Ways of the Valley

Ways of the Valley refer to special collectible Documents found in Rise of the Tomb Raider.

There are six total Ways of the Valley documents in the game.

On the Smallest Prey
Young ones! You scoffed at learning your letters, said it had nothing to do with hunting, but that's your first lesson - everything is connected, and I am always right. You clever students who saw the folly in stubbornness and can read this, here's your first assignment.

Track, hunt and bring me back the belt of one of the small creatures of the valley. Hares you can find anywhere, night or day, both the little brown ones in our valley, and the snow hares in the peaks. The squirrels stick to the trees, and rain will drive them into their burrows. And, if you see fit to seek the rats, look inside the ruins, or anywhere the dead still lie.

Please, do not bring me a rat.

Lara's Thoughts
Teachings from the master huntswoman of the Remnant people...

On Local Birds
Here is your lesson for today: bring me any creature with feathers. The birds in our valley fly mostly by day, nesting away at dark. You've seen gulls and other kinds farther afield. Those common birds would count for today's lesson, but it would lack ambition.

You clever students who wish to impress me would do well to head to the high elevations between dawn and dusk. I would find a buzzard most impressive.

And before you ask, the chickens around our village came here with our ancestors. Bring me a tame bird from your mother's yard will not fulfill the assignment.

Lara's Thoughts
''More wisdom from the hunters of the valley... this time on hunting birds...''

On Deer And Stags
You're making great strides, young ones. I almost believe some of you might be passable hunters some day. But here is where we begin to separate the wheat from the chaff. Today, while the sun is up, we stalk deer. Their meat, their skin, antlers, even their bones, are what keep us all alive. Respect the deer, for it is as close to God as we are.

Find them by their bedding, where the grass is pressed flat, or near berry bushes where they feed. Strike true, don't let it feel a moment of fear or pain.

Remember, I will be judging you, and whoever brings me a stag will be judged most favorably.

Lara's Thoughts
Much of their food comes from the deer of the valley...

On Boars
You'll never find a finer meat than boar. As black as the soil, and twice as rich, but hunting the damned things is an unpleasant task, to say the least. Now that the sun is up, we will hunt as a pack, working together to take down a boar.

We will strike from the hunting blinds around the valley, for we can spot the boar in the dense undergrowth without being seen. And you do not want to be seen. At least it's not raining.

None of you, not even I want to deal with that cursed razorback...

Lara's Thoughts
Boar seems to be a more difficult quarry, but well worth the risk...

On the Threat of Wolves
We have a true test now, young ones. The valley is balance. When one thing slides it affects all others. The fire two harvests ago led to unusual bloom of berries. That led to more deer, and now, we've got too many damned wolves. They're not good eating, but to keep the valley in harmony, we're tracking wolves tonight.

They come out after dark, and roam the whole valley, but we're going to track them to their dens in caves, and other underground places. Stay close together.

When you hunt wolves, the wolves are just as likely to hunt you.

Lara's Thoughts
They hunt as a group, just like wolves hunt in a pack...

On Bears
You are hunters, every last one of you, and I am proud. Your final lesson comes today, a test all hunters must face. Today, we'll track the one thing bigger and meaner than me in this valley. Today we'll take down a bear. We only hunt bears when they get old and ornery, when they start to enter the village.

And now we have just such a bear. I've tracked him to his den, watching him range across the valley, following the other animals. We must throw our spears together. When he rears up, aim straight and true for his heart. A lucky shot between the ribs can drop any beast.

Pray you make it, because there won't be a second chance.

Lara's Thoughts
They don't hunt the bear for meat, but they have to be prepared...