A Cold Welcome

Find a Place to Take Shelter

Having seen the events that brought Lara to the Siberian Wilderness, we now return to the present. Lara has been separated from Jonah, so she’s alone in the middle of a growing blizzard. That could be quite fatal in an area that’s this desolate, so you’re going to need shelter very soon.

Wade through the heavy snow in front of Lara. Don’t take any time to search around for collectibles. Survival is your top goal, and there isn’t anything worth picking up right here anyway. Take the path forward and turn to the right as it starts to descend.

You find an old campsite not far away. That’s the first good luck that you’ve had in some time.

Gather Resources to Build a Fire and Shelter

Everything that you need is to the east, going by your map. Take a look where to go, and then use your Survival Instincts if you have any trouble spotting the three items that you have to gather. There are two dead tress that you break for Hardwood, and then a slain stag gets you Hides and a Deer Antler. Approach these items and use the Interact button to gather everything that’s there.

The storm is getting really foul. Hurry back to the campsite and use your resources to start a fire. You won’t live without it. Watch a scene as Lara makes it through the evening. Weaponless at first, she uses her time well and starts crafting a Bow.

Your first weapon out here is a Makeshift LongBow. It’s nothing great, but it’ll do. While you’re still at Base Camp, go into the Weapon Upgrade menu, click on the Makeshift LongBow, and then see if you have the materials to do anything right now. It turns out that you can add Reinforced Limbs to the weapon with just three Hardwood and three Hides. Excellent. Craft that upgrade now to improve your Arrow speed and damage (this applies to the Makeshift Bow and to all future Bows).

Next, go into the Skills menu. Use your first point to invest in a skill from one of three lines: Brawler, Hunter, or Survivor. All of these are extremely useful, so your choice should be based on the playstyle that you enjoy the most.

Brawler skills help you take down targets and restore your health. This line has some of the best upgrades for avoiding death. The higher your difficulty, the better it is to get some of these early on.

Hunter skills are quite useful for ranged attacks, sustaining your ammunition, finding prey, etc. These skills are very aggressive. They help you win encounters, rather than just survive them.

Survivor skills assist with crafting items, gaining experience, and finding rare objects. These are usually the least essential skills for fighting, but they have tons of peripheral value. You get assistance in finding hidden items, and the experience boosts let you earn skill points faster. Once you get your basic combat skills down, make sure to invest here so that you grow quickly in the wilds.

Leave Base Camp after you’ve made your decision.