Rise of the Tomb Raider brings back the challenging Tombs that served as environmental puzzles for players to solve. These optional excursions provide valuable rewards in the form of perks and abilities that will make Lara’s journey easier as well as help players boost their scores. For those of you who don’t want to take the time to complete all nine of the tombs available at launch, we’ve put together a handy list of each reward so you can pick which is most worth your time.
Ancient Abilities – Quickly shoot up to two successive arrows with the delay of redrawing from the quiver. This ability is useful against tougher foes (or if you happen to miss a headshot). Unfortunately, it does not stack with the Double or Triple Shot abilities you can unlock with skill points.
Natural Instincts – Nearby resources automatically appear on the map and glow when nearby. You can give your survival instincts a bit of a rest now.
Inner Strength – Once per combat encounter, Lara will completely replenish all health if she sustains critical injuries (indicated by a gray screen).
Bright Eyes – Improves Survival Instincts to cause nearby traps to glow automatically.
Fast Healer – Bandage wounds more quickly when healing. This may not sound like much, but it can be super handy in a pinch when facing multiple heavily armed enemies.
Iron Grip – Climbing on rock and ice surfaces is significantly faster. You’ll need this for your speed runs.
Geologist – Geographical knowledge allows successful mining of Chromite ore. Press “X” to mine when near an underground ore vein.
Anatomical Knowledge – While hunting, Lara can see an animal’s heart using her Survival Instincts. When trying to take out stronger animals (like bears and mountain lions) this can help to take them down much faster without having to waste so much ammo.
Greek Fire – Fire arrows and Molotov Cocktails do more damage, even through armor. Some adventurers just like to watch the world burn… and their adversaries, too.
Have you already earned all of these perks and skills? Have a particular favorite? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.