This version of Doom is the most interesting take on the series. Playing off medieval culture,Doom: The Dark Agesfeatures fascinating weaponry that blends the old with the new. The weapons add more flavor to close combat in particular.
The pacing of Doom: The Dark Ages remains familiar despite the significant weapon overhaul. In some ways, the pacing and imagery start to resemble Quake more than previous titles. Regardless, id Software has done a fantastic job balancing the weapons in Doom: The Dark Ages, and most of them are useful at different points in the game.
8Cycler
One Of The Few Awesome Long Range Weapons
Eventually, Doom: The Dark Ages starts putting more distance between you and your enemies. A weapon like the Cycler has better range than most of the more close-quarters-oriented weapons.
The Cycler is a plasma weapon, so it struggles a bit when trying to take down armor, but it can burst through energy shields rather easily. Sometimes, you won’t have the health to engage in close range with fierce mobs. You can use the Cycler when you find key spots in the area to sit and pick off enemies from a distance.
7Combat Shotgun
A Reliable Throwback Gun That Stays Relevant
You’d think that you’d outgrow the Combat Shotgun pretty quickly, considering it’s your starting weapon. However, the upgrades available for the Combat Shotgun make it a highly versatile and useful tool for much of the game. It’s also the same gun from thebest N64 shooter, Doom 64, which is one of the best callbacks in the game.
The Combat Shotgun doesn’t do anything too special. It’s good at cutting down basic hordes, but its main function is that it can get you armor shards early and quickly. Burn damage via incendiary equipment is a great way to wear down tougher enemies.
6Flail
Great For Hording Armor Shards
Midway through the game, you’ll get your second melee weapon, the Flail. The Flail is not as combo-friendly as the Power Gauntlet, but it does deal significantly more damage. Although the Flail doesn’t match the power of later melee weapons, it deals bonus damage against armored enemies.
The ability to melt armored foes in the mid-game is quite valuable, so you’ll likely want to use it until you unlock the final melee weapon. The Flail also drops armor for you, providing indirect defensive support. Its balanced design compared to the other melee weapons and the shield help establish Doom: The Dark Ages asone of the best melee systems in an FPS.
5Impaler
The Ideal Weapon For Boss Battles
If your accuracy is good, the Impaler is incredible. It deals massive damage on headshots, making it an ideal tool for taking down bosses. Sadly, it—alongside the Ballistic Force Crossbow—is incredibly scarce in ammo for most of the game.
When you start facing late-game hordes and utilizing parrying, you’ll gain more ammo for the Impaler. The Impaler doesn’t scale well when fighting multiple enemies, though, so its great damage still makes it more of a specialty weapon—albeit a very useful one.
4Rocket Launcher
Destroy Hordes Of Enemies With One Shot
This late-game weapon has top-tier power. Its biggest strength is also its primary weakness: its massive slash damage. you’re able to take out hordes of enemies with one shell, but if it explodes too close to you, you’ll take significant damage.
Fortunately, the Rocket Launcher has upgrades designed to heal you. This healing ability makes using it more manageable. you’re able to also increase its already large splash damage, allowing you to effectively melt giant groups in the endgame.
3Dreadmace
The Best Melee Weapon
The best melee weapon in the game, the Dreadmace, isn’t very sophisticated or fancy—it’s just lethal. It deals significantly more damage than the Flail and Power Gauntlet. In addition to one-shotting enemies, it also causes splash damage.
The Dreadmace is the final melee weapon you unlock, likely due to how powerful it is. Its main drawback is its massive cooldown time, but this can be mitigated by parrying key enemy attacks, which greatly reduces it. The deeper you get into Doom: The Dark Ages, the more you’ll start to parry, making this a no-brainer option.
2Ravager
Once You Get Going With It, You Can’t Be Stopped
This is a gun that builds heavily on momentum. It starts with a slow rate of fire, but the longer you hold it down, the more rapidly the bullets fire. If you have an open field with a lot of enemies, you can ramp up a very strong volley to take them out quickly.
There’s also a tremendous upgrade that grants you health when shooting down demons. The healing rate is so powerful that you can ignore smaller enemies attacking you while you cut down a larger demon. The amount of power and momentum makes it feel reminiscent of thebest games in the Doom series.
1Super Shotgun
Makes Close-Range Combat A Breeze
The game design in this version of Doom heavily incentivizes melee combat. Having a powerful shotgun is perfect for exploiting that. The Super Shotgun does incredible damage, especially when all its shells hit a single enemy, though it comes at the cost of a lot of ammo. Fortunately, Doom: The Dark Ages is generous with its ammunition.
You get the Super Shotgun early in the game, so you’ll be able to cut through a lot of enemies as long as you can maintain a steady supply of ammo.
