Shadow of the Tomb Raider Bucket Puzzle Guide - How to Solve the Bridge Puzzle

In the opening hours of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Lara and Jonah are going to be faced with a particularly tricky puzzle in the Peruvian Jungle area of the game. In this Shadow of the Tomb Raider bucket puzzle guide, we'll be walking you through how to easily solve this challenging task, which blocks you off from proceeding into the next area of the game.

But if you’re instead after more general help with Lara’s latest adventure, you’ll want to head over to our Shadow of the Tomb Raider guides hub. It’s on this page that you can find all the beginner tips and tricks to get to grips with the game, as well as complete details on all the gameplay changes that Square Enix has made for this third game.

How to Solve the Shadow of the Tomb Raider Bucket Puzzle

This puzzle takes place roughly halfway through the second area of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, after the big battle with the two jaguars. If you need a full walkthrough guide for all the collectibles found in this area of the dense game, you’ll want to check out our Shadow of the Tomb Raider Peruvian Jungle guide.

But otherwise, the bucket puzzle for this area begins with Lara and Jonah facing two paths: one going up to the left, and the other leading down to the right. Take the path leading up to the left, to find yourself overlooking a river.

Now turn left, and head to the edge of the area, where you can climb up a rock wall on your left. At the top of this wall will be a small area with a device that you can get to use the water running down a nearby pipe, which you’ll need to solve this puzzle.

Now return back to where Jonah’s stood, and you can both interact with a pole attached to a large wheel. Push the wheel all the way up to the end of the small ramp, and the pipe at the end will switch, putting water into the bucket and lowering it down.

At this point, if you run all the way back down the left path you originally took, and take the path on the right, you’ll be too late to complete the puzzle, as Jonah will shout that the bucket is leaking. Return to higher ground up the path, and you’ll have to repeat the process of pushing the wheel all the way to the end of the ramp for the second time.

When you now run to the bottom of the path on the right as quickly as possible, there’ll be a wooden log with rope around it. Stand behind this log, and look to the other side of the river, shooting an arrow at the bit of rope on the opposite side of the river to secure the log in place.

You’re now all done with this bucket puzzle in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, as you can return to higher ground and proceed across the bridge, bringing you one step closer to Kuwaq Yaku. Speaking of the village, it actually ends up being pretty large, with plenty of collectibles scattered around the map. For a full walkthrough of where to find all the Documents, Murals, and other items in this location, head over to our Shadow of the Tomb Raider Kuwaq Yaku guide.