Lara Croft: Relic Run turned out to be one of the most entertaining endless runners in recent memory, not because it broke the mold of the genre or anything but because it is a polished, fun adventure starring one of my most beloved video game characters of all time. As with any other endless runner, small tips are the key to success here so let us take a look at the most important things to look out for in the latest Lara Croft adventure. If you have any other tip or trick to add, let us know in the comments down below!
Plan your upgrades
If you only have a limited time to spend with the game, carefully choosing which items to upgrade first is crucial to maximizing your time-reward ratio. The very first upgrade you should choose first is the Clue Booster as it will let you see and grab more clues which will in turn give you more gold and a faster way to unlock the next stage. The Clue Booster upgrades will make the power-up last longer and be more effective so your meter will fill up faster, meaning that artifacts will be come up sooner rather than later during your run. After that I would suggest going for the Coin Trials and Power-ups upgrades as they will both help you get gold and clues faster.
Relics are hugely important
When you have collected the required number of clues, the game will tell you that an artifact is near. Pay very close attention when that happens because the artifacts will frequently be hidden behind dark corners or other hard to reach places. If you miss them when they appear, you will have to run again in order to acquire them which can be very disappointing and frustrating. If a relic appears right after you die, I would even recommend using one of your Resurrection Ankhs if you are certain you can grab the relic afterwards.
Earn all the achievements you can
Completing achievements is a great way to earn some extra gold simply because they are a complementary part of your existing adventures. A lot of the achievements will occur naturally over the course of the game but I would recommend that you check out the list so that you know what to expect and what you have to do in order to earn some of the more specific ones. Getting gold here and there simply by doing jumps or disrupting leaves in the jungle (true story) is just fantastic.
Choose your weapons carefully
As you already know, the dual pistols Lara wields are fairly basic but they have some distinct advantages over the rest. First of all, they have unlimited ammo and can be easily upgraded. The Assault Rifle is a fantastic addition and my recommended weapon for those who are having trouble with the pistols. The dual SMGs are flashy and fun to use but they are not of vital importance. Finally, the grenade launcher is an extremely powerful weapon that takes some getting used to because you need to aim and wait for the grenades to explode, making it ideal for more advanced encounters later in the game.
To parkour or not to parkour?
Right from the tutorial, players will see Lara pulling off some crazy parkour moves with fantastic animations. These are very fun in the beginning but they can quickly grow tiresome. If you would prefer not to see the long animations every time Lara does a tricky jump, you can disable them in the menu. Lara will still perform the moves but the camera will stay in its place and time will not slow down. Another thing to note about the parkour moves is that some of them will only happen if you perform specific gestures. For example, a long-swipe while standing on the edge of a cliff will make Lara jump better than ever.
Save your diamonds for outfits
You do not need me to tell you that diamonds are hard to find in the game. As the supply drops sometime give you Resurrection Ankhs, I recommend that you never buy them with diamonds. Instead, save your precious diamonds for the outfits because they will give you unique advantages. If you are having trouble with enemy attacks, grab the Stealth Suit. If you love the vehicle parts, buy the Biker outfit. If you want to maximize the efficiency of the clues, grab the Bomber Pilot outfit and you will complete relic hunts much faster. Of course, the outfits are extremely costly and there is a very good chance you will get to the second stage before getting your hands on a second outfit.
Extra tips
- Some enemy projectiles can be shot and destroyed. For example, the spears that the first enemies throw at you. If you cannot shoot them fast enough, make sure that you try and hit the projectiles so that you do not take damage.
- Crates exist in every single combat situation. Some of them are located in upper areas and are harder to see so make sure you keep your eyes open. This is especially important in later combat situations where you will probably be wounded and shooting a health crate can mean the difference between dying and continuing.
- Remember that you can change direction while jumping/sliding. This is an extremely useful technique that will maximize the amount of items and coins you get in each run and might even help you correct mistakes that would otherwise be fatal.
