About Endurance Survival Expedititon

Hello there, this is a guide for Endurance Mode which comes with one of DLCs for RotTR.
I found out and experienced every single thing myself in here. Also every video/screenshot (except cover image) is created by myself.
I will put more screenshots soon.

General Information

What is Endurance Mode?

This is one of expdition modes (alternative game mode) which contains advanced elements of survival in Rise of the Tomb Raider.
Lara was on an expedititon in wild forests of Siberia but her snowcat stopped working. Lara was asked for extraction but she refused, due to her high passion against artifacts, she continued her expedition on foot. So the survival has begun.

Your tasks are simple

• Collecting artifacts
  
• Survive via eating and keeping your body temperature in optimum level
  
• Escape by calling for extraction

Of course you are not alone in this expedition, you have 3 types of enemies

• Wild animals: Such as wolves, bears, and the Bigcats (Lynx). They wander around the forest and search for their preys. (which it can be you as well)
  
• Trinity Soldiers: I don't need to describe them if you played and watched cutscenes in story mode. They become more armored as days pass. They appear to use assault rifles,pistols and flamethrowers.
  
• Ancient Wariors (The Deathless): They exist in the story too. They are the toughest ones, they appear to use bows, swords, and some are HEAVILY armored.

SURVIVAL INSTINCT

Survival Instinct has an important role in this mode since there is no map, every discovered place is highlighted with blue color in survival instinct. Also helps you to track animals to hunt when you mastered animal instinct skill. If you go too far from a discovered place highlight will disappear but appears again when you come closer.
Map/place is being randomize every time you leave, when you go away from somewhere and come back, you will find new resources to collect, enemies or etc.

Resources

You will need resources for crafting, combat, etc.
Here are the resources you can find:

HARDWOOD

Used for:

• Litting campfirefire to make a campsite usable
  
• Crafting default arrows
  
• Various bow upgrades

Found in forest, landmark chests

CLOTH

Used for

• Various bow and weapon upgrades
  
• Crafting throwables and special arrows
  
• Bandage for healing

Found in crypts, some enemy camps, landmark chests.

FEATHERS

Used for

• Crafting default arrow
  
• Various upgrades

Found in bird nests, on the ground, landmark chests
Also it can be looted by hunting birds, crows.

MUSHROOMS

Used for

• Crafting poison arrows.
  
• Traps for luring enemies

Found in crypts, on ground, landmark chests.

OIL

Used for

• Crafting fire arrows
  
• Litting signal fire
  
• Various gun upgrades

Found on ground, in cans

HERB

Used for

• Bandage for healing
  
• Vegetarian Food

Found in bushes, baskets which can be found in shelters or enemy camps, landmark chests.

SALVAGE and MECHANICAL PARTS

Used for

• Particular gun upgrades.
  
• Traps to lure enemies
  
• Crafting

Salvage can be found in some crates, enemy loots, landmark chests
M. Parts can be found in enemy loots and landmark chests.

HIDE

Used for

• Weapon upgrades
  
• Crafting

Found in hunted animal loots, in houses as finished form, landmark chests

Places

SNOWCAT

Your starting location. Has a strongbox behind it contains some resources for initial.

BASE CAMP

Base camps are used for, using skill points, crafting/upgrading items, upgrading weapons. Also you can warm yourself with its fire.

ENEMY CAMPS

Enemy camps can be captured by clearing enemies there. Doing this will grant you extra camp site and some supplies.

SHELTERS

Appear as ruined wood houses you can stay inside there to be less affected from wind. They usually contain a base camp. They may contain some loot such as hide, wood, packaged food, also a fireplace which can be used to warm yourself.

CRYPTS

Places of artifacts you have to find. Contains deathly traps, just wander around game will notify you as soon as you come closer to one of them. PS: BEWARE the many TRAPS that are inside!

LANDMARK CHESTS

Spawn randomly in is map and can be found even in the place that you have already been. Contains bunch of natural resources such as wood, herb, hide, cloth.

SIGNAL FIRE

Used for calling for a rescue. You need some cloth and oil to lit it. The smoke spread from fire will attract the helicopter and enemies nearby you. So get ready for waves

Base Camp

Like story mode, you use base camps for mastering skills, crafting, upgrading your inventory.

SKILL TREE

You have 3 types of skills:

• BRAWLER is for advanced combat skills combat skills
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• HUNTER is for looting, dodging and hunting.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• SURVIVOR is for usage of resources, crafting, and finding artifacts.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Every mastered skill will help you a lot in different situations. I will explain them in detailed later, I am just too lazy to do it :/

IVENTORY:

Contains permament important upgrades such as increasing resource and ammunition capacity.

WEAPONS:

This is for upgrading your weapons with resources you collected.
More weapons can be found by looting human enemies. Your first enemy loots are more likely to be a new gun with lots of salvages and some ammo for the new weapon.
Spend your resources wisely, upgrade the weapon you used most.
For an example, in the screenshot below If I applied the ugrade, I would have only 2 cloths that means I will only have 2 chances to heal up and it will make my fights hard expecially against a lot of enemies.

Crypts

Crypts are the places where one medium or large artifact and plenty of small ones are at.
Crypts are also deathly dangerous. Contains death traps. Traps can be triggered without being caught, just shoot the trap trigger but don't stay close to the trigger otherwise you will be caught anyway.
There are 3 types of traps:

• Spike Traps: They are deathly as hell, when you caught you will be dead unless you have good reflex. When you caught, the time will be slowed down and you have to break the spikes with the current weapon you are carrying. I recommend to carry pistol or rifle because they have better rate of fire which lets you break the spikes quickly.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Spike Holes: Some rocks on the ground are loose and breaks when you step on. You can rescue yourself by jumping across quickly when you step once. If this happened, be careful next time because the hole is full of spikes and you are dead when you fall.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Mousetraps: They are not so deathly. They just grab your ankle and deal a little damage. You can save yourself by prying them with axe.
  

You may spot some trinity men searching around in crypts. They can't see each other so killing stealthily wouldn't be hard.
After all that you should reach the artifact
If it is a small artifact (like in the screenshot below) it contains special skills such as Greek Fire.
If it is a large artifact (which really looks like a tomb) it contains a part of a special bow.

Enemies

WILD ANIMALS

Bear: You are more likely to face with them. They are very powerful and may kill you unless you are armed well against them. They wander around alone but you may distract more than one alone bears at the same time which makes you fight with both of them.

Always have poison arrows ready for you. Because posion arrows deal more damage to them, stun them for seconds and grant you time to shoot arrows rapidly.
I recommend you to have the skill "Double Shot" (found in Hunter category) mastered so you can evaluate stun time better with a quick kill.
Don't try to run away from a running attack because they run significally faster than Lara. Always dodge their attack (C button) and I recommend to have the skil "DODGE ENCOUNTER" mastered so you can turn almost every dodge to an attack.
Looting a dead bear will grant you special bear hide and lots of food am pretty sure it will worth.












Wolves: They wander around in packs. I have never noticed leader of the pack or something else make a wolf special. They are much easier to kill compared to bears. Headshotting for a couple times with an average arrow will kill them. Their weakness is fire arrows like bears they are stunned by fire arrows. Also if they are covered in the fire spread by arrow, they die with only one fire arrow shot. They run faster than Lara too so dodge them too.
Looting a dead wolf will grant you hide and food.










Lynx: Or bigcats as they call them. They are stronger than wolves but not as bears. I haven't found out their weakness but might be explosive arrows cuz I have never used them against Lynx. You need to dodge as well when they attack. They are extremely fast predators.
Looting them will grant you special hide and food.

TRINITY

Consist of unarmed & armed men with guns. There are some that are HEAVILY armored, your normal bow will be ineffective against them, even when you headshot them. The best method against these armored men is stealth, if you find someone, just go behing him and stealth kill him

OR you can fire a GAS ARROW on him and he'll die quickly. without alarming anyone. Also, If you find a couple of Armored men close together, just fire a GAS arrow, on one of them and they will BOTH die, without alarming anyone.
However, non armored men can be head shooted with a single normal bow into their head (Stealth kill)
They can be found wandering alone or in grops, at their camps. The key is keeping stealth. Always prefer stealth attacks otherwise all soldiers around there will be alerted and chase you. Looting them grants new weapons, ammunition, mechanical parts and salvage. They use flashlights during the night.

THE ANCIENT WARRIORS (The Deathless)

I don't really know what tf they are doing in the middle of Siberia Forest. They are 2 kinds: Swordsman and archer. Swordsmen are heavily armored, so don't expect them to go down with a single arrow shot, even in the head....

You may need to dodge them since they have an attack like bears. I recommend save your rifle or shotgun for them just in case they saw you and start coming after you. BUT, the BEST tactic to take these armored warriors is to sneak behind them and stealth kill them, this way, not only you won't alert the others, but also you'll save your ammo.
Archers are not heavily armored, but their rate of fire is high so take shelter against them. They can be easily defeated. They hold a torch during the night.











Lara's being their common target doesn't mean they are allies each other. When an enemy spot another type enemy (a bear or warior tracks down a trinity soldier) they will attack to each other.
You can watch their fight for just fun :D (or you can help to slay the stronger one and slay the other too.)

Tips and Tricks

Here are some tips and tactics I can give you
(I will add more soon, you can say more from comments I will add them as well with credits to its owner)

• Always go into crypts for tomb raiding when your hunger is full. (also fill the backup bar too) Because you won't find any food in crypts. Don't starve while raiding. (in rare occasions, bushes found in crypts but they are not enough)
  
• If you find a dead animal body and some snow covered on it, a predator animal was here and shouldn't be so far here so be aware.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• When you spot enemy on your way and you aren't in right status (critically hungry or cold) just pass behind them. Fighting is not always a way.
  
• You may find bows' rate of fire low (the time taken to picking another arrow and putting it on bow).
  As soon as you shot the arrow (released LMB - Left Mouse Button), release RMB - Right Mouse Button too and hold it back immediately then shot again. This will x2 the rate of fire (x4 if you use with mastered double shot skill)
  
• When you found a lantern hold it when you are walking in the forest. This will keep you warm and warming need won't decrease also increase if it is low. This is very useful especially if you had to walk in wind.

Multiplayer (Co-op) Mode

This expedition mode also has a online coop mode which lets a partner join you and survive/collect artifacts together.
If anyone wonders, your partner is also Lara Croft but in different outfit. You can change your default outfit via expedititon outfit cards.
You can create a lobby to invite your friend or start a matchmaking.

Differences from solo

• You can share resources you found with your partner. (Just make sure your partner is close while picking up resources.
  
• You don't die immediately. When you are out of health, you will be incapacitated and your partner must rescue you. Once you are incapacitated your partner has 60 seconds to reach and rescue you. (This also supports the importance of staying close to each other.) You can be incapacitated for 3 times at most.
  PS: Exploring a crypt and succefully aquiring a special skill, OR from opening the main sarcophagus (found deep inside the crypt) , will grant you an additional Life. So if you have only 1 more life left and you manage to open the sarcophagus, it will add 1 additional life and you'll have 2 in total

Thanks to "Under_Thunder" for helping me out with finding out the benefits of this coop mode.

My opinion (AshesBeneath's) and Finish

I think this is a good mode, strategical survival adventure.
My survival record is 11 days (also survived)













Here there is a video captured by me. I survived for 5 days and used most of tactics I explained here. Any like/subscription is appreciated :)

Thanks for reading, I hope I helped you with this mode at least a little bit.