Shadow Of The Tomb Raider: Tips For Surviving Deadly Obsession Mode

Highlights

Embrace the challenge of Deadly Obsession mode in Shadow of the Tomb Raider for a more immersive and rewarding gameplay experience.
Utilize stealth tactics, craft molotovs, and pay attention to the environment to survive the brutal encounters and platforming sections.
Save and hoard plants for later battles, upgrade weapons for efficiency, and master chain killing with Lara's bow for sneaking around.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider offers multiple different difficulties once players boot up the game, but for those daring enough to take on the most brutal but rewarding survival experience possible, they should choose the Deadly Obsession mode. On this difficulty, Lara's Survival Instincts will become less reliable, along with enemies being much more durable and dealing way more damage than usual. There are also far fewer resources to seek out, and the removal of checkpoints means a death will revert Lara back to the nearest campfire.

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Needless to say, this mode is brutal, but it can be incredibly rewarding while also adding so much more tension to each and every encounter, making the core gameplay so much more immersive as a result. Anyone who's jumping into this arduous mode for the very first time should definitely keep these key tips in mind to ensure Lara makes it out of the jungle in one piece.

6 Avoid Direct Combat At All Costs

Sticking To The Shadows And Avoiding Combat As Much As Possible Is A Must In This Mode

Lara hiding in the shadows while an enemy is in front of her

If Lara manages to get caught by a group of gung-ho soldiers, it won't take more than two to three bullets for her to be taken down on Deadly Obsession. As a result, avoiding direct conflict by any means necessary is heavily advised. This isn't so bad, though, as Shadow of the Tomb Raider gives players plenty of tools, techniques, and resources to play around with while taking a stealthier approach.

Grabbing a few stealth-based skills along the journey can also be a good idea, since Lara is going to be spending so much time in the shadows. Serpent's Strike and Puma's Charge are examples of buffs which will help keep Lara completely silent, while also enhancing her weapon damage at the same time so she can deal with enemies without needing to start an all-out brawl.

5 Don't Be Shy About Making Molotovs

Molotovs Are The Best Weapon In The Game When It Comes To Crowd Control

Lara throwing a molotov at a group of enemies

Lara is able to craft molotovs through the glass bottles and cloth that can be found lying around. While there are fewer of them to scavenge compared to the other modes, glass bottles are still fairly common and should always be reserved for creating a lethal molotov cocktail to use on larger crowds. This fiery grenade will instantly kill most enemies across its large radius, and the best part is Lara can throw it out whilst remaining hidden from view.

Lara In A Wide Open Landscape And In A Fire Tomb

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As the game progresses, and the enemy camps become bigger, players will need to get creative about how they go about taking out multiple enemies at one time, and the molotov is one of the best tools for dealing with these, thanks to its crowd control capabilities. It should also be noted that molotovs can deal a staggering amount of damage to some of the more durable enemies such as Serpent Guards, which is always a handy bonus.

4 Pay Attention To The Environment

The Absence Of White Chalk Lines Makes Platform Sections Much More Difficult

Though the combat is undoubtedly much more unforgiving in Deadly Obsession mode, perhaps the hardest part of the whole game would be the platforming sections. Once this mode is activated, all the white chalk lines that indicate where Lara can jump and hang suddenly disappear, forcing players to use their own intuition when deciding where and when to jump.

The best way to go about this is to simply pay close attention to the environment and any subtle grooves, crack, or ledges that could be used as a form of traversal. It's worth keeping in mind that the Howler's Speed skill in the red tree makes it so Lara can never slip when hanging off a ledge, which can be a huge help for some of the trickier sections. If anything, though, it's nice to see the brutal platforming sections of old make a return in a modern Tomb Raider game.

3 Save Up On Plants And Herbs

Endurance And Health Plants Are Absolutely Essential For The Game's Later Encounters

During Lara's adventure across Mexico and Peru, she will occasionally stumble across plants that can be picked and stored away for later. There are a few different plants in the game that all offer unique buffs, and though they're each very useful, the endurance and health plants are, without a doubt, the most useful to keep around for this difficulty setting. The endurance plants grant Lara damage resistance from all sources, meaning anything from grenade explosions to spears will be far less powerful.

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This makes a huge difference when all the enemies already start off so deadly, but when using it in specific scenarios, these things can be absolute lifesavers. Additionally, healing herbs will also become a whole lot more important later on in the game when the harder battles start popping up. The chaotic encounter with Winters, for example, along with the final boss, can be made so much easier after consuming a few of these plants, so there's certainly nothing wrong with hoarding a few of them for when they'll be most effective.

2 Get In The Habit Of Chain Killing

Being Able To Kill Two Birds With One Stone Can Make Sneaking Around A Whole Lot Easier

Howler's Troop skill in Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Even though Lara will amass a small arsenal of weapons throughout the game, the one players should always keep on standby the most is her bow. The bow is fast, silent, and lethal, making it the perfect weapon to use while sneaking around in bushes and staying out of sight, but in order to reach its full effectiveness, Lara will need to acquire the Howler's Troop skill.

This allows her to fire arrows at two enemies at once, which might not seem like much, but it becomes a must-have once the enemies start patrolling in pairs. There will often be small camps and bases where enemies are always facing one another, so being able to kill two birds with one stone makes these sections easier while also keeping Lara hidden in the process. With a few extra skill points, Howler's Troop can be upgraded to fire at three enemies simultaneously, making the bow even more of a powerhouse.

1 Upgrade Weapons As Much As Possible

Lara Will Need To Have Some Efficient Firepower To Survive Her Adventure Through To The End

For the first few areas of the game, the absence of checkpoints isn't too much of an issue since the campfires are fairly close to one another, but by around the mission 12 mark, things start getting a lot harder. Campfires become a lot more scarce, and there will often be multiple areas filled with enemies jammed between each one. Because of this, upgrading weapons as much as possible becomes necessary for making it through these areas without running out of ammo and being unable to take out targets.

Therefore, having a silenced pistol which can make quick work of enemies, or an assault rifle that pierces through armor, can make these later stages of the game a lot easier than they otherwise would be. Of course, it goes without saying that upgrading the bow is also a good idea, and seeking out stronger ones, like the Heart of the Eagle, can also be worthwhile in the long run.