Gaming
Get ahead of the game with these tips on how to destroy those scary monsters in Doom Eternal.
You cannot beat Doom Eternal. Seriously: this game is impossible. Set the difficulty to anything more than Hurt Me Plenty and you’ll need the reactions of a dart player at last call and the aggression of a crocodile in a kitten nursery to make it past the first ten minutes.
Still, among the mayhem are some truly disturbing and creative demons – here are a few of our favourite non-bosses in the game, and how to kill them.
1. Arachnotron
Technically an arachnid has eight legs, not four, but that feels like splitting hairs when the Arachnotron is dealing death at you from all directions. The problem is that this cheerful little chap is deadly both from vast distances, when it can hit you with its brain-mounted turret (you can’t say Satan’s unimaginative), and from up close, its metal claws the perfect size for a swift evisceration. Oh, it’s also exceptionally quick – whether moving forward or laterally – meaning that the Arachnotron you just saw 200 metres away is now on top of you. Awesome.
How to kill it? Just hit its turret, says the Codex, to which we say pip-pip and good luck, because the turret is small, the Arachnotron is fast and, in general, you’ll have plenty else on your plate when one’s around. The best advice is to prioritise: even when you’ve got only one to deal with, the Arachnotron will be EVERYWHERE, so concentrate on getting it killed before you take on less deadly enemies.
2. Revenant
This baddie is truly the work of a troubled mind, and perhaps the first time you’ll wonder if anyone’s seen any of the Doom Eternal team since the game came out. The Revenant has it all. Crosser than a toddler in a tantrum and with a pair of nifty shoulder-mounted rocket launchers, it’s pretty dangerous up close and, in case that didn’t make it lethal enough, it can also fly. Hooray!
We particularly enjoy hitting these with an Ice Bomb, although the precision-minded can opt to take out the Revenant’s beloved rocket launchers. If you have the time and presence of mind to do that, we salute you.
3. Cacodemon
Have these had an upgrade since 2016’s Doom remake? They certainly feel more vicious. Either way, these floating cycloptic deathblobs offer both ranged attacks as well as the ability to corner you and chomp you to death. They’re not super quick, and the main reason we’ve included them is that killing them is awesome: chuck in a grenade or a sticky bomb and listen for the hilarious YULP noise as they swallow it. A few seconds later they’re staggered, and you can finish them off with a glory kill that involves plucking out their eyeball.
4. Mancubus
Part terrifying lard demon, part supervisor at the supermarket you used to stack shelves in, the Mancubus’ chief feature is its ability to hurt you from more or less anywhere via a set of handy-dandy rocket launchers-slash-flamethrowers attached to its arms. Its bulk means it can take plenty of damage before giving up, and, although it's not the fastest of Hell’s tenants, rounding a corner and discovering one is still fresh pants time.
Unlike the tiny weak point on the Arachnotron, the Mancubus’ rocket launchers are big enough to be practically targeted – go after them and all you’re left with is an aggravated two-ton beast with rocket launchers for hands.
5. Lost Soul
Probably the least damaging baddie on the list, the Lost Soul is nonetheless one of Doom Eternal’s biggest irritants. Often unnoticeable during battle thanks to their small size and minimal pain-causing, once they’ve spotted you they come at you like a white van driver after a chip butty. Once they’re moving they’re basically impossible to hit, which often means accepting the small amount of damage they deal and getting on with something else. Unless that small amount of damage was your last few percent of health. Ugh.
6. Whiplash
Fresh from every nightmare you’ve ever had, the Whiplash is a half-human, half-snake affair which, thanks to its svelte profile, is very tough to hit when it’s standing up. When it’s slithering across the ground, forget about it – it’s too fast and too small.
Our preferred remedy – once you’ve recovered from your first encounter – is to never, ever stop moving and, ideally, hit them with an Ice Bomb.
7. Carcass
Oh God, why is it smiling? Why does it have to be smiling? This chipper little tripod of gloom scampers about lobbing rockets at anything that moves and – plot twist – can also launch an extremely irritating energy shield that protects it and whatever’s behind it.
We recommend using the plasma rifle on the energy shield, which if it explodes produces splash damage on anything nearby. If possible, follow it up with a Glory Kill, as there’s little more satisfying in the Doom Eternal universe than watching one of these suckers spinning itself into oblivion.
8. Pinky
Aww, we rather like these. The Pinky isn’t violent, it’s just misunderstood. These snuffly little beauties – we suspect they just want to be loved – are nonetheless armoured beyond all necessity and therefore more or less indestructible from the front.
Your best option, since curling up in a ball and waiting for This All To Be Over isn’t one, is to stand with your back to a wall as a Pinky charges at you and boost jump over it. Once it’s bonked its noggin on the wall, it stands stunned for a second or two, allowing you to thwack away at its tail, its only weak point. Oh, it’s got a brother as well, the Spectre, WHICH IS INVISIBLE (pictured above). Thanks for that.
9. Prowler
Why has it got so many teeth? That’s what we want to know. Also, why is it responsible for so many of our most demoralising deaths? The Prowler is the little zombie who could: it might look like your run of the mill Imp, if bigger and horrendous-er, but it packs an almighty punch, able to dispatch you from both up close and far away. Its party trick is teleportation, so just as you think you’ve got one cornered, it vanishes. Surprise! It’s behind you now.
Dispatching a Prowler is good practice for beating Doom Eternal in general: never stop moving and throw everything you have at it.
