Every New Enemy Type in Doom: The Dark Ages Explained

The recent launch of Doom: The Dark Ages really highlights the amount of creative avenues that are still available for such a longstanding franchise. The game acts as a prequel to 2016's Doom and features a wildly different setting and core premise to what fans have come to expect. Its story explores the Slayer's role as an intimidating ally to the Night Sentinels of Argent D'Nur during their battle against the forces of Hell, a setting littered with a mixture of sci-fi and Medieval themes that give way to some truly fresh experiences.

While Doom: The Dark Ages still features the tense and fairly fast-paced gameplay that has made the franchise so successful since its debut in 1993, the involved enemies of the title are also something that the game desperately needed to get right. Over the years, the Doom series has featured a wide cast of demons within its pool of enemies, ranging from common fodder to unfathomable entities, and The Dark Ages is not afraid to add a twist to these otherwise familiar faces. Alongside thematic redesigns to pre-existing foes, Doom: The Dark Ages features a wide selection of brand-new demonic enemies, giving the game an extra level of flare and distinction.

Thanks to The Dark Ages, The Next Doom Game is Poised to Give the Slayer a Perfect Weapon Combo

Some of Doom: The Dark Ages' new combat mechanics truly shine, setting up a must-have weapon combination for the franchise's next major project.

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By Jake S

Doom: The Dark Ages' New Enemies Stamp a Big Mark on the Title

Doom: The Dark Ages does well to feature the vast majority of Doom demon-types that fans have come to know and love over the years, with the likes of Hell Knights, Mancubi, Cacodemons, Arachnotrons, and Lost Souls making frequent appearances throughout the game. Many of these returning classic enemies have been redesigned to match the unique time and conflict in which The Dark Ages takes place, yet most still serve the same familiar roles during combat.

The Dark Ages would have felt empty without these returning enemies, yet the game really shines with how it bolsters its lore and setting with the implementation of brand-new demons for players to rip and tear. Many classic demons have been repurposed in The Dark Ages. The iconic Pinky now appears as a larger mount, with Pinky Riders offering a deadly and chaotic presence on any battlefield.

Many of The Dark Ages' returning demons feel different thanks to the game's reliance on its parry system, with most demons offering new move-sets that can be directly countered by the player.

New variants of the iconic Imp are also scattered throughout The Dark Ages, with the Imp Stalker appearing taller and bulkier, much like the original portrayals of Imps throughout the original Doom, Doom 2, and even Doom 64. Stalkers are smarter and more imposing versions of the redesigned Imps which also appear in the recent project; Nightmare Imp Stalkers are a near-invisible variant that is born from Hell and the mysterious cosmic realms.

Some of The Dark Ages' New Demons Are Already Established by the Franchise's Wider Story

Agaddon Hunters are one of the most interesting fresh additions to Doom: The Dark Ages, being ancient warriors that act similarly to Doom Eternal's Marauders. The reanimated corpses of Agaddon Hunters are also the source of Eternal's Doom Hunter enemies, so Agaddon Hunters make the most of The Dark Ages' nature as a prequel in this way. Meanwhile, the uniquely designed Komodo demon is an example of a completely new enemy for the franchise; the reptilian Komodo Champion even appears as a challenging boss-level demon.

Some of The Dark Ages' most memorable gameplay sequences occur when the Slayer is in control of a giant mech soldier, and id Software smartly uses this to showcase some colossal enemies in melee and ranged combat. While Titans have appeared before in Doom, The Dark Ages features the Cyclops Titan variant, which has been cybernetically augmented in true Doom style to be a towering mixture of flesh, steel, and grafted weaponry. The Cosmic Baron is the last example of a major new enemy type in The Dark Ages, similarly born from interdimensional fusion like the Nightmare Imp Stalker. The Cosmic Baron offers a Lovecraftian twist to the usual Baron of Hell demon types that players have seen over the years. The designs and in-game purpose of demons have always been at the heart of what makes Doom tick, and The Dark Ages features some excellent fresh faces to the usual beloved lineup of the franchise's iconic enemies.