Rise of the Tomb Raider takes around 40 hours to reach 100% complition rate, but it will take even longer if you find yourself stuck on a Tomb Puzzle. Throughout Rise of the Tomb Raider you will come across different areas hosting puzzles for you to solve.
For more help on Rise of the Tomb Raider, read our Relics and Documents Locations, Coin Caches Locations and Survival Caches Locations Guide.
Rise of the Tomb Raider Tomb Puzzle Solutions
You will find tomb puzzles in Glacial Cavern, Soviet Installation, Geothermal Valley and The Lost City. Below you will see solutions for Tomb Puzzles, divided by area.
The first one we’ll discuss is Glacial Cavern and the Ice Ship.
Glacial Cavern
Ice Ship<
When you enter the Cavern, Lara will notice Frozen Galley but has not way of reaching it, or does she? You will notice a wooden post to your North that will you jump on the ledge. Now climb up the ledge and move towards the Frozen Galley. Cross the ledge and make the jump towards the mast of the ship.
Try and reach the platform that is secure as soon as you can. You can find a document on the deck after you turn the crank on the platform. By now you will know about the Makeshift Pendulum, once it comes to rest Lara should jump off of it. Afterwards, use the climbing section to reach an even higher point of the ship.
Now, you will need to lower a bucket to the left using a crank. Of course, you will have to jump onto the bucket as soon as it rises but make sure it doesn’t get too far or you will fall down. After a short sequence, some ice will break which is your way up.
Go on top of the ship to find what you’re looking for. Lara will also learn of a new skill called ” Ancient Abilities.” Zip Line down and you’re done.
Soviet Installation
The Red Mine
This one takes place in the Copper Mine building. When you climb up to it and reach the area where Lara learns how to make Molotov Cocktails. You will first have to finish this area and to reach the tomb, climb a small ramp. You will notice a ledge behind you, jump!
From here, move over to a gap taking you to the higher floor of the building you already cleared. Now drop Lara and you will find weapons and ammo in this location.
You will come across a locked area which needs to be opened via a console to the far side of it. Once you use the console, a heavy door will open that will give you access to the copper mine.
Enter the main tunnel and look for a Archivist Map to left. You’ll find it before the junction.
Take the route on your left that will take you further inside the mine. You will come across a divide but use a zip line to cross it. You will need to leap for the white section of the rope on the zip line, so keep that in mind.
The good news is that even if you fall down Lara won’t die, there is a way to climb back up so just look for dry land.
Anyways, let’s move forward.
Zip to the bottom of the line and go through the lower mines. A linear path will take you to blocked cave-in, use the Molotov to clear the area and Lara should be able to slip under the rocks.
Once you reach a small gap you will notice a platform on the other side of it. Jump to the platform next to the waterfall. Another short sequence will trigger giving you a minor heart attack but you’ll survive and so will Lara. Now, after the sequence head to the room that has many crate and bottles.
Move on and you will come across a cloth barrier but another waterfall makes it impossible to destroy it. You can throw a Molotov over the broken pipes to see the flames drop down to cloths to clear the obstruction.
Move through the water and take the next left before jumping to a dark corridor. You will find some useful items around the area so keep your eyes open. You can also use your Survival Instinct to see better in the dark.
The corridor will take you to the central cavern that leads to a base camp. Continue into the mine and jump to a platform that is going to break when you hit it, but not to worry, it’s just another Tomb Raider moment.
Climb up and you will see a waterfall similar to the one you handled with a molotov before. Leave it be for and use a ramp to reach the higher platform. Jump onto a container from the outside platform which will cause mine carts to move down the track and temporarily.
Shoot the rope front of the second cart, you can use your survival instincts to find the rope. To solve the puzzle, your goal is to block the water.
You have to climb up the rooftop of the main building and find a rope to connect the minecart. Connect the cart to the building and come back to the ore container.
Once you jump onto it, the cart will smash into the building blocking the water. Use a Molotov to ignite the cloth and enter the building.
Voice of God
There is cave entrance at eastern edge of the map. Look for an entrance that is blocked by wood and ropes. Lara will need to find a rope she can use to enter the cave.
Find the rope and use it to enter the cave. After going through some hoops, you will come across a tomb puzzle. In order to solve this one, you must first do something about the blocked off gate that is controlled by a counterweight.
Use the counterweight for the front door, lower it with a crank and climb on top of it to reach a room on the right. You will notice another crank which Lara can use by attaching a Rope to it.
Crank the weight towards you and wait for heavy winds to blow before cutting the rope or releasing it via the mechanism on the right.
The weight smashes into the frozen counterweight, freeing it from the ice. Get back into the main room by smashing a nearby wall. Now raise the gate to get to the Codex, exit the building and create a zip to get down.
Ancient Cistern
Go to the lumber mill and shoot the boarded up hole in the ground to the northeast. Move forward into the cavern. You come across a puzzle that requires you to raise the water level not once, but three times.
To achieve this, you will have to blow-off three hatches. You will find the first hatch in a room to the far side of the cistern. Use a canister to blow the hatch off.
Go to the main room, find another canister, throw it on the wooden board floating nearby.
Get the raft to the next hatch by going up the staircase and jumping onto the overhead beam, creating a current that takes the raft to the hatch.
Shoot the canister when it gets closer to the hatch.
To get the third hatch, pick up another canister from the main room and repeat the process above. However, hurry and climb onto the raft before it moves away. Grab the canister and throw it in the hole the second explosion created.
Now reach the upper hallway and collect the canister to blow up the final hatch.
Geothermal Valley
House of the Afflicted
This Tomb is close to Valley Farmstead’s Base Camp. Go to northeastern bridge leading away from town, swing across to break in the walk way.
You goal is to raise two platforms so Lara can vault to one and get across the walkway. From there she will use the other to reach the handholds underneath the Codex.
Use the bow and arrow to tether the hook to one of the platforms. The other one also needs to be hooked up, shoot the rope to a lever you’ll see the on top of the room.
Pull it to fill up the bucket with water and raise both platforms. To keep the platform from going down again, pull the cart you see to the middle of the room and use the lever once again to fill the bucket, tether it to the cart once it fills up.
Cross the platforms and climb the staircase and jump to upper side of the room. You should be able to reach the Codex area easily from here.
Baths of Kitezh
This Tomb is in the northwestern part of the Geothermal Valley. Entrance can be found to the east by southeast from Ridgeline.
The puzzle you find inside, will require you to lower the water level to reach the codex. You will see a boat in the middle of the room, climb onto it and use the wooden posts. Shoot the rope and connect the post to another post further into the room. This will help you move around.
Take the boat to the left side of the room, where there is an opening you need to reach. Since there is no ledge, the boat will help you climb up.
Lower the water level when you reach that room by pulling on a mechanism you see on the far side. In order to permanently lower the water level, use the rope to connect the system to a post to the other side of the room.
Once that’s done, use the crank near the post to lower the water. You will see a chamber on the other side of the room and once again you will have to lower the water level.
But first, you will have to go back to the main room and bring the boat to the sunken window. Go back to the chamber and connect the boat with the rope post, while the water level is lowered for a minute.
Crank the boat and you will lower the water levels. You now have access to the Codex room.
Catacomb of Sacred Waters
Look for a large cavern entrance along the eastern wall of the Aqueduct Ruins camp of Geothermal Valley. There is a fallen log you need to jump off of to reach the tunnel entrance.
Reach a burial chamber after moving through many empty rooms.
Climb onto a ledge in the room to reach Aquifer Cavern Base Camp. Do not jump into the water as Lara will die. You need to cross the river and to do so, Rope the boat you see and tether it to the Post along the water’s edge.
Now you need to rope on the post you see on the central island. Jump on land when you are close enough, you’re judgement will save Lara.
Repeat the same process on a boat deployed from the back of the cavern. Try jumping on it before it reached the middle island. Now tether it to the post on the other side of the water. Crank it to reach the building.
You will find a codex on the walkway there.
The Pit of Judgement
You will find another tomb near the middle of the Geothermal Valley. Enter the cavern complex and move through the jumping and climbing area to reach the other side. This path will take you further in and to the Hidden Ravine. Jump into the water and swim to the other side.
The way is blocked and you will need something to break through. Sadly, explosives won’t do any good. You need to turn around and go to a higher ledge.
When you are at the area on top of the tracks, you will see a minecart that can be used to damage the blockage below. Use the crank to release the minecart.
It won’t destroy the barricade completely so you will need to go to the edge of the area the create zip line underneath the other ramp and slide down.
The final puzzle will be close by.
You will see two cranks and you need to use one of them to get the platform below on the first level. When that’s done, use the rotational crank until you see the gate opening up. Get the minecart into position and release it.
From here, rotational crank should be taken back a step which locks the platform. However, when you use the elevation crank to go up the ramp, it will rotate back into position.
Now pull the cart into position on the tracks and release it. Follow the cart to reach the codex.
The Lost City
Chamber of Exorcism
This is the last and final tomb that Lara will explore in Rise of the Tomb Raider. Once you have progressed enough in the story, go to a Cave on the eastern wall of the map.
There is an open field of dirt and ice that will take you to the entrance. It is recommended that you take the poison arrow with you for this one, you will find out why that is the case when you go inside.
The main puzzle is asking Lara to free a cage from beneath the water in the puzzle room. There are two levers above the main floor, use your bow and rope to release gas into the room. Jump into the water as it lowers as soon as you pull the levers.
Use an axe to free the cage and run back up.
Find a mechanism on the lower floor using Survival Instincts. Use the rope to get the chamber closer to the locked gate. Now use the levers again to release gas into the room and once enough gas in filled, get to a safe position and make the gas explode, sending the chamber smashing into the gate.
You will have your codex.
