Every Doom The Dark Ages guide you'll need and more

Doom: The Dark Ages key art featuring the slayer on top a pile of bodies with the ruins of hell behind them — (Image credit: Xbox/id Software)

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Review
Platforms
Guides and tips
Weapons and upgrades
Puzzles and secrets

Our Doom The Dark Ages guide has the essential information and advice you need to get through the Doom Slayer's prequel campaign. Taking place long before even the events of Doom 2016, The Dark Ages puts you into the thick of the Night Sentinel's world-hopping war against the demonic forces Hell. That obviously means it's not a sequel to Doom Eternal, which we reckon is one of the best FPS games you can play right now, and plays quite differently as a result. Where Eternal was all about speed, The Dark Ages is (slightly) slower, focusing more on strafing and defense, much more like the 1993 title that started it all.

However, as one of the new games of 2025, Doom The Dark Ages still feels fresh and is far from simple. Doomguy now brings a shield into battle that's vital for parrying ferocious demon attacks to get the upper hand. There are also some wildly varied levels featuring the expected demon-infested hellholes and facilities, but also massive open battlefields, cyber dragon flights, and battles in the colossal Atlan mech. But pretty much every level is also filled with secrets to uncover and resources to gather to upgrade your gear in this crusade.

There's a lot to bear in mind when playing Doom The Dark Ages then, from new shield-based abilities to hidden treasures scattered throughout the game's chapters. Thankfully, we've got you covered with all of our Doom The Dark Ages guides, including tips and tricks for combat, help regarding the best weapons and upgrades, and pointers for finding some of the more elusive secrets.

Doom The Dark Ages review

You can read our full Doom The Dark Ages review to get our complete verdict. Overall, it feels like a "solid entry" that draws from previous Doom games, but does fumble some its new features. You can also get quick overview of our thoughts in the above 60-second review video.

Doom The Dark Ages platforms

Doom The Dark Ages firing plasma cycler at demons — (Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)

Doom The Dark Ages is available now on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5, having launched fully on May 15, 2025.

You can also play Doom The Dark Ages on PC and Xbox Games Pass since id Software falls under Xbox-owned Bethesda Softworks, technically making it one of the developers on the Xbox Game Studios list.

Doom The Dark Ages guides and tips

Doom The Dark Ages Doom Slayer and Sentinels — (Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)

Here we'll cover all the basics of The Dark Ages' gameplay and what you need to know if you're leaping into the game for yourself.

Tips and tricks: Getting to grips with the new experiences of an old-timey Slayer? Our top 10 Doom The Dark Ages tips will help you master every aspect of the Unholy Crusade!
Length and time to beat: How long is Doom The Dark Ages? Well, it depends on a few things but we've got all the relevant numbers laid out here.
Chapters and missions: There are just over 20 Doom The Dark Ages chapters, most of which feature a variety of collectibles to find, secrets to uncover, and mission challenges to complete.
What's going on? If you're not up to date, or just need a refresher, we've got all the Doom The Dark Ages lore and setting laid out here, spoiler free!

Doom The Dark Ages weapons and upgrades

Weapons in Doom The Dark Ages — (Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)

The Dark Ages has a mixture of new and returning weapons, including melee attacks, the Shield Saw, and more besides!

Every weapon, gun and more: For the full understanding of the Slayer's arsenal, we've got all Doom The Dark Ages weapons laid out here!
Best weapon: But which of these killing tools is the killiest? We've got the best weapon in Doom The Dark Ages - and what makes it so deadly - laid out here.
Upgrades: With Gold, Rubies and Wraithstones to spend, we've got the best Doom the Dark Ages upgrades for you to prioritize here!

Doom The Dark Ages puzzles and secrets

Wolf Statue Locations in Doom The Dark Ages — (Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)

Like all Doom games, the Dark Ages has its own puzzles, challenges, secrets and collectibles! We'll show you how to find the most challenging of them below.

Wolf Statues: The most common side activities are the recurring Doom The Dark Ages Wolf Statues, which we've got all the locations of in every level!
Secret Layovers: This challenge for the Dragon is about finding secret landing spots with their own prizes. To find all the Doom The Dark Ages secret layovers, check out our guide!
Artillery Cannons: More than once, you'll have to break through enemy battlefields and destroy their armaments. To find all the Doom The Dark Ages artillery cannons, use the attached page!
Fire Door of Hebeth: A door blocked by pipes spewing fire in Hebeth can be a tricky puzzle. Our Doom The Dark Ages fire door guide has everything you need to solve it!
Wraithstones in the Spire of Nerathul: These valuable collectibles are incredibly hard to get in Chapter 14, but our page on finding all the Doom The Dark Ages Spire of Nerathul Wraithstones will make it a breeze!
The Rotating Room of Water in The Kar'Thul Marshes: This optional puzzle has you spinning a room around to find a way to the treasures above, including the gravity-defying water. For help with this, our walkthrough to the Doom The Dark Ages rotating water room puzzle has everything you need!

If you fancy seeing what else Xbox Game Pass has to offer, check out all the best games on Game Pass. Alternatively, if you're looking ahead, you can check out what we know about all the upcoming Xbox Series X games.