Square Enix has released the first part of its “Guide to Survival” video series showing us how Lara manages to survive on the dangerous island on which Tomb Raider is set. This first part is about how Lara goes through that process of learning how to survive in the first place, and gives a hint at the strong figure we know she'll become.
One important part of Lara's survival is the base camp. This is where Lara can upgrade her skills to reflect her improved adaptation to the island and its inhabitants. The three main areas Lara can focus on are resourcefulness, exploration, and combat. She'll gain experience through exploring and completing missions, and once she has enough she'll earn skill points, which in turn can be used to upgrade her skills.
Lara can also use the base camp to upgrade her items or weapons. One of these highlighted in the video is the “climbing axe”, which Lara finds towards the beginning of the game. This axe comes in handy when Lara needs to pry open doors and break open salvage crates, but there'll come a time when it isn't doing what she needs it to anymore. So, she must collect enough salvage to upgrade the axe, leaving her with a superior item that can then be used to pry something heavier open, and even slide down a zip-line.
Eventually, of course, Lara makes the shift from struggling for survival to stabbing guys in the neck. But it looks like we'll learn more about that in the next episode.
