Cistern - Room with Slides, Ledges, and Crocodiles - First Silver Key

Follow the passageway from the ROOM WITH TIERED LEDGES AND GORILLAS, hop down onto the yellowish-gray ledge, then head down and around to the left, sliding down a series of short slopes, until you're on the flat spot above the final slide. Kill the crocodile (16) from above.

Slide down to the floor and either use the shotgun for the second crocodile (17) or jump/climb onto the block in the far left corner...

...and shoot it from safety. (NG+ players find another save crystal here.) A third croc (18) lurks in the passageway to the right of the slide.

Approach cautiously and back out shooting.

When the crocs are dead, go all the way into the dark passageway, kill a rat (19), and pick up a large medi pack (13).

Return to the crocodile room, climb the two blocks in the corner opposite the slide. Turn around, walk to the edge, and take a standing jump to grab the small ledge in the middle of the north wall. Pull up.

Then take a carefully angled running jump to grab the edge of the doorway ahead.

- OR -

If you're in the mood for a workout, instead take a take a running jump to grab the corner ledge, above and to the left of the door. Pull up, turn right, and take a running jump onto the next ledge. Run forward off the end of the ledge to land on the one below. Then turn to face the crevice in the wall. Grab it and traverse to the left until you can pull up into the doorway.

Throw the switch to open the door. Enter cautiously—there are spikes and a couple of rats (20-21) below. One rat won't come out until you drop down, so kill the first one from above, angle Lara to the left and jump down beyond the spikes, then kill the other rat. Continue to an opening in the floor.

NOTE: If this opening is filled with water, then you've flooded the cistern too soon. See the footnote in the main walkthrough for solutions.

Hop down onto a block in a mossy room. Shoot the rat (22) below. Hop down again, enter the next room...

...and kill another rat (23). Do not fall or jump into the pool. You won't be able to climb out and will have to swim back to the main room (as described in the second footnote following the main walkthrough).

Climb the stairs to the right of the metal door. Climb onto the ledge ahead. Then pull up onto the higher ledge on the right. Move to the end of this ledge, turn right...

...and take a running jump (or a standing jump from the edge) to land on the ledge below. Pull up onto the next ledge, turn right...

...and take a running jump to the ledge beyond. Watch out for the gap in the floor just ahead. Jump over to the switch alcove. Use the switch to open the door below. Again, do not dive into the pool yet. Climb down carefully.

Save the game if you like, and take the FIRST SILVER KEY (14). Immediately roll and draw your shotgun for another confrontation with Pierre. To get through it with little or no health loss, quickly run forward into the corner just ahead on the right.

NOTE: If you missed the "Au Revoir!" achievement/trophy in the ROOM WITH TIERED LEDGES AND GORILLAS, you can get it here by using magnums instead of the shotgun. Or, you can avoid Pierre altogether by picking up the key and immediately jumping into the pool and swimming through the flooded passage to the next room.

Turn to face out into the room. Pierre will approach from the other side of the room, and Lara will remain under cover until he's right in front of her. As soon as he steps into view...

...blast him twice with the shotgun...

...and he'll run off. When he's gone, jump into the pool and swim through the underwater passage (shown above) to the next room where you can surface.

[Cistern Walkthrough]