It’s time to become the Tomb Raider that Lara Croft was meant to be. As the third of a trilogy all about Lara growing into the crypt-creeping, pistol-popping archaeologist we adore, Shadow of the Tomb Raider will see Lara’s skills grow into their final form.
The developers have gone back to early Tomb Raider games to make sure Shadow of the Tomb Raider has skills that line up with mature Lara. She’s decidedly more deadly in this trilogy of games than we remember her, but gritty reboots are so hot right now.
In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, skills are cheap and plentiful. To purchase a skill, you first have to unlock it by purchasing an adjacent skill. You’ll work your way outside from the middle to get to the more expensive skills.
After looking at the full list of skills, what comes to our minds is there aren’t many gated abilities. Much of Lara’s kit is available right from the start. There are enhancements to her ranged attacks, agro breaking, gathering, stealth gameplay, and more. But outright new abilities? Not many of those.
That said, there are a few skills unlocked by story progression and challenge tombs. That’s probably where Shadow of the Tomb Raider‘s sweetest abilities are. Have a look for yourself and see what kind of Tomb Raider you’re going to be.
Seeker Skills
Eagle’s Eyesight (1 Skill Point) – Reveal Artifacts, Monoliths, Treasure Chests, Archivist Maps, and Explorer Backpacks while using Survival Instincts.
Illipa’s Sight (1 Skill Point) – Locate the heart of a large animal while using Survival Instincts. Heart shots inflict massive damage.
Owl’s Meal (1 Skill Point) – Gain the ability to harvest Dart Poison and Venom from spiders and beetles. Harvesting requires Makeshift Knife.
Hoatzin’s Step (1 Skill Point) – Reduce noise from jumps, landings, and falls.
Owl’s Vision (2 Skill Points) – Survival Instincts last for a longer period after Lara starts to move. Highlights enemies, resources, and objects in “One With the Jungle” difficulty.
Crow’s Cunning (2 Skill points) – Reveal Traps while using Survival Instincts.
Owl’s Wisdom (2 Skill Points) – Reveal Challenge objects while using Survival Instincts.
Viper’s Nest (2 Skill Points) – Increase the amount of man-made crafting resources gathered from each source.
Eagle’s Wing (2 Skill Points) – Increase chances of recovering arrows when looting enemies and animals killed with a bow.
Eagle’s Grasp (2 Skill Points) – Increase the chance of finding rare animals.
Crow’s Charm (3 Skill Points) – Negotiate better prices from merchants.
Crow’s Hoard (3 Skill Points) – Large capacity ammunition and resource satchels now available to purchase from merchants.
Locked Skills (To Be Updated)
Eye of the Eagle (Acquired through story) – Perception Plants allow the sensing of animals and natural resources throughout the environment.
Eye of the Eagle II (3 Skill Points) – Boost the potency of Perception Plants, adding the ability to sense human enemies.
Eye of the Eagle III (3 Skill Points) – Perception Plant effects last longer.
Scavenger Skills
Boa’s Coil (1 Skill Point) – Automatically loot enemies killed by a Stealth Takedown.
Caiman’s Speed (1 Skill Point) – Increase speed when swimming.
Serpent’s Strike (1 Skill Point) – Perform a Stealth Kill Takedown without alerting nearby enemies.
Serpent’s Glint (2 Skill Points) – Adds a Flare Round attachment to all pistols. Flare Rounds ignite unarmoured enemies, and blind surrounding enemies for a few seconds.
Viper’s Lure (2 Skill Points) – Craft Lure Arrows. Attract and kill nearby enemies with a poison cloud when triggered. Obscure lines of sight.
Viper’s Snare (2 Skill Points) – Craft Lure Traps on enemy corpses. Attract and kill nearby enemies with a shrapnel explosion when triggered.
Anole’s Needle (2 Skill Points) – Vestige outfits require fewer resources to restore to glory.
Caiman’s Breath (2 Skill Points) – Increase breath capacity when swimming underwater. Stacks with Caiman’s Breath II.
Serpent’s Fury (2 Skill Points) – Kill a second enemy during a Stealth Takedown to perform a Chained Takedown.
Boa’s Blow (3 Skill Points) – Craft Concussive Shells. Temporarily stuns enemies. Useful for returning to concealment.
Serpent’s Fangs (3 Skill Points) – Flare Rounds and Concussive Shells stun enemies for a longer period of time.
Viper’s Venom (3 Skill Points) – Craft Poison Grenades. Kill nearby enemies and obscure lines of sight.
(Locked Skills to be updated)
Warrior Skills
Howler’s Speed (1 Skill Point) – Never slip when grabbing ledges. More reaction time for traps and grappling enemies.
Raposa’s Drop (1 Skill Point) – Reduce damage when falling from heights.
Raposa’s Threat (1 Skill Point) – Visual assistance when aiming at an enemy’s head.
Puma’s Rest (1 Skill Point) – Increase precision by holding Charged Shots for a longer time.
Puma’s Feint (2 Skill Points) – Incapacitate unarmoured enemies with a counter attack after dodging.
Puma’s Brace (2 Skill Points) – Resist damage from enemies for a short period of time after healing wounds in combat.
Jaguar’s Fury (2 Skill Points) – Resist damage from enemies for a short period after performing a Stealth Kill Takedown.
Puma’s Charge (2 Skill Points) – Reach full draw weight more quickly. Reduce time between Charged Shots.
Raposa’s Wit (2 Skill Points) – Unlocks next weapon upgrade level.
Howler’s Troop (3 Skill Points) – Loose arrows simultaneously at two locked targets.
Howler’s Troop II (3 Skill Points) – Loose arrows simultaneously at three locked targets.
(Locked Skills to be updated)
We’ll keep this post updated before Shadow of the Tomb Raider‘s release on 14th of September, 2018. There are still those skills unlocked by story and challenge tombs to find. We had a lot of fun sneaking around and performing copious stealth kills in our Shadow of the Tomb Raider play session, so the chained takedowns are particularly exciting for us.
