Area 51

Area 51 is the third level of Nevada in Tomb Raider III. In it, Lara arrives at North America's most secured secret base and must claim the Element 115 from somewhere deep within...

NOTE: In some versions of the game, you'll get the Ora Dagger here and get Element 115 in Temple of Puna.

Walkthrough
See Area 51 Walkthrough

Outfit

 * Nevada Camouflage

Weapons Found

 * MP5
 * Shotgun
 * Grenade Launcher

Allies Encountered

 * Prisoner
 * Orca

Enemies Encountered

 * Military Police
 * German Shepherd
 * Ceiling Turret

Locales Visited

 * Area 51 Missile Silo
 * Area 51 Hanger
 * Area 51 Laboratories

Secrets

 * 1 - 1x Save/power-up Crystal
 * 2 - 1x Save/power-up Crystal
 * 3 - 1x Save/power-up Crystal

Walkthrough
This is the last level of Nevada, and has generated some controversy for dealing with the country’s most secretive area. If you are going to collect all the secrets, then a big fall at the very end of the level will take out half of Lara’s health, so conserve your health well if you do not want to use Medi-packs.

Step out of the truck and take the Small Medipack from the crates to the left. As you approach the corridor, an MP will spot Lara. Quickly kill him before he reaches the alarm at the other end of the room; if he does, he will seal up the weapons room, in which case you should restart the level. If you succeed, go into the weapons room, where your rewards are an MP5 and two sets of MP5 Clips.

Go back into the corridor and press the button to raise the grating nearby. Crawl through to find a Large Medipack and another opening. Crawl through the other opening and stay low to avoid the laser trap. Wait for the lasers to go right and quickly crawl to the left to pick up the Large Medipack at the end. Crawl back to the middle section, wait for the lasers to go left, and quickly crawl to the right and grab the ladder.

As you crawl through the next opening, an MP will notice Lara. Quickly crawl out of the hole and shoot him. If he reaches the alarm, a set of red lasers will activate, but you otherwise will lose nothing else. Throw the switch nearby to open the cell and free the inmate; he will be able to help you later. There is a Small Medipack inside the cell. Crawl under the red laser (if it is there) and crawl into the opening to the right. Take the Flares and climb up into the next room. The green lasers will activate the turret if you step on them, so ignore them and continue down the corridor.

Next, crawl to the back of the small box. Immediately stand up, equip your Desert Eagle and shoot the MP twice. If you are too slow and he reaches the alarm, he will seal up the second weapons room. If you succeed, your rewards are a set of Harpoons, some Grenades, and a Rocket. Run to the end of the corridor. It may be wise to save your game here. Throw the switch, and a trapdoor will open, dumping Lara into the outside area. Turn left, equip your Desert Eagle again, and quickly shoot the Sniper three times before he can reach the alarm. If he does, he will seal up Secret 1 and two dogs will arrive on the scene. When all is quiet, crawl under the space next to the alarm and take the Grenades. If you missed the last secret in the previous level, you will find a Grenade Launcher here instead. Run to the corner opposite of the alarm for some Shotgun Shells. Drop into the pit in the center and throw the switch. Run around the grating until a trapdoor opens. Drop down and shoot the MP.

Secret 1
Crawl through the grating. Your reward is a Save Crystal. If the Sniper touched the alarm up above, then the grating will be closed, costing you this secret.

Crawl through the other grating and take the Desert Eagle Clips. Move into the small room and take the MP5 Clips to your right. There is a trapdoor to your left. As soon as you land, shoot the MP and take his Small Medipack. Go down the hallway opposite to where he was and throw the switch at the end. This will let out an inmate, who will help you eliminate the enemies in this area. Just be careful not to shoot him, or he will turn his back against Lara. You can go through the small tunnel in his cell for a Large Medipack.

Head back to the opposite way over the glass floor to see the inmate fighting with an MP. Find the crawlspace to the left. Do not go into the area ahead, as you can easily set off the two turrets and suffer major damage. In the crawlspace, pick up the Large Medipack and a Shotgun. Crawl out of the opening and turn left. There is a Sniper at the end of the corridor. If you wait for the inmate, or if he is already there, he will take care of him. In the middle of the corridor, there are three doors; the one in the middle is open. Do not be fooled by this, because as soon as you approach the middle door, it will close, and the two other doors will open, revealing two Snipers, and leaving you at a disadvantage point. As you approach the middle door, immediately turn around and quickly sprint back to the crawlspace. The inmate will take care of the snipers while you hide, but if he dies while fighting, you have to take care of them yourself.

In the left room, there is a switch. Throw it to raise the grating in the right room. If the Sniper activated the alarm in the previous area, costing you Secret 1, a laser will prevent you from crawling the grating. If this happens, push the button at the end of the corridor to shut it off. Anyway, crawl through the grating.

There is no way to avoid the green lasers in the next area, so pass through them and shoot the MP that comes down the ramp. Climb up the ramp and take a right at the intersection. You will reach a missile silo with a Sniper on a distant platform. Once you deal with him, jump or climb to the Sniper’s ledge and take the Code Clearance Disk. Return to the intersection and go left.

In the next area, drop down to the ground floor and carefully move about to avoid the green lasers. To the left of the conveyor belt, run into the dark corner and take the Small Medi-pack. In the opposite corner of the room, jump over the lasers and use the Code Clearance Disk on the computer. Climb up the ledge behind Lara, which has a swinging hook in it.

Secret 2
To the right of the hook, jump and shoot the discolored grating. Run down the path and climb down the ladder. Your reward is a Save Crystal.

Time your run past the swinging hook and pick up some Shotgun Shells. Drop into the conveyor belt and use a running jump with a grab to reach the ladder ahead. Climb up to the rafters and shoot the Sniper. Jump across the gaps to his body and take the Hangar Access Key. Return to the ground floor and go back to the missile silo.

Drop down to the floor and run through the hallway. Ignore the hole to the left and run to the end. Open the door with the Hangar Access Key and shoot the MP inside. Drop down onto the ground near the monorail; it is electrified, so stay out of it. Turn left as you enter and run down to the end of the tunnel. Climb the ladder and press the button to call a small train. Run back to the train and crawl under the rails to reach the ladder on the other side. Climb up into the corridor, take some Shotgun Shells, and use a running jump with a grab to reach the top of the train.

Climb up into the opening and cross the first grating. For the second, grab the grating above, swing across and get as close to the laser trap as possible. When it moves away, quickly swing forward and drop onto solid ground. Move forward and drop down the ladder. Use a running jump across the monorail and shoot the MP before he can reach the alarm. If he does, a Sniper will show up in the next area, but you will lose nothing else. Take the Shotgun Shells next to the monorail before climbing up the steps to the next room.

Run up the hallway and enter the hangar, which is housing a UFO. To cross the lasers in the hallway, jump the first two and crawl under the third. Continue down the hallway into a room with boxes. Clear out the boxes and enter the next room, shooting the MP before he can reach the alarm. Climb up on the central computer bank and jump and grab the ledges on the left and right; on both of these, are buttons. Pressing them will summon Snipers on the hallways below. You may want to get rid of both of them and save your game before attempting the next part.

Push the button on the right again to open the first set of doors and close the pit for a limited time. Back flip off the ledge and roll in midair. Climb up on the computers and jump to the left ledge. Push the button to open the other set of doors. Use another back flip with a roll in midair, and sprint through the doors before they close.

In the next room, shoot the Sniper and turn your attention to the five switches on the left. Pull the second switch from the left and the two rightmost switches (2, 4, and 5). Now turn left and run for the door. If you are fast enough, you can drop back into the previous room without having to deal with the Sniper that appears as soon as you pull the last switch.

Go back to the hangar and you can check out the UFO. Go to the ladder nearby and press the button. Climb the ladder and jump off at the top, being careful not to hit your head or to fall off. Pick up some Shotgun Shells and take a series of running jumps to the catwalk near the UFO. Drop down into the UFO and pick up the Launch Code Pass. Now, you need to backtrack all the way back to the hole you ignored earlier, near the door where you used the Hangar Access Key.

In the hole, head around beneath the missile and into the next room. Use the Launch Code Pass to remove the cover of the button nearby. It may be wise to save your game before pressing the button. Pressing the button launches the missile. Immediately turn around and sprint into the next room before the explosion can touch Lara. When all is clear, return to the missile silo. Climb up the ladder to your right to the top and dismount on the ledge. Use a running jump over the railing to reach the ledge with the Large Medipack, and shoot the MP above. Climb to the upper level and throw the switch to open the door. When the laser trap goes away, crawl out from under the space and jump over it. Run to the next space and quickly crawl through it.

Take some Grenades in front of you and proceed down the hall. Climb up into the outside area and shoot the MP on the left while taking cover from the Sniper in the tower. Climb up the tower for some MP5 Clips. Return to the ground and run to the corridor nearby. Shoot the Sniper inside the room and take the second Code Clearance Disk. Throw the switch and return outside, going down the trapdoor. Follow the path to another laser trap. Wait for it to go away and run down the path. Crawl underneath the laser when you get close to it. Climb down the ladder and you will be back in the stairs leading to the hangar. Return to the UFO.

Go down the corridor opposite the hangar entrance and use the Code Clearance Disk on the computer. Enter the operation room with the dead aliens and pick up the Save Crystal and the Small Medipack. Go down the other hallway and pick up the Flares and some Desert Eagle Clips next to the orca tank. Return to the UFO.

Secret 3
Climb up the ladder next to the UFO and jump off again. Turn left and step up to the beam next to you. Use a running jump to reach the beam in front of Lara and then use a standing jump to the closest beam on your right. Turn around (from the next angle, the UFO is below you and to the left) and use a running jump with a grab to reach the opening in the wall. In here, there is yet another laser trap. Wait for the upper laser to move away and use a running jump over the lower laser. Move past the trap and jump into the pool. The orcas cannot hurt you, so you do not need to worry. Your reward is a Save Crystal. To get back over the laser trap, wait for the lower laser to move away, follow it, and use a running jump with a grab to reach the ledge. Quickly pull up to avoid the upper laser. Now, make sure your health is above 50% and carefully let Lara down the opening. Alternatively, use a very tough running jump with a grab to reach the side of the UFO. This alternate fall will take around 25% of Lara’s health.

Use the trapdoor on the bottom of the UFO to enter it. The UFO is much bigger than what you think. Climb up to the middle level and shoot the Sniper. Climb up to the next area and approach the central area with the Element 115 (your objective) in the middle. By doing this, you will lure out two more Snipers. After dealing with them, you can check out the rest of the UFO if you want. When you are satisfied, approach the central area and pick up the Element 115, ending your adventure in Nevada.

Area 51