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Fighting

Leap and shoot
Jumping and fighting in Lara's world go hand in glove. In fact, her jumping-while-shooting ability is perhaps her greatest asset. As such, don't draw your guns until you detect enemy danger. The real trick is to turn the tables on the bad guys, using Lara's deft movement abilities to bend the environment such that she gets the upper hand. This could mean using her body as bait to lure the bad guys out of a tight area and into the open - a place where Lara truly excels. Once you've got the advantage, go ahead and use the guns. Move, move, move. Once the heat's on, side jumps, back flips, forward twisting jumps, and more are all available to Lara as she fires. Again, big areas allow her to best use her talents. Don't forget that you can draw your weapon at any time (or put it away; replace it; health up; and so on).

Learn the ways of auto-aiming
Lara automatically aims at a target when she sees it. She does it so you don't have to. However, since she's a focused adventurer, she'll shoot a carcass long after it's fallen, to the exclusion of still-breathing baddies. Once a foe is history, stop firing for a brief moment - enough time for Lara to find a new target - before continuing the fight.

Use both hands
As you run and fire, especially if you choose to circle your target, you might find Lara only shooting with one gun. Since one silent handgun doesn't do anyone any good - except the bad guys - pivot our heroine into harms way, and get both of those guns working.

Swimming

Practice, practice, practice
What more can we say? While submerged, practice turning while in motion; practice changing direction while stationary - it's often the best way to progress through certain traps (think of it as setting up a jump); practice getting out of the water quickly and efficiently. Know Lara's quirks as if they're your own.

Learn to dive
The moment Lara performs a jump, hold down the walk buttons. If she's going over a cliff, she'll perform a swan dive; if she's headed for a ledge or the ground below, she'll finish the jump with a tight roll. In Tomb Raider II, there are two dives Lara must make to progress (both in Floating Islands).

Use medi packs like air
If, and when, Lara runs out of air during a swim, there's nothing stopping you from consuming medi packs en route to a surface area. However, no underwater puzzle requires this shade of cheating - that is, if you make no mistakes. This, in turn, brings us back to practice…

One Extra-Special Move

In addition to diving, Lara can do a handstand. This is a holdover from the previous game, and performing the trick requires the same technique as before: While Lara is hanging, simply press the action button while holding down the walk buttons. It doesn't help her quest, but it's cool.

Next up: Big Guns, Bad Guys, and Secrets!