Tomb Raider (2013) / Gear and traversal

Tomb Raider (2013) Gear and traversal: rope arrows, climbing axe and barriers

Match the obstacle to the tool that opens it.

Pictures for this guide

Lara runs through a wooded path as an aircraft burns behind her.

Lara struggles with a wolf in a dark interior.

Lara leaps across a burning temple complex.

Edition covered

Original 2013 Yamatai campaign with original PC publisher screenshots. Header artwork is the current Game of the Year package; console Definitive Edition visuals and Rise of the Tomb Raider are not pictured.

Read the material of the barrier

A hostile man restrains Lara beside a firelit building.

Rope-wrapped objects, fragile wooden barricades and reinforced obstacles use different tools. Survival Instinct can highlight an interactable object, but it does not replace the required gear.

Gear-gated obstacles
Obstacle	Tool	Purpose
Rough climbing wall	Climbing axe	Attach and climb
Rope-wrapped object	Rope arrows	Pull or connect the marked target
Fragile wooden barricade	Shotgun	Break the barrier
Reinforced rope barrier	Rope ascender where prompted	Apply stronger pulling force

The climbing axe needs a suitable surface

Rough climbing walls are a distinct surface type. Jump toward the wall and use the axe attachment when prompted; ordinary smooth rock does not become climbable just because the axe is in the inventory.

Traversal systems
System	What to do	Limit
Zip line	Use the provided cable	Follows its fixed route
Rope bridge or line	Create the indicated anchor connection	Needs a valid rope target
Wall scramble	Jump and push upward at a suitable wall	Only reaches designed ledges
Base-camp fast travel	Choose an unlocked destination	Unavailable from some camps and story situations

Rope arrows connect or pull marked objects

Use rope-wrapped targets for pulling mechanisms and constructing traversal lines where the game provides anchors. The bow is not a universal grapple that can attach to any building.

Return from a base camp

Fast travel becomes useful for revisiting old areas with new equipment. Day camps serve a more limited rest-and-upgrade role, so check whether the current camp actually offers fast travel.

Useful tip

Fast travel becomes useful for revisiting old areas with new equipment.

References

Guide references
Reference	Website
Tomb Raider (2013) publisher listing	store.steampowered.com
Official Tomb Raider PC documentation	store.steampowered.com
Stella’s Tomb Raider 2013 reference	tombraiders.net