Xian Warrior

Xian warriors are enemies that appear in Tomb Raider II: Starring Lara Croft.

These were once Dragon Emperor's warriors and served under him just as others had such as those seen in the intro of the game. Why they are encased in jade is uncertain but it is possible that the Emperor left them there until the Dagger of Xian's powers would be used again should he be defeated. Such a time came when Marco Bartoli plunged the dagger into his heart, they are now serving Marco Bartoli because they can be seen to fight Lara alongside the Fiamma Nera members.

Xian Warriors with Spears
Emerging from statues made of jade, the Xian warriors attack using their spears in an attempt to impale Lara. If Lara's health is low then the warrior shall execute a finishing attack by picking Lara up in between the two spears and throwing her violently back down to the floor.

Xian Warriors with Swords
Also emerging from jade statues, these warriors are capable of flying and will pursue Lara across the floating islands. If the warriors manage to land before Lara can shoot them down then they will use their swords to attack her.

Tomb Raider II: Starring Lara Croft

 * Floating Islands
 * The Dragon's Lair

Development
Concept artwork reveals two unused enemies in the game: Warrior of the Thousand Blades and Warrior of the Living Flame. They were likely to have been two further variations of the Xian warriors. The 'blades' warrior may have eventually became the Fiamma Nera knifethrowers as they too have a seemingly endless supply of knives. The 'flame' warrior may have been removed because of a similar enemy, the Fiamma Nera flamethrowers.

At some point, the Xian warriors skin colours were more natural as opposed to the grey skin they have in the final version of the game. The concept artwork of these enemies also show them without the grey skin they ended up with.

Appearances

 * Tomb Raider II: Starring Lara Croft (First appearance)