Doom: The Dark Ages Ditches THIS?! You Won’t Believe Why!

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In my gaming journey, I’ve found myself immersed in an extraordinary take on Doom titled “Doom: The Dark Ages“. This new entry truly delivers on the promise of a medieval or fantasy world that Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal hinted at. It doesn’t shy away from streamlining what it perceives as unnecessary, while introducing fresh mechanics that breathe new life into Doom’s first-person shooter experience, urging players to “stand and fight”.

The core gunplay of Doom has been significantly transformed, yet there’s a comforting familiarity in every new feature. For example, exploration still involves seeking out secrets hidden within chapter levels, but the 3D maps prove incredibly helpful in this quest. However, the vastness of most maps far surpasses that of previous installments, making the sprint mechanic an indispensable tool.

For those who have become accustomed to the progression systems in Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal, they might find the upgrade system in Doom: The Dark Ages quite dissimilar. One notable alteration made to upgrades in this soft reboot trilogy is that this prequel discards the weapon mods featured in its predecessors. However, Doom: The Dark Ages demonstrates that the series has evolved beyond conventional weapon mods, opting instead for a more straightforward system of upgrade paths.

Weapon Mods May Now Be a Relic of the Doom Slayer’s Past

In the games Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal, the Doom Slayer encounters flying drones that provide him with weapon enhancements. Players can choose from two different enhancements for a weapon they already have, which significantly alter the weapon’s performance. These enhancements have upgrades and eventually culminate in a Mastery challenge. It’s also fun for players to experiment with using every single weapon in the game and switching between various enhancements depending on specific situations or types of demons.

As a gamer, I find that Doom Eternal puts a strong focus on enemy weaknesses, offering opportunities for players to make strategic use of mods to quickly capitalize on a demon’s vulnerabilities. These mods are not just nice-to-haves; they’re essential tools if you want to succeed in this game. In fact, I wouldn’t call the weapon mods disappointing at all – they’re more like powerful allies in my arsenal against the hordes of demons I face!

As a gamer, I find the necessity to switch between different mods can feel like a burden when I’ve already poured time and effort into one over another. It’s disappointing when many mods get overlooked because I favor one mod’s playstyle more from the start. Given how intense and hectic Doom Eternal‘s gameplay is, adding the task of managing mods might just dilute the experience a bit too much, even though it does offer an impressive variety in terms of combat tactics.

Doom: The Dark Ages’ Sentinel Shrine Upgrades Prove the Concept of ‘Mods’ is Obsolete

In the new setting of Doom: The Dark Ages, combat explores medieval and Lovecraftian environments, where each weapon has unique abilities, unaltered by any mods. What’s innovative here is a weapon class swap system, where most weapons in the Doom Slayer’s inventory are paired with another, allowing for versatile gameplay.

The period known as “The Dark Ages” demonstrates that the franchise has expanded its scope, moving away from conventional weapon modifications towards a more streamlined approach based on upgrade paths.

The Dark Ages maintains the essence of mods by providing multiple upgrade paths for certain weapons, allowing players to choose between options like Pincushion or Ricochet for the Shredder, or Cooked or Blood Sacrifice for the Rocket Launcher in a ‘dual upgrade tier.’

In the thrilling world of Doom: The Dark Ages, I’m grateful for the flexibility that lets me decide where to direct my hard-earned resources. Instead of being stuck with a single upgrade path, I get to choose between two tiers and spend my currency – gold, rubies, or wraithstones – only once for both options. This means I can swap between them whenever the situation suits me best, streamlining my progression and upgrades. Collecting these resources throughout levels and spending them at strategically placed Sentinel Shrines allows me to customize my gameplay experience as I see fit.

Apart from enhancing their firearms, players can also enhance other tools such as the Shield Saw in Doom: The Dark Ages (with Rune skill improvements), along with melee weapons like the Power Gauntlet, Flail, and Dreadmace.

As a devoted fan, I’m excited about the progressive upgrade system in this game. For each weapon, there’s a unique branch that opens up new enhancements. The catch is, as you advance through a weapon’s specific branch, the upgrades become increasingly expensive, requiring higher-tier resource currency. It’s uncertain if weapon mods will return in future iterations of Doom, but The Dark Ages makes a compelling argument for why a customized, polished upgrade path can offer a satisfying progression experience.

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2025-05-24 14:06