The Doom series is well-known for its mix of outlandish and over-the-top weapons, and its latest instalment Doom: The Dark Ages maintains this tradition. With a melange of conventional, futuristic, and outlandish armaments, the game has plenty of tongue-waggingly tasty demonic destruction for the garden-variety pixel sadist. That being said, its difficulty also ensures that you’ll be going through your entire arsenal based on the need of the moment, and as the choices can sometimes be confusing or overwhelming, we thought we’d discuss Doom: The Dark Ages’ best weapons.
Without further ado, then, here’s our take on the Slayer’s armoury.
Doom: The Dark Ages Best Weapons for Crowd Control
- Best weapon: Cycler
- Alternative: Ravager
No matter how late into the game you get in Doom: TDA, the majority of enemies in most levels will still be lower-level enemies. However, these will be accompanied by greater and greater threats as the game progresses, so crowd control in the game involves taking on a variety of different classes of demons who are each best dealt with using different weapons. That being said, there will come situations where you simply don’t have the chance or time to switch, and the Cycler and the Ravager are the best weapons for such cases.
Doom: The Dark Ages Best Weapons for Armoured Enemies
- Best weapon: Chainshot
- Alternative: Rocket Launcher, Super Shotgun
Armoured enemies present quite a challenge in Doom: TDA as they are extremely resistant to most weapons. From lowly shielded phalanxes to the armoured Vagary Champion, each armoured demon will take an immense amount of punishment if you don’t know your way around them. The best option for such opponents is the Chainshot. Cracking through even the toughest armour, it does with ease what bullets, lasers, and bone fragments find it difficult to do. This power is further increased when you get the Gravitational Flux upgrade. Use the Rocket Launcher for longer-range battles, and go for the Super Shotgun up close.
Doom: TDA Best Weapons for Bosses
- Best weapon: Rocket Launcher
- Alternative: Chainshot
Doom: The Dark Ages is littered with mini-boss encounters — from recurring bosses to armoured-up, sturdier versions of the stronger demons to pack leaders. While different bosses require different treatments — especially since some bosses appear before you get your hands on more advanced weapons, there is a best weapon for dealing with most of them — the Rocket Launcher. That being said, we also can’t overlook how effective the Chainshot is against bosses
Doom: The Dark Ages Best Melee Weapon
- Best weapon: Flail
- Alternative: Dreadmace
Melee weapons are an indispensable part of the Doom: TDA experience, and while there are only 3, they each have their merits. Sure, the Dreadmace is incredibly powerful, but for us the Flail takes top spot for its balance of offence and defence, faster cooldown, and more forgiving nature. Once you have the resources to upgrade the Dreadmace to the fullest, however, remember to use that instead against larger enemies.
Doom: The Dark Ages Best Shield Runes
- Best Shield Rune: Heaven Splitter
- Alternative: Ground Fissure, Auto Turret
There are four Shield Runes, and while each is helpful in its own way, there’s a distinct hierarchy present. By far the best Shield Rune is the Heaven Splitter. Getting a moment to breathe while your enemies are stunned gives you the chance to assess your situation, improve your position, and most importantly, deal massive damage. Similarly, Ground Fissure, also offers a slight reprieve from the onslaught, while the Auto-Turret gives you added firepower.
Doom: The Dark Ages Best Weapons Overall
- Best weapon: Cycler
- Alternative: Chainshot
Despite the varied arsenal, there are undoubtable standouts. The Cycler takes the top spot for us overall, being the most reliable. It’s followed by the Chainshot, which is fun to use while also being brutally effective. We can’t help but give a nod to the brilliant Ravager and the punchy Super Shotgun as well.
Lastly, it wouldn’t be a Doom game without an all-powerful iteration of the BFG, and in this case, the BFC or Ballistic Force Crossbow takes center stage. Capable of destroying entire armies in a shot, the BFC provides players with the ultimate power trip.
In Closing
Doom: The Dark Ages has a fascinating array of weapons, and we appreciate the work that went into creating and balancing the weapons. Nevertheless, we can’t help but submit the very reasonable qualm that almost every weapon in each class is effectively superseded by a better version found later. We hope you learned a thing or two about the weapons in the game, and we wish you the very best of butchery on your way to completing the Doom: TDA journey!
