Doom Eternal: Starting tips and guide Doom Eternal guide, walkthrough

Last update: 20 March 2020

This page of the Doom Eternal guide has a set of the most important starting tips. We have prepared various tips for the most important gameplay mechanics and issues that may prove problematic during the initial hours of the game. Read this chapter to avoid the most common mistakes.

• The normal difficulty level is challenging enough for a first playthrough.
• Be on the move at all times
• Try to replenish your supplies by attacking enemies
• Check the 3D map frequently and view it from different angles
• When you unlock the dash, you should look for distant ledges and climbing walls
• You can destroy some walls to find secret passages and items
• Beware of various traps and environmental hazards
• Use the demons' weaknesses to kill them with greater ease
• Upgrade your most frequently used and useful weapons
• Try to fill up the whole Demonic Corruption Meter in every mission.
• You can adjust in-game controls to your own preferences
• Try to save extra lives for the most difficult battles
• Some buttons have to pressed and others shot
• You can't immediately explore the entire Fortress of Doom
• You can train your combat skills in Demonic Prison
• Search for higher or lower platforms and ledges if you don't see any further passage
• Save some extra battles for later
• Get to the buff totems as fast as possible
• Keep contact with acid to a minimum
• Use plasma rifle to destroy force fields
• Jump back or shoot quickly to avoid tentacle attacks
• Don't underestimate the Marauders - they are far more powerful than most other demons

The normal difficulty level is challenging enough for a first playthrough.

Doom Eternal is more challenging than its 2016 predecessor. The main difficulty here is that the enemies are more aggressive, deal more damage, and you are less likely to find supplies laying around. Choosing a difficulty level that is too challenging for you can result in numerous deaths and frustration, especially when you decide to do the optional fights. The normal difficulty - Hurt Me Plenty - is, in our opinion, the best choice for the initial playthrough. It offers a balanced level of challenge - you can still die easily, but none of the battles should be impossible to win.

Be on the move at all times

Keeping the hero alive requires you to move around the map. Standing still can make you an easy target for all sorts of demons - both those who have ranged attacks and monsters who fight in close combat. If possible, try not to make any stops while you are shooting at enemies. Alternatively, you can stop for a while if, for example, you want to aim at a weak spot on the monster's body.

Besides moving around the arena, you should also look places that will allow you to quickly move away from opponents. This can be jump pads on the ground which catapult the hero, or teleporters that allow you to move to the other end of the arena. This will give you time to collect supplies or plan further attacks.

Try to replenish your supplies by attacking enemies

One of the ways to replenish ammunition, lost health and armor points is to collect loot left by killed opponents. Loot "dropped" by demons isn't random, and if, for example, you want to quickly restore only the health, then you need to attack the monsters in a certain way.

In great simplification, this looks like this: performing an execution (Glory Kills) on demons allows you to restore health, using Flame belcher on monsters allows you to restore armor, and kills with the chainsaw allow you to get ammo. Use these types of attacks as you see fit. More information on How to quickly replenish supplies? page.

Check the 3D map frequently and view it from different angles

The map in Doom Eternal is the same as the one in its 2016 predecessor - it is made in 3D. The map is very useful for identifying places that you haven't visited yet - the studied places are marked in green, and the places where you haven't been yet are gray. This is a great hint if, for example, you want to discover 100% of the secrets available in a given mission.

Keep in mind that locations in Doom Eternal often have a vertical and/or multi-level structure. The game allows you to rotate the map at will, and this option is definitely worth using. It may turn out that, for example, there is some smaller room or corridor under the main arena, which can be missed when looking from the same perspective. Fortunately, Doom Eternal has fast travel (we described it on the How to use fast travel? page), which makes it easy to return to previous locations within a given mission.

When you unlock the dash, you should look for distant ledges and climbing walls

Dashes are one of the new mechanics of Doom Eternal. The hero can perform two jumps and two dashes in the air. Both of these moves are very useful for reaching even those ledges and climbing walls that are located farther away. Once you unlock the dash, try to look around carefully to find places you can reach with a series of jumps.

In some places, you can find yellow orbs called Dash Refills (example in the picture above). Touching the yellow orb resets the number of available dashes. This means that you can make a total of four dashes in one series and cover an even greater distance. You will find additional tips on How do I get to remote ledges? page in the FAQ section.

You can destroy some walls to find secret passages and items

The places you visit in Doom Eternal hide a lot of collectibles, and many of them are behind weakened walls. You can easily recognize these walls by the cracks - they aren't always green. Also, check the less-lit corners of the rooms you visit so that you don't miss any of them. "Normal" weakened walls can be destroyed with a standard melee attack. You don't need to use the ammunition.

Beware of various traps and environmental hazards

In Doom Eternal, you can face all sorts of traps and environmental hazards - they can deplete health points and armor. For most traps, it is best to stop for a few moments to see how a given trap works and when you can cross it safely. It is worth noting that some traps can be used against demons - it is possible when, for example, you have a large button next to the trap that activates it.

If you are dealing with, for example, lava or electricity on the ground, then the best way to avoid injury is to carefully plan double jumps and dashes. Being precise with your jumps will help you avoid touching dangerous ground.

Use the demons' weaknesses to kill them with greater ease

Combat in Doom Eternal isn't limited only to emptying the clips/magazines. Using certain weapons and attacks aimed at demons' weak points allows you to quickly deal with them.

The codex is very helpful in learning the monsters' vulnerabilities. Every time you encounter a new type of demon, a record of it will appear in the Codex - it can include information about the enemy's weaknesses. In the example in the picture above, the Codex reports on the Mancubus' weak spots and the recommended fighting technique. Use these tips to kill monsters faster and avoid wasting a lot of ammunition. A full set of tips for defeating certain types of opponents can be found the Bestiary page.

Upgrade your most frequently used and useful weapons

Weapons found during the game can be upgraded, and this is a great way to increase their usefulness on the battlefield (you get upgrades by finding modbots). First, unlock upgrades for the most frequently used weapons to make them even more useful.

Most of the weapons in Doom Eternal have 2 possible upgrades. We recommend that you start with choosing only a single upgrade per weapon - try to make all weapons have an alternative firing mode. Check out Weapons and Which weapons and upgrades are the best? pages. There you will find our recommendations for unlocking upgrades and the usefulness of each weapon.

Try to fill up the whole Demonic Corruption Meter in every mission.

The Demonic Corruption Meter is available from mission 2. It's an indicator that allows you to check how many monsters you have killed in a particular level. The main purpose of this action is to earn Weapon Points, which can be used to develop your character further.

You can fill up the subsequent fields of the Demonic Corruption Meter by taking part in major battles, Secret Encounters, winning huge battles available at the Slayer Gates and by defeating bosses. In a single level you can collect up to 10 weapon points. Always try to get as many as possible. The issues discussed above are described in more detail on separate pages of our guide What is the Demonic Corruption Meter? and How to upgrade weapons and why it's worth to improve them?.

You can adjust in-game controls to your own preferences

Doom Eternal is a game that should be played with a keyboard and mouse, but it also offers some decent gaming controller support. Playing on a gaming controller feels quite good. You don't need to be afraid of any discomfort if you are interested in a version for PS4 that doesn't offer keyboard and mouse support.

Even the console version of the game has very advanced control settings. The picture above shows a list of settings and their default values. Although targeting assistants are enabled by default, there is no clear sense of interference from their side. For more experienced players, two issues will be problematic - slow character rotation and difficult targeting at weak spots of enemy demons. In both cases, you can try to increase the sensitivity of the analog knobs and reduce the level of the aiming assistants, or completely disable all the facilitations. For more information, check the Controls chapter of our guide.

Try to save extra lives for the most difficult battles

In Doom Eternal, you can find and collect extra lives that can protect your hero from death. Unfortunately, every life is a one-time consumable item and will be lost even if you decide to load a saved game.

Extra lives can help you survive the most difficult battles. In particular, we are talking about optional battles discovered by careful map exploration and boss fights. As far as possible, try to avoid death in common and standard battles in order not to use up your current supply of lives. Try to save them for later. Additional information and hints about this game mechanics can be found on a separate page of our guide - What are the extra lives?.

Some buttons have to pressed and others shot

During map exploration in Doom Eternal you may come across large green buttons. Each button of this type is interactive - its activation can, among others, lower a platform, open the passage secured by bars (sometimes only for a short while - you have to hurry up and walk through the passageway before it gets closed) or activate a trap (useful if there are enemies standing nearby).

There are two main types of buttons in the game. Buttons that can be approached have can be activated by performing a melee attack. If the button is far away (like the one in the example shown in the above picture), you should shoot it by using one of your weapons. Try activating all the buttons you find, as some of them open passages to secret rooms.

You can't immediately explore the entire Fortress of Doom

The Fortress of Doom is a safe house and some sort of a base, where you can begin your missions. You return to it automatically after you have completed particular campaign missions. Once you are in the Fortress, you can plan your next moves or decide to replay one of the previous missions.

Access to new areas of the Fortress is unlocked as you make progress in the game. This applies both to the new rooms and to the target where various treasures are being stored - collectibles. To open new locations you need the Sentinel Batteries found in the game world and gained through mission challenges. We recommend to check if there are any new attractions available in the Fortress after each completed level. You can find more information about this unique place on the separate page of our guide - Fortress of Doom.

You can train your combat skills in Demonic Prison

The demonic prison is located on board of the Fortress of Doom, a safe house visited in between the main missions of the game. You can visit the prison for the first time after you have successfully completed the second campaign mission.

In prison you can train your combat skills and take part in training battles that won't reduce your lives. They are a great way to practice the main combat mechanics or to get acquainted with acquired weapons and purchased upgrades. The game unlocks new battles in the demonic prison as you make progress in the main campaign. We recommend visiting the prison at every possible opportunity.

Search for higher or lower platforms and ledges if you don't see any further passage

The platform-jumping sections in Doom Eternal play a much greater role than in the previous part of the series. Interestingly, they concern not only reaching optional collectibles, but also traveling through the mandatory locations required to complete a particular mission.

If you are stuck a place for a longer time, you can check our walkthrough or just take a closer look around. Pay special attention to higher or lower ledges and platforms that may allow you to continue your journey. But make sure that you don't fall into the abyss - a flawless jump sequence is often required in order to reach a certain ledge.

Save some extra battles for later

Optional battles in Doom Eternal are divided into two main categories - these are the temporary Secret Encounters and Slayer Gates. In both cases, entering the optional battle (when you play the game for the first time) may be too much of a challenge for you, especially if you haven't unlocked your best weapons and increased your character statistics yet.

We advise you to take an interest in the optional battles only after completing the main story campaign. Then you will have some better weapons (for example, like BFG and sword) and upgrades to at least some of them. Your character will have increased stats (health, armor, ammo limit) and have some useful passive bonuses (armor upgrades, active runes).

Get to the buff totems as fast as possible

Some locations with demons have Buff Totems - finding them quickly is your priority. This is because totems strengthen and regenerate the surrounding monsters - demons can inflict more damage, move faster and respawn after death. This may prolong the battle indefinitely.

The game warns you about that with a message. Run around the area and check out the high ledges, alleys on the outskirts of the arena, etc. After finding the totem, destroy it with a melee attack - the demons return to their default state and won't be able to resurrect after death. More information about the totems in a separate chapter.

Keep contact with acid to a minimum

In some locations, contact with acid and other toxic substances is unfortunately unavoidable - for example, you may be forced to run through acid or dive into poisoned water. Contact with acid leads to a gradual loss of health and armor points. You can avoid receiving damage by wearing Rad Suit which you can find near acid tanks and underwater (marked with round icons). However, they provide only temporary protection so you should hurry up.

We recommend getting Hazard Protection upgrade for the Praetor Suit which extends the RAD suit's durability.

Use plasma rifle to destroy force fields

Force fields are generated by certain varieties of demons and are able to stop most of your attacks. Among the available solutions, you can quickly move sideways in order to bypass the force field and attack the enemies. You can also shoot from the grenade launcher or throw a shrapnel grenade over the field.

The most effective technique, however, is using the plasma rifle. The affected field will gradually heat up and eventually explode. There is a good chance that this explosion can kill or injure enemies standing nearby.

Jump back or shoot quickly to avoid tentacle attacks

Tentacles are a very annoying variety of enemies since they always attack by surprise. Expect an attack when you get close to a small hole in the ground or to air bubbles that can appear in areas with the purple substance.

The best way to avoid an attack is to dash backward twice. You will be outside the tentacle's reach. Unfortunately, this method won't work when you are in the purple substance - it will slow you down. Take out the shotgun or other powerful weapon and be ready to kill the tentacle with, preferably, a single shot.

Don't underestimate the Marauders - they are far more powerful than most other demons

More information about Marauders can be found on How to defeat the Marauders? page. These demons are identified by their red shields and are much harder to kill than the "ordinary" opponents. The Marauders constantly adjust their attacks to the situation on the battlefield, and their red shields stop all attacks (the BFG and Crucible).

To kill the Marauders, use the Ballista or one of the shotguns. Remember to wait with the attack until the opponent goes on the offensive and his eyes turn green - this is a signal to fire.