2025 has been quite eventful thus far, and it appears we’re in for more excitement ahead. Coming soon is “DOOM: The Dark Ages“, offering a deliberate, strategic yet brutal first-person shooter experience. This upcoming title from id Software is set in a medieval sci-fi environment and promises an engaging new prequel storyline. As we eagerly await its release, let’s delve into some essential details about this highly anticipated FPS.
22 LEVELS
To kick things off, let’s discuss an essential detail about the upcoming game that’s been disclosed – DOOM: The Dark Ages. This game will boast a total of 22 levels, many of which are expansive, open-ended, and designed to foster exploration with lots of extra content for players to discover. In contrast, both DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal featured 13 missions each, so it’s clear that we’re in store for an incredibly large game, especially when considering the standards set by previous DOOM titles.
COSMIC REALM
In the grand tapestry of dimensions that the Doom Slayer is destined to dismantle in “The Dark Ages”, one of the captivating realms I’m eager to explore is the Cosmic Realm – a fresh, long-desired addition to the DOOM universe as peridically mentioned by game director Hugo Martin. This Lovecraftian world has chosen allegiance with the demonic powers, and promises to showcase “cyclopean architecture,” in Hugo’s words, alongside a horde of contorted adversaries, including a monstrous foe resembling the colossal figure of Cthulhu.
COSMIC BARON
When it comes to adversaries in the realm of the cosmos, one more that the Slayer will clash with is known as the Cosmic Baron. According to id Software, this character is a formidable “twin-bladed brute,” capable of launching psionic attacks from afar and applying intense pressure during close combat, among other abilities. The Cosmic Baron will also be accompanied by other menacing new enemies, including the Cacodemon – a creature that combines elements of both Hell and the Cosmic Realm and was specifically created for the game “The Dark Ages.
AGADON HUNTER
In DOOM Eternal, the Marauder was a terrifying foe for many players. Similarly, The Dark Ages will introduce its own version of such a challenging enemy. Speaking to PC Gamer, game director Hugo Martin discussed the Agadon Hunter, likening him to DOOM Eternal’s Marauder in terms of providing tough battles that require skillful maneuvers like parrying, dodging, and weaving around projectiles. However, it is important to note that the Agadon Hunter is not just a larger version of the Marauder; instead, he represents a unique challenge set within the context of The Dark Ages.
From all your actions within the game prior to this moment, we consider them as preparatory work. Now, think of everything else leading up to this as practice tests. When you encounter the boss, it’s like taking the final examination.
NEW TOOLS TO MASTER
As a gamer diving into DOOM: The Dark Ages, I’m pumped about the fresh batch of adversaries I’ll be facing off against. But what’s truly got me excited is the arsenal of new weapons at my disposal! It seems like even the old favorites from past games are getting a significant makeover, with Martin confirming that only the shotguns remain unchanged. The plasma rifle, for instance, has been completely revamped, and almost everything else is brand spanking new. This was all part of the plan to provide us gamers with new skills to hone and conquer the darkness ahead!
It’s essential for a Doom game to include its traditional elements, like the plasma rifle and shotguns. However, what other weapons could we design? That’s where we began, creating each weapon anew.
REAVER CHAINSHOT
In the mentioned Cosmic Realm, players will acquire a unique weapon known as the Reaver Chainshot, which is referred to as a “ferocious iron mace of ballistic death.” A swift press of the trigger unleashes light attacks, while maintaining pressure on it builds up the weapon’s Chaos Sphere. When fully charged, this sphere propels an iron mace chain, acting as a devastating long-range attack. As stated by Hugo Martin, the Reaver Chainshot takes the excellent melee combat from “Doom: The Dark Ages” and elevates it to an unprecedented level of bone-crushing destruction.
GORE SYSTEM
As a passionate fan, I can’t help but marvel at how DOOM outshines most games when it comes to gore and violence. It’s truly remarkable that id Software is aiming to elevate this aspect even further with their upcoming game, The Dark Ages. Game director Hugo Martin boasts that the prequel’s gore system, a beloved feature of the DOOM franchise, is unparalleled in the gaming industry. He’s particularly proud of the new Skullcrusher weapon, which will showcase this exceptional gore in stunning detail. In an interview with PC Gamer, he explained, “We’ve now reached version three of our destructible demon gore system, from 2016 to Eternal and now. I believe we have the best gore in the industry. Our gore system is where we invest a significant amount of resources. So, combined with the falters, the incredible animations, the physics, the sound design, the blood squibs, we truly create that ‘Robocop’ moment. It feels fantastic when you use the Skullcrusher because you can hold a group of enemies in place as their limbs are torn off and their bodies shake, and they won’t drop until you release the trigger.
MELEE-ONLY RUNS
DOOM: The Dark Ages
In essence, DOOM: The Dark Ages is a first-person action game, similar to its predecessors. However, it offers an expanded melee combat system with unique options like the new Shield Saw and electrified gauntlet, in addition to other weapons such as the Reaver Chainshot. It’s even possible to complete the entire game using only melee attacks, but it would be quite challenging, as suggested by Hugo Martin in a PC Gamer interview: “If players can beat Dark Souls without taking damage and complete Doom 2016 with a pistol-only Nightmare run, I’m confident that they will find a way to do it using the shield and melee weapons, because they are quite powerful, but it would certainly be difficult.
LENGTH
It’s been made clear by id Software that DOOM: The Dark Ages features the most extensive campaign they’ve ever created, significantly outdoing their previous works. This game offers a wealth of side content, spans across 22 levels, and includes several semi-open world maps to explore. However, the exact runtime hasn’t been disclosed yet. Given your play style, The Dark Ages could potentially last twice as long as DOOM Eternal.
WHY IT DOESN’T HAVE MULTIPLAYER
In contrast to both “DOOM (2016)” and the upcoming “DOOM: The Dark Ages”, “DOOM: The Dark Ages” will solely offer a single-player experience. Although multiplayer hasn’t been a major attraction for “DOOM” games, many fans might find it disappointing that there won’t be any multiplayer options in the upcoming prequel. However, id Software had a valid reason for making this significant choice. In a Q&A session, executive producer Marty Stratton explained, “From the start, we made the decision to focus on creating experiences like the Atlan and the mech experience, as well as the dragon experience. These are essentially mini-games within the game. Given that our campaigns are a significant draw for modern “DOOM” games, we chose to direct all our efforts towards this aspect and create the largest and best “DOOM” game we’ve ever made.
ENGINE IMPROVEMENTS
id Software has consistently been at the forefront of technological advancements, and the idTech engine has continually pushed boundaries with each new DOOM installment. The upcoming game, DOOM: The Dark Ages, will continue this trend, boasting features like fully dynamic lighting, ray tracing, and performance enhancements. As stated on the PlayStation Blog by Hugo Martin, “The advancements in this updated version of idTech enable us to display more content than ever before—larger areas with extended views; more enemies to battle; more destruction; superior feedback; an overall improved gaming experience.
COULD GET DIRECT SEQUELS
The game titled “DOOM: The Dark Ages” temporarily halts the series’ ongoing narrative to delve into a prequel story occurring before “DOOM (2016)”. It’s possible that this isn’t the only game to adopt such an approach. During an interview with PC Gamer, when asked if “The Dark Ages” concludes with the Doom Slayer being entombed in a sarcophagus, as seen at the beginning of “2016”, Martin clarified that this is not the case. Instead, the ending of “The Dark Ages” might set the stage for more medieval-themed prequels, directly continuing the story. In other words, it’s not over yet; the medieval era chapter of the Doom saga could still have more tales to tell in the form of the Chronicles of the Slayer.
If we were to reach that limit, it would imply that there are no more tales from the Middle Ages left to tell. However, I’m not introducing any new ventures; instead, I simply suggest keeping our options open.
POSSIBLE SWITCH 2 RELEASE
It’s worth noting that “DOOM: The Dark Ages” is officially announced only for Xbox Series X/S, PC, and PS5 at this time. However, considering the success of previous DOOM games like “DOOM (2016)” and “DOOM Eternal” on Nintendo Switch, it’s possible that it could also make its way to the Nintendo Switch 2. Additionally, there are rumors circulating from a reliable source, extas1s, suggesting that “The Dark Ages” is indeed in development for the Switch 2.
DLC PLANS
Similar to DOOM Eternal, additional single-player content is being developed for DOOM: The Dark Ages following its release. At this point, we’re not aware of the expansion’s title, how it will contribute to the main game’s narrative, its scale, or when it will be available. However, what we do know is that work on the expansion is ongoing.
PC REQUIREMENTS
The system requirements for the PC version of DOOM: The Dark Ages are disclosed, and it’s not a surprise that they’re quite high. To run the game at 1080p resolution with a consistent 60 frames per second (FPS), you’ll need either a Ryzen 7 3700X or an i7 10700K CPU, along with a graphics card such as the RTX 2060 Super or the RX 6600, and 16 gigabytes (GB) of RAM. If you aim for recommended settings, targeting 1440p resolution at 60 FPS, you’ll need more powerful hardware: either a Ryzen 7 5700X or an i7 12700K CPU, coupled with the RTX 3080 or the RX 6800 graphics card, and 32 GB of RAM. Additionally, you’ll need at least 100 gigabytes (GB) of free storage space on your system.
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2025-05-06 09:12