Tomb Raider Guide| How to Escape the Chasm Monastery

A guide to getting out of the Chasm Monastery in Tomb Raider.

Game Guide by Shadi on Dec 19, 2025

Lara starts in the Chasm Monastery, tied up. Your objective is to escape, collect a key weapon, solve puzzles, and survive the collapsing building.

Initial Escape and Movement

Start by moving the controls left and right to get Lara swinging. When the camera angle changes, mash the action button to break free. There aren't any collectibles in this first room.

Find the hole in the wall and squeeze through to trigger a cutscene. Don't go back to the previous room. Just keep moving down the narrow tunnels and corridors, and you'll get 100 XP.

Acquiring the Trench Shotgun

Head into the larger room ahead and grab some ammo. Near one of the corpses, you'll spot a Trench Shotgun. Use it right away to blow through the wooden barricade blocking your path—you'll earn 250 XP for this. Then go through the opening.

Tomb Raider, Guide, How to Escape the Chasm Monastery

Sarcophagus Room Combat

Follow the narrow corridor until you see a hole in the wall you need to jump up to. You'll land in a room with a sarcophagus, which triggers a cutscene and then a shootout.

The Trench Shotgun works great here at close range. If you run out of ammo, look for crates to loot, switch to another weapon, or just use your Climbing Axe for melee attacks.

First Puzzle: Exiting the Sarcophagus Room

To get out of this room, you need to solve a quick puzzle. Stand in front of the barricaded entrance and shoot a Rope Arrow at the hanging object to get it swinging. It'll eventually smash through the door for you.

Progress to the Shelter. Take the new passage until you reach a narrow tunnel and a Base Camp called Sheltered Alcove. Rest up here if you need to. Then turn right and use your shotgun to blow through another barricade.

Traversing the Gallery

Head toward the gallery. The first crossing just needs you to move the controls in the right direction. Things get tricky when Lara has to jump to a broken wooden balcony.

The second you land on it, keep moving without stopping. Run, jump, and grab onto whatever part of the structure you can. Climb up to reach a safe platform. Look for a hole in the building wall on your left and slip through.

Second Shootout and Shielded Enemy

You'll immediately get thrown into another firefight. Take out the regular enemies first and save the guy with the riot shield for last. Dodge his attacks and blast him with the Trench Shotgun—one or two shots should do it. Clean up anyone else still standing.

Upper Floor Puzzle and Ambush

Head up the ramp to the upper floor, but watch out—a guard is going to try to ambush you. On this floor, you've got a more complicated puzzle to solve. First, go to the mechanism that controls the shutters and interact with it.

Face the object hanging from the ceiling and shoot a Rope Arrow at it to make it swing and break the left wooden support.

Go back to the shutter mechanism and close the shutters. Then head to the mechanism on the right to open the other set of shutters. Shoot another Rope Arrow to destroy the support on the right.

Enemy Spawn and Combat

Destro, breaking the second support, triggers new enemies who'll come up the ramp you just used. Use your Trench Shotgun on them in the narrow corridor.

Watch out for the big "overgrown" enemy—dodge his attacks and take him down with the shotgun.

Tomb Raider, Guide, How to Escape the Chasm Monastery

Puzzle Step and Bell

For the final step, return to the left mechanism and open the shutters again. All the shutters should be open now.

Finally, face the hanging object and shoot a Rope Arrow to make it swing into the big bell. This triggers a cutscene where the building starts collapsing, and you'll get 250 XP.

Escape Sequence and Descent

As soon as you regain control, start running. Ignore the guards and don't stop for anything. You'll need to make several jumps along the way. When you hit the end of the tunnel, leap across to the drawbridge.

Then you'll ride a cart downhill. While you're sliding down, use your shotgun to blast through the barricades, or you'll take serious damage. Right after that, Lara arrives in the Mountain Village. That wraps up this stage and gets you 500 XP.

Also, check our Tomb Raider (2013) Review and Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition Review, and other guides below.