DOOM Eternal - the sequel to the 2016 reboot - now with The Ancient Gods DLC

[Lyric Suite]

They did?

 

[Caim]

If they wanted to make this DLC REALLY hard, they'd slow the regen rate of the chainsaw by 30% or more. Then you'd have to use (and master) each of the ammo types evenly before a refill, ammo (and fuel) in the environment would be more relevant, and the ole flame belch + chainsaw panic button to refill health, ammo and armor in one go would be less spammable. That would fulfill DE's combat chess potential.

The chainsaw refill should've been slowed down, but it should also have refilled to the full three charges to compensate. Allow you to get into a fight at full charge, but unless the fight's really long you're going to NEED those charges.

 

[Ash]

Eh, two at most, but I disagree. One is perfect, especially if the regen rate were nerfed. Game already gives you too much easy ammo.

They did?

Yeah OK not really in hindsight. I was...under the influence of a (legal) substance that makes gameplay more intense and bumps up the difficulty an extra point last night. Normally I'm clean. I fell at the crane + monkey bars + vent shot obstacle course like five times and had to return to checkpoint lol. In reality it is as challenging as base game end game content -- moderate.

 

[Caim]

Speaking of, in the first level of the DLC there was that one jumping puzzle after the vent-powered long jump that took me way too long to figure out. I settled on jumping to one of the monkey bars at a nigh impossible angle, double air dashed to the climbing wall, then turned around and jumped across the bars to the place you needed to go. Was there something I obviously missed, or was that the intended way?

 

[Ash]

Nope that was how it was meant to be done, aside maybe from the impossible angle. Your first jump to the bar should be from underneath the wrecked walkway (the destination ledge) if I recall. It's not much of an angle that I remember.

 

[OctavianRomulus]

I get why they implemented the Chainsaw mechanic but even after all this time it still feels a bit weird to me. They should have put respawning pickups in the arenas like in Quake 3 with maybe the Chainsaw being a much rarer ammo refill and maybe even a rune that gives a speed boost when you pick something up.

 

[Jezal_k23]

The low ammo counts drive me crazy. It feels like I spend 15% of time in the arenas watching the chainsaw animations.

 

[JDR13]

So the expansion is even more platform-happy than the base game? I was hoping that wouldn't be the case.

 

[Ol' Willy]

It doesn't matter how good nuDooms are, there is one simple, but fatal flaw that will never allow them to stand in the line with ol' good Dooms and Quakes - lack of modding support. Original Id titles were always made with modding in mind, tool were given to public and source code was released some time after.

No such thing for nuDooms. Doom 2016 had some rudimentary level editor - Doom Eternal doesn't have even this. Four years have passed and we see no significant mods or mappacks for Doom 2016. And knowing Shittesda/Microsoft policies, modders can forget about ever seeing the source code of these games.

 

[sullynathan]

The platforming in this game is relatively fun though so I don't mind it.

 

[Jezal_k23]

It is well made, but it's such a huge missed opportunity - I'm just opposed to its use as a way to keep me distracted until the next arena, instead of using it as a means of truly deepening or enhancing the level design and exploration.

But I think it's also likely true that id simply doesn't want exploration in Doom anymore...

 

[Lyric Suite]

The annoying part with that is that the current team probably could pull off traditional level design if they had a mind to do it, but they won't because their design principle is non-stop rip and tearing.

 

[UserNamer]

I think doom eternal is a challenging enough game in its core gameplay that the jumping puzzles shouldn't have health penalties. Just restarting at the beginning of the jumping puzzle is enough

 

[Durandal]

I get why they implemented the Chainsaw mechanic but even after all this time it still feels a bit weird to me. They should have put respawning pickups in the arenas like in Quake 3 with maybe the Chainsaw being a much rarer ammo refill and maybe even a rune that gives a speed boost when you pick something up.

Respawning zombies are your respawning pickups.

 

[Caim]

I get why they implemented the Chainsaw mechanic but even after all this time it still feels a bit weird to me. They should have put respawning pickups in the arenas like in Quake 3 with maybe the Chainsaw being a much rarer ammo refill and maybe even a rune that gives a speed boost when you pick something up.

Respawning zombies are your respawning pickups.

Can't you buy an upgrade that has exploding barrels drop some stuff, and another where the barrels respawn?

 

[OctavianRomulus]

I get why they implemented the Chainsaw mechanic but even after all this time it still feels a bit weird to me. They should have put respawning pickups in the arenas like in Quake 3 with maybe the Chainsaw being a much rarer ammo refill and maybe even a rune that gives a speed boost when you pick something up.

Respawning zombies are your respawning pickups.

It's not quite the same thing. With respawning pickups. you would have to find where they are, memorize their location and make sure you can actually get there. All the of these situations could generate interesting combat scenarios. I like the chainsaw mechanic. I just think you should be less reliant on it.

Also, I never liked how in all Doom games the lowest zombies are basically useless. Each enemy should pose a threat. They are basically like like the Pistol. The Shotgunner in OG Doom and the Doom 2016 Imps are probably the best low-tier enemies in any shooter of this sort.

 

[UserNamer]

I think the gameplay in eternal is well designed, the pinata mechanics are stupid on paper but it still is an engaging game and they work without removing the challenge. You need to actually play to win, with not much room to relax in the middle of the fight. The possessed enemies also really had a lot of additional pressure. In the end it is not a popamole - well it is but you play as the heavily armed mole

Level design is non existent as discussed but at least the environments are (mostly) interesting and the combat is well designed, especially on the dlc that really ups the challenge. From

Maybe the next dlc will focus on level design more? Not holding my breath of course.

 

[Lyric Suite]

The fucking skybox has better level design than the game lmao

 

[Caim]

At first I thought that my man was launched into a Serious Sam level, but then it started to look like the big-ass bridge from Shadow of the Colossus, with the shrine on the left and the entrance on the right.

 

[Ash]

Good level design != how open it is and no other qualifiers apply.

Doom Eternal's somewhat linear levels are way better than something like GTAV's massive open barren nothingness. Or for something more similar mechanically, better than Serious Sam 1's endless bland rooms and open environments.

 

[Israfael]

Finished the swamp level after a bit of break, initially I was skeptical o people who said it's hard (the dog part wasn't that difficult, iniitial arenas were also easy (for nightmare)), but then I went to the final arenas of each area... I've probably spend two hours on the right side one, and about 30 mins on the left side (which is easier as it does not have a spirit-boosted arachnotron that you have to kill very quickly, and then two archviles immediately afterwards). Boss was a breeze compared to those two, but I don't complain, these arenas actually added a dimension of planning (when to use bfg, mostly, as well as having enough ammo for the plasmagun) and execution.

 

[Ash]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention: Good DLC and feel I got my monies worth. good challenge for FPS lovers. Like the base game you'll like this. If you fear getting beat down too much, play on a easier difficulty. Looking forward to part 2. I may possibly replay on nightmare in the future. Big maybe (beat it on Ultra Violence). I will say it's not really notable in any special way aside from offering more Doom Eternal (good) and a pretty intense challenge...which honestly is very notable for a modern game. Get it and get good!

 

[UserNamer]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention: Good DLC and feel I got my monies worth. good challenge for FPS lovers. Like the base game you'll like this. If you fear getting beat down too much, play on a easier difficulty. Looking forward to part 2. I may possibly replay on nightmare in the future. Big maybe (beat it on Ultra Violence). I will say it's not really notable in any special way aside from offering more Doom Eternal (good) and a pretty intense challenge...which honestly is very notable for a modern game. Get it and get good!

People have been bitching about the difficulty and having to play on easy, lol

It's encouraging to me what id did with the dlc. For a big AAA game to offer a proper challenge without backing down from whining is surprising. In fact I would say on nightmare it is not just a proper challenge, but more than that, something that expects mastery from the player. Their response on the video game journo style criticism of the marauder enemy type has been met with double marauders and buff totem empowered marauders.

You can criticise doom eternal but one thing is undeniable. It's a fast paced game that needs to be played to be won, where you can be aggressive instead of taking potshots behind cover. The point of the game is the gameplay and mastering it . For these reasons alone I would put it spiritually on the same category of old school fpses even if the gameplay has obviously some differences.

The focus on the fight gameplay is a very different approach from the one inaugurated btly valve, who considered fights as just another scripted sequence to be dealt with with the less effort possible so that the player can move on with the next set piece or scripted sequence ( and doubling down on marauders is a much better response than valve patching out the only moderately difficult fight in the entire hl2 series in episode 1)

So I declare doom eternal with dlc to be more incline than decline

 

[DalekFlay]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention: Good DLC and feel I got my monies worth. good challenge for FPS lovers. Like the base game you'll like this. If you fear getting beat down too much, play on a easier difficulty. Looking forward to part 2. I may possibly replay on nightmare in the future. Big maybe (beat it on Ultra Violence). I will say it's not really notable in any special way aside from offering more Doom Eternal (good) and a pretty intense challenge...which honestly is very notable for a modern game. Get it and get good!

My issue with ultra violence in the main game was that in later levels it just felt tedious. The difficulty wasn't the problem, but the endless swarms and need to constantly buff and use the right weapon just wore on me. There were sections where I'd say that was the case even on the default difficulty, like the end boss. Does the DLC ramp up these aspects, or is it more difficult in a genuine way?

 

[Ash]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention: Good DLC and feel I got my monies worth. good challenge for FPS lovers. Like the base game you'll like this. If you fear getting beat down too much, play on a easier difficulty. Looking forward to part 2. I may possibly replay on nightmare in the future. Big maybe (beat it on Ultra Violence). I will say it's not really notable in any special way aside from offering more Doom Eternal (good) and a pretty intense challenge...which honestly is very notable for a modern game. Get it and get good!

My issue with ultra violence in the main game was that in later levels it just felt tedious. The difficulty wasn't the problem, but the endless swarms and need to constantly buff and use the right weapon just wore on me. There were sections where I'd say that was the case even on the default difficulty, like the end boss. Does the DLC ramp up these aspects, or is it more difficult in a genuine way?

I didn't really experience any strict need to use the right weapon in the base game, aside from maybe the marauder (5 weapons are effective against him, remaining 4 are not). You're probably not going to like the DLC in that case because here it is stricter: Balista/heavy rifle are needed for the turrets, and plasma microwave mod needed for spirits.