Shadow of the Tomb Raider Grand Caiman DLC Offers More Than Expected

While the core release of Shadow of the Tomb Raider has been impressive enough in its own right, there’s something remarkable about the downloadable content support that both Eidos Montreal and Crystal Dynamics have given it. We’ve seen some fun additional levels and new ideas that bubbled to the surface, including some involving…the undead? We’ve also seen some great Challenge Tombs, giving players the opportunity to truly test out their skills.

The latest episode in Lara’s adventure is The Grand Caiman in which Lara finds herself checking out a village that’s under attack by a dangerous deity, who threatens the lives of innocent San Juan villagers. In an effort to push back its efforts, Lara takes on a handful of mercenaries, using whatever weapons she has in her arsenal. The big focus here, however, is a new Challenge Tomb that we got to try out during PAX East. This level is known as Zipacna’s Craving, and it’s probably one of the toughest tombs we’ve come across yet, mainly because much of the level has Lara outrunning flames that shoot right at her. This one will keep Tomb Raider veterans busy.

During our hands-on, we discovered the tomb, which prominently featured these large alligator-like statues with switches inside. Lara has to activate them in order to open up the tomb and obtain its mighty treasure. However, getting there is a struggle, as each of the switches have be to pulled, all while the danger of fire looms over the situation. Not only that, but navigating around ledges and descending down ropes isn’t nearly as easy as it seems.

The Zipacna’s Craving DLC definitely has one great thing going for it, design. The team went all out to make this one challenging, as Lara has to dart her way through tunnels in order to avoid being fried to a crisp. For that matter, she also has to use her rope to get across chasms, work her way down the side of a rock wall, and even swing to safety over a gap, lest she becomes melted in the lava below. It’s definitely a “hot time”, to say the least.

Despite the many times that we died playing the DLC (dang it), there’s still something remarkable about coming back and finding the solution, which is a similar satisfaction that we’ve experienced with previous Challenge Tombs. The Zipacna Craving DLC keeps that momentum going without missing a beat.

On top of that, we also caught a glimpse of the world within The Grand Caiman. It’s definitely been brought down to size, thanks to the deity’s powers and a giant sandstorm makes the ground a mucky, quicksand sort of terrain. Lara will have to watch her step as she navigates the village as well as keep an eye out for troublesome mercenaries.

All in all the latest DLC seems certainly worth it. It’s at an affordable price point of $4.99 but its also accessible through the game’s Season Pass, which is a terrific value in its own right for those all about raiding tombs.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. Learn more from the official website.

For more about our experiences at PAX East 2019, check out our impressions of Creature in the Well, Boyfriend Dungeon, and Astrologaster.