Tomb Raider I-III Remastered updates are in progress but will take time. For levels that have not yet been updated, I will continue to link to the ORIGINAL WALKTHROUGHS, which cover all the basics.

I use classic tank controls, and mostly reference them here. If you're using modern controls, these guides should still be helpful for navigating the levels, finding every item and secret, and avoiding danger. I may revisit the modern controls at some point, but for now there are loads of YouTube videos with helpful tips.

If you're new to classic Tomb Raider, or returning after a long absence, I highly recommend exploring the training level in each game (i.e., Lara's Home, the Polaroid photo in the main menu) and completing the interactive tutorials there. Also, check out the TR Remastered Controls (in progress) and Classic Tomb Raider Tips & Strategy pages for pointers on moving Lara through her environment, conserving health and ammo, and much more. This guide includes notes on some achievements and trophies, but it is not an exhaustive roadmap.

Starting Inventory: Pistols (unlimited ammo), compass.
Secrets: 3  Pickups: 7  Kills: 14  (these are numbered in the walkthrough)
Save Crystals: 1 (New Game + only)

LEVEL MAP by VGCartography (used with permission)

Caves Video Walkthrough by Eldincy

OBJECTIVES: Make your way through the caves and down to a door. Enter the ruins and proceed, not without complications, of course, to the level exit.

LEVEL ENTRANCE: Follow the paw prints in the snow straight ahead. Soon you'll reach an area with slits in the walls. This is a dart trap. Keep running and Lara should get past the darts with little or no damage.

As you round the next corner, the camera shifts up and to the left to show where you need to go next. But before climbing up there, do a little exploring: Continue straight ahead into a rectangular cave with an angled block in the far left corner. Note then raised opening in the wall near this block. The ledge is a little too high to grab, so use the block to give Lara a boost. Position Lara with her chest against the wall directly below the opening and her back to the angled block. Then press Jump + Back/Down to backflip onto the slope. Release Back/Down, then quickly press Jump again to bounce off the slope. Immediately press and hold Action to grab the ledge. (Or, jump up and grab the back edge of the angled block, pull up, and slide down the other side. Quickly press Jump then Action to spring off the slope and grab the opening.) As long as you continue to hold the Action button, Lara will not let go. Press Up to pull up into the small cave. A chime sounds to indicate that you've found SECRET #1. Just around the corner is a small medi pack (1) lying on the ground. Stand over it and press Action to pick it up. We'll cover using health packs shortly. (screenshots)

NOTES: The hand icon above the health pack is an action indicator, a new feature in the remastered games. (This was an exclamation mark before the first major patch, so you'll see that in a few of my screnshots.) These highlight collectibles, switches, and other objects Lara can pick up or manipulate using the Action button. You can enable/disable action indicators in the Options menu. Press Esc (keyboard), View (Xbox), touchpad (PlayStation), – (minus on Switch) to open your inventory. Then press Down to access the lower menu ring. Press Left/Right to select 'Controls,' then Action. In the Controls menu, uncheck Action Indicators if you don't want to see those icons. I personally find them very helpful, especially in later levels where small items, such as keys, can be hard to spot. Walk To Action can also be enabled/disabled here. If Walk to Action is enabled, you don't need to position Lara as precisely. As long as she's close enough, if you hold Action, she'll automatically maneuver into position to take/use an object. (screenshot)

You can also switch between classic Tank Controls and Modern Controls, and check/remap most of the default controls in the Controls menu.

Before moving on, you may want to check the Statistics screen as well. Open your inventory again. Rotate the menu ring and select the Compass icon to bring up the stats. The first secret and the item you just collected are counted here. (screenshot)

BAT CAVES: Exit the secret cave. Head to the right to get back to the raised opening where Lara looked up before. Climb up over the rocks and through that opening. (To climb low ledges, Press Action + Forward/Up if you're using tank controls or Secondary (Shoot) + Forward if you're using modern controls.) Draw pistols as you move into the cave (Weapon button), to take advantage of the game's auto-aim feature. Three bats (1-3) fly in from the caves ahead, and Lara will probably spot them before you do. As soon as her arms move to aim, press Action to shoot. (If you're using modern controls you'll need to hold the Weapon button to draw pistols, wait for Lara to aim, then press the Secondary button to shoot.) Once you've killed a bat, briefly release Action to target the next, then continue firing. When the bats are dead, head into the cave on the left.

In the far right corner is a low snowdrift below a raised opening. Stand on this drift facing the wall below the opening and sidestep left (Walk + Left) into the corner. This raises Lara up a bit so she can reach the opening. Don't try to jump up; just stand close to the wall and press Action + Forward to grab the ledge and pull up into another small cave. Kill another bat (4) and collect SECRET #2, another small medi pack (2). (screenshots)

NOTE: You can't sidestep with modern controls, so just move Lara into the left corner below the ledge, face the opening above, and press Secondary (Shoot) + Forward to grab the edge and pull up.

CAVE LINED WITH GREENERY & DOOR WITH SWITCH: Hop down and return to the big cave where you shot the 3 bats earlier. Turn left and proceed forward, then left under a manmade stone archway, to a misty cave lined with greenery. Go down into the opening to the left. Keep descending to the bottom, where you'll find a closed door. Press Action to pull the switch next to the door to open it. (screenshot) Enter and kill the bat (5) that swoops down. The wooden gate on the right does not open, but through it you can glimpse the level exit. Instead head to the far left corner and climb up through the opening in the ceiling. (screenshot)

ROOM WITH WOODEN BRIDGES & WOLVES: Follow the passageway to a landing above a room with two wooden bridges. Two wolves (6-7) lurk below. They're asleep when you arrive but will rouse and begin to pace as you approach the edge. (screenshot) You can shoot them from the safety of the ledge and bridges, but first, check the achievement/trophy note below.

NOTE: There's a minor achievement/trophy, "Apex Predator," for defeating a wolf while you are both in the air. Save the game before hopping down into the lower area. Fight the wolves while jumping around like crazy, and with luck you'll land a fatal shot while one of the wolves is also leaping in the air. If you don't manage it, reload and try again, or continue on. There will be more wolves in the next two levels.

After fighting the wolves, you may need to heal Lara. Any time Lara's weapons are out, you can see the health bar in the top right corner of the screen. (screenshot) If your health bar is still more than half full, don't waste a medi pack, but if Lara's health is low, open your inventory, rotate the menu ring until the small medi pack is front and center, then press Action to use it to restore half of your health bar. (If you're playing with a keyboard, you can press zero at any time to use a small medi pack.)

Now head for the exit in the far corner of the room. Either follow the perimeter, using the bridges to criss-cross from side to side. Or, after dropping down into the area below the bridges, walk to the second bridge, stand below it near its middle, jump straight up to grab it and then pull up. (screenshot) Or, climb onto the ledge above the alcove with the mummy. Go around the large stone column and across the second bridge. (screenshot) Go through the doorway in the corner of the room beyond the second bridge.

NOTE: The achievement/trophy "May They Rest in Ukhu Pacha" requires you to "Take a close look at two Incan mummies." So before leaving this area, be sure to climb up on the ledge with the mummy and stand in front of it for a moment. I haven't experimented too much here, but I believe you do need to hold the Look button and examine the mummy briefly for it to register. (screenshot) The second mummy is in the next level, Tomb of Qualopec, in the area with the tall, sliding blocks.

BEAR PIT: A bit farther on is a gap with a bear (8) lurking below. If you want to, you can easily kill the bear from above, but first, check the achievement/trophy note below. Draw pistols and Let Lara get a target lock on it, then hold Action to fire. As long as you keep holding Action, Lara will continue to target the bear, even if it moves off screen, and shoot at it whenever it comes into range. (screenshot)

On the other side of the gap there's a save crystal in New Game+. (I plan to add NG+ info at some point. For now, check out this rundown at Raiding the Globe.)

NOTE: The "Circus of Vilcabamba" achievement/trophy requires you to "look at the bears standing on hind legs." There are 3 bears in all. This is the first one. It may rear up on its hind legs as you watch it from above, but if that doesn't happen, try dangling Lara from the ledge to tempt it. Hold walk as you turn around so Lara's back is toward the pit. Then release Walk, hold Action, and press Back/Down to drop back and grab the edge. As long as you hold Action, Lara won't let go. Press Left/Right to traverse from side to side, looking ever so tasty, or Forward/Up to pull up. As Lara dangles, the bear should hopefully be tempted to stand up. (screenshot) I've heard that the bear needs to be fairly close to Lara, and that you must press the Look button to actually "look" at it. If you're not sure whether it registered, check your achievement/trophy progress, which should track the number of bears in your current playthrough. Once you've seen it, pull up and shoot the bear from the safety of the ledge. I'll remind you again when we get to the bears in the next level.

When the bear is dead, safety drop down into the room below.

NOTE: To safety drop, hang from the ledge, as described above for the achievement/trophy. Then release Action to drop to the ground. Doing this shortens the fall, so Lara will not lose health as she would by just running or jumping off the edge.

Continue through the one door leading out. A bat (9) will emerge as you enter, and another bat (10) swoops down as you go a little farther into the room. Next you'll come to an area with a small medi pack (3) on the ground and a carved floor tile next to it. This is a pressure pad. Stepping on this tile opens the nearby door. (screenshot) It closes fairly quickly, so pick up the health pack first. Then position Lara so she's facing the door, step on the pressure pad, and run through.

You're now back in the ROOM WITH WOODEN BRIDGES. Climb back up and retrace your steps to the gap with the dead bear below. Take a running jump across that gap.

NOTE: If you're a new player, now is a good time to practice that jumping technique from the training level. Walk Lara to the edge. Release Walk then press Back/Down to take a single hop back. Hold Forward then almost immediately press and hold Jump, and Lara will run two steps then take off into the air on the third. She'll land safely on the other side. (screenshots and video) If you set up jumps this way, Lara will never run off the edge and almost never miss a landing. (This technique applies to the classic tank controls. If you're using modern controls, you'll need to judge the run-up yourself and practice until it feels natural.)

On the other side of the gap head for the far left corner. Behind the columns, you'll find another small medi pack (4). (screenshot) Retrieve it and continue down the stairs and through the small doorway, guns drawn. A pair of wolves (11-12) waits in the next room. (Try side- or backflipping while shooting to avoid taking too much damage.) When they're dead, continue to the bottom of the stairs.

ROOM WITH GREENERY & TIMED DOOR: Note the vegetation-covered ledge jutting out of the wall on the left side of the room. The greenery conceals an opening, but the ledge is too high to reach from the floor. So climb up on either side—onto the landing with the pillars on the left or the stone ledge on the right—and take a running jump to the ledge with the greenery. Inside is SECRET #3, a large medi pack (5) sitting on the floor to the right. (screenshots)

NOTE: Use Look to examine the huge Inca calendar wheel on the wall of the secret room. (screenshot) This is one of two ancient devices you'll need to look at for the "It's About Time" achievement/trophy. The other is in the Palace Midas level. If you're not sure whether it registered, check your achievement/trophy progress.

Exit, hop down to the floor, move forward to the middle of the room, then turn right. In an alcove to the left of the stairs is a small medi pack (6). (screenshot)

On the ledge to the right of the big carved doors is the switch that opens them. Once you use the switch, the doors will stay open for about 22 seconds. No worries. You've got this. Climb up and pull the switch. The camera shifts to show the doors opening. Briefly press Look to get Lara's perspective back. Hop back once. Turn about 90 degrees to the left and hop back once more. Now take a running jump to land on the low platform between the switch and the doors. Immediately take a standing jump (Jump + Forward/Up with no run-up or grab) to land on the ledge in front of the doors. Run through before they close. Even if you flub the jumps, you should still have a few extra seconds to reach the doors. If you don't make it the first time, climb back up to the switch and try again. (screenshots)

Continue forward and around the corner. Take the steps at a run to avoid the dart trap. Draw pistols near the top, because a wolf (13) waits in the room above. It's lurking off to the left as you enter. (screenshot) When you've taken care of it, run across the 2 break-away tiles at the center of the room to fall through to the room below. (screenshots)

NOTE: To unlock the "After Us the Deluge!" achievement/trophy, you must "Make all shuttered [sic] floor panels crash on a single walkthrough." As of this writing, I haven't unlocked it yet, but I believe it involves breaking every one of these cracked tiles over the course of one playthrough. So be sure to run across both so they crack and collapse. If you miss one, it is possible to climb back up and try again. (screenshots)

LEVEL EXIT: You're now in a long room with a series of openings overlooking a wide hallway. Below, at one end of this hallway, you can see the wooden gate you couldn't get through at the beginning of the level. The level exit is at the opposite end. The lower room is lined with dart traps and the exit doors are closed. So, don't drop down yet. If you do accidentally drop down, you can climb back up using the white rocks to the left of the exit. (screenshot)

From the platform with the collapsed tiles, proceed through the rectangular doorway, continue to the far end of the long room, and turn left. Take a running jump across the gap above the long hallway. Enter the next room, turn left, and approach the large medi pack (7) on the ground. Another wolf (14) comes out of the room ahead. Kill it, pick up the health pack and continue forward into the alcove from which the wolf emerged. Use the switch to open the exit. Leave the switch room, turn right, and move into the first opening overlooking the exit. Step off the edge, slide to the floor, turn right, and go through the large doorway to end the level. (screenshots)

NOTE: When you load into a new level, Lara's health is restored. So don't waste a health pack when you're about to finish a level. When taken as prescribed, a large medi pack restores full health. Use them from inventory, just like small medi packs (above), or press 9 if you're playing with keyboard.

†UPDATE HISTORY: Updates made prior to the Tomb Raider I-III Remastered release are tracked in the original guide.
2/17/24 - Remastered Caves guide first posted.
2/20/24 - Added the notes about the "May They Rest in Ukhu Pacha" and "It's About Time" achievements/trophies.
2/24/24 - Added the save crystal back in for NG+ players.
3/13/24 - Action indicators changed from exclamation points to the hand icon with the first major patch.

DARK MODE: I plan to add optional dark mode for these pages, but my current priority is updating the walkthroughs. Meanwhile, may I suggest a reputable dark mode browser extension, such as Dark Reader? (Download only from trusted sites, like darkreader.org or your browser's web store.)

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