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Old 14-08-19, 17:51   #1
charmedangelin
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Default Rank the DLC levels for Shadow

Just for fun since we are starving for some. I don't recall there being a rank list for the DLCs, so I thought maybe we could create one.

Here is why rank for them and why

1. The Path Home

This by far is the absolute best Tomb, level, area in the entire game. Nothing comes close to how epic this level is. This is the first time that they attempted to have multiple Chambers and multiple puzzles in a level. While not as ambitious as I think it should have been it was a breath of fresh air. The atmosphere, my God the atmosphere in this level is freaking unreal. It really captures that mystical element that Tomb Raiders of old had that made them so grand.

What would I change? Make the Chambers bigger and the traps a faster. Perhaps add more complexity to some of the puzzles, but over all this is the best of the best imo from all the other dlc levels, even the main levels in the game.

2. The Serpents Heart

This DLC tomb just oozes with so much atmosphere. The music, the freaking music should be iconic in of itself and I hope the music in this area returns in future installments because it is the most beautiful piece of music from the reboot games. Freaking love it, the tomb itself is grand and some of the traps are straight from the classics like collapsing floors. I do wish this tomb was longer and bigger, they could have added a chamber in the center that you explore to solve a puzzle.

What would I change, more puzzle and bigger tomb.

3. The Piller

To me this is one of the best tombs in the game. The rain and the thunder, plus the ambience is freaking top notch and something that was completely lacking in the main game. It really drove home the point about the apocalypse and the wind traps were great to maneuver around. I also like that they added some combat in this DLC as it was indeed needed.

What would I change? More puzzles, perhaps exploring inside a tomb.

4. The Grand Caiman

This tomb was great, definitely the better fire/lava tomb in this game. Some of the traps can get you if you don't time yourself running through the flames. I also liked the maze crypt you have to do in order to get to the tomb. What I didn't like is the glitchy jump after you finish the tomb. Lord, on DO you will be replaying this level many times because of that axe jump you have to do. The combat section while great to have it kinda annoying to me due to the fact that some badies hide really well and when you try to zip up the line you can get shot and fall into the lava or the floor will automatically collapse killing you.

What would I change? Tighter timing on the flaming traps, badys shooting you shouldn't cause you to instant death.

5. The Nightmare

This tomb was great, I love the backtracking and the times levers. The best part about this dlc is the multiple paths you can take to get to the tomb. I also like how Ana was here and that there was an actual reference to Rise. I kinda wish Roth was here too or that they went a bit father.

What would I change, have an actual tomb when you reach the other side with a more difficult puzzle inside then the one where the sound is.

6. The Price of Survival

Is there any surprise as to why this one is close to the bottom. The tomb, what tomb? It's was non-existent in this dlc. The story also was the worst out of all 7 of the DLCs. I hate how they introduce you to a new mechanic, but it's all over after you use it only twice. The only saving Grace for this DLC is the crypt. The water crypt was probably the best crypt in the game. Nothing else in the game has you playing around with water like this DLC crypt does. If we could just remove the Canon parts and just expand greatly on the puzzle that was in the crypt it probably would have been higher on this list.

What would I change? Expand on the new mechanics and actually challenge people using them. Probably remove that Canon part all together and just have the crypt serve as the tomb once expanded on it.

7. The Forge

This tomb was a massive disappointment. It was huge step back from even some of the main game tombs. While the story is better then the Prince of Survival, the tomb itself was lackluster. Playing around with gas was already done to death in the tree of life and some of the platforming is confusing to get around by because of the fact that most of this tomb is meant to be played with coop. They did a much better job with the other tombs then this one. The lava and fire theme of this tomb didn't really fit and the rotating of the tower was annoying sometimes trying to get around the tomb and such. The crypt was better, but again we get a new mechanic that we don't get to play with.

What would I change?

Just replace it with the Grand Caiman and just make something else entirely. While not the worst tomb in the reboot trilogy it certainly has been outshined by many of the tombs that came before it.

Last edited by charmedangelin; 14-08-19 at 18:52.
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Old 14-08-19, 18:09   #2
Enya Brennan
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Do we rank the DLCs as a whole or the challenge tombs themselves ? I’ve only played the story missions once, but I replayed the tombs extensively when I had little chunks of leisure time and I have a pretty conclusive mental ranking of them.
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Old 14-08-19, 18:12   #3
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Originally Posted by Enya Brennan View Post
Do we rank the DLCs as a whole or the challenge tombs themselves ? I’ve only played the story missions once, but I replayed the tombs extensively when I had little chunks of leisure time and I have a pretty conclusive mental ranking of them.
Anyway you wish to, I mostly focused on the tombs and the crypts within the DLCs, but you can rank them in any order for any reason.
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Old 14-08-19, 18:42   #4
TR1249
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It's called The Price of Survival btw

I'm ranking the Tombs only:

1. The Serpent's Heart
2. Monkey Tomb
3. The Great Caiman
4. Mother's Whatever
5. The stormy one
6. Sixth Seal
7. The Forge
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Old 14-08-19, 18:53   #5
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Originally Posted by TR1249 View Post
It's called The Price of Survival btw
Oh lol, for some reason it's always been prince.
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Old 14-08-19, 18:53   #6
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From best to worse:

1. The Serpent's Heart: Best overall, nice story and perhaps the most "active" DLC tomb that explores well all gameplay pillars of Tomb Raider: platforming, puzzle solving and shooting (even if it is not actual combat during the tomb).

2. The Grand Caiman: The story is very flat, but the whole DLC is packed with great atmosphere: from exploring the ruined town from the mudslide, to the tomb inside the Volcano. The tombs itself was also really good, with some nice platform challenges, but the shooting gallery at the end kind of ruins it for me.

3. The Path Home: Interesting plot, great atmosphere, the great SotTR outfit with the classic colours, the incredible puzzles and tomb design, even for classic standards. It should have been number one, but it clearly shows the biggest problem I have with SotTR's tombs (main, challenge and DLC): tombs need combat in them!

And I am not saying I wanted trinity soldiers all around. Far from that. But think even how the classics work: you reached the main room and BAM - three or four animals to kill. You looked for a side room that helps in solving the puzzle, and maybe it only has the puzzle or BAM - you have a wolf or some bats to shoot. You solve the mini puzzle, you return to the main room and either you need to do something else, or BAM - three more animals ready to attack you. You get the idea. All rooms weren't just for one purpose, they had several. It's why RotTR feels more balanced I think, even if it had worse puzzles (though again, most of those encounters should have been animals or monsters, not Trinity agents), and why areas like the Cenote or any tomb that had Yaxxil as enemies were so impressive: you needed to be on your toes because at any moment you could need to start killing stuff before continuing with puzzle solving or platforming.

Okay, rant off. Let's continue with the DLC.

4. The Price of Survival: the incredible crypt makes up for a lacklustre tomb (which on its own is still better than any from TR2013 and most from RotTR, so there's that), so my "tomb" quota is reached. I also really like the outfit from this DLC, even if it's military (though to me it looks more as "early/mid 20th century huntress" than actual something military). I actually really like the story, showing the more human side of Amaru (which we unfortunately didn't see much during the main game), and showing that even him has a private life that should remain private.

5. The Nightmare: Amazing Tomb (definitely one of the best) that show that you don't need slow motion to have traps that are both challenging yet clear on how to avoid them. But the whole DLC, especially the whole nightmare sequence, was too short. Besides, while not tackling exactly the same themes, the "Inferno" comic story arc made a similar nightmare sequence much better.

6. The Pillar: Great Atmosphere (second only to Grand Caiman) and an interesting, more platform-based tomb. But like "The Nightmare", way too short. The story was also interesting, but since it was so short it really didn't left to much of an impact.


7. The Forge. Interesting story, that gave Abby something interesting about herself besides being Jonah's new girlfriend. But the tomb was very meh. Again, still better than any tomb in TR2013 and most in RotTR, but still very meh.
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Old 14-08-19, 19:46   #7
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OMG charm. We share exactly the same taste w.r.t these dlcs. I don't even have to write my rankings as yours clearly reflect mine.
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Old 14-08-19, 20:37   #8
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1. The Serpent's Heart
2. The Path Home
3. The Nightmare
4. The Pillar
5. The Grand Caiman
6. The Forge
7. The Price of Survival
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Old 14-08-19, 21:02   #9
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Originally Posted by charmedangelin View Post
5. The Nightmare

This tomb was great, I love the backtracking and the times levers. The best part about this dlc is the multiple paths you can take to get to the tomb. I also like how Ana was here and that there was an actual reference to Rise. I kinda wish Roth was here too or that they went a bit father.
Roth is there. You can find him before Grimm.
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Old 14-08-19, 21:41   #10
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Let's see here:

1. The Path Home - This takes the cake. EM really nailed the atmosphere from beginning to end of this one. Starting out in the church and venturing further and further felt amazing, as well as encountering the remainder of Trinity. The tomb itself is also awesome and I love that we get to choose which rooms to go in and have to use our knowledge of each one to complete the entrance. Also the spiked trap rooms in the final chamber are also really fun to play through. Overall, it really nails what makes TR so fun to play. 9/10

2. The Grand Caiman - The tomb is stunning, it's dangerous, and it's underground I really can't ask for much more when it comes to TR. Also, all the jumping over the city ruined by the mudslide is really fun. The crypt is okay, but it's somewhat similar to what we've seen in the other crypts. The combat at the end of the tomb gets a bit monotonous as a majority of it is from a distance. What's interesting is that it's the first time in this game where we get a good amount of enemy respawns similar to 2013 and Rise. Overall though, a great chapter. 8.5/10

3. The Serpent's Heart - This one is really great. I love that this tomb requires you to think about multiple challenges at once to avoid death. The main chamber in the tomb is also just awe-inspiring. The story with Hakan is also kinda cool. The combat section doesn't have a whole lot to offer but the atmosphere is nice. 8.3/10

4. The Price of Survival - This gets a high placement because the crypt is so great. It actually feels like an old school TR-level and the tomb is one of the weaker of the DLCs but as a collective piece this DLC feels great to play. 7.8/10

5. The Nightmare - The tomb on its own is excellent, and it'd probably rank higher if I was basing it off of those alone. However, the nightmare sequence is a bit underwhelming as it doesn't really do the characters of games past enough justice. 7.5/10

6. The Pillar - The atmosphere of the tomb is excellent, and I liked the combat required to get out of the area, but the tomb itself is basically just platforming. Quite fun to play though. 7/10

7. The Forge - Nothing that different from the main game. The tower is pretty cool. The crypt isn't bad. Just not all that exciting. 6/10

I realized I ranked these in the opposite order in which they were released. Hmm.

Standalone tomb ranking:
1. Slayer's Gauntlet (Serpent's Heart)
2. Zipacna's Craving (Grand Caiman)
3. Mother Protector (Path Home)
4. Howl of the Monkey Gods (Nightmare)
5. Path of Huracan (Pillar)
6. The Sixth Seal (Price of Survival)
7. The Forge of Destiny (Forge)

Last edited by laracroftswest; 14-08-19 at 21:42.
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