Doom: The Dark Ages: Who Are the Maykrs?

Spoilers for Doom: The Dark Ages and Doom Eternal below.

The story of Doom: The Dark Ages is a fascinating one, with the game being set during the blurry gap in the franchise's timeline between Doom 64 and 2016's Doom. This allows the title to portray one of the most distinct settings that the series has seen, with the Slayer finding himself allied to the Night Sentinels of Argent D'Nur in their chaotic war against the armies of Hell.

Inspired by Gothic and Medieval themes and imagery, the setting of Doom: The Dark Ages has given way to plenty of interesting re-designs in terms of the classic demons and weapons of the wider Doom franchise, with id Software also including a range of brand-new gameplay additions. Through things like mech combat and a dragon mount, the gameplay of The Dark Ages does well to make the most of its story, and the advanced species known as the Maykrs are one of the most mysterious yet deeply integral species that players will come across.

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By Ollie Tuscarny

The Maykrs Are One of the Most Important Factions in Doom's Modern Storyline

The Maykr species were first introduced in 2020's Doom Eternal, where they played a prominent role in the game's story, so it only makes sense for id Software to provide even more background and screen-time for the Maykr throughout the earlier-set story of The Dark Ages. One of the most ancient species that exist within the wider Doom lore, the Maykr are inter-dimensional beings from the Urdak realm, possessing a level of technological and biological advancement that far exceeds the human race.

The ethereal-like qualities of the Maykrs allowed them to approach countless civilizations across several realms, posing as Gods with the power to extend life beyond death to any of their subjects. The Maykrs entrench themselves in suitable planets in this way in exchange for resources, with this being the basis for the Maykrs holding such a prominent role in the lands of Argent D'Nur.

The most important figure in the ranks of the Maykrs is the Khan Maykr, with this title being passed down and new Khans being born through a mysterious process known as The Singularity.

Home to the Night Sentinels and being the main setting of The Dark Ages, Argent D'Nur's culture is deeply tied to the presence of the Maykrs, with the ancient race providing the people of Argent D'Nur with immense technology and power. Despite these early positive pretenses, the Maykr are ultimately driven toward resources which can secure their existence, initially harnessing Argent D'Nur's powerful Seintinel Energy stores.

Doom: The Dark Ages' Maykrs Harbor a Dark Secret

When combined with Hell Essence, Sentinel Energy is refined into Argent Energy, an extremely potent resource of power that can provide untold strength, but will ultimately corrupt the consumer after prolonged use. The Maykrs were aware of this fact when the legions of Hell invaded Argent D'Nur, with the ancient race secretly siding with the demon hordes in exchange for unfettered access to Argent Energy.

This betrayal was devastating for Argent D'Nur and the Night Sentinels, with the Maykrs furthering their allegiance with Hell following the fall of the planet by targeting the people of Earth for their souls in the pursuit of even more Argent Energy production. The widespread use of Argent Energy would go on to corrupt the highest ranks of the Maykr hivemind, making the race essentially demonic in nature, leading to their presence as enemies alongside the traditional Hell ranks within Doom Eternal. The story of the Maykrs is one of immense greed, power, and inevitable corruption, with The Dark Ages showing an earlier glimpse of the society prior to the more overtly Hell-aligned version of the Maykrs that players saw in 2020.

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