Objective: Investigate the valley¶

As soon as you regain control of Lara, you’ll be standing right in front of a Strongbox [01/08 - Weapon Part: Bolt Action Rifle Component 02] . In the alcove on the opposite side of the stairs is a Survival Cache [01/20] .

On the wall above this you’ll find a Bull’s-eye [Bull’s-eye 01/08] , shooting this with an arrow will start an area challenge. Continue down the stairs and look to the right beneath the white tarpaulins to find a chest containing a Relic [01/13 – Planter Vase] .

On the eastern side of this area you’ll also locate a new Base Camp ‘Valley Farmstead’. You can use the Base Camp here to apply any upgrades you require and spend any skill points you have. Exit the Base Camp menu when you are ready to continue.

Note: At this point the game will give you access to the SMG.

Look for the small set of stairs leading north. At the end of these you’ll find a cave blocked by wooden beams, use a gun to remove them. Inside you’ll find a vein of Magnesite Ore , Mushrooms and two piles of Byzantine Coins .

Return to the Base Camp and this time around, follow the stairs leading out of the Base Camp area to the east. At the bottom, hop down to the lower path to the right. At the bottom of this, you’ll find a blockage we can shoot with our firearms to destroy. Inside you’ll find an Archivist’s Map , a barrel containing reagents and a chest containing a Relic [02/13 – Bear Carving] .

Return to the base of the stairs coming from the Base Camp and follow the path into the village proper. Inside the small shack directly ahead you’ll find a box full of reagents. In the middle of the area you’ll find resource locations for both Hardwood and Herbs . There is also a Bull’s-eye [Bull’s-eye 02/08] high up in the tree in the center. Climb to the top rock wall overlooking the pumpkin crop on the left side of the area and at the far end you’ll find a Monolith .

Whilst you are in this area, it’s also worth completing the ‘ Fowl Play ’ challenge. This requires us to grab five chickens and throw them into the small enclosure just to the west of the well. You’ll find three on or around the path between the Base Camp and the well and a further two just to the northeast of the main area, by the observation platform close to the wooden path leading down to the river. Completing this challenge will yield a good deal of XP!

Return to the shack closest to the Base Camp and climb up onto the roof. From here jump across to the roof of the nearest building and approach the ruin-side of the roof. Run and jump to grab the branch here and swing across to the ruin. Scramble up the wall to grab the handhold and then use the nearby scalable wall to reach the top of the ruin. Grab the barrel full of reagents and cut loose the rope holding another box of reagents. On the side of the tower overlooking the cliff, there is a barricaded door halfway down (we’ll be back for this later). For now, use the rope pillar with the attachment point on the roof of the house below to create a zip line shortcut. Ride it back down.

In the house closest to the Base Camp you’ll find a Document [01/33 - Greek] on the table. Next, locate the large ruin on the eastern side of the area, there is a Document [02/33 - Mongolian] and a Strongbox [02/08 - Weapon Part: Heavy Pistol Part 01 ] to unlock using your Lockpick within. On the outside of the ruin around halfway up you’ll see a Bull’s-eye [Bull’s-eye 03/08].

The building in the central area just north of the well also has a Document [03/33 - Greek] on a table inside and just to the north of the northeastern shack, you’ll find a Coin Cache [01/09] .

On a viewing platform just north of the large ruin you’ll find another Document [04/33 - Greek]. At the guard tower a little further north there is a Bull’s-eye [Bull’s-eye 04/08] hanging beneath the tower and a Hanging Rabbit here we can cut down to kick off the ‘Hung out to Dry’ area challenge [Hung out to Dry 01/06]. You can also speak with the ally here who’ll give you a side-mission ‘Defensive Strategy’. Pick up the side-quest for now (we’ll do it later).

From the village homestead, from the northern end of the village, take the path to the east. You’ll soon come across a small tent with a Document [05/33 - Greek] and a Hanging Rabbit [Hung out to Dry 02/06]. Just west of this tent is a rock splitting the path in two.

Look for a tree here that we can scramble up and from the highest branch jump to the top of the large stone pillar on the right to find another Document [06/33 - Greek]. Drop to the base of the stone pillar and investigate the western side to find a Mural [01/04 - Greek].

Use the bridge here to cross the river. On the far side, look for a ledge high up on the right. One of the dead trees overlooking this ledge has a Bull’s-eye [Bull’s-eye 05/08] hanging from it. The cave ahead has a Challenge Tomb, but we require additional equipment (Requires Gear: Rebreather ) before we can take it on.

Return across the river, past the stone pillar and proceed up the other fork, climbing the hill to the west. At the top, you’ll reach a bridge crossing the river in front of a waterfall. Grab the cylinder of reagents nearby before crossing the bridge.

At the end of the bridge, you’ll see a barricaded passage ahead, so take the right. At this location you’ll find a dead tree with a Bull’s-eye [Bull’s-eye 06/08] . Jump from the ledge here into the water below to unlock the ability to dive. Return to the village.

Now that we can dive, from the building just north of the well, we can also earn a quick achievement/trophy. First, you’ll want to climb to the roof of the building using the crates on the well-side of the building. Use the tin roof here to get a run up and jump towards the well. Quickly press the LT button as you jump to have Lara dive into the well.

Use the pickaxes and the scalable wall to climb out of the well.

Whilst we are here, before continuing with the story it is a good idea to undertake the side-missions in the area and an optional Challenge Tomb. These are all relatively short and offer decent XP and some nice weapon attachment rewards for your troubles so are most definitely worth doing.

First let’s kick it up a notch and explore the nearby Challenge Tomb.

If you wish to forgo the optional content and all of the collectibles and rewards that it offers, you can! To continue with the current story quest, skip down to the next section: Prepare for Battle: Part 2.