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Slay the Spire 2City of Vilcabamba
City of Vilcabamba is level 2 of the 1996 Tomb Raider, a lost Inca village in Peru where Lara finds the Silver Key and the Gold Idol to open the exit gate, with 3 secrets. Legacy of Atlantis keeps the City of Vilcabamba and expands its Atlantean story.
City of Vilcabamba is level 2 of the 1996 Tomb Raider: the lost city Jacqueline Natla hired Lara to find, a ruined village of pools, flooded rooms and a red-roofed building in the Peruvian mountains, where Lara needs the Silver Key to reach the second half and the Gold Idol to open the exit. It has 3 secrets, 13 pickups and 29 kills (11 wolves, 16 bats and 2 bears), by Stella's count. Crystal Dynamics' lore places Qualopec's tomb in Vilcabamba, which is why The Scion hunt starts here. Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis keeps the city by name. The clip is Look Back Gaming's playthrough of the 1996 game.
Quick facts
| Level | 2 of 15, Peru |
| Before it | Caves |
| Next level | The Lost Valley |
| Secrets | 3 |
| Pickups | 13, including the Silver Key and the Gold Idol |
| Kills | 29: 11 wolves, 16 bats, 2 bears |
| Save crystals | 2, in New Game+ (Remastered) |
| In Legacy of Atlantis | Named among the Peru areas as of Nov 2, 2026 |
Sources: Stella's Tomb Raider Site: City of Vilcabamba (Remastered counts); Reimagining Peru, Amazon Game Studios, Jun 22, 2026.
Walkthrough
The order below follows Stella's Remastered walkthrough.
- The entrance caves. A pack of four wolves waits past the entrance. Back into a corner or onto a ledge and fire as they come.
- The passages. More wolves and bats come one or two at a time; a small medi pack lies along the way.
- The central pool. The village opens around a pool. A bear waits in a side room, and a second small medi pack sits on the hayloft ledge.
- The flooded pillar room. Swim down and pull the two underwater levers: one opens a trapdoor, the other a door. The first two secrets are here (see the table).
- The stair and skull rooms. Cross a gap, jump over breakaway tiles and push a movable block to reach a low platform. The Silver Key and the Gold Idol sit in alcoves there.
- The locked door. The Silver Key opens the door to the second part of the city. A dart trap waits just beyond it.
- The red-roofed building. Five wolves attack around its entrance. Kill them, then work through its three doors: left, then right, then middle.
- The left door. Climb the ledges, kill the bats, and pull a switch that opens the right-hand door.
- The right door. Run over the breakaway tiles near the pool and pull the switch that opens the middle door.
- The middle door. Three swinging blades guard it. Past them, the floor gives way and drops Lara into a pool with the second bear. The third secret is off this area.
- The exit. Put the Gold Idol in the receptacle to the right of the gate. The door opens and the level ends.
Secrets
| Secret | Where | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | In the flooded pillar room | Small medi pack |
| 2 | In the room behind the second door the underwater levers open | Magnum clips and a small medi pack |
| 3 | Behind a doorway in a room reached by the stairs in the dark corner left of the gate | Uzi clips |
Source: Stella's Tomb Raider Site: City of Vilcabamba.
The magnum and Uzi clips are useless for now: Lara finds the magnums only in the Colosseum and the Uzis in the Sanctuary of the Scion, as Weapons explains. Josh Strife Plays' clips on this page show the 1996 PlayStation version.
Original and Remastered
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered keeps the 1996 layout. Stella's Remastered guide adds its achievements and notes that save crystals appear only in New Game+; the original walkthrough is archived on her site. In the original PlayStation and Saturn versions, Lara could save only by collecting a save crystal.
Vilcabamba in Legacy of Atlantis
Amazon Game Studios lists the City of Vilcabamba among the remake's Peru areas, with Mountain Caves, the Lost Valley and the Tomb of Qualopec. Its developers say Qualopec and Vilcabamba are expanded into a larger Atlantean story of creation, the elements and the Scion, and that Peru adds scannable documents on Inca history, with murals and carvings closer to Inca culture than the 1996 game's. The puzzle article names a quipu (knotted cord) puzzle recreated with levers among the remake's puzzles, without saying which level holds it. How the city's route, keys and secrets change is not shown as of Nov 2, 2026; see What's New in Legacy of Atlantis. The clip is Nick930's comparison of the Dec 2025 announcement trailer with the 1996 game.
Frequently asked questions
How many secrets are in City of Vilcabamba in Tomb Raider? Three, by Stella's count: a small medi pack, magnum clips with a small medi pack, and Uzi clips.
Where is the Gold Idol in Tomb Raider's Vilcabamba? In an alcove on a low platform past the stair and skull rooms, beside the Silver Key. Lara places it in the receptacle to the right of the exit gate.
What does the Silver Key open in City of Vilcabamba? The locked door to the second half of the city, where the red-roofed building and its three doors are.
How do you open the middle door in Vilcabamba? Pull the switch behind the left door to open the right one, then the switch behind the right door to open the middle one.
Is Vilcabamba in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis? Yes. Amazon Game Studios names the City of Vilcabamba among the remake's Peru areas, with an expanded Atlantean story.
Sources
- City of Vilcabamba, Stella's Tomb Raider Site, read Nov 2, 2026
- Tomb Raider Remastered Game Info and Walkthrough, Stella's Tomb Raider Site, read Nov 2, 2026
- Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Lore: The Three Rulers of Atlantis, Crystal Dynamics, Feb 17, 2024
- Reimagining Peru, Amazon Game Studios, Jun 22, 2026
- Puzzles Reimagined, Amazon Game Studios, Aug 3, 2026
- Tomb Raider (1996) Playthrough (No Commentary), Look Back Gaming, Apr 24, 2020 (video)
- Was it Good? - Tomb Raider 1, Josh Strife Plays, Jan 22, 2022 (video)
- Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered - Before You Buy, gameranx, Feb 14, 2024 (video)
- Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis [Trailer] vs Original | Direct Comparison, Nick930, Dec 21, 2025 (video)
Moments
Tomb Raider (1996) Playthrough (No Commentary)
Look Back Gaming
Was it Good? - Tomb Raider 1
Josh Strife Plays
- The flooded pillar room. Swim down and pull the two underwater levers: one opens a trapdoor, the other a door. The…
- The stair and skull rooms. Cross a gap, jump over breakaway tiles and push a movable block to reach a low platform…
- The locked door. The Silver Key opens the door to the second part of the city. A dart trap waits just beyond it.
- The middle door. Three swinging blades guard it. Past them, the floor gives way and drops Lara into a pool with the…
- The magnum and Uzi clips are useless for now: Lara finds the magnums only in the Colosseum and the Uzis in the…
Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered - Before You Buy
gameranx
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis [Trailer] vs Original | Direct Comparison
Nick930
Related
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AtlantisAtlantis is the lost civilization behind Tomb Raider's story and the last region of the 1996 game, played in three levels: Natla's Mines, Atlantis and The Great Pyramid. Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis calls it a mysterious Mediterranean island and has not shown it as of Nov 2, 2026.
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Atlantis LevelAtlantis is level 14 of the 1996 Tomb Raider, a living city of flesh, lava and mutant hatcheries inside Natla's pyramid, where Lara beats her own fleshy doppelganger by luring it into lava and takes the Scion. It has 3 secrets, by Stella's count for the Remastered version.
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CisternThe Cistern is level 8 of the 1996 Tomb Raider, a flooded underground reservoir in Greece where Lara raises and lowers the water with one switch to reach 5 keys (2 Rusty, 2 Silver, 1 Gold), with 3 secrets. It ends with a fall into the Tomb of Tihocan.
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Lara's HomeLara's Home is the optional training level of the 1996 Tomb Raider, set in Croft Manor, where Lara's own voice teaches jumping, swan dives, ledge grabs, shimmying and swimming in her music room, hall, ballroom gym and pool. It has no enemies and no secrets.
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Natla's MinesNatla's Mines is level 13 of the 1996 Tomb Raider, where Lara starts with no weapons and wins them back from three of Natla's henchmen, the Cowboy, the Skater Boy and a bald man with a shotgun, before opening the Atlantean pyramid. It has 3 secrets, by Stella's count for the Remastered version.
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Obelisk of KhamoonObelisk of Khamoon is level 11 of the 1996 Tomb Raider, where Lara lowers four bridges around an obelisk and collects the Eye of Horus, the Ankh, the Scarab and the Seal of Anubis. It has 3 secrets, by Stella's count for the Remastered version.
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Palace MidasPalace Midas is level 7 of the 1996 Tomb Raider, a Greek palace where Lara finds 3 lead bars, turns them to gold on King Midas' hand, and uses the gold bars to open the exit. It has 3 secrets and the most kills in Greece, 43.
See also
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Tomb Raider (1996)Tomb Raider (1996) is the first Tomb Raider game, made by Core Design in Derby and published by Eidos Interactive in late 1996 on Sega Saturn, PlayStation and PC. Lara Croft hunts the Scion across 15 levels in Peru, Greece, Egypt and Atlantis; it sold over 7 million copies.
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The ScionThe Scion is the Atlantean artifact Lara Croft hunts in Tomb Raider, split into three pieces found in the Tomb of Qualopec, the Tomb of Tihocan and the Sanctuary of the Scion. Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis builds its story around the same hunt.
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CavesCaves is level 1 of the 1996 Tomb Raider, a snowy Peruvian cave system with wolves, bats, a bear, dart traps and 3 secrets, all small or large medi packs. Legacy of Atlantis remakes it as Mountain Caves, opening on snow and an ice slide.
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ColosseumColosseum is level 6 of the 1996 Tomb Raider, a ruined arena in Greece full of lions, gorillas and crocodiles, where Lara finds the magnums in a secret and the Rusty Key that opens the way out. It has 3 secrets; Legacy of Atlantis has not shown it as of Nov 2, 2026.