Doom Eternal: What We Know So Far

We have a little less than a month left until Doom Eternal arrives on our consoles and PCs. Before throwing money down if you haven't already, this is everything we know so far about Doom Eternal from its core gameplay loop to the continuation of the story that will follow up on Doom (2016).

Doom Slayer is slaying (Credit: id Software)

The world is a month away from the return of the Doom Slayer with his heavy metal music and demon-killing weaponry. Id Software’s follow-up to the 2016 reboot will enlarge the scope from its predecessor in every way. To ensure our readers have all of the information before spending $60 or more for the hardcore fans wanting the deluxe edition, this is what we know so far about Doom Eternal.

STORY

The story in the last game didn’t end in a way Doom Slayer would have wanted, as his efforts failed to completely stop the UAC’s quest for renewable energy. Humanity continues to dabble with trying to power up their gaming consoles and keep the lights on, resulting in more demons and Hell raining down on Earth. Now you, the killer of demons, need to end it once and for all by finding Dr. Samuel Hayden, chairman of the UAC.

The trailer for the narrative does not give many clues on what’s to come as it mostly focuses on the silent protagonist doing what he does best, slaughtering demons. One thing is for certain: traveling outside of the research facility on Mars will expand on this universe’s lore. Some of the new locations include Earth and Phobos, one of the red planet’s moons.

The estimated playtime of the campaign will be around 18-22 hours, beating out the roughly 13 hours it takes to beat Doom (2016).

WEAPONS AND OTHER KILLING TOOLS

Your arsenal will grow significantly compared to the previous Doom. New and old guns will return, like the super shotgun, which features a new meathook to stick into enemies and swing around, and the assault rifle. Take the weapons you know like the super double-barreled boomstick from previous entries and change your perception as plenty of new toys will get added to older weapons.

The new additions to Doom Slayer’s toy box include an energy-powered rocket launcher and a Ballista with explosive-tipped spears. The whole roster has not been announced yet, but this is a taste for what’s to come when you go out to kill demons, whether you are bashing their brains out or painting the walls in blood with a compact mini-gun.

Gadgets will help make this the most powerful edition of the iconic demon killer we have ever seen or played. An over-the-shoulder flamethrower will come in handy to burn enemies alive. An extendable blade to your arm will allow for another way to chop up meaty foes outside of the returning chainsaw.

For those looking to get an old school experience from the 1993 classic, then a centered option will be available to play as you did back in the ’90s, or if you were too young for the original, then you can play the way your older siblings did.

MOVEMENT AND PARKOUR

Doom is all about speed unlike cover-based shooters like Gears of War. A dash ability makes it easier to get around areas as the maps will be more dynamic in scale. Swing off of poles or climb up surfaces to enhance your movement. Plus, the Meat Hook that was mentioned before will make for an efficient way to kill two birds with one stone by swinging to higher ground while also blasting away a demon’s guts.

PUZZLES

Doom (2016) was more about shooting and finding materials to push the story forward without adding other gameplay elements. Puzzles blended with the advanced platforming will be a major part of the game’s loop to give extra breathing room between battles.

Doom Slayer reloading his Super Shotgun

Doom Slayer reloading his Super Shotgun

ENEMIES

Outside of weapons, any fan of Doom wants to know about the demons that they will face. The reboot had approximately 20 enemy types, with Eternal adding up to around 40. Classic targets like the Cacodemon and Revenant will return. Older creatures from previous games will make a comeback like the Arachnotron from Doom 2 will appear. Then fresh ideas will get brought up from Hell’s portals like the demon-machine hybrid called a Doom Hunter along with the slithery Whiplash.

Your foes will be stronger and smarter. New attacks, even from monsters faced in Doom (2016), will need new strategies to counter. You can blast your way through using any gun, but weaknesses towards certain weapons open up a shortcut to quickly kill your targets.

To help visualize your progress in combat, the damage animations will appear on the bodies of demons. Some of the stronger opponents in the reboot would last a while without indicating when death is near. Now seeing armor fall off or pieces of their flesh get blown away will illustrate how close you are to killing the harder spawns from Hell.

If you want a rundown of some details on some of the demons, then check out the video below of director Hugo Martin going over each enemy type.

UPGRADE EVERYTHING

An upgrade system was in place in the reboot, but now that gets a step up in Eternal. It goes into RPG territory with its in-depth new leveling system that covers all of your bases.

The Praetor Suit has four categories to buff up for your survival. The paths include:

  • frag grenade (boost grenade)
  • environment (protections against environmental hazards)
  • explorations (shows on items on the map, map size, etc.)
  • fundamentals (overall combat)
  • ice bomb (similar to frag grenade, but chilly)

Sentinel Crystals unlock passives that beef up health, ammo, and armor, and deliver perks for extra abilities. Runes will also make a return. Three slots allow for three runes to give Doom Slayer an ability to make his killing more efficient.

A look at the weapon upgrades

A look at the weapon upgrades

HUB WORLD

Yes, Doom Slayer is getting his man cave. The hub world, appropriately titled The Fortress of Doom, will be a place to rest in-between levels. You can get new upgrades and other goodies by unlocking rooms with Sentinel Batteries, and some items will require Empyrean keys. Armor variants and other possible cosmetics will be offered because you have to kill in style.

The various floors offer plenty to explore for your enjoyment along with a Demon Prison or Ripatorium if that is what you prefer to, say, a training area to help you hone in on your skills.

MULTIPLAYER

Multiplayer returns in many forms. One of which lets you invade another person’s campaign as a demon. Be aware: you can be invaded, too.

Battlemode will be a 1v2 game type that pits two player-controlled demons against another person playing as Doom Slayer. The two players will have new movement and ability options while the silent protagonist has his variety of weapons in this “skill versus strategy” mode. 

The classics like deathmatch and objective-based modes have not been detailed, but you can expect all of that to come alongside Invasions and Battlemode. The developers have been more focused on the newer experiences players can have rather than the old ones.

MASTER LEVELS

Master levels grant you the option to replay a level with the same story beats with the addition of new enemies. You can face difficult demons in the early parts of the game for the ultimate challenge, especially if you decide to play on Ultra-Violence.

EXTRA LIFE

Before dying off completely and restarting from the last checkpoint, an extra life will save you for a brief moment. This second chance at survival will give you invincibility for a moment to resituate yourself to finish off the current fight you face.

MICK GORDON RETURNS

Outside of the gameplay, the revival of Doom has one of the best soundtracks in recent video game history. Mick Gordon returns to compose a heavy metal atmosphere to fuel the endless cycle of violence. One thing he is doing, outside of the electronic elements that fuse together with the progressive metal and death metal aspects, comes the idea that may have never been done before. He wants a choir of “heavy metal screamers,” essentially a death metal choir. 

DLC

DLC for the single-player will arrive within the next year or two of the game’s release. No details have been mentioned, but big plans are being made.

Pre-Order Bonuses

Sadly, the expensive fancy versions are sold out, but you can still get goods out of pre-ordering.

Standard edition of Doom Eternal

Standard edition of Doom Eternal

The standard edition is the usual $60. The Rip and Tear Pack will include the Doot Revenant Skin, the Throwback Shotgun Weapon Skin, and a bonus campaign level that’s a remixed version of “Cultist Base,” with “new challenges and surprises.” On top of that, you will get a free copy of Doom 64.

For extra cash, you can get a bit more for $90. The deluxe edition will offer the Demon Slayer Skin, the Classic Weapons Sound Pack, and the Doom Eternal Year One Pass to get the upcoming DLC.

Doom Eternal Deluxe Edition

Doom Eternal Deluxe Edition

RELEASE AND PLATFORMS

Okay, so here is when and where you can play Doom Eternal. It releases on March 20 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Google Stadia, and PC (Steam and Bethesda). Eventually, it will release on the Nintendo Switch later this year.

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