Tomb Raider Challenges Guide – Hidden Collectible Locations

How to complete all Tomb Raider Challenges to unlock Inconceivable! achievement or trophy.


If you or I, or any other normal fellow would get stranded on an island, we’d really just go on about trying to find some food, before going completely nuts. But if you’re Lara Croft, (in which case you should send me your phone number), you’ll probably give yourself an excuse to complete some challenging tasks and explore the island inside out.

That’s pretty much what’s happening in Tomb Raider, and there’s more than just the conventional reasons to stick around. Alongside collectables and raiding tombs, Lara can engage in completing some odd types of challenges to gain a shiny achievement. If you’re one those completionist fanatics, then this is a little co-curricular activity you should seriously look into.

Tomb Raider Challenges require you to go on here and there in a specific region of the island, performing apparently completely useless stuff just for the sake of it. At times you’ll be hunting down skull totems that a hanging on walls, while other times you’ll be burning corpse bags in some caverns.

Yes, it’s indication enough that Lara’s really losing it, but it’s never too bad to have some fun doing random crap that could earn you a couple of nice achievements worth 70 points or 1 silver and 1 bronze trophy.

There are a total of 13 different challenges in the game, and as stated many times before, you’ll be blowing up or burning random stuff for each challenge. The challenges themselves are all area specific; you’ll be able to find the necessary items for completing the challenge in the same place where the challenge is offered.

It’s important to note that the challenge items will be highlighted if you activate Survival Instincts. Thus, it’s highly recommend that you use it as often as possible to spot your target with ease. Another advice that I’d give is to go have a go at the challenges towards the end of the game, so that you have the necessary equipment and upgrades to tackle the odd locations you’d find them in.

So, let’s have a look at each challenge. For more help on Tomb Raider, read our Collectibles, XP and Salvage Farming and Tombs Walkthrough Guide.

Challenge #1 – Ghost Hunter
Associated Area: Coastal Forest

The first challenge demands that you go around breaking some skull totems hanging here and there in the Coastal Forest. Actually, it asks you to break no less than 10 of them. So, shoot ‘em, punch ‘em, or shove ‘em up a Solarii’s butt; it’s your choice, as long as they break (though I can’t promise that the game gives you all those options).

Tomb Raider Skull Totem LocationsFor text directions, read our Ghost Hunter Challenge Guide.

Challenge 2 – Pyromaniac
Associated Area: Mountain Temple

It was the skull totems that had to be abused in the first challenge, and in the second one you’ll be doing similar stuff to Lanterns (for Pete’s sake Lara! What have the lanterns ever done to you?). You have to go around shooting five lanterns in the Mountain Temple region of the island.

Tomb Raider Lantern LocationsFor text directions, read our Pyromaniac Challenge Guide.

Challenge 3 – Illumination
Associated Area: Mountain Village

Let’s get a bit sane this time around and try to light up a fire on some statues. You have to find ten Japanese statues in the Mountain Village region and light up a fire. Enjoy the flames, yo.

Tomb Raider Statues LocationsFor text directions, read our illumination Challenge Guide.

Challenge 4 – Egg Poacher
Associated Area: Mountain Village

It’s time for some breakfast! You’ll have to steal eggs from 5 different nests in the Mountain Village. Now, we just need to find a frying pan to cook them on.

Tomb Raider Eggs LocationsFor text directions, read our Egg Poacher Challenge Guide.

Challenge 5 – Non-Believer
Associated Area: Mountain Base

It’s time to go all rebellious and burn them posters! You have to find 5 posters in the Mountain Base, and incinerate them.

Tomb Raider Posters LocationsFor text directions, read our Non-Believer Challenge Guide.

Challenge 6 – Laid to Rest
Associated Area: Shantytown

It’s time to repeat your rebelliousness, but this time you’re taking out your anger on them effigies! You have to burn and pull down five effigies in Shantytown.

Tomb Raider Effigy LocationsFor text directions, read our Laid to Rest Challenge Guide.

Challenge 7 – Silencer
Associated Area: Shantytown

You’ll come across some ancient-looking alarms in the Shantytown area. Make sure four of them get a taste of your pry bar.

Tomb Raider Alarm LocationsFor text directions, read our Silencer Challenge Guide.

Challenge 8 – Firestarter
Associated Area: Geothermal Caverns

While exploring the Geothermal Caverns, you’ll probably come across some body bags hanging about. Use your fire arrows to ignite six of them to complete this challenge.

Tomb Raider Sack LocationsFor text directions, read our Firestarter Challenge Guide.

Challenge 9 – Redcap Roundup
Associated Area: Summit Forest

Getting stuck on an island can be a mentally stressful thing. So let’s just chillax a bit and use good old shrooms to have some happy-time. You’ll have to go around collecting ten mushrooms in the Summit Forest for this challenge. Whether they’re psychedelic, edible, or good ol’ toxic is really based on luck (hey, I’m no shroom expert).

Tomb Raider Mushroom LocationsFor text directions, read our Redcap Roundup Challenge Guide.

Challenge 10 – Cairn Raider
Associated Area: Shipwreck Beach

Normally people like to play volleyball or have a sun bath on the beach. Lara on the other hands seems to be more interested in finding cairns. You need to find 5 of them on the Shipwreck Beach to complete this challenge.

Tomb Raider Cairn LocationsFor text directions, read our Cairn Raider Challenge Guide.

Challenge 11 – Minesweeper
Associated Area: Shipwreck Beach

So let’s go trigger happy on the beach and see stuff blow up! You just need to find 10 Sea Mines and shoot at them. Keep your distant though.

Tomb Raider Mines LocationsFor text directions, read our Mine Sweeper Challenge Guide.

Challenge 12 – Previous Inhabitants
Associated Area: Cliffside Bunker

We hate the Imperial Japanese Army even though we didn’t even participate in the World Wars. So let’s just go and burn four of their Chrysanthemum Banners in the Cliffside Bunker and give ourselves a pat on the back while we’re at it!

Tomb Raider Flags LocationsFor text directions, read our Previous Inhabitants Challenge Guide.

Challenge 13 – Sun Killer
Associated Area: Research Base

Ever wanted to kill of the sun? That mean bugger can get annoying at times, and since you can’t go so far to stick a katana in it, let’s just shoot at a few Sun Totems in a Research Base on a virtual island to make ourselves happy – five of them to be exact.

Tomb Raider Sun LocationsFor text directions, read our SunKiller Challenge Guide.

Found something missing? Let us know by commenting below!

Haider is a freelance contributor, who loves video games, playing guitar, and aviation. He is a competitive FPS player and also enjoys exotic RPG games like Diablo and Xenogears (his favorite game of all time) ...