Crossbow

The Crossbow is a weapon type available in the Tomb Raider Series

Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
In Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. The Lasersight can be attached to it and there are three different kinds of ammo available for it. Crossbow Normal Ammo, Crossbow Poison Ammo and Crossbow Explosive Ammo.

The crossbow is useful as a  weapon that can be combined with the lasersight for accurately aimed shots. The only other weapon in the game that can be lasersighted is the revolver, which appears much later. There are numerous obstacles throughout the game that require Lara to aim and fire at objects (rather than enemies) but do not require the massive firepower of the revolver. It cannot be used underwater.

Normal Ammo
Useful for trick shots and not much else. Very weak. With the lasersight, the normal bolts can be used to knock the heads off of undead skeletons, who then stagger around blinded until they fall off a ledge. Against normal flesh and blood enemies, the Dual Pistols are as effective. Note that you may need to lead your target if it is moving, as these are low-velocity projectiles.

Poison Ammo
These bolts deliver some sort of poison into the bloodstream of any enemy made of living flesh. Within about a minute of exposure, the enemy will die after sustaining any amount of damage, even one pistol round. The poison itself is not fatal, although the bolts themselves otherwise do the same damage as the Normal ammo. The Poison Ammo is useful for weakening enemies you do not wish to confront immediately; if they reappear you can dispatch them instantly.

Explosive Ammo
This type is as devastating as the Grenade Gun Normal Ammo, but with greater velocity and nearly unlimited range. Lara cannot take damage from her own explosive bolts, and these like the other ammo types can be used in conjunction with any evasive action. Effective against all living and "undead" enemies (skeletons, mummies, etc.)

Development
At an earlier stage in development of Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, the Crossbow looked very different and did not even resemble a crossbow. As can be seen in the render below, the flashlight was also to be combined with weapons but it was ultimately removed.

Tomb Raider
A crossbow appears in the multiplayer mode of Tomb Raider for the Solarii Team. It has several different upgrades that are available including flaming bolts.

Appearances

 * Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (First appearance)
 * Tomb Raider (Multiplayer only)
 * Lara Croft: Relic Run