Doom: The Dark Ages — 10 Best Tips for Beginners

Doom: The Dark Ages doesn’t waste any time easing you in. From the moment the game begins, you’re thrown into a brutal medieval world filled with demons, chaos, and nonstop combat. Whether you’re a longtime Doom fan or experiencing the series for the first time, this entry increases the intensity in every way. Jumping in unprepared can lead to quick deaths and steep learning curves. However, we’ve got you covered. These beginner tips are here to help you survive longer, fight smarter, and become the unstoppable Slayer you’re meant to be.

10. Stay Updated with Community Insights

The Doom community is active and resourceful. Engaging with forums, watching gameplay videos, and reading guides can provide valuable insights, strategies, and tips to enhance your gameplay. For instance, YouTube channels offer tutorials and walkthroughs that can help you navigate challenging sections.

9. Customize Your Loadout

Because every weapon in Doom: The Dark Ages has unique benefits and tactical applications, your loadout selection is crucial to your success. Adapting your armament according to your playstyle and the enemies you face is more crucial than sticking with just one or two favourites. The Accelerator, for instance, is very useful against opponents who are protected or well-armed because it enables you to breach barriers and reveal weak places swiftly. However, the Pulverizer excels in situations where hordes of opponents overrun you; it deals catastrophic area-of-effect damage that is ideal for controlling crowds and driving out demon hordes.

8. Leverage Weak Enemies

Smaller enemies in Doom: The Dark Ages serve as tactical lifelines in the midst of turmoil and are more than just cannon fodder. When utilized carefully, these little demons can become an essential component of your survival toolkit, even though they may appear inconsequential in comparison to larger monsters. Applying melee attacks to weaker foes activates visceral finishers, frequently providing vital resources like armor shards, ammunition, and health.

7. Engage with the Story

The story in Doom: The Dark Ages provides a more complex and captivating look at the Doom Slayer’s past, which probes further into his beginnings. This edition gives more attention to lore and world-building, unveiling the historical conflicts, coalitions, and sacrifices that molded the cosmos. Spending time entangled in the narrative not only enhances its flavor but also strengthens your emotional bond with the universe, its people, and your role within it. Every battle feels more significant and every triumph more deserved as you become engrossed in the story, whether it is through discovering secret lore tablets or seeing exciting in-game events.

6. Master the Shield Saw

The Shield Saw is one of your most versatile weapons in Doom: The Dark Ages, so it’s not simply something you hide behind. Forget about a simple shield that is just useful for blocking. This beast combines a protection mechanism, a weapon, and even a mobility enhancer in equal measure. As soon as you get your hands on it, you’ll understand that it’s not just useful, but also necessary for survival and self-control.

Fundamentally, the Shield Saw changes the game by allowing you to block approaching blows. Blocking offers you the opportunity to change the course of a battle, so it’s not only about defense. One can stagger by timing a parry perfectly against a charging demon or a mini-boss’s powerful blow.

5. Prioritize Weapon Upgrades

Staying alive in Doom: The Dark Ages depends on how well you develop your Slayer, not just how fast you can react. Starting to upgrade your weapons to suit your fighting style better is one of the best things you can do early on. Regardless of your fondness for rushing into combat or adopting a more strategic approach, the appropriate upgrades can significantly impact your ability to eliminate adversaries.

For instance, consider the Combat Shotgun. Its Incendiary Rounds upgrade makes it a strategic tool in addition to having raw power. Enemies begin to drop armor shards when you set them on fire. In other words, you’re living longer without having to look for pickups all the time.

4. Utilize Melee Combat

Melee weapons are vital tools of destruction in Doom: The Dark Ages, particularly in close-quarters battle. They are much more than just backup equipment. With their distinct styles of violence, the Flail and the Dreadmace are two exceptional choices for the battlefield. Upgraded with Reaper, the Dreadmace increases the amount of health adversaries drop after a crushing hit, making it a life-saving powerhouse. The Engulf upgrade on the Flail, on the other hand, burns adversaries on impact and causes them to drop useful ammunition in addition to armor shards, keeping you locked and loaded throughout the chaos.

3. Manage Resources Wisely

In Doom: The Dark Ages, maintaining ammunition and managing health are crucial, particularly as enemy confrontations intensify. Performing melee executions on weaker opponents is one of the most dependable ways to maintain supplies in the middle of a battle. These vicious finishes are not only fun to execute, but they also force enemies to shed armor, ammunition, and health, which prolongs your battle.

If you wish to advance further, you should look for Demonic Essence, which is dropped by more powerful elite foes and mini-bosses. As conflicts get harder, gathering this rare resource will permanently increase your maximum ammo capacity. 

2. Explore for Hidden Collectibles

There are several surprises in the game environment, such as Sentinel Shrines and Nightmare weapon skins. Keep an eye out for environmental clues that point to secret passageways and frequently review your map for uncharted territory. For instance, destroying wolf statues can reveal useful upgrade resources. 

1. Adapt to the Combat Pace

Doom: The Dark Ages offers a slower-paced, more thoughtful combat experience than its fast-paced predecessors. This chapter emphasizes strategic location and deliberate engagements, even though speed and agility are still important. Players are urged to halt, prepare, and strike with intent rather than depending only on reflex-based evading and continuous movement.

This progression in gameplay means that utilising the surroundings to your advantage, analysing adversary behaviour, and properly timing your assaults are frequently the keys to success. Comprehending enemy patterns enables more effective takedowns, while cover positions become essential for regrouping or evading ranged attacks. By incorporating these tips into your gameplay, you’ll be better prepared to face the demonic hordes of Doom: The Dark Ages. Adaptability and strategic thinking are your greatest allies in this brutal journey.