Cypher's Tomb Raider (2013) Online MP Roadmap

[CypherNova139]

(v 1.1)
I've been helping with boosting the multiplayer for the 2013 Tomb Raider for a few years now, figure it's time to share a few tips and tricks that aren't immediately obvious to new players. This is compiled from my various Discord posts so I think I covered everything here.

Commenters: To help with thread readability please do not quote the entirety of this post when posting a reply!

Version Notes:
The game has both a PS3 and PS4 release.

• The gameplay is the same for both the original PS3 release and PS4 "Definitive Edition" versions of the game.
• There are 2 trophy lists, one for PS3, one for PS4. The lists are identical yet separate trophy lists.
• There is no cross-save or cross-play so all players will need to be on the same system.
• There is NO trophy auto-pops from play on another system so to obtain the other trophy stack requires full duplication of effort.

Trophy Notes:
The list of trophies that require online is as follows: (for reference: every trophy in the list after chatterbox)

• Adventurer ( Complete a match in all multiplayer modes.)
  Obtained on the way to "I'm All That!".
   
• Artilleryman ( Kill 20 enemy players in multiplayer using a turret. )
  Certain maps have fixed turrets, such as Beach. Simple, get 20 turret kills over any amount of matches.
   
• Down Boy! ( Kill a zip-lining enemy player in multiplayer. )
  This trophy requires some setup and as so is usually not something encountered in normal play. It's best to weaken your boost partner to 1 hit left before they slide down the rope as slides are too quick for full health downing, and slider must still be sliding on rope when killed.
   
• Entrapment ( Catch a player in a snare trap in multiplayer. )
  Certain maps have ropes on the ground you can interact with, such as Beach. Interact with one to set it, then wait for another player to walk over it.
   
• Escapist ( Survive 10 explosions in multiplayer. )
  This can be tricky as the distance window between "oops I died" and "oh I didn't even go down" is quite small. Recommend to boost this on your own using grenades thrown at some object and stand a good distance away that is good enough to just be downed, then find more salvage to refill grenade ammo before trying again. The best method I've found was aiming grenade at some various scraps near a spawn exit in Underground then grabbing the salvage immediately nearby. I've posted a video on exactly where to aim here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPWsQrmmQFo
   
• Good Samaritan ( Revive a teammate in a multiplayer match. )
  3 or more players required, Rescue game mode. 2 players on Survivor team, 1 on other team. Be near your downed teammate and press the button when they are down to revive them. You may have to move around the downed teammate for the prompt to appear. If the rest of your Survivor team is also down (automatic if only 3 players in match) you'll have gotten Sole Survivor as well.
   
• I'm all that! ( Win a ranked match in every multiplayer mode. )
  The only trophy to require ranked matches. Simple enough, the trick is getting a boost session together and trying to avoid any randoms to reduce risk of losing matches (In my experience there is always 1 random hanging in lobby when you least want 'em). While doing the matches needed for this trophy many other scenario related trophies can be done.
   
• Sole Survivor ( In multiplayer, be the only player on your team that isn't dead or downed. )
  3 or more players required, Rescue game mode. 2 players on Survivor team, 1 on other team. If you are the last person still alive on your team while a Survivor on Rescue game mode this trophy is yours. ... Now go revive your teammate(s) for Good Samaritan!
   
• Lights Out ( Kill 10 multiplayer enemies using your melee attack. )
  Typical Melee kills trophy, get total of 10 Melee kills over any amount of matches.
   
• Master Blaster ( Kill 2 multiplayer enemies with a single explosive. )
  3 or more players required, 2 on opposing team. Recommend doing this during a free for all match using a survivor character (so as to have grenades in default loadout) as there is no teams in FFA.
   
• Monkey Around ( In multiplayer, escape death 3 times by using the rope ascender. )
  This trophy requires some setup and as so is usually not something encountered in normal play. Survivors do not have access to the rope ascender iirc. Have someone at the bottom hit you until near death then quickly use the ascender. Might take a few tries to get the timing down.
   
• Narcissistic ( Purchase a new multiplayer character. )
  Obtained on the way to "Shopaholic".
   
• On My Way Up ( Reach level 10 in multiplayer. )
  Obtained on the way to "True Commitment".
   
• Shopaholic ( Buy every upgrade and character in multiplayer. )
  To buy things you need salvage which is collected by breaking yellow junk boxes strewn about the map. During your XP grind be on the lookout for these boxes until you have enough to buy all characters. Note that the trophy is beneficially glitched, so do not buy upgrades; just buy characters! prestige character not required.
   
• True Commitment ( Reach level 60 in multiplayer. )
  The titular MP XP grind trophy hunters love to hate.

 

There are 2 main stages to the online trophies:
Stage 1: Ranked Matches for I'm All That trophy
- and during said matches required for I'm All That! trophy finish other various scenario related MP trophies.

Stage 2: The XP and Salvage Grind.
- You need lots of XP to get to level 60 for True Commitment.
- Salvage is the game's MP currency and is earned by opening yellow junk boxes that spawn around the map. You need to buy all characters for Shopaholic. (don't bother with buying upgrades, beneficial glitch)

Roadmap:

Stage 1: Ranked Matches

For I'm all That you will need to win a ranked match in each of the 4 game modes. It's recommended while you are in these matches to also do requirements for other various trophies while you get your needed match wins.
You need at least 4 players in lobby to be able to start ranked matches.

The roadmap below is setup with the assumption that the team that is going for I'm All That is the team that goes after all trophies, while the other team is only a support role and is not to obtain any trophies.
If all players in session need the wins and other situational MP trophies, then multiple matches for each game mode with switching which team wins each match/earns trophies and which team is the support role team is recommended.
Each player can switch which team he is on while in the lobby. Before the match starts take a moment to verify your players are in the correct teams for the match!

Ranked Match 1 - Rescue
- Recommend I'm all That Trophy earner(s) to be on SURVIVOR team. This allows the other team to down teammates, and Survivor team can do revives for Sole Survivor and Good Samaritan
- If playing a map with a turret (such as Beach), trophy earner should start killing with turret! [Artilleryman - 20 turret kills]
------
Ranked Match 2 - Team Deathmatch (TDM)
- Once again I'm All That Trophy earner team wins.
I'm All That Trophy earner(s) needs to:
- Set a trap and get a enemy team member caught in it (depends on map) [Entrapment]
- Get 20 Turret kills (map dependent again) [Artilleryman]
- Get 10 Melee kills [Lights out]
------
Ranked Match 3 - Cry For Help
- Once again I'm All That Trophy earner team wins.
I'm All That Trophy earner(s) needs to concentrate on same type of kills as before in Team Deathmatch.
------

Ranked Match 4 - Free For All
- I'm All That Trophy earner gets the most kills. If there is more than one person who needs I'm All That multiple FFA matches will need to be played, one for each trophy earner.

- No teams in FFA, so all other players gather up for Master Blaster.
  I'm All That Trophy earner needs to be a Survivor to have a grenade in default loadout, and blow at least 2 other grouped players up while they stand together.

Trophy award: I'm all That, Adventurer
At this point 4 players are not required any longer as the 4 player boosting (I'm all that) is complete.
-----

Clean up
Private matches on Beach and Underground for missing trophies
 Down Boy! (kill zip-lining player)
 Escapist (survive 10 explosions in MP)
 Monkey Around (escape death 3 different times using rope ascender)
...and any other kill trophies still unearned.


Stage 2: XP and Salvage Grind

By the time you have boosted I'm All That you should be around level 15 in XP; you need to get to level 60. ouch

Fortunately all trophies are obtainable in Private matches so time to pick a favorite boosting method and get to work!
During this stage you also need to grab as much salvage as you need to buy all the characters for Shopaholic!
 

Solo boost method
Objective: Capture as much supplies (and salvage) as possible.
Map: Beach or Underground (i.e. a map wherever you can 1) memorize supply spawns 2) spawns stay relatively close or same level)
Game mode: Private Rescue.
Pick Survivor team.
SET MATCH SETTINGS to 20 captures, 10 minutes
 

- Capture all supplies, over and over again.
Note that you get more XP if you drop the supplies mid-route and then pick them back up. Try to get at least a Long and Medium carry each time.
- Grab salvage boxes along the way!

Quit the match after first round completes (Press Circle in results menu)
- Reset Private match, and keep going (this way you can re-select the same map and survivor team).
 

Most effective XP per hour boost method
"Grenades"
Objective: Each booster simultaneously blows up the other booster using grenades. 2+ people required.
Requires at least 2 people. Recommend a good booster friend with voice chat as you can have a very hilarious time with friends playing together if done right.
Game mode: Private FFA.
SET MATCH SETTINGS to 100 kills, max time limit (20 minutes)
Map: I did Underground
BOTH players must be on Survivor team to have grenade as part of default loadout (Press Dpad Up after each respawn to equip)
 

Each player simultaneously grenades each other, then respawn and meet up back in the center of the map, rinse repeat...
- While running to meet your friend in map center grab any salvage boxes along the way!
- You'll earn a few feats/setbacks naturally here, such as "Blow Out" (kill 5 enemies with explosions, 500 XP) "Double Trouble" (kill opponent at same time he kills you, 400 XP), "Enough" (kill enemy that killed you 5 times, 700 XP), etc. This is a lot of what helps this method be faster than solo captures.
 

Longest but least mentally taxing boost method
"Idle XP boosting"
Objective: Do nothing, get XP from "Winning" a non-team based match.
 (Takes 50 or more hours with this method. Extra hardware required.)
Use a turbo controller on the Start button to keep pausing and unpausing the game, and to start matches in the menus. Recommended to tone the turbo feature down to only press the Start button every few seconds.
Game mode: Private FFA, solo
SET MATCH SETTINGS to match time 5 minutes.
Start match, and turn the turbo controller feature on the Start button. Leave the console to get 3000XP every 5 minutes while you do other more important gaming and life tasks.
Note that this method will not help you in getting any salvage so this idle method is only recommended once you have enough salvage to buy all characters (around level 35-40 or so if you were smart about collecting salvage).
If you have a CronusMax / Zen I have a script with a setup for this:
https://cronusmax.com/gpclib/?s=9876
Setup script to use the Start button (hold Select + L2 and press X, then hold Select and press Start).



 

General Notes:

• All trophies, except for obvious ranked ones (I'm all That) are obtainable in private matches. Private matches can also start fine with only yourself in the match.
• PS3 players: DO NOT have MP MAP DLCs enabled/installed. When the game picks a new map for the next match it chooses from available maps from the lobby host and does not always give a map override option. The game does NOT check if all players have access to the map and once the match start countdown ends the game will cheerfully load the chosen map.
  As the map assets are included in the DLC download if a DLC map loads those without the required map DLC get kicked to main menu or get a frozen PS3; those with DLC will go in match and just see that some players in group disconnected for no reason. Since DLC attach rate for the PS3 version is extremely low your boost players will likely only be running the base game.
  Therefore it is best to avoid DLC maps coming up in rotation - Either turn off the DLC maps or do not install map DLCs.
  - If you do have Map DLCs installed you can turn off matchmaking for each DLC beforehand in Options -> Matchmaking.
  - This DLC problem does not apply to PS4 as the Definitive Edition includes all map DLCs.
  - There are no DLC trophies in the game.
• There is no party feature where host could move partied players to different game modes or something.
  - To switch game modes all players need to find the new lobby and/or be invited by other players in lobby.
• There is a idle kick function, but host can't kick players iirc. Idle kick can be easily defeated by pressing a button every 20 seconds.
• 4 players required to start a ranked match. Private matches can be done solo.
• Only certain default loadouts have grenades (usually survivors), so if you need a trophy involving grenades or explosives watch out what you have equipped.
• Revives are only possible as a Survivor team in Rescue game mode. I've watched many boosters over the years attempt to revive in whatever match and team they happen to be in only to be confused at insta-death. Again, downing happens if you and downed team mate are on Survivor team and playing on Rescue game mode!!
• Shopaholic There is a beneficial glitch: If you buy all the characters, the next time you start the game the Shopoholic trophy pops.

  So collect as much salvage from the yellow boxes as you can (Underground is a good map for this) and you should have more than enough salvage to buy all the characters. For this glitch DO NOT buy upgrades, only buy characters. Once you buy Lara at level 60 quit the game. Next time you start the game the trophy should pop once you get to the main menu.

  Also there is a character that requires prestiging to unlock. Don't fret, this character has been patched out of the trophy requirements. The highest level character you will need nowdays is Lara unlocked at level 60.
• There is a old trick for this MP: If all players not needing the trophy quit out of the match those left get the win counted without having to play the whole match.
  Personally I have seen these matches not count more times than count so..... I'm also fairly certain it only worked on PS3, but others comment it works on 4 as well. Again if you do decide to get your wins this way use at your own risk.
  - Check Feats and Setbacks -> Press next page R2 or R1 -> Press Right to get to Trophies, check I'm all That to make sure the game mode you just tried is checked.
• The game features varying XP rewards for various gameplay actions, called Feats and Setbacks. Each time you perform the action required by that Feat or Setback you get the XP assigned to that, and it can be earned as many times as you like. These are well structured enough for a good chunk to pop up a lot naturally in gameplay, but for boosting please don't disrupt a session to chase after these extra XP rewards. Searching through my savedata I got half of these rewards most during grenade boosting, the other half  - mostly harder ones - went unearned.
  If you want to try for these challenges during your XP grinds its up to you, just be wary of time efficiency, feat difficulty, or if even possible because you are soloing the grind.
  - There are also "trials" that take much longer to complete and only award once but seem to offer a good chunk of XP if completed. Looking at ones I completed most either had to do with existing XP grind methods anyways (captures, copious amount of grenade kills). Again same rules apply, don't disrupt boost session flow or don't do challenges that end up being too time inefficient - you don't want to draw out your XP grind now do ya?
  - To check on what feats / setbacks / trials / trophy progress you have look under Multiplayer -> Feats and Setbacks

 

Edited April 11, 2021 by CypherNova139
version 1.1 thanks forum posters; added a couple tips

[Wagszilla]

I could’ve made this guide a lot shorter.

 

1. Load Tomb Raider

2. Hate yourself

3. Repeat x 15 hours

[CypherNova139]

Thanks for you comment on the details and amount of time this guide took to put together, much appreciated!

The MP is relatively easy with a good boost group, but the XP grind was completely unnecessary - thanks devs for wasting my trophy hunting time. At least they had the heart to cut the XP grind in half versus if you did this at launch by not requiring the prestige character any longer.
but yea such a boring XP grind -  which is why I included the idle boost method lol.

[flashpool23]

For ranked, everyone but the person/people needing the win can quit out and it'll count as a win still. Saves time from waiting for the match to play out. Then just do the other trophies such artilleryman in private if you'd like, considering you can choose maps and modes there.

 

Though that's just a suggestion as your roadmap also works.

Edited April 10, 2021 by flashpool23

[CypherNova139]

I've had mixed success with the quit trick working or not, hence why it's not mentioned. If I recall right quitting out only worked for PS3 as well, been a while since any of my sessions players tried this.

[Lil-Gocee]

Thank you for writing this guide. It's really nice to see a veteran taking the time to compile all these tips and tricks to help us save time! This is the last game in the tomb raider series I need to plat but I haven't found the time yet to dedicate myself to the grind. I'll keep an eye out for a tomb raider session in the future as I do like boosting games and that grenade method sound like fun.  

[flashpool23]

1 hour ago, CypherNova139 said:

I've had mixed success with the quit trick working or not, hence why it's not mentioned. If I recall right quitting out only worked for PS3 as well, been a while since any of my sessions players tried this.

That's fair. I've done it 3 separate times on PS4 the last month and it's been a success each time so I just leave it as our experiences varying.

[CypherNova139]

Thanks for the kind words Lil-Gocee, I'm glad to help the community where I can!

Yea the grenades was quite hilarious. I did it with @cr1s and it was quite a fun way to play together even if the end goal of getting a grindy trophy was not as fun as the journey to obtain it.

@flash, cool! Good to hear the quit trick is more useful lately than it was for me.

[Lil-Gocee]

I read your guide and I just got a question about the xp. When I loaded up the game and went into multiplayer I saw the option 'Feats and Setbacks' and it looks like there are a bunch of challenges that reward you xp. Is it worth going for those while you are trying to get to lvl 60? 

[CypherNova139]

Personally I haven't noticed people intentionally concentrating on those challenges, I don't remember the XP pay out to be worth the time investment to intentionally do them, especially if solo boosting the XP as many of these require other people.

Most people boosting just want the match wins to be over with and then think about XP grind later, so don't go out of your way to hold up a session just to get a few extra challenges each round. Then when the XP grind comes up the usual strategy is to go for the most time efficient routes, which may not involve doing the feats.

From what I've seen of gameplay though the feats/setbacks are structured enough to come up a lot naturally in gameplay.

Some higher XP feats naturally pop up during play with the grenades boosting, as by killing each other you get feats like "Archenemy" (24) "Blow Out" (111) "Double Trouble" (521)  "Enough" (24) "nemesis" (36) "revenge" (485) "booted" (501) "farmed" (35) over and over again - by getting some of these is how the grenades is faster than the solo grind (number in () is how many I got on my save that I had done grenade boost on).

So I would say doing the feats is dependent on your scenario - if it is worth the time investment / efficiency, difficulty of feat, possibility if soloing, will it disrupt boost session flow / getting other scenario trophies for you or others in session, etc.
 

[EqualityEarth]

🏆 Escapist can be earned solo without using any weapons or buying any upgrades. While grinding exp and salvage at Underground, the hatch to a submarine will open midway through each round (it seems to be after 4 minutes pass). Pressing the self destruct button will set the remaining time to 2 minutes and make the map more hazardous with a collapsing ceiling and various explosions. I realized this was counting toward the trophy and inspected the stats to see the “Singed” bonus (survived 3 explosions in a round) was already triggered twice and I was then at 9/10 instances for the trophy.