Shadow of the Tomb Raider: How to Unlock (Decipher) Monoliths

How to Unlock (Decipher) Monoliths in Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Lara Croft’s adventures take her to the exotic Amazon rainforest of eastern Peru in the latest game in the series, Shadow of the Tomb Raider. After unwittingly unleashing cataclysmic events that have endangered the continent’s population, Lara is seeking to undo her mistakes by tracking down the artifacts she disturbed that have since been taken by the mysterious organization, Trinity. As an adventurer, explorer, and historical expert, she’s obviously pretty clued-in when it comes to reading ancient hieroglyphics and texts, but that doesn’t mean she knows everything. Piecing together the locations of the tombs, treasures, and crypts along her journey require her to sharpen up her skills to decipher these ancient languages. There are several ancient languages in the game, and understanding them grants players the ability to read Monoliths, which provide clues to Monolith Riches —buried treasure. Here’s how to unlock and decipher those Monoliths in Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Essentially, certain Monoliths will require Lara to be fluent in the language that is inscribed on its surface. These languages are Mam, Quechua, and Yucatec.

You’ll soon discover that Monoliths you’ve found can’t be read at her current level of understanding, so to upskill her understanding you’ll need to be sure to take the time to explore the area and interact with every point of interest you can.

These include relics, murals, monuments (although often monuments can’t be read until a certain language level either), and various wall inscribings that Lara will find both in main areas, within Crypts, and while undertaking Tomb Challenges. In brief, explore everywhere and read everything.

That’s all you need to know about how to unlock and decipher Monoliths to find Monolith Riches in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. For more useful information and guides on the game, check out our wiki page.