[The following assumes that you're using tank controls]

The key to combat in Classic TR is the dodge-roll. (Actually, the first thing you should do is try to find a way to cheese an encounter - don't ever fight fair if you can avoid it! - but I'm talking about the combat encounters you cannot avoid.)

WHY?

Generally speaking, you want to be behind the thing you're fighting - away from their damage-dealing bits (claws, teeth, hands, guns) and free to pelt them with bullets while THEY have to awkwardly turn around. Lara, too, takes forever to turn using her normal movements, but the dodge-roll/quickturn move is almost instantaneous, and that is the one big advantage you have over (most of) the enemies in these games.

So: If keeping your distance is not an option to avoid damage (because the enemy is already in melee range or uses ranged hitscan attacks), your best option is to rush them, then dodge past them and backstab them with your bullets. Rinse and repeat until they keel over.

WHY NOT FLIP AROUND INSTEAD?

People usually recommend jumping around like crazy to keep enemies away from you, but that just means you're spending a lot of time in the air with a limited amount of control over where you're going, making it hard to adjust to any unforeseen moves by the AI, and also very likely that you end up falling off a platform or bumping into a wall, which stops you in your tracks.

If you use the dodge-roll, you're always on the ground, always ready to adjust and respond to any moves they make, and have much more control over your own positioning and timing.

CAVEATS:

Obviously, there are enemies who require a different approach:

- projectile-shooting ranged enemies are best dealt with by using side-flips

- for melee enemies it is advantageous if you start combat from afar and then keep backing up with backsteps/backflips and dealing damage as they try to get to you, and switch to the dodge roll strat when they reach you

- for some of the bigger bosses, you want to run circles around them while locked on with at least one gun, which takes some practice but will reliably keep you out of their attack range while you continuously deal damage

- and some enemies, like in the latter half of TR1, are just gonna wreck your s**t so the only way to deal with them is to get out your best damage dealers and end things as quickly as you can. This also goes for groups.

WRAP-UP:

But for your bread-and-butter melee enemies (animals, guys with bats/pipes) and gunwielding hitscan dudes (the human bosses in TR1, EVERYONE AND THEIR MUM in TR2, etc), rushing them, dodge-rolling past them and then staying behind them is the best way to avoid damage.

It took me *checks notes* almost 20 years to figure this out, and it has made SUCH a difference in my enjoyment of these games. It used to be "I really like the exploration and the vibes, but OH GOD the combat sucks so bad", but using this approach combat is finally manageable enough to be just another part of the challenge instead of a borderline broken difficulty spike.

My hope is that this PSA gets you there a little quicker.

Happy raiding!