Here are my five ideal picks that’ll be familiar names among classic Doom fanatics. These add-ons will also be explained why they were chosen for this list.
I believe these wads are not only still fun to play, but they have their moments where they can rival or surpass the official maps from Doom I and II. All of these wads I mentioned will only be playable for Doom II and they are megawads.
So what that means these map packs are all going to have at least 15 maps. These wads should also be playable on a wide range of source ports too.
1. Memento Mori – Old, But Still Gold
Memento Mori is simply a 32 level map pack that one should play if you love that classic styled experience from Doom I and II. Out of all the community Doom II megawads that will be suggested, this one is the oldest. However, it still has its charm to this day. The first two maps are short, but they offer some fairly punchy early game styled combat.
As you play through the wad, levels like MAP09: High-Tech Grave is a fun tech-base level that promotes exploration and action. MAP13: The Inmost Dens II is definitely a solid tribute styled map of one of Doom II’s levels. These are just some minor examples of how satisfying some of the levels can be from Memento Mori.
The seventh level is great for those who like close quarter combat and thought provoking puzzles.
Not only the maps were similar quality of the official levels at the time, but the soundtrack that’s composed by Mark Klem is also timeless too. The moment you listen to “Triangle of Fear,” you’ll certainly want to come back and listen to the song on repeat!
It should be noted that some of these levels can be cryptic in their progression. Due to this design choice, you might have to look up online in figuring out how to beat some of these levels. With that mentioned, if you are a patient player, these puzzles are definitely solvable without needing external assistance.
Memento Mori was also specialized in the cooperative mode. When playing cooperatively, players can expect additional monsters or different level progression. In 1996, a sequel was made to Memento Mori, and you can continue it if you enjoyed the original enough.
2. AUGER; ZENITH – High Tech, Low Life
Unlike the first megawad that was suggested, this one was made in modern times. AUGER;ZENITH was released in 2021 and is the 37th installment to the Doomer Boards Projects. This megawad is certainly a gorgeous one to look at. If you ever wanted a cyberpunk setting in your Doom maps, AUGER; ZENITH is heavily specialized in that field.
The maps include many custom textures and typical cyberpunk locales like neon lit cities. The first map is already a highlight due to its heavy detail and good pacing. MAP13: Lower Salt Lake City is not only a beautiful map at first glance, but it packs some punchy combat and it drips with atmosphere.
This megawad uses a lot of music from the Streets of Rage series.
The final level which is MAP21: The Cynet Reaper is memorable from start to end. The level combines slaughter maps while being an Icon of Sin styled level. It is a short map, but it will end on a satisfying finish. There aren’t any new enemies in this map pack if you’re expecting some cyberpunk-themed monsters.
However, that decision doesn’t downplay the quality of the wad, and it is absolutely a must play if you still want to play classic Doom, but with an interesting coat of paint. This megawad only has 22 levels and one of them is also an interactive ending credits map.
3. Alien Vendetta – A Timeless Classic
Alien Vendetta is perhaps one of the most recognizable megawads among diehard classic Doom fans. Long time players might’ve played some of its maps or finished the entire campaign. Alien Vendetta’s maps tend to blend in that classic style of Doom I and II while embracing the slaughter map gameplay made by its fans. These maps offer puzzle solving and it forces the player to fight lethal battles.
This megawad does have a good amount of levels that will truly impress players the first time. MAP10: Toxic Touch is easily the highlight of the first episode of the wad. It’s suspenseful and immersive, but it will keep you on your toes constantly at the same time. MAP25: Demonic Hordes is notorious for the big difficulty spike while offering some exceptional slaughter styled firefights.
That’s a lot of monsters and that’s what you’re met at the beginning of the later levels!
Alien Vendetta is not an easy megawad to play on Ultra-Violence difficulty. The previous suggested megawads should be reasonable enough to be played on Ultra-Violence if you don’t have much experience with community maps. Due to the difficulty of Alien Vendetta, I highly recommend players to bump it down to one or two skill levels behind Ultra-Violence.
It is worth playing Alien Vendetta on Ultra-Violence difficulty for wanting to become better at classic Doom. This megawad will be tougher than The Plutonia Experiment or Legacy of Rust on Ultra-Violence difficulty. This map pack features 32 levels for the player to venture.
4. Speed of Doom – Pure Action, No Mercy
Alien Vendetta is heavy on the action, but here’s another megawad that’s also that. Speed of Doom is certainly going to please Doom players that truly want their skills to be tested. This 33 level map pack is not shy at throwing hordes of monsters from the early to late stages. Most of the maps are designed to be Plutonia styled arenas to big slaughterfest showdowns.
One of the interesting things about Speed of Doom is every episode will end on a death exit. What that means is the player is forced to pistol start onto the next episode which is a nice tribute to the original Doom episode format.
Some levels will have magnificent detail that’s worth embracing.
MAP14: Sledge is one of the definitive levels of Speed of Doom. Some of the encounters are exhilarating and it also has a great build up on its intensity. If you happen to find the second secret level, MAP32: The Pyramid of Death is explosive from start to end. It’s also a map that has an insanely hot start, be prepared for it!
Just like Alien Vendetta, I recommend newer players to lower the difficulty settings. The later stages will definitely start to become tougher and meaner with how the combat encounters are handled. For those who don’t mind getting good and proving yourself, Ultra-Violence is the way to go then.
5. Perdition’s Gate – One of the ’90 Finest
The fifth and final suggestion is also similar to the age of Memento Mori. Perdition’s Gate is a 32 level pack that was initially supposed to be the third episode of Final Doom. The mapset is definitely shortest out of the five here, but it’s still got plenty of fun to offer. Despite the levels being short, there are many themes ranging from the usual techbase, hellish landscapes, and some experimental ones like the secret maps.
This level has a wonderful track to listen to.
The difficulty should be similar to Doom II, so it’s definitely a great wad to play through if you don’t want to jump into other wads that might push the difficulty way higher than Doom II. Its short length will be perfect for those that don’t want to deal with the exhaustion of playing a long megawad which can happen. The third level of Perdition’s Gate is where the combat does start get fairly spicy in the early stages.
It throws in tons of hitscanners while providing a nice layout that feels exciting to navigate. MAP27: Hell’s Masterpiece is by far the mapset’s magnum opus. Its stunning visuals make it feel like a level that was released in today’s times. Additionally, it promotes a healthy amount of exciting firefights and reasonable exploration puzzles.
These five Doom II campaigns all have their certain appeal like Memento Mori’s classic styled level design to Speed of Doom‘s gauntlet challenges. Whether you choose one or multiple map packs from this list, they are worth your time to experience the fan’s devoted talents.
