Summary
Few FPS games have iconic enemies quite likeDOOM. From floating eyeballs to giant crab-like creatures, the demonic entities that are set on taking out the player are both horrifying and glorious to look at, andthe newest entry in theDOOMfranchisecertainly doesn’t disappoint when it comes to enemy design and combat styles for each foe encountered.
When it comes to difficulty, finding a fine line between fairness and absurdity is pretty hard, and a lot of the challenge comes from how the enemies interact with the player and the kinds of counterplay options that are available for each one.The Dark Agesfeatures a long list of enemies. Some are cannon fodder, but others provide really tough battles that require a lot more than simple shooting in order for players to make it through alive.
8Chaingunner Soldier
Offense And Defense Bundled Into One
Throughout the campaign ofThe Dark Ages, players encounter quite a few enemies with armor or shields, some being physical damage-related and others requiring a weapon swap in order for players to take them down. The Chaingunner Soldiers are an amped-up version of the initial shield grunts that players encounter quite early, and they area significant upgrade on the original.
The difficult part is dealing damage to the shield in order to blow them up whilst also avoiding their ridiculous damage output that seemingly comes out of nowhere and can seriously hurt on the higher difficulties. It is made worse when there are multiple targets that need to be managed all at once and take some time to take down. This makes dealing with several shielded foes quite troublesome in the later stages of the campaign.
7Komodo
Speed And Tankiness At The Same Time
Komodos are a pretty tough enemy that look just as menacing as they actually are. They combine ranged fireballs with long-distance swipes that, although can be parried, are still quite annoying to deal with; they can often be delayed, causing the player to miss and take heavy damage. The fights are often about biding time and waiting for the right moment to get aggressive.
The hardest part is their mobility. Komodos can run across the entire screen in a pretty short amount of time, and even when it appears they are too far to be a threat, their chain spear can come out and slash right through the player. The combination of fast movement and relentless ranged attacks makes them troublesome alone and even worse in a crowd.
6Nightmare Imp Stalker
They Could Be Anywhere
Nightmare Imp Stalkers are probablythe scariest enemies inDOOM: The Dark Ages, and their name only provides a glimpse of their power. Their main ability is the fact that they can go almost entirely invisible, except for a dark shadow that is pretty difficult to pick out with all the explosions and bullets that are flying across the screen.
The invisibility not only makes them hard to see, but it also prevents them from being targeted by the shield slam or toss, two of the player’s best tools against tougher enemies, which means they need to be approached with care and parried with precision. In a game all about chaos and explosions, having a sneaky, tactical enemy sneak up on the player is a pretty easy way for them to lose their life.
5Agaddon Hunter
Patience Is The Only Way
Agaddon Hunters are tanky foes that play intothe full medieval fantasy themeby swapping out guns and long-ranged firepower for a sword and shield, taking the player on up close with sweeping blows. They can leap long distances or stay protected from afar, allowing the rest of the enemies to lay down the punishment while the Hunter is completely safe behind their shield.
What makes them particularly annoying to deal with is their constant defensive stance that prevents the player from inflicting meaningful harm, which is almost always followed up with a giant slam that deals significant damage if the player isn’t ready. They are fast and fearsome and take a bit of time to take down, requiring careful timing and patience to avoid their hunt.
4Acolyte
More Than Just A Magic Trick
Among the flying enemies, Acolytes are certainly one of the more challenging foes that make use of their speed and long-ranged assaults to take the player out. They also have access to a few defensive tricks to help keep players on their toes. Dashes are switched for teleportation, and their shielding tactic involves a purple field that prevents them from taking damage until a clone is destroyed or a certain time period has passed.
Their damage isn’t ludicrous, but when there are multiple in a group, all shielding and preventing damage at once, it can be pretty troublesome toget through the horde alive, especially when adding in a few extra foes on top. They are no joke when it comes to taking them on and will give the player quite the battle if they are unprepared for the teleportation and other tricks they have up their sleeves.
3Cyberdemon
Deadly Up Close And From Afar
Cyberdemons are one ofthe largest andhardest enemies inDOOM: The Dark Agesand bring with their size plenty of firepower to tear through anything in their path. Equipped with a machine gun arm and a fast-swinging sword, it doesn’t matter if the player is sniping from a distance or getting up close and personal; the Cyberdemon is always a threat.
What makes them particularly hard is their health pool, which is matched by an equally high damage output. Every swing is a death sentence if it isn’t parried, and from afar, their sustained damage is absolutely brutal and can quickly reduce the Slayer to dust in a matter of seconds. Every encounter with them is a drawn-out fight that requires stamina and precision to clear.
2Revenant
It’s Hard To Keep Up Against The Onslaught
Revenants are extremely deadly enemies that are just as hard to hit as they are to take down. Dashing around in the skies and becoming invulnerable for a few seconds, they constantly bombard the player with ranged attacks that deal significant damage, onlya few of which can actually be parried.
They can be pretty hard to hit when fighting them in a group, as with so many attacks to dodge and angles to worry about, focusing fire on a single fast-moving target can be near impossible. Players will want to respect their damage output a lot, as just a few skulls can quickly erase them from the map, and there really is no safe distance when taking these flying menaces on.
1Cosmic Baron
Non-Stop Damage And Rage
Cosmic Barons are lumbering beasts that have a seemingly unlimited level of aggression that just keeps coming. They leap into the fray and give the player very little time to react to their pursuit, swiping at them with a chain of blows that each deals incredible damage and continues to come out in rapid-fire succession.
Despite being able to parry the attacks, the timing can be pretty difficult to get down, and if the player misses even a single one, on certain difficulties, it can mean the end of their run in a single second. They might seem big and bulky, but speed is their best friend, and they can really catch the player off guard if they are not ready to react.
