IMPORTANT: Levels 21 through 26, set in Cairo, are interconnected. Some backtracking among them is needed to find all the necessary items. This walkthrough covers what I hope is the most direct route including all kills, pick-ups, and secrets. I have also included an CAIRO OVERVIEW outlining the basic path through the levels. This chart contains minor spoilers, such as keys and puzzle items, so you may want to avoid it unless you get lost/confused. The walkthrough also contains notes on what to do if you missed any crucial items.
LEVEL 21B: CITY OF THE DEAD (revisit)
Updated: 5/5/19(†)
Kills: 3 Items: 3 Secrets: 1*
NOTE: There are two secrets in this level. The first one is covered in the CITY OF THE DEAD (first visit) walkthrough. You can get it now if you missed it before.
You re-enter this level from the CHAMBERS OF TULUN after collecting the ROOF KEY. If you haven't done this yet, don't worry. You'll pass through that level again on the way back to the TRENCHES.
STREET AND DEEP PIT TO THE NORTHWEST: As you come down the hill from the CHAMBERS OF TULUN, turn left and go through the iron gate. Then turn right and follow the street to the west. This is where you disabled the automatic machine guns on your first visit to this level. Stop near the alcove in the right (north) wall and leave the bike here for now. (screenshots)
NOTE: If you missed the GRENADE GUN and small medipack in the alcove, you can get them now. These items are counted in the first visit walkthrough.
If you followed the walkthrough and didn't explore this area on your first pass through this level, you'll meet a sniper standing on a ledge on the left side of the street, a bit farther to the west. You can run at him with guns blazing if you prefer. Or, approach cautiously, staying close to the left wall, to trigger his appearance. Then move behind the wall as soon as he starts shooting. Retreat along the street a bit more, then step out to the right until you can see him but he can't target Lara. Shoot him in the leg using the revolver + laser sight (with or without the laser sight bug) or just run at him guns blazing if you prefer. Then get back on the motorcycle and drive down the hill past the sniper's ledge. Turn right and run over another soldier just around the corner, but take care not to drive on into the very deep pit at the top of the next slope. (screenshots)
JUMPING THE MOTORCYCLE ACROSS THE DEEP PIT: Position the bike for a long run-up on the left side of the hill. Hold Action along with Sprint/Dash to activate the nitro for the extra power needed to jump across the pit. On the other side, turn right and run over a third soldier. Then stop and and dismount. (screenshots)
NOTE: If you don't yet have the NITROUS OXIDE FEEDER attached to the motorcycle, then you missed something earlier. See the footnote for details.
RUINED BUILDING WITH ANGLED BLOCKS – SECRET #2: Climb onto the ledge with the short, brown pillars. Hop down into the depression between the larger, angled blocks. Go around behind the first block on the left and turn to face it. Jump straight up to grab the lower edge of this block. Try to position Lara so she's hanging from the middle of the block or just slightly to the left of center, otherwise the next sequence won't work. Pull up and quickly press and hold both Jump and Action to backflip onto the angled block behind, spring off that block onto the next one, then jump forward and grab the edge of the opening in the wall ahead. Pull up onto the ledge and hop down into the area below for SECRET #2 (59/70): super grenades, a large medipack, and explosive arrows. (screenshots)
Climb back onto the ledge where you entered the secret area. Then, to get down without injury, take a standing jump and hold Action to land on the slope ahead, slide back, and grab the edge. Let go and drop to the ground. Then go around to the right, between the columns, climb out of the sunken area, and return to the motorcycle. (screenshots)
BACK TO THE START: Jump the motorcycle back across the very deep pit using the steep slope on the left side of the pit as a ramp. Be sure to back up all the way to the wall before you start and use the nitro (Sprint/Dash) like you did before. (screenshot)
On the other side of the pit, head up the hill to the left. Then follow the street to the iron gate in the northeast corner of the level. Drive through the gate and up the hill into the CHAMBERS OF TULUN. (screenshot)
CHAMBERS OF TULUN – JUST PASSING THROUGH: Drive down the hill and turn right. Follow the road around the right (east) side of the CHAMBERS, using the motorcycle to jump the deep pit on the left side. (screenshot)
If you haven't already done so, you might want to pick up the ROOF KEY while you're in this area. It's not crucial but it will be useful when you return to the TRENCHES. The CHAMBERS OF TULUN (revisit) walkthrough explains how to obtain this key. When you're finished here, follow the road to the north to return to the TRENCHES. (screenshot)
*NOTE ON SECRETS: There are 70 secrets in the entire game. These are marked "(x/70)" in this walkthrough. To check your progress in-game, press Pause (P on keyboard, Start on PlayStation or Dreamcast controller) then choose Statistics. At the end of this level, you should have 59/70.
†UPDATE HISTORY: 5/5/19 - First major update since this walkthrough was created in 1999. This revision includes many new screenshots as well as various other corrections and clarifications.
MISSING NITROUS OXIDE FEEDER: This upgrade gives the motorcycle a speed boost when you hold Sprint/Dash while moving forward. To apply the upgrade, combine the NITROUS OXIDE CANISTER and VALVE PIPE in your inventory to form the NITROUS OXIDE FEEDER. Position Lara facing the motorcycle (as though she were about to get on) and press Action. Select the FEEDER from your inventory and press Action again to attach it to the bike. (screenshot) If you are missing either of these components, here's how to get them:
TO CITADEL GATE - NITROUS OXIDE CANISTER: Drive the motorcycle through the gate in the northeast corner of the CITY OF THE DEAD. Continue up the hill to the next level, CHAMBERS OF TULUN. Follow the road around the right (east) side of the CHAMBERS, using the motorcycle to jump the deep pit on the left side. (screenshot) Continue around to the north side of the building and dismount. Vault up onto the ledge near the back door of the CHAMBERS and continue around the corner to the west. Go through the wooden gate operated with the wheel. (See the CHAMBERS OF TULUN walkthrough if you need help getting past the Minotaur.) Climb the ladder to the CITADEL GATE level. Then follow the CITADEL GATE walkthrough, which explains how to locate the NITROUS OXIDE CANISTER and return to the CHAMBERS OF TULUN. Once you have the nitro, you can complete the CHAMBERS OF TULUN (revisit) to get the ROOF KEY, then return here to the CITY OF THE DEAD.
TO TRENCHES - VALVE PIPE: Drive the motorcycle through the gate in the northeast corner of the CITY OF THE DEAD. Continue up the hill to the next level, CHAMBERS OF TULUN. Follow the road around the right (east) side of the CHAMBERS, using the motorcycle to jump the deep pit on the left side. (screenshot) Continue around the building and follow the road to the north into the TRENCHES. Refer to the TRENCHES (first visit) walkthrough to locate the VALVE PIPE, as well as the WEAPON CODE KEY, and return to the CHAMBERS OF TULUN. Once you have the nitro, you can complete the CHAMBERS OF TULUN (revisit) to get the ROOF KEY, then return here to the CITY OF THE DEAD.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Special thanks to the participants in the alt.games.tombraider newsgroup and the old tombraiders.com forum, without whom parts of this walkthrough could not have been written.
WAS THIS WALKTHROUGH HELPFUL? If not, I apologize and invite you to contact me with any questions. If you need help right away, I recommend the r/TombRaider subreddit. Other fan-run forums are listed at tombraiders.net/stella/community.html. If this site was useful, please consider supporting it financially or in other ways. For details, visit tombraiders.net/stella/support.html. As always, I welcome your corrections/suggestions. Thank you!
Copyright © 1999- Stellalune (). Feel free to copy or print this walkthrough for personal use. By all means, share it with friends, but please include this credit line so people can send me their feedback. No part of this walkthrough may be reproduced on another site without permission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Follow this link for details about this site's advertising and privacy policy.
Stella's Tomb Raider Site: tombraiders.net.