The Doom Slayer makes a triumphant return in Doom: The Dark Ages, id Software’s third nu-Doom game (entries in the Doom series characterized by faster combat and more lore-heavy narratives). Serving as a prequel to Doom Eternal, The Dark Ages pits players against the uncharacteristically organized forces of hell in a hybrid sci-fi and dark fantasy-themed intergalactic war.
The Dark Ages’ alien worlds and anachronistic weapons and armor are fantastic and disorienting — the synthesis of a greater mythos hinted at within Doom Eternal’s The Ancient Gods DLC expansions. Even though this version of the Doom universe looks so different, one thing is a constant: The only thing the demons fear is you.
But that doesn’t mean they aren’t going to fight you tooth and nail throughout the nearly 20-hour campaign. If you want to even the odds and become the unstoppable powerhouse that the Doom Slayer is meant to be, these tips and tricks will ensure you keep pace with the difficulty spikes in Doom: The Dark Ages.
Use the new modifiers and accessibility settings to fine tune your game
If you’re a Doom veteran, you’ll probably have a good idea of what difficulty you want to play The Dark Ages’ campaign on. Classic Doom difficulty settings such as Hurt Me Plenty, Ultra-Violence, Nightmare and the permadeath Ultra-Nightmare return. I played through the game on the Ultra-Violence difficulty, which buffs up enemy damage to 200% of its normal value, and found that to be the optimal challenge for a frequent first-person shooter player.
But if you’re new to Doom, worried about playing a parry-heavy FPS game or don’t play many shooters at all, there are custom difficulty options you should take advantage of that will let you finely tailor the way The Dark Ages plays.
Beyond the difficulty presets, players are able to change how much damage they dish out and receive, how aggressive the enemy AI is, how fast the game moves and how much ammunition and health resource drops provide. Perhaps most important, players are able to increase (or decrease) the parry window timing, which should help most people get a grasp on the new core mechanic.
Special combat assistance modifiers also make The Dark Ages more accessible than ever before. The enhanced targeting toggle adds significant aim assist to help new FPS players hit more shots, while the empowered attacks option makes demons more susceptible to staggering — creating a more laid-back experience where players can more relentlessly press the attack.
Practice shielding and parrying so you can fight up close
The Dark Ages is slower than other nu-Doom games — especially Doom Eternal. In this game, you simply won’t be able to navigate an arena in a way that lets you avoid all of the enemy fire. The player is much heavier and cumbersome now, and an integral piece of the new gameplay loop is throwing that weight around to prevent incoming damage.
As I played through The Dark Ages, I found that long-range combat wasn’t as effective as just closing the distance on my foes and battling up close. If you want to be an effective demon killer, shield bash in, parry the demonic counterattack and wail on your prey with a flurry of fists and lead.
Blocking enemy attacks with the new shield saw is the easiest way to stay safe but the best defense is still a good offense. Green glowing projectiles and demon melee attacks can be parried if the player blocks at the right time, reflecting the damage and often staggering any demons close to the player.
Around halfway through the game, players will begin to find special runes that can empower parries with special abilities like a ground slam or a shoulder-cannon counterattack, making it even more worthwhile to master this skill early in the game.
There are different tools for different jobs — swap weapons on the fly
Weapon hot swapping has been drilled into my mind by Doom Eternal. That game set the expectation that players would have to learn how to master their entire arsenal, pulling out new guns every few seconds to deal with different demons on the battlefield.
There are fewer specific weapon and enemy interactions in The Dark Ages, and I think most players will find this to be a more casual-friendly game — but you’ll still want to adapt your arsenal to an evolving threat.
Plasma weapons will supercharge and blow up energy shields, while ballistic weapons will prime enemies holding metal shields for a shield saw takedown. The super shotgun and rocket launcher are still the heavy hitters you’ll want to use against pinky riders and mancubi, while the new skull-shrapnel weapons are what you’ll want to use to thin out a horde of fodder demons.
Recognizing when it’s time to change out your guns is a big part of the skill curve, because every second spent making that decision means more energy projectiles are flying your way. If you have a hard time remembering which hotkey is bound to each weapon, you can pull up a weapon wheel that slows down time to take some of the pressure off in the thick of the battle.
Check the automap for secrets as you explore new levels
Most Doom secrets are fun cosmetic upgrades, unlocking concept art, enemy models and weapon skins. That’s still the case in The Dark Ages, as you can collect demon figurines and black, white and gold skins for every weapon — but this game also has an array of arsenal upgrade materials hidden in every nook and cranny.
Gold, rubies and wraithstones are new collectibles that you’ll need to gather to buff up your guns, shield and melee weapons. Every material is marked on the automap with a question mark until you get close enough to reveal it, which means you want to be tabbing into your pause menu every couple of rooms to take a brisk look at your surroundings.
Gold is the most plentiful resource but you’ll need hundreds of bars to buy the first-tier buffs for every weapon in your arsenal. Rubies are hidden in secret areas around the map and they’re used to buy the mid-tier, branching upgrades for each weapon. These are the buffs that really start to specialize a weapon and give it a unique place in your arsenal — your incendiary rounds, arcing crowd control lightning and other goodies are locked behind this tier.
Wraithstones don’t appear until later in the game and you usually need to complete a puzzle or combat challenge to claim this rare resource. These gems are used to purchase the last upgrade in each weapon’s tree so you don’t want to leave the area if you spot a wraithstone near your position on the automap.
Prioritize upgrades for one weapon of each ammo type first
Even if you’re hunting down every secret you can find on your automap, you’re not going to have enough upgrade materials for every weapon until very late in the game. Because you have two weapons for each ammo type in the game, it’s best to specialize in one until you can support both pieces of equipment.
For example, I neglected my combat shotgun in the early game, instead choosing to upgrade my super shotgun. The combat shotgun works best against fodder enemies and I was already using the skull shrapnel guns and the shield’s saw toss to take care of the light work. I used my first set of wraithstones on the super shotgun, shredder nailgun and plasma cycler, as all of these weapons used different ammo types and served a distinct purpose in battle.
As you near the end of The Dark Ages, the power level of your arsenal will naturally balance out as you find enough materials to upgrade every weapon to its deadliest form. Until then, stick to what feels natural for you and make sure you have a tool for every problem the game has taught you to expect up until that point.
These tips should help you prepare to take on the hordes from Hell in Doom: The Dark Ages. The game comes out on May 15 for Xbox, PlayStation and PC, and it’ll be available on Game Pass at launch. Players who purchase the Premium Edition of Doom: The Dark Ages will gain access to the game on May 13. And if you’re looking to play the rest of the games in the Doom series, we can tell you how to do just that.
