What You Need To Know Before Playing Rise of the Tomb Raider

Before you embark on Lara Croft’s thrilling adventure in Rise of the Tomb Raider, there are a few crucial things to keep in mind to ensure a smoother and more enjoyable experience. This action-packed sequel builds upon the foundations of the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot, introducing new challenges, environments, and mechanics. Knowing what to expect will help you dive right in and fully appreciate this critically acclaimed game.

At its core, Rise of the Tomb Raider is a survival-action-adventure game. This means you’ll be exploring vast and dangerous locations, engaging in intense combat, solving intricate puzzles within ancient tombs, and crafting essential resources for your survival. The game blends these elements seamlessly, offering a dynamic and immersive experience. One significant change from previous titles is the increased focus on stealth and resourcefulness. You’ll need to be strategic about when to engage in combat and when to hide, collect resources, and use your skills to overcome obstacles.

It’s essential to understand that Rise of the Tomb Raider is the second game in the Survivor trilogy. While not strictly necessary to play the first game, Tomb Raider (2013), to understand the core plot, you’ll get significantly more out of the story if you play it first. The first game establishes who the main characters and antagonists are and sets the stage for Lara’s journey and growth. Without that context, key relationships and motivations in Rise might not fully resonate. The story continues in Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Beyond the narrative context, here are essential gameplay mechanics and tips to prepare you for the journey:

• Tomb Raiding is Key: Don’t just focus on the main story path. Make it a point to actively seek out and raid the challenge tombs. These optional areas offer intricate puzzles that require problem-solving skills, and often reward you with unique gear, skills and resources which are useful for the main game.
• Resource Management Matters: Conserving resources is critical, particularly on higher difficulties. Search every nook and cranny for salvage, plants, and animal hides. These materials are essential for crafting upgrades, ammunition, and other crucial items. You must constantly be on the lookout for loot.
• Combat is Varied: While direct combat is sometimes unavoidable, stealth is often the most effective approach. Learn to use the environment to your advantage. Utilizing cover, hiding in bushes, and employing stealth takedowns can significantly reduce your risk.
• Upgrade Skills Wisely: The game features a robust skill tree, allowing you to specialize in different areas. Early on, prioritize skills that increase your resource gathering and experience gains. This will help you level up more quickly and unlock more powerful abilities. For example, focus on the “Survivalist” skill in the Survival Skills set.
• Utilize the Supply Shack: You’ll find Supply Shacks in many of the game’s hub areas. Don’t forget to stop at these locations and purchase equipment and weapon upgrades. Prioritizing the red dot sight for your rifle is a very good early investment.
• Switch Shoulders: During combat, learning to switch between camera perspectives with the left stick is extremely useful to stay aware of your surroundings. This will improve your ability to engage enemies efficiently.
• Hunt Whenever Possible: Hunting animals yields resources and valuable experience. The skills you acquire early help to enhance this and make this a rewarding strategy.

Finally, don’t be afraid to experiment with different gameplay styles. Rise of the Tomb Raider is a very adaptable game, allowing players to choose the strategies that work best for their play style. It’s about figuring out what works best for you within the game mechanics. With a little preparation and a lot of exploration, you’ll be ready to experience all that this fantastic game has to offer.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Do I need to play the previous Tomb Raider game before Rise?

While you can jump directly into Rise of the Tomb Raider, it’s highly recommended that you play Tomb Raider (2013) first. The first game introduces key characters, sets up Lara’s origins story, and establishes many of the plot threads that are followed in Rise. You’ll find that Rise will have significantly more impact if you’re already invested in Lara’s journey.

2. Is Rise of the Tomb Raider connected to other Tomb Raider games?

Rise of the Tomb Raider is part of the Survivor trilogy, along with Tomb Raider (2013) and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. The story is directly connected to these games but is separate from the original series and the Legend Trilogy.

3. Which Tomb Raider game should I play first?

If you’re interested in the rebooted series, start with Tomb Raider (2013), followed by Rise of the Tomb Raider, and then Shadow of the Tomb Raider. This is the chronological order of the story within this specific series. The original Tomb Raider games (1-6) and the Legend trilogy are separate from the newer games.

4. Is it okay to play Shadow of the Tomb Raider before Rise?

It is not recommended to play Shadow of the Tomb Raider before playing Rise of the Tomb Raider. While Shadow does attempt to explain events from the prior game, it’s best experienced if you have the full context from playing through Rise first. This also allows you to experience Lara’s character arc fully.

5. What skills should I upgrade first in Rise of the Tomb Raider?

Focus on upgrading the “Survival Skills”. “Survivalist,” which increases experience from harvesting animals, plants and supply crates, is a good initial target. Skills that help you gather resources faster and increase the rewards you get from looting are also very useful early in the game.

6. What are the must-have weapons in Rise of the Tomb Raider?

While preferences vary, the red dot sight for your rifle is highly recommended as an early purchase. This will improve your accuracy with your rifle. The best bow is the Grim Whisper bow, which you can obtain by collecting its parts within crypts. You can use different types of arrows to exploit enemy weaknesses so upgrading bow ammunition is worthwhile.

7. Do outfits matter in Rise of the Tomb Raider?

Yes, certain outfits provide helpful bonuses. Although they aren’t essential for beating the game, outfits such as the Ancient Vanguard and Immortal Guardian outfits, among others, provide bonuses to damage resistance, or boost resources gathering.

8. Can you max out all skills in Rise of the Tomb Raider?

Yes, it is possible to max out all skills across the three disciplines by exploring thoroughly and completing most of the game’s optional content, such as crypts, challenge tombs and side missions.

9. How long does it take to complete Rise of the Tomb Raider?

The main story campaign of Rise of the Tomb Raider takes around 13 ½ hours to complete. For 100% completion, which includes all collectibles, optional tombs, and side quests, expect to spend roughly 35 hours.

10. Are the DLCs in Rise of the Tomb Raider worth playing?

Yes. The “Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch” DLC is a fun and engaging story addition. The “Blood Ties” DLC and accompanying “Lara’s Nightmare” mode adds depth to the main game. The DLC offers new story content, challenges, and valuable extra rewards.

11. Is Rise of the Tomb Raider a zombie game?

While the main game is not a zombie game, the “Lara’s Nightmare” mode included in the 20 Year Celebration edition does feature a zombie invasion element. This offers an action-packed, wave based survival challenge that is different from the main game.

12. What is the difference between Rise of the Tomb Raider and the 20 Year Celebration edition?

The 20 Year Celebration edition includes all previously released DLC, such as the Baba Yaga and Blood Ties DLCs, as well as additional outfits and weapons. It also contains the “Lara’s Nightmare” mode. The regular version is just the main game without the added downloadable content.

13. Which Tomb Raider game is considered the hardest?

Tomb Raider 3 is often cited as the most difficult in the series due to its challenging level design.

14. Can I play the Tomb Raider games out of order?

The rebooted Survivor trilogy (Tomb Raider, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider) should be played in order to fully understand the narrative. The older, classic Tomb Raider games are connected within their own series (Tomb Raider 1-6), but aren’t dependent on each other to play through, neither are the Legend trilogy, so they can be played separately.

15. What happens after completing the main story in Rise of the Tomb Raider?

After completing the main story, you can continue exploring the world, finish side quests, complete optional tombs, and fully upgrade your skills and weapons. The game doesn’t have a “new game plus” mode but there are plenty of post-game objectives to pursue.