The Fiamma Nera are a dangerous Italian cult full of skilled henchmen and are the primary antagonist group in Tomb Raider II, their primary objective is to collect all the artifacts related to the Dagger of Xian and use it for their own personal and twisted reasons.
They worked under the orders of Marco Bartoli and tried to stop Lara from getting in their way.
Background information[]
The Fiamma Nera was a secret cult that has remained in the shadows and carried out terrible acts for centuries in Italy. They are the seekers of the Dagger of Xian and worship the powers it possesses. The cult even adopted the mystical symbol as their logo which was previously used by former user of the dagger, Dragon Emperor. In the 20th Century, Gianni Bartoli became leader of the Fiamma Nera. Gianni had attempted to seek out the mythical Dagger of Xian, as all those before him had done. In searching for the artifact needed to unlock the dagger's resting place, the Fiamma Nera managed to steal the Seraph from the Barkhang Monastery and brought it along their luxury ship, the Maria Doria. The Barkhang Monks, fearing that the Dagger of Xian would fall into the Fiamma Nera's hands, destroyed the Maria Doria and killed everyone on board including Gianni. Years later, Gianni's son Marco Bartoli follows in his father's footsteps and stakes out for the Dagger of Xian, leading to the events of Tomb Raider II.
The Fiamma Nera cult members are skilled mercenaries that are skilled in a wide variety of combat. They have a religious following for the group and usually wear some sort of tattoo or clothing that shows their affiliation with the group. They attack using different forms of combat and weapons. Some of the members prefer to use clubs, while others attack using shotguns and machine guns. An even more specialized version of cult members appear in Floating Islands and The Dragon's Lair, where they wear ceremonial robes and throw an endless barrage of knives. The cult members are also prepared for different environments and conditions, like delving into the ocean or battling in the cold weather. Bartoli's men are present in many levels of the game, such as Venice, and Tibet.
The Fiamma Nera members carry melee weapons and guns. In Venice, their members carrying bats and silenced pistols. In the Offshore Rig and Maria Doria, there's scuba divers that swim in the water that attack Lara with Harpoon Guns, more members except with crowbars, wrenches, and SMGs, as well as shotguns and flamethrower guys. In Tibet, there's members driving snowmobiles with automated guns, and smaller SMG guns. There's also one tough Fiamma Nera gang member that wields two heavy damaging pistols and cannot be killed easily.
Known Members[]
- Gianni Bartoli (Former Leader)
- Marco Bartoli (Leader)
- Fiamma Nera Boss (Cultist)
- Eros (Plane mechanic)
- Fabio (Plane Pilot)
- Claudio (Cultist)
Appearances[]
- Tomb Raider II (first appearance)
- Tomb Raider II: Golden Mask
- Tomb Raider I-III Remastered
In-Game Appearances[]
Tomb Raider II[]
- Venice
- Bartoli's Hideout
- Opera House
- Offshore Rig
- Diving Area
- 40 Fathoms
- Wreck of the Maria Doria
- Living Quarters
- The Deck
- Tibetan Foothills
- Barkhang Monastery
- Catacombs of the Talion
- Floating Islands
- The Dragon's Lair
- Home Sweet Home
Tomb Raider II: Golden Mask[]
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered[]
Tomb Raider II[]
- Venice
- Bartoli's Hideout
- Opera House
- Offshore Rig
- Diving Area
- 40 Fathoms
- Wreck of the Maria Doria
- Living Quarters
- The Deck
- Tibetan Foothills
- Barkhang Monastery
- Catacombs of the Talion
- Floating Islands
- The Dragon's Lair
- Home Sweet Home (all deaths)
Tomb Raider II: Golden Mask[]
- Nightmare in Vegas
Development[]

Leader From Beta
The masked Fiamma Nera enemies with blond hair originally wore long sleeved shirts bearing red Fiamma Nera symbols and a band on their upper arm as opposed to the white t-shirts they wore in the final version.
The Fiamma Nera rig workers wielding shotguns originally wore khaki coloured trousers before they were changed to beige for reasons unknown. The only remains of these khaki trousered enemies is a dead body of one of them in the cutscene where Lara meets Brother Chan Barkhang. It is also evident from one of the screenshots below that this shotgun wielding enemy was to appear in The Deck before being replaced by flamethrower wielding enemies.
Also, a Fiamma Nera melee henchmen was at one point different. They are the ones who wear caps in the Maria Doria levels. In an earlier version, they wore white vests and wielded wrenches. In the final version, however, they wore white t-shirts and wielded clubs.
In Tibetan Foothills, the uzi wielding mercenaries were to appear but were eventually held back until Barkhang Monastery and replaced by mercenaries identical to the blue-clad ones but with a different color scheme.
Types of enemies[]
- Thugs with bats, wrenches and batons: They are resistant and strong enemies, it is best to kill them from a distance.
- Venetian gunmen: They are enemies armed with silenced pistols. They do moderate damage, so it's best to kill them up close by rolling and getting behind them. Even so, they are not have much health.
- Shot-gunners: Like the gunslingers, these enemies do not have much health, but they do have greater damage. The combat mode is exactly the same as that of the gunfighters.
- Flamethrower Thugs: They are enemies with very little health, but this is compensated with disastrous damage caused by their flamethrower. Since even if a single flame touches Lara, it will start burning and there will be no way to put it out. Unless there is water nearby.
- Divers: These enemies appear in the sea platform levels, and near the Maria Doria wreck. They are easy to kill, but tougher than other enemies that carry ranged weapons. It is best to kill them out of water, whenever possible.
- Snow Mercenaries: Unlike the previous enemies that carry firearms, these do have greater resistance, as well as greater damage.
- Snow Mercenaries: Like the previous mercenaries, these carry an uzi, and the damage they cause is even greater.
- Snowmobile Mercenaries: These enemies are extremely dangerous, not so much because of the machine guns they have on their snowmobiles, but if Lara is not in an area where she cannot be reached by these enemies. Lara will be run over and die instantly.
- Cultists: These enemies have greater resistance, however, they do not carry any firearms or melee weapons. In this case they are armed with throwing knives, which do moderate damage.
Trivia[]
- While most enemies in Tomb Raider II: Golden Mask are from A.V.A.L.A.N.C.H.E. group, Fiemma Nera cultist appear in the Furnace of the Gods and Nightmare in Vegas level.
Gallery[]
Ingame Screenshots[]
Official Renders[]
Concept Artwork[]
Appearances[]
- Tomb Raider II (first appearance)
- Tomb Raider II: Golden Mask