Baba Yaga: Temple of the Witch is a story DLC for Rise of the Tomb Raider.
Plot[]
Lara Croft investigates a disturbance within a Soviet mining facility. After fighting a Trinity patrol, she encounters a young woman, Nadia, who is hiding inside a locker. Nadia tells Lara that she is looking for her grandfather, Ivan, who disappeared into the Wicked Vale in search of her grandmother Serafima, and to avenge her presumed death by the mythical witch Baba Yaga, who supposedly lives there. Lara was skeptical of Baba Yaga's existence, but as Nadia is injured, she agrees to enter the Wicked Vale and locate Ivan.
Inside the Vale, Lara is exposed to a rare hallucinogenic pollen. After stumbling through a forest, where she is tormented by visions of her father's suicide, she encounters Baba Yaga and fends off a pack of demonic wolves. She escapes Baba Yaga by jumping into a river, and ends up in a small outpost. There, she discovers evidence of a secret Soviet biological weapons project that attempted to harness the pollen as a weapon. Its effects on its researchers, among which included Serafima, forced the project to be stopped.
Lara later learns that Serafima used the pollen to attack the Soviets for their abuse at a gulag, and for separating her from Nadia's grandfather. Serafima developed an antidote for herself, and kept her continued research secret from the military. With Nadia's help, Lara gathers ingredients to produce an antidote for herself, and resists the pollen's effects as she returns to the Vale. She finds the injured Ivan at the entrance to Baba Yaga's lair.
As she and Ivan cannot leave the Vale as long as Baba Yaga controls it, Lara advances further to confront her. Upon entering Baba Yaga's lair, she loses her last dose of the antidote and has to fight Baba Yaga under the pollen's effects. Lara prevails and destroys the pollen's source, and discovers that Baba Yaga is Serafima, who was led to believe that Ivan was dead and becomes Baba Yaga, using the weaponized pollen to attack her captors in revenge. With Serafima, Ivan, and Nadia reunited, they and Lara leave the Vale.
Completion Rewards[]
These are the rewards for players who have completed this DLC's story:
- Dreamstinger Bow - infuses poison arrows with hallucinogenic shots that confuse enemies.
- Wraithskin Outfit - an outfit based on Baba Yaga's costume.