Top 10 Hardest Tomb Raider Levels

It's International Women's Day! Join me today as I rank the 10 hardest levels Lara Croft has conquered.

A special thanks to:
Dean Kopri for letting me use his bad-ass remaster of No Waiting Around Part 1

[Headbanger]

For all of the newbies playing these awesome games for the first time, here are some tips from an experienced TR player:
1. SAVE YOUR AMMO AND MEDIPACKS!!! This game needs to be played like a Survival Horror game. I know it can be tempting to use brand new weapons when you discover them or use up your medipacks when your health is low. USE ONLY WHEN NEEDED. You do NOT want to screw yourself late game when enemies become much stronger, trust me.

2. SAVE YOUR GAME!!!!: Please do not forget to save. I know that some of you may be younger gamers who are used to auto save systems. BREAK YOURSELF OUT OF THE HABBIT. Save any time you reach a new area, complete a puzzle, pick up a key/ artifact or defeat a boss.

3. ALWAYS STAY VIGILANT: If something looks suspicious, it most likely is. These games are known for their deadly traps that will pop up out of nowhere. If you see a long hallway or an incline, that should be your first sign. If you enter a chamber and see a tasty item just sitting there that looks easy pickins, SAVE YOUR GAME and beware of your surroundings before attempting to grab it.

4. MASTER THE CONTROLS: This is by far the most important tip I can give to a new player. Practice, practice, practice those controls in Lara's Home. A lot of newer players will struggle with this, especially the younger crowd because of the Tank style controls which are out dated. But, platforming in this game is a puzzle in itself. Lara's jumping is EXTREMELY accurate and dont underestimate her. She can easily make a jump that you may think she cant make or is impossible. She can also very easily over shoot a jump sending her to her demise. I HIGHLY SUGGEST bucking up and getting used to the tank controls for optimal performance with these games and HAVE PATIENCE. Youll feel like a complete boss once you master these controls and you will say to yourself "IM COMPLETELY IN CONTROL OF THE GAME". Some people have been complaining about the delay in her jump. Remember, she jumps at the last minute and the buttons ARE pressure sensative. I suggest setting your controller sensativity between 8 and maximum for faster and more responsive platforming. All of this also comes handy in combat. Once you master her jumps, back flips, rolls, etc, you will find that the combat in this game is very rewarding. You always want to be on the move. She will go in the exact direction that you point her in, people knock tank controls but they are HIGHLY ACCURATE. Give it some time, youll actually start to appreciate them. I also suggest using the D Pad for more precision, especially while platforming.

4. DONT BE AFRAID TO EXPLORE: Check every nook and cranny in these games. It can be very easy to miss a key item or some power ups/secrets if youre just running around aimlessly or getting frustrated. Try to think outside of the box. Some puzzles can be a little complex so be patience. Its definitely a virtue with this game.

Have fun and happy Tomb Raiding people! Hope my advice helps!!!

[BossPlayaEver]

I miss the classic tomb raider games. They actually felt like an adventure you overcame. Beating them actually meant something.

[twntwn]

What I always loved about classic TR is that the most difficult levels were often the most enjoyable, too. The sense of accomplishment is what made them so unforgettable for me. My first TR game was TR3 and I can still point out the places where I was stuck for days before I finally figured out what to do. I clearly remember a rainy day on spring break when I was on the Madubu Gorge level, searching for hours, going back and forth because I couldn't find the way, until I realised I just had to look up above me 😂 My grandma was making donughts in the kitchen. I remember like it was yesterday! There are no other games like TR ❤

[emilykeepsmiling]

The fact you showed us the full run to the secret on the final entry was so satisfying!! Thank you 😁

[Myrth]

Here, to make things easier
2:13 Floating Islands
3:30 Temple Ruins
4:52 Red Alert!
6:15 Crash Site
7:25 Underneath the Sphinx
8:45 Madubu Gorge
10:30 Lud's Gate
12:05 RX-Tech Mines
13:42 Temple of Xian
15:04 The Lost City of Tinnos

[aldamis]

Temple of Xian is a masterpiece. I recently beat TR2 again and was surprised at how the level just KEEPS GOING. In my memory it was like three different levels lol. Once it was over I felt such a sense of accomplishment. My favorite level in that game for sure.

[MARTASLJ]

I played the classic Tomb Raider when I was 10 years old with my father. I learned swear words when we played some of these levels. But we still loved the game. There will never be another Tomb Raider like this.

[viktoriyarts]

What makes the classics so unique is their scale, I actually feel how lost I can get when exploring. The new games have that cinematic quality and everything is much more linear.

[Lazar_STS]

Bought my mum a rose today and went to play Tomb Raider 3, her favourite and the only one she got to play at a friends house a bit ago. Happy moments today, happy womens day to all the raiders and non raiders and im sure this is another banger video(yet to watch) so nicely done Ax :)

[potipotiron]

Grew up with TR3, I can only laugh at how hard it was for me back then. I remember the first time I managed to kill Sophia Legg (found out about the last jump to access her area randomly) and I ran outside to tell my father about it near the garage because himself couldn't beat her and I was so excited to finally reach the Antarctica levels 😆

[cardthrow]

Ohh snap, I never realised that the direction of lara's braid moving in the air maze in the lost city of Tinnos was a clue - that's clever, I love that.

[lionocyborg]

Nice list! The thing about the Tinnos puzzle is that the blocks next to each switch show a type of food chain. Two of the food chains are wrong as they depict fish eating birds and trees eating moose or deer. Big carnivorous plants aren’t typically found near those animals and shark attacks on seabirds don’t sound that common. So the puzzle is easily solved by pushing only the buttons whose food chain blocks make sense E.g. humans eat fish, birds or deer who eat plants or fish.

[TheShowerofSlime]

Another fantastic video! Thank you!
90% of classic tombraider games were difficult for me because my brain at 10 years old was hollow, but hell it felt great gaining IQ points from each level

[ebeee]

Amazingly captured everything about Lost City of Tinnos. The frustrations is palpable, lol. Also, I wasn't sure if I was actually watching you collect the secret or just an outro until the door closed. That's an INSANE secret, I wonder who actually found that one without a guide (whoever did: kudos to you!).
Anyway, another great list!

Happy International Women's Day!

[BartolisHideoutGaming]

Tomb Raider 3 was the most difficult game on the franchise for sure. TR4’s backtracking definitely makes the game hard but TR3’s levels definitely takes it to another level! Great video as usual! Hardest levels videos are always interesting 😊Thanks for the upload my friend and looking forward for more!

[immortalxgr]

The timing couldn't be better, just discovered your channel while I just started replaying the classics! The list is absolutely spot on. I would add there are levels that are apparently on the easy side but get hard when you do things in the "wrong order". You end up in an area that you were supposed to visit later on and you obviously miss *something*. If you play short sessions and you tend to forget easily it's as frustrating as the hard levels. And that's the beauty of the classics. Press X on a lock, thinking you have the right key only to get a slap in the face by hearing a bare "NO" 😂

[oliver.n]

The Level Design of these old TR Games were amazing. Today, everthing has to be "realistic" and this takes away lot of the fun.

[simonaleem]

TR3 was my very first Tomb Raider game. I love it, especially the first level. So many good memories

[CptTachyon]

Temple of Xian and Lost City of Tinnos are excellent examples on how and how not to do difficulty respectively. Xian is an absolute thrill ride from start to finish where the challenge was invigorating. I left that level feeling energized having conquered all the trials it threw at me, and wanted to play it again right after beating it. Tinnos however was a test of patience more than anything else, and instead of that invigorating feel I got from Xian, I just felt like the level just beat me up and left me feeling exhausted, and not in a good way.
Aldwych is definitely up there when it comes to first time playthroughs, but goes from the hardest to easiest London level on subsequent TR3 playthroughs since its difficulty is almost all in the navigation and puzzles.

[jnards]

Clearing the honorable mention room in Tomb Raider Remastered gets you a hidden achievement. Your video helped me unlock it!