Doom: General tips Doom Guide

Last update: 31 August 2018

This page contains various tips and hints for Doom that should help you understand the game's basic gameplay mechanics and complete the single player campaign. Here, you can read about various difficulty levels, the biggest threats or useful treasures that can be found in almost every level.

• Difficulty levels
• Combat
• Exploration
• Upgrading the Doom Marine

Difficulty levels

1. Start the game on the normal difficulty level (Hurt Me Plenty). This is an optimal difficulty level for your first playthrough. You will be able to complete all the missions without any serious problems. This difficulty still requires you to learn the basic gameplay mechanics, to move around a battlefield and to choose weapons that are most suitable for a given fight but you won't have to repeat the same parts over and over again. The only fights that are more difficult are those where you have to face bosses. These battles require you to learn a boss' attacks and know how to dodge them.
2. You can change your difficulty level at any point of the game. This is especially useful during the aforementioned boss fights. Set your difficulty level to a lower one if, despite numerous attempts, you aren't able to beat a certain part. The game doesn't have any achievements related to difficulty levels - you won't lose anything if you switch your current difficulty.
3. Nightmare and Ultra-Nightmare levels are extremely difficult. Don't pick them if you haven't beat the game yet. These levels require knowledge of the attacks used by the demons. You should also know where enemies spawn or where you can find supplies and artefacts that make you more powerful for a brief moment. Try to always avoid receiving damage - even one weaker demon can be deadly for the Doom Marine.
4. There are no checkpoints in missions on Ultra-Nightmare. If you die, you have to repeat the entire mission. This is especially problematic for longer levels.

Combat

1. Be on the move. Doom isn't a game where you can plan your attacks by standing in a safe spot and attack enemies from behind a cover. You have to be aggressive - attack demons before they take the initiative. This doesn't mean that you can't take actions that will allow you to avoid damage. Strafe a lot - this will reduce a chance of getting hit by a demon. Also, don't forget about the jump button. It allows you to avoid attacks and to reach platforms located above you.
2. Eliminate as many demons as possible with Glory Kills. These attacks serve as executions. Glory Kills can be performed on almost every enemy in the game (Lost Souls are the only exception). You can perform them on enemies that have lost a lot of health - these demons will start glowing orange. Thanks to Glory Kills you can save supplies, get health points and replenish ammo - this is especially useful on the higher difficulty levels.
3. Demons, that pose the biggest threat should be eliminated first. They majority of the fights put you up against various demons. Try to quickly asses which enemies you are fighting against and start with eliminating the most dangerous ones. The most problematic demons are those that use powerful attacks or those that are difficult to avoid.
4. Explore arenas and look for supplies. Every bigger battle in Doom takes place in a large location. Starting a fight as fast as possible isn't always the best idea, especially in locations where demons start appearing after you destroy a nest. Always use this chance to explore your surroundings. You can come across supplies with health and ammo but the most important ones are multicolored artifacts. They can, e.g. increase your damage or make you immortal for a brief moment. Collect them right when a battle starts - this will make the majority of the battles easier to win.
5. Use interactive objects from your environment. Besides supplies and artifacts, you can also find objects that may increase your chance at surviving. Explosive barrels can kill nearby demons, and interactive plates can launch you up in the air. These plates are useful when you want to reach supplies fast or when you are weakened.
6. Choice of your weapons should be based on enemies you are facing and your current ammo. The Doom Marine can carry all of his weapons. You can (and should) switch between them to adapt to your current fight. Don't waste rockets on Imps and don't use the Pistol on more powerful demons. You can carry a limited amount of ammunition. Try to use weapons that currently have a lot of ammo.
7. Don't forget about grenades and additional weapons. These additional weapons are the Chainsaw and BFG-9000 (they can be equipped by pressing separate buttons). The Chainsaw should be used on a regular basis - fuel is easy to find. As for the BFG, use it only in situations where you have to kill large groups of enemies or when you must face the strongest demons.

Exploration

1. Check the map regularly and look for terminals with auto maps. The maps available in Doom are rather complex. It is easy to get lost or to miss a secret. Use the map as often as possible to see where you can go. Find a terminal with an auto map to make things easier - these terminals reveal an entire map. Also, locations that weren't visited yet are marked with a different color.
2. Collect as many secrets as possible. Almost every mission has a dozen of secrets to find. Some of them don't have any practical use but there are a few that can make Doom Guy more powerful (e.g. Argent Cells or tokens collected from Elite Guards). Check the Secrets chapter to learn where you can find them in the game.
3. You can unlock classic maps. Every level has a hidden lever. Use it to unlock entrance to a secret location (you can recognize them by the retro look). Enter inside those rooms to unlock a new level from the classic Doom from 1993. These levels can be accessed from the main menu.
4. Don't fall down. This can happen in the majority of the missions. Some of the jumps have to be really precise. Doom Guy can climb ledges automatically when he gets close to them after performing a jump. Later, you will receive boots that allow you to use a double jump.
5. Your progress is saved automatically. You can't save manually in Doom. The game creates automatic saves in crucial parts of a mission (e.g. after completing an objective or when you reach an important location). Ultra-Nightmare difficulty level is the exception - here, you have to complete an entire mission in one sit. Your progress in challenges and in finding collectibles is saved separately. You can reload your previous checkpoint (e.g. when you die) without the fear that you will lose your progress in a challenge etc.

Upgrading the Doom Marine

1. The most important upgrades are obtained through collectibles. This is another reason for you to look around carefully. Don't rush through the levels. The most important secrets development-wise are Argent Cells (use them to extend health/armor bars or to increase your ammo capacity), Elite Guards (get their tokens to develop your Praetor Suit) and Field Drones (unlock new weapon modifications).
2. Complete mission challenges. Every level in Doom has its own set of challenges that can be checked even before you start a particular mission. Remember about them and try to complete these challenges during your playthrough. Check our walkthrough to find tips for every mission challenge.
3. Upgrade your weapons. One of the ways of upgrading your weapons is to buy regular upgrades. Every weapon modification has one unique challenge. Complete it to receive an even more powerful upgrade. More information can be found in the chapter dedicated to the weapons.
4. Unlock and upgrade runes. Another great way of upgrading Doom Guy - every upgraded rune gives you a new and useful ability. Start with looking for a Trial Stone (check the chapter dedicated to the secrets). Complete its challenge to receive a rune. Unlocked runes can be activated in the inventory. After that you can start upgrading them by completing challenges. Try to upgrade runes as soon as you unlock them - you can have only 3 active runes at a time.