HOLY SHIT was this difficult.
I played this on "I'm Too Young to Die" and thought it was tough, and this is post-nerf apparently.
An exhilerating and challenging continuation to the base game that puts your combat mastery to the test amid stunning locations, breathtaking setpieces, and, as always, badass demons that you can kick the shit out of in all its gory glory. If you crave more chaos after beating the base game, this is the next logical step.
An exhilerating and challenging continuation to the base game that puts your combat mastery to the test amid stunning locations, breathtaking setpieces, and, as always, badass demons that you can kick the shit out of in all its gory glory. If you crave more chaos after beating the base game, this is the next logical step.
Más DOOM Eternal siempre está bien y eso es justo lo que ofrece este DLC.
Niveles más simplificados en favor de ofrecer más peleas multitudinarias. Está bien, pero los picos de dificultad son absurdos y hay zonas que son directamente frustrantes si no bajas la dificultad.
Los nuevos mapas son muy chulos y los nuevos enemigos están bien aunque algo desequilibrados (especialmente los espíritus).
Me ha gustado, pero no me ha maravillado. A ver qué tal la segunda parte.
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More DOOM Eternal is always good and that's exactly what this DLC offers.
More simplified levels favoring huge fights. It's fine, but the difficulty spikes are absurd and some areas are downright frustrating if you don't lower the difficulty.
The new maps are cool and the new enemies are fine, although a bit unbalanced (mostly the spirits).
I liked it, but I didn't wow me. Let's see how's the second part.
Niveles más simplificados en favor de ofrecer más peleas multitudinarias. Está bien, pero los picos de dificultad son absurdos y hay zonas que son directamente frustrantes si no bajas la dificultad.
Los nuevos mapas son muy chulos y los nuevos enemigos están bien aunque algo desequilibrados (especialmente los espíritus).
Me ha gustado, pero no me ha maravillado. A ver qué tal la segunda parte.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More DOOM Eternal is always good and that's exactly what this DLC offers.
More simplified levels favoring huge fights. It's fine, but the difficulty spikes are absurd and some areas are downright frustrating if you don't lower the difficulty.
The new maps are cool and the new enemies are fine, although a bit unbalanced (mostly the spirits).
I liked it, but I didn't wow me. Let's see how's the second part.
This was insanely hard and kicked my ass but damn if it wasn’t fun. Can’t wait to play the second part. Fuck that final boss tho.
le quito una estrella porque el jefe final es absurdamente complicado y se les fue la mano con cantos marauders
Very fun, but I played before the patch that lowered the difficulty and I found it very exhausting, I'd need to take breaks after each level or 2. The final boss was also pretty infuriating and unfun.
At the end of Doom Eternal, I was left with a bit of disappointment. Too many things were forced into the game and it got tiresome towards the end. New enemies were uninteresting and slowed the pace down some, too much platforming, and the difficulty was all over the place no matter what difficulty setting you were on. The Ancient Gods, sadly, exacerbates this by adding a new enemy that, once again, slows the pace down and is just an excuse to use a certain weapon mod. There are no new weapons, just three newish levels. I say newish as the third level – The Holt – is a recycled Urdak level. It’s boring and uninteresting, yet the first level, UAC Atlantic, is just a giant science center in the ocean. The Swamps, the second level, was the most interesting of the three, but they aren’t amazing overall.
The story takes place right after the ending of Eternal with Doomguy trying to kill the one true Seraphim God to end all demons. It’s mostly just dialog over intercom here and there and just barely advances the already silly Doom Eternal story. Outside of a few codex pages, there’s not much else to the story here. In fact, there are even fewer secrets to find. Just 1ups, BFG ammo, codex pages, and there are six Gore Nests and three Slayer Gates. The Gates will give you an extra perk that has been added, which aren’t very useful, and the Gore Nests reward new Slayer Skins. That’s pretty much it for secrets, but the levels are very long and incredibly difficult. Combat arenas are tougher and longer and I died numerous times in each level even on the lowest difficulty. This is my biggest issue with Doom Eternal. Doom 2016’s areas felt hand-tailored, but Eternal’s feel randomized. Even the final boss is insanely difficult with too much jumping and worrying about obstacles rather than just shooting.
The Ancient Gods feels mostly like stuff from the cutting room floor rather than an actual expansion. There’s almost nothing new here outside of 2.5 new levels and a few perks and two irritating enemies. Yes, like Maurader and Maykyr Drone, these enemies just slow the pace down. We get another Maykr Drone that has a shield and is only vulnerable when it’s down, and then there are the Spirits. These possess demons and make them stronger and the only way to kill them is to use the Microwave Beam or kill all the enemies in the area so it disappears. Super annoying, not any fun at all, and just slows things down. I would have liked to see a new weapon or a new actual demon.
Overall, The Ancient Gods are still fast-paced and fun Eternal combat, but it’s just not enough new to be considered anything more than some lost levels. Fewer secrets, new annoying enemies, insanely pumped up the difficulty, longer and less interesting levels, and only three new perks. It’s still plenty of fun and if you finished Eternal early on then this will give you a few hours of mayhem to get another taste, but it’s nothing to write home about.
The story takes place right after the ending of Eternal with Doomguy trying to kill the one true Seraphim God to end all demons. It’s mostly just dialog over intercom here and there and just barely advances the already silly Doom Eternal story. Outside of a few codex pages, there’s not much else to the story here. In fact, there are even fewer secrets to find. Just 1ups, BFG ammo, codex pages, and there are six Gore Nests and three Slayer Gates. The Gates will give you an extra perk that has been added, which aren’t very useful, and the Gore Nests reward new Slayer Skins. That’s pretty much it for secrets, but the levels are very long and incredibly difficult. Combat arenas are tougher and longer and I died numerous times in each level even on the lowest difficulty. This is my biggest issue with Doom Eternal. Doom 2016’s areas felt hand-tailored, but Eternal’s feel randomized. Even the final boss is insanely difficult with too much jumping and worrying about obstacles rather than just shooting.
The Ancient Gods feels mostly like stuff from the cutting room floor rather than an actual expansion. There’s almost nothing new here outside of 2.5 new levels and a few perks and two irritating enemies. Yes, like Maurader and Maykyr Drone, these enemies just slow the pace down. We get another Maykr Drone that has a shield and is only vulnerable when it’s down, and then there are the Spirits. These possess demons and make them stronger and the only way to kill them is to use the Microwave Beam or kill all the enemies in the area so it disappears. Super annoying, not any fun at all, and just slows things down. I would have liked to see a new weapon or a new actual demon.
Overall, The Ancient Gods are still fast-paced and fun Eternal combat, but it’s just not enough new to be considered anything more than some lost levels. Fewer secrets, new annoying enemies, insanely pumped up the difficulty, longer and less interesting levels, and only three new perks. It’s still plenty of fun and if you finished Eternal early on then this will give you a few hours of mayhem to get another taste, but it’s nothing to write home about.
Pretty much just more Doom Eternal.
Was kinda in the mood for more Bethesda stuff after Redfall (excited for that) and Starfield(ehhhhhhhhhhhh) was shown at the Xbox show so decided to play through this quickly. Pretty much what I expected from a Doom Eternal dlc but some stuff kinda annoyed me. Mainly the new enemies all fucking sucked ass to fight with the spirit in particular being possible Eternals worst designed enemy. That being said the encounters still felt super good and having everything upgraded made each encounter feel incredibly fair and satisfying as hell to get through. Also definitely gotta give credit to the phenomenal art direction and music (I prefer Mick Gordons work but Andrew Hulshult did a fantastic job as well).
As I said pretty much more Doom Eternal so its pretty great and Im excited to mess around with Ancient Gods Part Two.
8/10
Was kinda in the mood for more Bethesda stuff after Redfall (excited for that) and Starfield(ehhhhhhhhhhhh) was shown at the Xbox show so decided to play through this quickly. Pretty much what I expected from a Doom Eternal dlc but some stuff kinda annoyed me. Mainly the new enemies all fucking sucked ass to fight with the spirit in particular being possible Eternals worst designed enemy. That being said the encounters still felt super good and having everything upgraded made each encounter feel incredibly fair and satisfying as hell to get through. Also definitely gotta give credit to the phenomenal art direction and music (I prefer Mick Gordons work but Andrew Hulshult did a fantastic job as well).
As I said pretty much more Doom Eternal so its pretty great and Im excited to mess around with Ancient Gods Part Two.
8/10
Pretty decent DLC. It gave me more of the Doom Eternal combat loop which I loved in the base game. The environments in this were a step up as well, the art direction is really inspiring when you're jumping all over the levels.
However, while I did like the challenge at points, sometimes it just felt like the devs made this DLC for people who love a brutal challenge from Doom. I like a good challenge, I bought the DLC after all. Though at points, in particular the Holt slayer gate. I felt it was too much of a difficulty spike that went over the line of fun into frustrating.
I'd recommend it if you loved Doom Eternal.
However, while I did like the challenge at points, sometimes it just felt like the devs made this DLC for people who love a brutal challenge from Doom. I like a good challenge, I bought the DLC after all. Though at points, in particular the Holt slayer gate. I felt it was too much of a difficulty spike that went over the line of fun into frustrating.
I'd recommend it if you loved Doom Eternal.
Compared to the base game, this just isn’t really fun?
I found myself rushing it toward the end as I wanted it to be over as fast as possible
I found myself rushing it toward the end as I wanted it to be over as fast as possible
It's a little too lore-heavy to the point where I kinda stopped caring but overall this is a great expansion that I can't believe it took me this long to play, it feels largely like an extended endgame which I don't have a problem with at all, I could play Doom Eternal forever, getting into the flow of this game is so satisfying and putting all the pieces together in every combat area makes you feel so cool, you can't not love it!
More Doom Eternal is a good thing! Halfway through I did end up turning the difficulty down to easy. Real slog fest of a level just wasn't fun after replaying it 5 times for 20 minutes before getting killed right at the end.
I generally liked the new levels. Great design and really cool style. Gotta say the new enemies were more annoying than engaging, particularly the ghosts. If it wasn't for the excessive difficulty and generally annoying new enemies I would have given it 5 stars. However ultimately I enjoyed it a ton and am loving the lore/story.
I generally liked the new levels. Great design and really cool style. Gotta say the new enemies were more annoying than engaging, particularly the ghosts. If it wasn't for the excessive difficulty and generally annoying new enemies I would have given it 5 stars. However ultimately I enjoyed it a ton and am loving the lore/story.
A great continuation of Doom Eternal's story. Following the trend set in Eternal, we continue giving the Slayer more and more agency in how he influences the world around him, for better or for worse. We also get some questions answered about the supporting cast and some interesting peeks into the broader universe.
No new weapons to play with but the new Escalation Encounter system is fun. The new support runes don't really change up gameplay a whole lot IMO. Spirits are a devious new addition to the roster and make some enemies that were previously jokes into full on minibosses.
My only complaint with TAG is the same one I have with Eternal's base campaign, in that I wish the levels were broken up into two parts - as they are, they feel incredibly long to where you can't really sit down for a quick session and clear one.
No new weapons to play with but the new Escalation Encounter system is fun. The new support runes don't really change up gameplay a whole lot IMO. Spirits are a devious new addition to the roster and make some enemies that were previously jokes into full on minibosses.
My only complaint with TAG is the same one I have with Eternal's base campaign, in that I wish the levels were broken up into two parts - as they are, they feel incredibly long to where you can't really sit down for a quick session and clear one.
RUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA (Parte 2)
I mostly like this and find this a nice challenge to the main DOOM Eternal campaign. I, however, find the main story a bit too short for my liking.
Part 1 is basically just more of Doom eternal but pushed further and harder, it may have been just me but I think part 1 is harder than part 2.
The three levels are all unique, large and well constructed with the 2nd level in the blood swamps being my personal favourite.
There are afew new enemy types that shake up gameplay a bit and the spirit enemies are especially challenging to deal with in a large brawl and the final boss was decent, nothing amazing but it was interesting.
The visuals and landscapes are just as breathtaking as they were in the main game but overall part 1 suffers from just being very similar to the base game which is definitely not a huge problem if you love it and I do.
The three levels are all unique, large and well constructed with the 2nd level in the blood swamps being my personal favourite.
There are afew new enemy types that shake up gameplay a bit and the spirit enemies are especially challenging to deal with in a large brawl and the final boss was decent, nothing amazing but it was interesting.
The visuals and landscapes are just as breathtaking as they were in the main game but overall part 1 suffers from just being very similar to the base game which is definitely not a huge problem if you love it and I do.
It's DOOM alright. The story is not why you should play this, but more shooting and slashing isn't the worst thing in the world.
pretty enjoyble for more experience players but can be extremely fustrating to new ones
I genuinely really liked this DLC. Went into it thinking there would be something that'll really bring the experience down. To my surprise, a lot of this game was actually an improvement on the base game. There are some flaws which is why I understand why people don't like this DLC but in my opinion it's definitely worth your while.
Positives
- The combat takes it up a step further without the need of changing difficulty. Some of the shootouts and slayer gates really tested my abilities
- The first level blew me away. The contrast between fire and water was brilliant and the level was like 2 hours long!
- All the other levels are absolutely gorgeous and each of them have a different aesthetic to the base game
- There are new abilities to unlock which caught me off guard
- The new bosses are better than those from the base game which isn't saying much but it's still something
Negatives
- The new enemies are quite hit or miss. They increase difficulty but one of the enemies require you to use a specific weapon mod which is absurd
- It has a pretty decent game length but once again the price tag doesn't justify the content it brings
- This DLC counts as a separate experience to the main game meaning that every upgrade and mod is already unlocked. It was a little bit annoying having to re-equip all my preferences
Ancient Gods was really fun overall and I recommend getting it when it's on offer as I did. It's just more Doom and personally I can't wait for part 2!
Positives
- The combat takes it up a step further without the need of changing difficulty. Some of the shootouts and slayer gates really tested my abilities
- The first level blew me away. The contrast between fire and water was brilliant and the level was like 2 hours long!
- All the other levels are absolutely gorgeous and each of them have a different aesthetic to the base game
- There are new abilities to unlock which caught me off guard
- The new bosses are better than those from the base game which isn't saying much but it's still something
Negatives
- The new enemies are quite hit or miss. They increase difficulty but one of the enemies require you to use a specific weapon mod which is absurd
- It has a pretty decent game length but once again the price tag doesn't justify the content it brings
- This DLC counts as a separate experience to the main game meaning that every upgrade and mod is already unlocked. It was a little bit annoying having to re-equip all my preferences
Ancient Gods was really fun overall and I recommend getting it when it's on offer as I did. It's just more Doom and personally I can't wait for part 2!
More Doom Eternal, which is good.
More lore, which is bad.
The new spirit enemy sucks and the lasts boss double sucks.
Played on Ultra-Violence and I don't think it was that much harder than the main game?
More lore, which is bad.
The new spirit enemy sucks and the lasts boss double sucks.
Played on Ultra-Violence and I don't think it was that much harder than the main game?
Good, weird difficulty spike from the campaign tho. Still amazing Doom content. Worse music cause no Mick Gordon but Andrew and David do good as well.
Felt it was decent but was pretty short for the asking price. Not too many stages, but the stages here felt like they dragged on for too long. It’s great for eternal fans, but that’s really about it.
This game is truly fantastic
Love this, builds off the game completely naturally. Seraphim boss fight could be better.
le echaorn toda la lefada al pibe a base de ostias del padre del nacho
what is up with the microwave enemies, i dont want them.
This review contains spoilers
Similar with my review of TAG 2: You either love it or hate it
This one gets a lot more love, but the hate is also there too. Specifically since this one is actually very difficult. I love this DLC a lot, so I'll just put up what I did love and what kept it from being the perfect DLC.
Gameplay:
The gameplay from the eyes of what DOOM Eternal's full potential could be here, is perfect with one flaw.
Starting off you have all of your upgrades you got through the main campaign to go here in this DLC. So your full arsenal is here and ready to go. Right off the bat in the first arena: this is Nu-DOOM's plutonia. If you haven't played this game in a while like some did back when it released in 2020:
You will die within the first 3 arenas quickly.
The goal with the gameplay here in this DLC was making you put in all you have learned throughout your journey in the base campaign and all the mechanics you have mastered.
You don't have the crucible; it's stuck with the icon.
You still have the BFG and Unmaykr but the BFG pickups are a lot less common in this DLC so you have to use them strategically.
Anyways with the goal of iD's intentions here with this DLC explained here's a summary of what you get in each mission.
UAC Atlantica: This is my #1 slightly edging out the Blood Swamps
There is one newer enemy here and that is the Eyeball Turrets. They take two Precision Bolt or Ballista Shots to their eyes and drop ammo when killed.
Most of the arenas here throw a lot of classic DOOM like surprises at you, trust me, your first time playing this and seeing the double Marauder will either excite you like me, or make you seethe like a lot of people.
A lot of the arenas in this level have a lot of higher tier demons, you aren't getting a lot of Revenants and Mancubi like in TAG 2. You WILL be getting Baron's, Pain Elementals, and Tyrants. Not to mention, Carcass's are a lot more prominent in this level.
Anyways a more simple TL:DR before playing this DLC
Play the Cultist Base master level, and try to relearn the mechanics through this before entering this mission on your first TAG playthrough. It'll help a lot.
Blood Swamps:
This level is honestly the maximum level outside of the master levels to test your mastery of the DOOM Eternal combat loop. It is hard, and you may have to turn down the difficulty.
Enemy wise there are two new enemies. The first is a giant tentacle. These are the lamest additions, but they're a big jump scare that iD uses now in future levels.
Next up the one and only flaw I think is really in this DLC's combat: Spirits
For me they are fun, especially now with my skill level. They add a lot of gameplanning and mid arena puzzle-like solving with how to deal with them. You wanna get rid of them quick or deal with them at the end? And the reason they are a flaw is because one of the biggest gripes from the Eternal-hate club tells about the game is that it forces you to use certain weapons on enemies.
While it CAN feel this way in the early campaign of Eternal without the arsenal being fully maxed and learning the mechanics in the beginning vs. 2016's laid back approach, as someone who's beaten every base-game content the game has to offer on Ultra-Nightmare; this isn't true.
But for the spirit, it is. You are forced to use the microwave beam to kill it fully without it resurrecting another enemy. This is the ONE and only case where you are forced to actually take care of something one way, which is honestly sad. I do enjoy the enemy a lot personally, but I 100% understand people's gripes with the Spirits in this game.
Onto the level design: it's a lot harder than UAC Atlantica. And if that was hard enough for you, yeah, you might wanna turn down the difficulty on this one for sure. It really is the perfect test to show your mastery of Eternal's combat, it's amazing.
Expect A LOT of spirits and more prominent Arch-viles here along with a lot more super heavies.
The Holt: This is the easiest mission here IMO. But still is hard, don't get it twisted.
There's one new enemy and that is the Blood Maykr. I love this enemy, it's fun and is entirely new compared to reused assets in TAG 2 enemies (TAG 1's are the same but the Spirit is a comeback of the Summoner from 2016 and it's cool).
The Blood Maykr is invincible until it has a Maruader like opening which you can one shot with a Precision Bolt or Ballista. It drops ammo when killed
The Holt itself has some challenging arenas but it isn't as bad as the first 2 missions. There are memorable arenas though, like the possessed Tyrant with another Tyrant to the other side of it, and the Pinky and Shield Gunner arenas near the end for a quick change of pace.
Anyways that's it for the lazy summaries of the missions.
Here's some extra stuff for the missions
Slayer Gates and Runes:
In both UAC Atlantica and the Holt there is a Slayer Gate challenge. The Holt's is VERY painful, it has the possessed Marauder. Trust me, it took me quite a while on my first playthrough to get past this. It is hard, especially with the small space this arena has.
Once completed, you will have three upgrades to have for extra runes (Blood Swamps has a secret to get your rune from instead of a slayer gate challenge)
1: Upgrades your Blood Punch to do double damage when under 75 health
2: It gives you a chance to regain your 1-up when killing an enemy
3: It gives a huge blast radius when hitting an enemy weakpoint which falters other demons near it, I prefer this one to the other two since my playstyle uses a lot of faltering in it.
Level Design and Artstyle:
I love the level design in these levels. So many memorable arenas and if you are missing that DOOM 2016 crave in atmosphere and art style I think UAC Atlantica and Blood Swamps come very close. I REALLY love the Alien-like Maykr levels so the Holt is a very pleasurable level especially with the less colorful first two missions (I still love them though).
The only miss in terms of arena design is the Slayer Gate arena, it's just very tight and compact and just isn't as good as the base-game Slayer Gate arenas.
Boss Fights:
The Trial of Maligog: It's the worst fight in the game IMO. It's just really easy, and the concept isn't really too enticing. It's fun, I guess though.
Samur: This is one of the best boss fights in the game, if not the best. It REALLY tests what you have learned through the game. Especially with how much you learned through the game's platforming aspects. And I'll say this now, it's also the hardest boss fight in the game. Especially if you AREN'T at the nightmare-level skill needed which this DLC's audience aims for. There are hazardous eyeballs which can be killed with two PB shots or ballista. And then there are Blood Maykr's and when you kill Samuel Hayden, there are two different spirit sections.
First is a spirited Hell Knight and Mancubus. Both can be taken care of easily.
Now where it gets fucking CBT level is the spirited Pain Elemental and Dread Knight. GODDAMN are these the two hardest possessed demons to deal with at once. Wow what a combination. If you hated this DLC because of this certain section I completely understand. What a pain in the ass to deal with especially on an already hard UN run this game gives you in just the combat arenas alone.
Music: With the Mick Gordon situation in hand (please Bethesda and iD (specifically Marty Stratton) give him what he is owed. This situation is entirely fucked and no person deserves what Mick went through) iD decided to hire Andrew Hulshult and David Levy to do the soundtracks for this DLC.
It has a lot of bangers, The Holt is honestly fine but compared to UAC Atlantica and Blood Swamps, it doesn't hold a candle. This is pure metal, and you can tell it was done by Andrew, specifically Blood Swamps. It's great, I personally prefer Mick's DOOM stuff but this is some good shit too.
Story: UNPOPULAR OPINION
I like the twist, specifically the Samuel Hayden twist being the Seraphim, that was cool. I will mess Sam, but I like that he is finally becoming the actual villain in what (could) be the 3rd game in the nu-DOOM trilogy. I'm more okay with VEGA being GOD now which is pretty insane, but The Dark Lord reveal was mid honestly. It's my biggest gripe, but him being a clone of DOOM Guy/Slayer was pretty lame. If only Covid and the 1 year promised pass didn't fuck over this game's rushed story in the DLC's. But oh well, I'm happy with what we got.
Also, DOOM Slayer has a fanboy who works with him now which is fine but now the whole circlejerk with DOOM Slayer is a lot more apparent here with him than in the campaign.
Final Thoughts:
I love this DLC, it's not for everyone but the major Eternal heads all love this DLC for a reason and it's amazing. It's so close to being a 5 but there is some things that could've been fixed. But pure gameplay wise, it's a 5.
This one gets a lot more love, but the hate is also there too. Specifically since this one is actually very difficult. I love this DLC a lot, so I'll just put up what I did love and what kept it from being the perfect DLC.
Gameplay:
The gameplay from the eyes of what DOOM Eternal's full potential could be here, is perfect with one flaw.
Starting off you have all of your upgrades you got through the main campaign to go here in this DLC. So your full arsenal is here and ready to go. Right off the bat in the first arena: this is Nu-DOOM's plutonia. If you haven't played this game in a while like some did back when it released in 2020:
You will die within the first 3 arenas quickly.
The goal with the gameplay here in this DLC was making you put in all you have learned throughout your journey in the base campaign and all the mechanics you have mastered.
You don't have the crucible; it's stuck with the icon.
You still have the BFG and Unmaykr but the BFG pickups are a lot less common in this DLC so you have to use them strategically.
Anyways with the goal of iD's intentions here with this DLC explained here's a summary of what you get in each mission.
UAC Atlantica: This is my #1 slightly edging out the Blood Swamps
There is one newer enemy here and that is the Eyeball Turrets. They take two Precision Bolt or Ballista Shots to their eyes and drop ammo when killed.
Most of the arenas here throw a lot of classic DOOM like surprises at you, trust me, your first time playing this and seeing the double Marauder will either excite you like me, or make you seethe like a lot of people.
A lot of the arenas in this level have a lot of higher tier demons, you aren't getting a lot of Revenants and Mancubi like in TAG 2. You WILL be getting Baron's, Pain Elementals, and Tyrants. Not to mention, Carcass's are a lot more prominent in this level.
Anyways a more simple TL:DR before playing this DLC
Play the Cultist Base master level, and try to relearn the mechanics through this before entering this mission on your first TAG playthrough. It'll help a lot.
Blood Swamps:
This level is honestly the maximum level outside of the master levels to test your mastery of the DOOM Eternal combat loop. It is hard, and you may have to turn down the difficulty.
Enemy wise there are two new enemies. The first is a giant tentacle. These are the lamest additions, but they're a big jump scare that iD uses now in future levels.
Next up the one and only flaw I think is really in this DLC's combat: Spirits
For me they are fun, especially now with my skill level. They add a lot of gameplanning and mid arena puzzle-like solving with how to deal with them. You wanna get rid of them quick or deal with them at the end? And the reason they are a flaw is because one of the biggest gripes from the Eternal-hate club tells about the game is that it forces you to use certain weapons on enemies.
While it CAN feel this way in the early campaign of Eternal without the arsenal being fully maxed and learning the mechanics in the beginning vs. 2016's laid back approach, as someone who's beaten every base-game content the game has to offer on Ultra-Nightmare; this isn't true.
But for the spirit, it is. You are forced to use the microwave beam to kill it fully without it resurrecting another enemy. This is the ONE and only case where you are forced to actually take care of something one way, which is honestly sad. I do enjoy the enemy a lot personally, but I 100% understand people's gripes with the Spirits in this game.
Onto the level design: it's a lot harder than UAC Atlantica. And if that was hard enough for you, yeah, you might wanna turn down the difficulty on this one for sure. It really is the perfect test to show your mastery of Eternal's combat, it's amazing.
Expect A LOT of spirits and more prominent Arch-viles here along with a lot more super heavies.
The Holt: This is the easiest mission here IMO. But still is hard, don't get it twisted.
There's one new enemy and that is the Blood Maykr. I love this enemy, it's fun and is entirely new compared to reused assets in TAG 2 enemies (TAG 1's are the same but the Spirit is a comeback of the Summoner from 2016 and it's cool).
The Blood Maykr is invincible until it has a Maruader like opening which you can one shot with a Precision Bolt or Ballista. It drops ammo when killed
The Holt itself has some challenging arenas but it isn't as bad as the first 2 missions. There are memorable arenas though, like the possessed Tyrant with another Tyrant to the other side of it, and the Pinky and Shield Gunner arenas near the end for a quick change of pace.
Anyways that's it for the lazy summaries of the missions.
Here's some extra stuff for the missions
Slayer Gates and Runes:
In both UAC Atlantica and the Holt there is a Slayer Gate challenge. The Holt's is VERY painful, it has the possessed Marauder. Trust me, it took me quite a while on my first playthrough to get past this. It is hard, especially with the small space this arena has.
Once completed, you will have three upgrades to have for extra runes (Blood Swamps has a secret to get your rune from instead of a slayer gate challenge)
1: Upgrades your Blood Punch to do double damage when under 75 health
2: It gives you a chance to regain your 1-up when killing an enemy
3: It gives a huge blast radius when hitting an enemy weakpoint which falters other demons near it, I prefer this one to the other two since my playstyle uses a lot of faltering in it.
Level Design and Artstyle:
I love the level design in these levels. So many memorable arenas and if you are missing that DOOM 2016 crave in atmosphere and art style I think UAC Atlantica and Blood Swamps come very close. I REALLY love the Alien-like Maykr levels so the Holt is a very pleasurable level especially with the less colorful first two missions (I still love them though).
The only miss in terms of arena design is the Slayer Gate arena, it's just very tight and compact and just isn't as good as the base-game Slayer Gate arenas.
Boss Fights:
The Trial of Maligog: It's the worst fight in the game IMO. It's just really easy, and the concept isn't really too enticing. It's fun, I guess though.
Samur: This is one of the best boss fights in the game, if not the best. It REALLY tests what you have learned through the game. Especially with how much you learned through the game's platforming aspects. And I'll say this now, it's also the hardest boss fight in the game. Especially if you AREN'T at the nightmare-level skill needed which this DLC's audience aims for. There are hazardous eyeballs which can be killed with two PB shots or ballista. And then there are Blood Maykr's and when you kill Samuel Hayden, there are two different spirit sections.
First is a spirited Hell Knight and Mancubus. Both can be taken care of easily.
Now where it gets fucking CBT level is the spirited Pain Elemental and Dread Knight. GODDAMN are these the two hardest possessed demons to deal with at once. Wow what a combination. If you hated this DLC because of this certain section I completely understand. What a pain in the ass to deal with especially on an already hard UN run this game gives you in just the combat arenas alone.
Music: With the Mick Gordon situation in hand (please Bethesda and iD (specifically Marty Stratton) give him what he is owed. This situation is entirely fucked and no person deserves what Mick went through) iD decided to hire Andrew Hulshult and David Levy to do the soundtracks for this DLC.
It has a lot of bangers, The Holt is honestly fine but compared to UAC Atlantica and Blood Swamps, it doesn't hold a candle. This is pure metal, and you can tell it was done by Andrew, specifically Blood Swamps. It's great, I personally prefer Mick's DOOM stuff but this is some good shit too.
Story: UNPOPULAR OPINION
I like the twist, specifically the Samuel Hayden twist being the Seraphim, that was cool. I will mess Sam, but I like that he is finally becoming the actual villain in what (could) be the 3rd game in the nu-DOOM trilogy. I'm more okay with VEGA being GOD now which is pretty insane, but The Dark Lord reveal was mid honestly. It's my biggest gripe, but him being a clone of DOOM Guy/Slayer was pretty lame. If only Covid and the 1 year promised pass didn't fuck over this game's rushed story in the DLC's. But oh well, I'm happy with what we got.
Also, DOOM Slayer has a fanboy who works with him now which is fine but now the whole circlejerk with DOOM Slayer is a lot more apparent here with him than in the campaign.
Final Thoughts:
I love this DLC, it's not for everyone but the major Eternal heads all love this DLC for a reason and it's amazing. It's so close to being a 5 but there is some things that could've been fixed. But pure gameplay wise, it's a 5.
This DLC is great, i sure hope they don't have a shitty boss fight in the next one
Amazing much harder then doom eternal still haven't beaten this on the hardest difficulty
The Spirits are just way too overtuned for me. I usually refrain from talking about balance, but... the fact that they're completely immune to staggering AND have a lot of health AND require me to have a lot of plasma ammo once their host is killed is just... too much.
The super Drone angel thing is also kinda forceful in the sense that headshots are almost the only thing that kills it, and you have to wait to do so.
And look, I sound like a Marauder-hater, but I'm actually not - I do like him! Yes, there's a parry window, but you can use almost any weapon to do so. Plus, I can stagger with bomb.
I don't know, this was way too stressful for me, and kept pushing me out of the fun zone. There's a difference between difficult fun and difficult frustrating - TAG 1 crossed that line for me, unfortunately.
The super Drone angel thing is also kinda forceful in the sense that headshots are almost the only thing that kills it, and you have to wait to do so.
And look, I sound like a Marauder-hater, but I'm actually not - I do like him! Yes, there's a parry window, but you can use almost any weapon to do so. Plus, I can stagger with bomb.
I don't know, this was way too stressful for me, and kept pushing me out of the fun zone. There's a difference between difficult fun and difficult frustrating - TAG 1 crossed that line for me, unfortunately.