As the opening mission in Doom: The Dark Ages, the Village of Khalim might come off as a mere tutorial level, and though this is true to some extent, there's no shortage of collectibles hiding in its corners. From hidden toys to Life Sigil upgrades, the first chapter is packed with secrets that completionists won't want to miss.
The Doom series is well-known for its chaotic level design, and The Dark Ages is no exception. Unless you're scouring every inch of the map, it can be easy to miss out on these secret areas. In this guide, we'll point you in the right direction and help you find all the important spots in the Village of Khalim.
All Secrets in Village of Khalim in Doom: The Dark Ages
The Village of Khalim contains six secret areas for players to discover. Here's how to find each one:
Secret #1 - Life Sigil
Once you acquire the Power Gauntlet, you'll have to play through a tutorial segment teaching you the basics. During this section, you'll have to kill a couple of Imps using your melee attack, after which you'll enter a burning building with two more enemies to take out.
Following this encounter, instead of climbing up the wall, look to your left. You'll see a boarded up wall that you can break using your Shield Charge. Break through to the other side and you'll discover the first secret area of the chapter, which contains a Life Sigil.
Secret #2 - Imp Toy
The second secret for the level doesn't come up for a while. As you keep progressing through the area, you'll eventually acquire the Blue Key. After that, Shield Charge to break through to the courtyard where you previously fought a wave of monsters, and instead of going through the main gate, turn around and go down the stairs on the right of the room with the Cultists. You'll find another locked gate on your right that requires the Blue Key to unlock. Go inside to unlock the second secret area and pick up the Imp Toy.
Secret #3 - Combat Shotgun Skin
The third secret in the Village of Khalim is a tricky one to uncover. After going past the main Blue Gate, you'll be tasked with closing four Demonic Portals. After closing the first one, head left and down the slope on your right. You'll see a Blue Jump Pad nearby. Use it to jump across the gap.
Look around to spot an entrance to a cave from the other side. Sprint and jump to reach the cave entrance to discover the third secret area in the first level of Doom: TDA. This one contains a new skin for your Combat Shotgun. Be wary, though, as when you approach to pick up the collectible, some enemies will spawn in. You'll need to take them out to proceed.
Secret #4 - Soldier Toy
For the next secret area, you have to unlock the Shredder first. Once the surrounding enemies are dealt with, look toward the ocean to spot a glowing sigil in the distance. Walk towards the ledge and look down to see a path. Jump down and follow the road to find the next secret area that contains the Soldier Toy collectible.
Secret #5 - Life Sigil
After picking up the fourth secret, return to the area where you found the Shredder. Head up the cliff to get to the nearby Demonic Portal and kill the mobs to close it. Cross the wooden bridge on the left and go around the rock to find a Purple Key.
Now return to the area where you closed the first portal and use it to open the Purple Key Gate. This is the fifth secret area of the level, and it contains the third Life Sigil in the game.
Secret #6 - Codex Collectible
When you arrive at the beach area, you'll see a massive Titan wreaking havoc in the ocean. You'll have to take out a wave of enemies on a beach, after which a cutscene will show the main path opening. Go through the main path and immediately turn right to see a climbable wall. Go up and follow the path to find the final secret for the level, a Codex collectible.
Despite being a relatively short mission, the Village of Khalim in Doom: The Dark Ages contains enough secrets to tickle the fancy of any completionist. Hopefully this guide could help you wrap up any secret areas that you may have missed on your initial run.
