It is basically the first real "Aha!" moment of the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot. You’re shivering in the rain on Yamatai, everything is gritty, Lara is bleeding, and suddenly you find this optional crack in the wall. That is the Tomb of the Lost Adventurer. Honestly, if you bought the game at launch, you probably remember the drama surrounding it more than the actual puzzles. It was originally a pre-order exclusive for certain retailers like GameStop and Best Buy. People were legitimately annoyed. Why lock a classic series staple—a literal tomb—behind a retail code? Eventually, Crystal Dynamics came to their senses and released it as DLC, and it’s now standard in the Definitive Edition.
It’s short. Like, really short.
But it matters because it set the tone for how the "Survivor Trilogy" would handle environmental storytelling. You aren't just looking for shiny loot; you're looking at a tragedy that happened long before Lara Croft washed up on the beach.
Finding the Tomb of the Lost Adventurer Without Getting Lost
You’ll hit this area pretty early in the game. It’s located in the Coastal Forest. Specifically, you’re looking for the northern part of the map near the bridge where you first encounter the scavengers. Most people stumble upon it while trying to hunt deer for the "Woman vs. Wild" skill point.
Look for the white paint. In the 2013 reboot, the developers used white "scratches" on the rocks to tell you where Lara can climb or squeeze through. The entrance is a narrow crevice. Once you’re inside, the atmosphere shifts. The music gets quiet. The wind howls through the cave.
The Setup: A Plane Crash in a Cave?
The actual puzzle involves a crashed transport plane suspended in the ice and rocks. It’s weirdly beautiful in a morbid way. You see skeletons—the "lost adventurers"—scattered around. These aren't just random props. If you look at the gear, they look like they were from the mid-20th century. It hints at the long, dark history of the Dragon’s Triangle.
📖 Related: OG John Wick Skin: Why Everyone Still Calls The Reaper by the Wrong Name
The goal is simple: get to the top of the wreckage to claim the treasure chest.
Solving the Physics Puzzle (The "Kinda" Tricky Part)
The mechanics here are all about fire and weight. You’ve got a series of lanterns and some combustible debris holding the plane in place.
- Burn the debris: You’ll see some salvage crates wrapped in netting. Use your torch to light them up. This shifts the weight of the fuselage.
- The Wing Section: You need to get onto the wing, but it’s too high. There are more crates hanging by ropes. You have to climb up to the side platform and shove them off.
- Timing the Jump: Once the weight shifts, the plane tilts. You have to sprint and jump before it settles back down.
It’s not The Witness level of complexity. It takes maybe five to seven minutes if you aren't distracted by the collectibles. But for a game that was heavily criticized at launch for being "too much like Uncharted" and "not enough like classic Tomb Raider," this tiny DLC was a peace offering. It proved the devs still cared about environmental puzzles, even if they were optional.
Why the Rewards Are Actually Worth It
Most people think you just get a few experience points. Wrong. Completing the Tomb of the Lost Adventurer gives Lara a massive chunk of salvage, which is the currency for weapon upgrades. Early in the game, this is a godsend. It lets you get the reinforced bow string or the high-capacity magazine way earlier than the game intends.
More importantly, it grants the "Skill Point" bonus. In the early game, one skill point can be the difference between "Survivalist" (more loot from animals) and "Pain Tolerance."
👉 See also: Finding Every Bubbul Gem: Why the Map of Caves TOTK Actually Matters
The Real Lore Deep Dive
If you pay attention to the environment, this tomb tells a story about the Solarii. Those are the crazed cultists trying to kill you. They didn't build this. They just picked it clean. The "Lost Adventurer" isn't one specific person; it's a collective term for the hundreds of people who have been trapped by the storm over centuries.
Real-world explorers have often commented on how the Dragon's Triangle (the Devil's Sea) is a real place near Japan where ships have disappeared. While the game leans into the supernatural Himiko myth, the Tomb of the Lost Adventurer grounds it in the physical reality of a plane crash. It makes the island feel like a graveyard.
Common Mistakes and Glitches
I’ve seen a lot of players get stuck because they try to jump to the plane before burning the second set of crates. You can’t brute force it. The physics engine in the Foundation engine (which the game runs on) is pretty strict about weight.
Also, watch out for the fire. It sounds stupid, but you can actually set yourself on fire while trying to light the lanterns if you stand too close to the localized "burn zones." Lara’s health pool is tiny at this stage of the game. Two seconds of roasting and you’re back at the last checkpoint.
Another weird thing? Sometimes the "Action" prompt for the crates doesn't appear. If that happens, just walk away and come back. It’s an old game—bugs happen.
✨ Don't miss: Playing A Link to the Past Switch: Why It Still Hits Different Today
The Legacy of Optional Tombs
This specific tomb changed the trajectory of the franchise. After the 2013 game, fans begged for more. Crystal Dynamics listened. In Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the tombs became massive, multi-stage labyrinths.
But this one? This was the prototype. It was the "proof of concept" that players still wanted to be archeologists, not just action heroes.
How to Maximize Your Run
If you’re replaying the Tomb Raider trilogy or jumping in for the first time, do not skip this. It’s the easiest way to power up.
- Enter the Coastal Forest and finish the initial hunting sequence first.
- Upgrade your torch at the base camp before entering. It makes the lighting puzzles slightly more responsive.
- Search the corners. There are hidden GPS caches inside the tomb that don't show up on the map unless you have the "Cartography" skill.
- Don't fast travel away immediately after finishing. There’s a challenge involving hanging totems in the immediate vicinity of the cave entrance that provides even more XP.
Once you’ve cleared the wreckage and looted the chest, you’ll have enough salvage to make the early-game combat much less of a headache. The Tomb of the Lost Adventurer is a small slice of gaming history that reminds us why Lara Croft became an icon in the first place: she goes where others died trying.
Check your map for the "Cave" icon in the northern woods. If it’s not there, you might need to check if your DLC is actually installed in your library settings. It’s a separate download on some older consoles. Grab the loot, get the skill point, and get off that island.