02: Coastal Forest - Southern Zone

Proceed down the path until you reach the game's first base camp, 'Sheltered Ridge'. Soon you'l be able to upgrade skills, gear, and even fast travel to other base camps as you discover others. Watch the scene and proceed down. You can get the [MAKESHIFT LONGBOW] by climbing the bunker, jumping to the other side and making your way over the tree serving as a bridge. Reach out for the bow at the right moment to make it all yours. [250 XP].

Getting the Makeshift Longbow.

At this point, the game begins to open up. There are a LOT of items and collectibles in this area, and this guide will point them out in bullet point style so you can start searching for yourself and come back to see what you've missed. In any case, you're supposed to hunt a deer now, several of which are living in this forest. You can save arrows by not getting too close, aiming for their head, and holding the right trigger for a few seconds to get more tension on the bow, resulting in a more powerful shot. [150 XP] is awarded after you kill the first deer.

You'll want to make good use of Lara's 'Survival Instincts' skill by tapping LB or L1 as you search the forest. The screen will turn black and white and any collectible items will light up with a yellow glow, while waypoints or marked items will show up as rays of yellow or blue light respectively. For now, especially the yellow glow of items is useful; there's an afterglow even when you start moving and the screen regains its color, but it won't last much longer than an instant.

NOTE: This guide makes use of map directions (north/south/east/west). In order to follow these directions it's imperative you bring up the map every now and then with the BACK or SELECT button. The map is also useful for locating specific items, especially after you've found the treasure map of an entire region.

NOTE: The area has some 'prickly bushes' that seemingly close off parts of the zone. Do not try to move through them, and certainly don't jump in them or Lara might get stuck, which leads to certain death.

TIP: You can hunt deer, rabbits and crows in this area for extra XP.

All collectibles in Coastal Forest, first area.

Optional Exploration

• There are [ARROWS] next to the tree where you found the bow, close to the river.

• More [ARROWS] can be found next to the bunker.

• Even more [ARROWS] can be found across the river, at the base of the rocky hill, not too far from a wooden catwalk.

• Climb this wooden catwalk (near the river, attached to a rocky hill) and leap over to the other side, then climb the wall to the reach the top of the hill. You'll find [ARROWS] and a [GPS CACHE] here. Those caches are collectibles; numerous of them are hidden in the game (including this area), and finding them grants a small 5 XP bonus as well as other rewards for collecting all of them.

• Look for a [#1 TOTEM] hanging from the tree you found the bow in. There are ten of these collectibles in this area, and to get them you'll have to shoot them with your bow after spotting them. This one's hanging from the other end of the tree bridge, so closely inspect it to see what it looks like, making it easier to spot the others.

• Spot the overturned truck nearby the river and head inside to find the [DOCUMENT - #2 WARTIME INTELLIGENCE (SOLDIER: ONI STALKERS].

• Keep hugging the left wall and follow the river; you'll soon find some more [ARROWS], right before you can move over another fallen tree.

• Cross the river and head south/southwest to reach the area behind the rocky hill. You can find [ARROWS] against a stone plate here.

• There's also a [PLANT] near the rocks in this area, just behind the stone plate.

• You can spot [#2 TOTEM] on top of the small rocky hill close to the two previous items, or, if you're going by map directions, it's hanging on the south side of the small rocky hill in the southwest part of the area, south of the river.

• Move around this rocky hill to reach another one close to the river. Use it to jump on across the second to find [ARROWS x2] on top.

• Following the river down, look for a very small wooden walkway adjacent to it, right before the tiny waterfall; the walkway is to the right/south side of the river. On it you'll find some [ARROWS] and a [GPS CACHE].

• Move around this walkway (going clockwise, right around the corner) and you should be able to spot [#3 TOTEM] hanging from a tree near this rock hill.

• You can find more [ARROWS] in the pond/end of the river in the east part of the area.

• In the far northeast part of the area, climb the stone platforms on the north side and make your way over the fallen tree to reach a platform that contains [ARROWS] and [SALVAGE]. The latter cannot be acquired until you've gotten an axe, so make a mental note of it for now.

• There's also a [#4 TOTEM] hanging underneath the platform adjacent to this tree bridge. If you're using map directions, this one is located in the northeast part of the area; look for the tree bridge to the north of the river.

• A [GPS CACHE] can be found at the small waterfall at the end of the river.

• Return to the base camp underneath the ridge and backtrack even further back. Look at the trees to spot [#5 TOTEM].

After finding all these items, or whenever you get bored of searching, return to camp to spend a skill point you've now gotten. Essentially you've just 'levelled up' since you've gotten some XP (experience) by killing the deer.

There are many, many skills to choose from, in two categories at this point: Survivor Upgrades and Hunter Upgrades. For now, the Survivor ones take priority, and there's one skill in particular that's rather useful for beginners: The 'Arrow Retrieval' skill. Unless you're particularly skilled at games, this is a handy skill since it allows you to retrieve arrows from killed animals (or any enemy in the game, essentially). You won't have to worry too much about running out of arrows anytime soon with this skill.

After the scene you'll be awarded with another [150 XP]. You can now use the camp again to get [DOCUMENT - #1 LARA'S JOURNALS (SHIPWRECKED)].

Head to the bunker and go inside, then approach the ladder. [100 XP]. Climb down (with B or Circle), then wade through the tunnel to reach a room. Search the table to the right to find [RELIC - #1 NOH MASKS (HANNYA MASK)]. There's a small orange [XP BOX] in the corner. Just like plants, these simply give some XP when opened.

Burn the wooden debris to your left and enter this side of the room to collect the [PRY AXE]. [250 XP]. The door nearby can be opened with it.

NOTE: In case you were wondering, yes, the closed door at the bunker can also be opened at this point, although it's little use doing so unless you insist on collecting any items right now.

Move through the last tunnel and climb up the ladder at the end to reach the other part of the forest. [100 XP]. A scene plays, after which you'll have to dispatch three wolves. Gameplay slows down as they leap towards you, giving you plenty of time to aim at, and shoot them. [100 XP]. Afterward another scene plays and you'll gain control of Lara at a new camp, 'Forest Ruins'.