Virtual Lara
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Abilities
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​How to Play
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How to Play

Make no mistake about it: this game expects you to lose a lot and keep replaying, so don't be downhearted if you can't seem to beat a level in one playthrough! The idea is to replay older chapters and earn coins, runes and even supplies to upgrade yourself. This page isn't a comprehensive guide to playing, just a helpful guide on the basics of the game; there is also a Glossary at the bottom of the page.

The Screens

Menu Screen
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1 - Account level number. The levelling up that is related to your overall gaming experience. Also across the top is Tickets currency to play Chapters, Coins and Gems that you've collected.
2 - Daily Reward Bonus for logging in daily. Will reset if you miss a day.
3 - Shows available offers for purchase.
4 - Daily/ Weekly/ Overall Goals Menu
5 - Obsolete button. Was used for Events.
6 - The number of stages completed within the Chapter.
7 - Mailbox. Not used too often.
8 - Exploration Rewards. Visit here when you've completed so many stages within a Chapter.
9 - Daily Challenges Menu
10 - Workshop. Visit when you start to play and before you finish playing to collect Manuals.
11 - Store. Use Gems and real currency to buy more in-game Currency and items.
12 - The Gear menu. Open this to give Lara a change of weapons, amulets etc.
13 - The World Menu. This is the very screen you are seeing here! Shows you the Chapters.
14 - The Relics Menu. Go here to upgrade or check out your progress with Relic collecting.
15 - The Events Log. Shows you what events are happening, how long is left, etc.
Play Screen
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1 - Lara's 'Chapter specific' levelling up bar. Each time the bar fills (from killing enemies), the player will be allowed to pick a new ability to play with. These carry over through the stages of this chapter playthrough, but if you die and do not revive, once you start a new chapter playthrough, Lara's level will reset back to level 1.
2 - Your progress through this current chapter. The later chapters have 50 stages to complete.
3 - The enemy health bar.
​4 - Lara's health bar, shown in a green bar and numbers. The gold bar is Lara's Ultimate power. The player must kill enemies to fill the Ultimate bar completely and then double tap the screen to use the skill, however the player will need a Mask equipped to have access to the Ultimate power. The Ultimate's power is different depending on which Mask the player chooses.
5 - A dropped Mine, if the player picks to have a Mine ability (either Electric, Fire, Ice or Poison). The player must stand still for a moment for Lara to drop a mine. She can run over them and not take damage but it will affect an enemy.
6 - The targeted enemy, as seen by the red ring around their feet. Lara will automatically pick the closest enemy.
7 - The movement pad. Although the player can touch the screen anywhere to move Lara, you may end up blocking your view and getting hit.
Puzzle Room Screen
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1 - Buttons that need to be pressed to deactivate traps/blocks. Sometimes there will be a specific order that they will need to be pressed in order to reach the treasure but the blue button will always be the last.

2 - The obstacle in the way that will need to be deactivated by the green button.

3 - The treasure! More commonly the treasure will be Shards, but sometimes it can reward a Relic piece.
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4 - Timer to show you how long you have left to solve the room before the treasure is lost to the pit of lava. The timer will stop once the player reaches and presses the Blue button.

In-Game Currency

There are quite a lot of in-game currency within Tomb Raider Reloaded, all required for different types of upgrades. The Tickets, Coins and Gems as seen across the top of the screen can be purchased using Gems, watching ads or real currency.

Coins - Used to purchase all gear upgrades and outfit levelling. Given out when killing enemies or by spinning the two Spin Wheels.
Runes - Required for outfit upgrading. Given out when killing enemies or collected when completing daily/weekly/goals challenges.
Shards - Required for Relic upgrading. Given out in Puzzle Rooms during the chapters.
Gems - Required for Store purchases only. Can be collected when completing daily/weekly/goals challenges or by spinning the ad-based Spin Wheel.
Manuals - Required for Gear upgrades. There are various types of manuals: ammo, weapon, supplies etc. Given out when killing enemies, collected when completing daily/weekly/goals challenges or collected from the workshop.
Tickets - The currency for playing chapters and tombs, five tickets for chapters, 3 for the tombs. Can be collected when completing daily/weekly/goals challenges.

Challenge Points - Earned by completing Daily Challenges. These will build up over the course of a week, giving the player the chance to open the 'Weekly Challenge Reward' crate. 
Event Based - These are Common Stickers and Rare Stickers, given out when killing enemies. These can be exchanged for other goods in the events menu.

Crafting

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Crafting refers to the constructing of a higher rarity item by merging three of the same lower rarity items together, allowing players to improve their Ammunition, Weapons, Supplies, Masks, Bracelets and Amulets. This can be achieved in the Crafting menu, found in the Gear section.

You may notice that you can collect Blueprints, the quantity of which can be seen at the bottom of the Crafting menu screen. If you ever find yourself struggling to collect three of the same rarity item, for example, you only have two Uncommon Shotguns, you can use an Uncommon Blueprint to replace that third missing Shotgun, to make yourself a Rare Shotgun. Blueprints are given out in the Weekly Tasks menu.

Item Rarities are as follows, from worse to best: Common -> Uncommon -> Rare -> Epic -> Legendary. 

Whilst it might seem tempting to dismantle the odd pieces of gear that you are not using for manuals and coins, it may be more worthwhile in the long run to store them and craft them together. Here are a few stats about item quantities:
  • 3 Commons make an Uncommon.
  • 3 Uncommons make a Rare | 9 Commons to make a Rare.
  • 3 Rares to make an Epic | 27 Commons to make an Epic
  • 3 Epics to make a Legendary | 81 Commons to make a Legendary

Tips and Tricks

  • Enemies can be damaged by the stage traps and even by other enemy's projectiles and attacks. Use this to bait them around the stage to aid you.
  • It is somewhat helpful if you end up dying in a Chapter playthrough. Adapt your abilities to the bosses or types of enemies that you end up having difficulty with, rather than your favourite abilities. For example, the Mines only work if you are able to stand still, but there are a lot of enemies in the Greece chapters where you will not be able to stand still long enough to drop them; fire rings can work better.
  • Talking of the more difficult enemies and abilities, the Ring abilities will all work together if you choose to use all the elements, creating an almost constant attacking barrier.

Glossary

Ammo Manual - Common Manuals that can be used to upgrade ammo.

Ammo Types - A type of gear that can be changed up, upgraded and levelled up to improve Lara's attack power. Each type of ammo is effective to certain types of attack.

Amulets - A type of gear that can be changed up, upgraded and levelled up to improve Lara's attack power and/or health at the start of a stage. Not seen on Lara's model, merely statistical.

Ancient Scrolls - A perk that can be added at the start of a chapter/tomb to help boost the amount of coins collected, shards collected or adds another revive.

Blueprints - Can be used when crafting, using one in place of a third weapon, ie. you have two Common Dual Pistols, you can use a Common blueprint if you have one, to craft an Uncommon Dual Pistols.

Boss Rooms - A room which acts like an arena. Most commonly seen at the very end of the chapter, however there are also smaller bosses scattered within the chapters.

Bracelets - A type of gear that can be changed up, upgraded and levelled up to improve an attack power whenever Lara takes a hit. Not seen on Lara's model, merely statistical.

Chapter - Name of the 'levels', eg. 'Tomb of Qualopec' is the chapter name.

Coins - Used across various upgrades. Collect by killing enemies.

Common Sticker - Currency for the ongoing event. Has no effect on standard game although found when killing enemies in chapters. Common and rare stickers can be traded in for items in the events menu.

Exploration Rewards - Rewards for reaching certain stages within a chapter.

Gear Menu - To help with travelling through the chapters, players can assign items that have unique perks. The Supplies slot adds a Backpack onto Lara.

Gem - A type of currency in the game. Earned through completing daily/weekly/goals and through the ad only spin wheel. Can be spent in the game store.

Level [1] - Overall player level, linked to player account. Can be seen in the top left of the chapter menu. Can be increased by collecting XP, done by clearing stages in chapters.

Level [2] - As seen in the chapters via the gold bar at the top of the screen. Fill the bar by killing enemies and be awarded the choice of three abilities to aid Lara in her adventures. This type of levelling is for the specific chapter playthrough and will not carry over when the player progresses to the next chapter. The ability 'Fast Learner' will give the player 30% more experience after each combat, allowing you to reach higher levels quicker.
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Lucky Wheel - Gives the player a free spin with the chance to win either a supply of coins, and/or a new ability. These often appear at the start of a chapter and after a boss fight.

Mask Manual - Common Manuals that can be used to upgrade masks.

Masks - A type of gear that can be changed up, upgraded and levelled up to improve Lara's Ultimate power. Not seen on Lara's model, merely statistical.

Puzzle Stages - These are levels that require the player to run over coloured buttons (and sometimes in a specific order) in a certain amount of time in order to obtain Shard pieces before it is lost to the lava pit. On a rare occasion, these puzzle stages will offer a Relic piece. Sometimes these rooms will require the player to push a column onto certain tiles.

Rare Sticker - Currency for the ongoing event. Has no effect on standard game although found when killing enemies in chapters. Common and rare stickers can be traded in for items in the events menu.

Runes - A type of currency in the game. Used to upgrade outfits, along with coins.

Shards - A type of currency in the game. Used to upgrade relics, along with coins. Can be awarded through the tombs side challenge but often seen in the Puzzle stages of the chapters.

Store - Gives the player the option to spend gems or real money here.

Supply Manual - Common Manuals that can be used to upgrade supplies.

Supplies - Another word for Lara's backpack. Each type of backpack has benefits, such as a health increase or damage reduction from certain types of enemy.

Tombs - A side challenge, first offered after opening up the chapter, 'City of Vilcabamba'. A set of 25 levels, each with 10 stages within. Almost mostly the same, the difficulty increases as the player progresses. Awards coins, crates and shards.

Ultimate - Lara's special attack. Players have to fill the Ultimate bar by killing enemies (bar can be seen under her health bar), and then double tap the screen to use it. Masks will change what type of attack Lara can perform and by upgrading the masks, her Ultimate attack will become stronger.

Weapon Manual - Common Manuals that can be used to upgrade weapons.

XP - Required to level up your account. Not to be confused with the levelling up system seen within the chapters. Collect XP by clearing stages in chapters.

Virtual Lara ~ Official Tomb Raider Fansite
Circa 2020


TOMB RAIDER and LARA CROFT are trademarks of CDE Entertainment
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