The Jungle Pyramid is an very difficult optional story mission of Episode 3.
Mission Summary[]
Tectonic activities have been detected under the former Jungle Base. Investigate the pyramid beneath.
Plot[]
The ruins of the Jungle Base that Zaxtor Znort managed to take out a while back are seeing some minor tectonic activity. There is also reports about some suspicious movement around the place. Zaxtor's job is to head back, check the old wreckage of the base and investigate the pyramid structure underneath it.
Gameplay[]
Preparation:
Zaxtor's levels are extremely difficult and you should take as much equipment as possible with you.
A weapon against supernatural enemies is absolutely necessary, like the GDF plasma gun and a silver knife as backup.
If you have gold weapon unlocked, you could also use them, as the pyramid itself is full of ammo.
The personal energy shield is also worth it and protective boots will help getting a really good secret.
If this level is too hard or unenjoyable for you, consider skipping it entirely or using cheats.
This walkthrough also assumes that you are familiar with the base layout and know the pyramid location.
Opening the pyramid
You start in front of the destroyed base, and have the option to jump down in the swamp to go straight to the pyramid, by entering the hole from last time.
However by going through the front entrance you can acquire a devastator in the first secret, by going straight at the crosswalk, which will be useful to have inside the pyramid.
By going to the right of the crosswalk, you'll find a pipebomb in the following corridor.
Now drop down the crosswalk, and go through the left path, which goes on for a while.
At the very end you'll see an open room with a shotgun and a hole on the side, that leads to the pyramid.
In the room is a cultist ambush, which you can deal with how you want, though the pipebomb is helpful option.
After you cleared the room, go the path back you came as an invisible trigger was activated, which opens a blocked door on the path.
You should often save here, as random sets of explosions occur on your path.
Behind the door is a big room, and there in the right corner is a smaller room, containing the key gem, a set of ghost goggles, an artifact and some other stuff.
Now go back again and then through the hole to the pyramid.
Use the gem on the door and then enter.
Inside the pyramid
The first room, introduces a new gimmick of the pyramid: shootable bits.
Look at the walls for off-color dots and shoot them to open the pyramid proper.
(Note: Some vases in the level contain items, and the ones in this room have devastator ammo.)
The inner layout of the pyramid is a set of square hallways and a few rooms.
(Note: To the left corridor path, there is a slot 4 weapon out of reach; three tiles to the right of it there is a shootable dot, which lowers it.)
Follow the left path over some spike pits, until it turns right.
The following corridor contains instant death crusher traps, which you must detect with the ghost goggles.
There is a secret with a fake wall after the instant death section, the third tile in the inner corner for an ammo stash and an armour.
Maneuver through them and then over some spike pits again, until you reach a set of ramps and doors.
Use the upwards ramp to get the second secret, containing a petrify gun.
To progress use the ramp that leads you to a lava corridor with moving platforms.
The room after these contains a key you need, but you should prepare a lot of saves when you enter the room.
You will be trapped in the room and have to shoot the bits, visible per ghost goggles, though the time limit is not the problem.
You have to shoot the bits, on the slabs in order from 1 to 10, but the problem is that on some slabs there are multiple bits you have to shoot and some you have to even ignore.
Furthermore after some bits enemy waves will spawn, including an Enforcer wave for which the devastator is useful.
Try to regularly use new saves between progress, and solve the puzzle with some trial and error.
Solution for the first Scarab switch puzzle
Solution for the second Scarab switch puzzle
Solution for the third Scarab switch puzzle
Now return to the beginning of the pyramid and take the right path to a now unlockable door.
The path here has Liztroop spawning traps, but as they are weak enough that you can just trigger the traps.
The corridor is cut off by lava and to the side is a pit, for which you want a save.
Down there is a labyrinth section, which you have to complete under time pressure because of the rising sand.
In each section there are some scarab buttons you have to find and press, which open Doom-like texture doors.
In the first section you have a bit of time so you can collect some goodies, while searching for the single scarab.
The second section is a room with 4 scarabs. The scarabs here will work like any other switch puzzle combination, as it will glow green when active. The combination for this one is xoxx.
The next section features a room with 6 scarabs, there is advice on the wall on the order; the first one is when entering the room the left, furthest one.
The switches on the right are 1,2,3 in the order of closest to you when you first enter. On the left are switches 4,5,6. Using the markings on the wall hit switches 1,2,5,6 to open the door.
The fourth section is a labyrinth with a set of three scarabs, whose sequence is xxo.
After that the labyrinth is completed and with the new key you have to go back to the downward ramp.
Here you unlock the rest of the square corridor and have to traverse it.
The first trap is visible with the goggles and easy to traverse, but because its an enemy trap containing tons of shotgun ammo, you can try to fight your way through.
The next trap is a fake floor, with the walkable bits being off-colored, save while traversing it.
(Note: between sections, you can blow up a checkered floor tile, at the upper end for ammo.)
Next comes a section of moving platforms, followed by a room with a set of scarab switches.
The outer switches are traps, press the rest to get a key and also press the lone scarab, then go through the shortcut.
Go upwards the ramp and open the locked door.
(Note: In the following room with the Anubis-statues there is a flat bit to shoot for a medkit)
At the end of the path is a room your locked in, with tons of ammo and stone tablets.
On these are shootable bits, most of which summon enemies you have to deal with.
You can also summon an entire horde of enemies at once by using explosives, and you can actually survive it, which is a viable (although difficult) strategy you can use.
Afterwards the door by the upward ramp is unlocked, revealing a the lava square.
After most jumps to a new platform, Flesh wizards or Hadespheres will spawn in with very little room to dodge.
If your health situation is bad, make use of the devastator to deal faster with the enemies.
(Note: In the second corner of the lava square, there is a medkit and armour hanging form the ceiling. Use explosives to get them.)
Continue until there is another ramp leading to a green square, take the right path there and use goggles to navigate the trap.
The room at the end has an abyssal key and 8 switches, press these xx54x321 to get out.
Now go to the other end of the square and open a room with another abyssal key.
A zombie ambush springs and a scarab is used to get out of the room.
You can now go up to the blue square area, where Prince of Persia-like guillotine traps are.
You must press two switches in this area, but watch out (with the ghost goggles) for the instant death crusher trap in the empty corridor.
A niche should be opened by the ramp, which unlocks a teleporter, bringing you to the next challenge.
On the new path you first have to trigger massive explosions and run from them, followed by ceiling crushers and other crushers.
At the very end you unlock a room in the lava corridor and a shortcut to get there.
Get the Silver key there and return to the beginning of the pyramid; a shortcut should also be opened now.
Boss battle
Viper Demon, the Boss of the Jungle Pyramid
In the final room there is a megasphere and the bossfight itself has plenty of ammo.
The boss itself has a number of attacks, though the majority is easily dodgeable.
Watch out for the continious fireblast and the Lost spirits it spawns; the Petrify gun works against them, if you don't have anything else.
First take out its six eyes and focus afterwards on his nose(?).
Once it finally dies you can exit on the left side through a portal.
Exit the room through the new hole and wall kick yourself out of the temple.
Secrets[]
- 1. When re-entering the base go straight ahead through the first door and jump into the lava pit, after standing on a piece of debris for a moment the walls explode and a devastator with ammo will be revealed; having protective boots is helpful.
Secret 2
- 2. Fake wall after smashing ceiling section, third tile in the inner corner for ammo stash and armour.
- 3. On the top floor of the outermost pyramid ring, in the green hallway, shoot a switch near the ceiling to open the secret (use the scanner).
Shoot here for Secret 3
- 4. In the blue square after pressing both switches (one on each side of the giant crusher), a niche should be opened by the ramp, which unlocks a teleporter, bringing you to the next challenge.
- 5. At the end of the lava square, between the two skull archways that lead to the room where the silver key is found, on the highest tileset near the archway that connects to the lava pool, there is a shootable bit. This will open a secret passage that leads to a Blood Staff.
Secret 5 shootable bit
- 6. In the inner pyramid ring, in the section with yellow walls, there is a scarab switch hidden in a darker section of the wall. Press it, then backtrack towards the beginning of the pyramid, past the ceiling crushers; along the way, a wall will open up full of Rippers. Keep going to reach the secret hallway, with many items (including Super Armour) and a very large number of ghosts.
Secret 6 switch
Other Items of interest[]
- There is an artifact in the room with the gem key.