The new weapons, enemies, and gameplay opportunities ofDoom: The Dark Agescompared to its predecessors are largely thanks to the game’s unique setting, with the title exploring the culture and plight of Argent D’Nur in a way that the franchise has not really portrayed before. Despite being a prequel to 2016’sDoom,The Dark Agesdoes extremely well to keep things fresh, with core combat and exploration being quite distinct without raising a lot of question marks around the franchise’s overall timeline.
A lot ofDoom: The Dark Ages' fresh experiences are justified by its unique setting, with the culture and time period of Argent D’Nur during the game’s events explaining why things like certain enemies and weapon designs do not appear in future-set titles likeDoom Eternal. While Argent D’Nur has already played an important role in the soft reboot era ofDoom’s wider narrative,The Dark Agesfleshes out the setting in some fantastic ways, bringing the location up to speed with some of the most iconic settings thatDoomhas explored over the years.
Spoilers forDoom: The Dark Agesbelow.
Argent D’Nur Plays a Huge Role in Doom’s Wider Narrative
Argent D’Nur is a planet that acts as the primary setting ofDoom: The Dark Ages, specifically during the period where the planet’s inhabitants, known as Argenta, are at war with invading legions of Hell. Upon being mysteriously sent to the planetfollowing the events ofDoom 64, the Slayer acts as a savage and powerful ally for the people of Argent D’Nur in their fight against evil, joining the ranks of Argent D’Nur’s Night Sentinel warrior class.
The Argenta are a human-like race that were born following the crashing of a strange celestial object known as the World Spear into the planet,unleashing God-like creatures of immense power known as Wraithsfrom the planet’s core. The Wraiths would nurture the Argenta humans and bless them with great technological power over the years, forming a widespread society across Argent D’Nur centered around a monarchy and a caste of warriors.
Most of the culture and religion of Argent D’Nur was centered around the ethereal Wraiths for quite some time, before an equally-awe-inspiringalien race known as the Maykrsmade contact with the planet and its people. The Maykrs bestowed similar feats of shared knowledge and power upon the Argenta, who would go on to form a much more powerful civilization under Maykr guidance, over time leading to lesser Argenta human offspring inhabiting planets such as Earth.
The Fall of Argent D’Nur is One of the Most Important Events in the Doom Franchise
The legions of Hell specifically targetedthe world of Argent D’Nurto capture and corrupt the benevolent Wraiths, with Hell eventually absorbing part of Argent D’Nur into the demon realm to form The Well, an immense source of power for demon-kind. This victory for Hell was largely thanks to a betrayal by certain sects of the Night Sentinels as well as the Maykrs themselves, who aligned with Hell to enjoy the benefits of Argent Energy, a potently powerful fuel that would end up corrupting the Maykrs into a demon-like race.
One of the main Night Sentinel betrayers, Valen, betrayed the Argenta under the pretense that it would save his late son from demonic torture, only for his son’s spirit to be transformed into the Icon of Sin.
Hell’s victory over Argent D’Nur would spell disaster for the planet’s inhabitants, yetDoom: The Dark Agesoffers a fascinating glimpse into the culture and society of the Argenta prior to these calamitous events. The game specifically highlights the veneration that the Argenta share for the watchful Maykrs, being a sad indicator of the betrayal and ultimate fall of the planet that this trust would spell. Argent D’Nur stands as one of the most interesting and lore-importantlocations of the entireDoomfranchise, making it a natural fit for the major setting ofThe Dark Ages.
