Doom: The Dark Ages is a different game from the last two modern Doom games that id Software has released. This time around, it focuses more on melee combat and parrying for its combat loop. What that means is your experience in the previous Doom titles doesn’t have much effect on this one.
There’s quite a bit of stuff that players must know before they can properly survive in Doom: The Dark Ages. These five tips will immediately make you become better at the game, and you’ll definitely be able to handle the game’s harder difficulty in no time.
Remember to Shield Charge!
The first tip that the player should immediately be acquainted with is the Shield Charge ability. If you’ve played Doom Eternal, this mechanic is basically a spiritual successor to the Super Shotgun’s Meat Hook attachment. It’s designed to allow the player have mobility and can be used offensively and defensively.
You should definitely want to use the Shield Charge ability to take down group of fodder enemies and it is also excellent for dealing massive damage to larger sized demons. Don’t ever forget this ability while playing Doom: The Dark Ages because the game is simply demanding you to use it when it’s necessary.
Try to get the Harvester upgrade as soon as possible!
Fully Upgrade the Super Shotgun
If you’ve played any Doom titles in the past, the Super Shotgun has always been “that weapon.” Super Shotgun was the one gun that you can easily rely on. It is undeniably one of the most iconic weapons within the series. This game is no different and you should upgrade it as soon as possible.
Remember, how I mentioned it was important to use the Shield Charge ability? Well, the Super Shotgun’s close quarter efficiency synergizes well with Shield Charge. Usually, a simple Shield Charge and Super Shotgun blast should be able to kill or damage most heavy demons without much trouble. I highly recommend players to upgrade this weapon to its fullest capabilities to make the later stages even simpler to play.
Holy Swarm Goodness
The Shield Runes are an interesting mechanic in Doom: The Dark Ages. They allow your shield to basically have a special ability that goes off when parrying green projectiles. There are four in total that you can use in this game. However, there’s only one you should absolutely care about and invest your gold in.
The Holy Swarm has good range too.
Holy Swarm is simply the best one due to the massive amount of damage it can do to demons. You’ll also acquire it somewhere in the mid game, so it’s going to be a worthy investment in upgrading them to its fullest potential. It allows you to kill demons so fast, and having high damage is important for survivability. You’ll be surviving a lot of fights when maxing out Holy Swarm with all your desired gold you’ve collected.
Don’t Switch Weapons During Combat
Quick switching has been an important mechanic from the previous two Doom titles. This technique generally means the player is swapping to multiple weapons to increase their overall damage. In Doom: The Dark Ages, quick switching is simply not as effective like it once was. You definitely do not want to swap weapons during combat.
When switching to other weapons, you lose the ability to parry. You live or die by being able to block enemy’s attacks, so you have to be cautious when switching to other weapons. Some weapons will do better depending the situation, but it’s wise to only switch weapons when you know you’re in a safe position.
Stay Away From These Demons!
The Doom games have always promoted aggression and close quarter engagements. However, there are some enemies that I believe players should approach more defensively. They’re going to make fights a lot simpler if you ever encounter them. Both the Vagary and Komodo are there to encourage the player to slow things down a bit. You should definitely avoid using the Super Shotgun in this scenario.
The Shield Guys are also worth staying back. Make sure you toss your shield at them.
I’d recommend using the Chainshot or Rocket Launcher for these creatures. These enemies are definitely the ones you don’t want to fight them up close because they will kill you real fast! Remember to stay away from them, and shoot them at a distance.
Those are my tips that I can give players to know about when they try out Doom: The Dark Ages. They should definitely help your overall survivability against the meanest arena-styled fights that the game will throw at you. Now go out there, and play the game like how it should be played!
