. Climb over and use the lever to position the hanging box. Jump back, attach a rope arrow to the box, and then use the bigger lever.
The tricky part is timing a jump onto the box before it moves and then timing a jump to the other side. Climb up to get the reward.
6 Path of The Battle
Here is another puzzle that requires precise timing. Jump over the spinning blades at the center of the platform and then to the left side. Pull the lever and then make a mad dash around the circle to the other lever, causing the column to fall. The best way to make it is to go through the spikes as they meet in the middle.
You will then have to dash back to the other side to pull the lever once more, creating a path to your prize.
5 Trial Of The Eagle
This puzzle takes a bit of creativity to complete. Head down the path until you reach a spinning object, which you can attach a rope tether to. The mechanism will turn, so jump over it onto the ladder. You’ll soon reach another ladder, another spinning device, and a wall.
Use rope tethers on the device and the wall to open it. Then, attach the mechanism in the middle to the spinning device, allowing you to climb up. Jump on the wall at the end of the path to end the trial.
4 Church Of San Juan
You’ll need to find an entrance to the secret crypt in the library. Break the walls with the large painting and the sun, then break the painting. Head to the cross on the other side of the library and turn it to open the crypt.
Now, it gets a bit harder. You’ll need to use the pamphlet that was given to Lara earlier in town. Move the mirror so it will reflect light, clean it, and then shine the light on the correct Station of the Cross. Be careful, though, because a wrong move results in death. Finally, move the left mirror to the middle option and interact with it to start a cutscene.
3 San Cordoba
This is one of the only puzzles in the game without a linear path, making it a bit more difficult to get through. First, kick the raft and climb on the right side of the ship, then rotate the lever to move the cannon. Jump into the water in the broken part of the ship and swim to the other side, opening a gate along the way.
Walk on the broken mast to the cave wall and jump to the fore-mast. Climb it, then jump to the wall. You’ll see a deck with a rotatable lever. Use the boxes to climb up the mast, break the winch, and the cannon will fall into the deck. The prize can be found in the hole.
2 Howling Caves
Be aware of animals that will attack you out of nowhere upon entering the challenge tomb. Once you’re in, the goal is to put the fire out by opening the shutters. The first one is simple; pull the lever when you first walk in. The pendulum also starts to swing, so climb on and then pull the second lever. A spiky pendulum will swing. You can throw a rope arrow at to redirect it to destroy the rubble in the path. Close the second shutters.
Head over to the stuck pendulum and attach a rope arrow to the free pendulum. Open the second shutters again to release the stuck pendulum and extinguish the fire.
