"Doom: Dark Ages Inspired by Eternal’s Marauder"

When director Hugo Martin unveiled the mantra for Doom: The Dark Ages as "stand and fight" during Xbox's Developer Direct, it immediately captured my attention. This approach starkly contrasts with Doom Eternal, a game that thrived on fast-paced, movement-driven combat. Yet, within Doom Eternal, there's one enemy that echoes this new mantra: the Marauder. A polarizing figure in the Doom community, the Marauder is an adversary that demands players to halt their usual frenetic pace and engage directly. Personally, I find the Marauder to be a thrilling challenge, and my excitement for Doom: The Dark Ages surged when I learned that its combat system hinges on reacting to bright green lights—a mechanic reminiscent of the Marauder's vulnerability cues.

Rest assured, The Dark Ages doesn't confine you to a frustrating standstill as with the Marauder. Instead of a single enemy forcing you to slow down, the game's design spreads the Marauder's essence across all encounters. The Agaddon Hunter, for instance, sports a bulletproof shield and a deadly combo attack, but it's the overarching combat system that carries the Marauder's legacy forward. This approach reimagines and refines the Marauder's mechanics, ensuring that every battle is as strategic and engaging as a Marauder face-off, but without the same level of frustration.

The Marauder stands out in Doom Eternal as an anomaly. While most fights encourage players to circle the arena, managing hordes with speed and precision, the Marauder demands undivided attention. Often encountered in one-on-one scenarios, this enemy forces players to adapt their strategy completely. When the Marauder appears amidst other foes, the best approach is to clear the lesser enemies before focusing on this formidable foe. The key to defeating the Marauder is not standing still but mastering the art of positioning. Too close, and you risk a lethal shotgun blast; too far, and you're pelted with easy-to-dodge projectiles. The ideal strategy involves tempting the Marauder to swing its axe, as this is the only moment when its energy shield drops, signaled by a flash of bright green eyes—a brief window to strike.

Doom Eternal's Marauder is one of the most controversial enemies in FPS history. | Image credit: id Software / Bethesda

This green flash is also pivotal in Doom: The Dark Ages. The game pays homage to the original Doom with bullet hell-like projectile volleys, some of which include special green missiles. These can be parried using the Doom Slayer's new shield, sending the projectiles back at their sender. Initially a defensive maneuver, the parry evolves into a potent offensive tool once you unlock the shield's rune system, enabling stunning effects or activating an auto-targeting cannon.

Navigating The Dark Ages' battlefields involves a series of focused, one-on-one encounters with various powerful demons. While these battles don't hinge entirely on reacting to green lights, leveraging the shield runes can significantly enhance your combat strategy. The parry mechanic shares similarities with Eternal's Marauder fights, requiring precise positioning and timing to effectively counter the green projectiles.

One common criticism of the Marauder was its disruption of Doom Eternal's flow, demanding a different approach than the game's usual tactics. This is precisely why I appreciate the Marauder—it challenges players to break from the norm and adapt. Doom Eternal broke the rules of traditional first-person shooters, and the Marauder broke Eternal's rules, offering a unique challenge that, while frustrating to some, I find exhilarating.

The Agaddon Hunter may be the most Marauder-like enemy in The Dark Ages, but every demon has a little bit of Eternal's most fearsome foe in them. | Image credit: id Software / Bethesda

Doom: The Dark Ages addresses the Marauder's disruptive nature by integrating diverse combat "dances" into its core mechanics. Each major enemy type features unique green projectiles or melee strikes, prompting players to adapt their tactics continuously. From the Mancubus's energy "fences" to the Vagary's volley of deadly spheres, and the Revenant's green skulls, every demon requires a different approach. This variety ensures that introducing new enemies feels natural, unlike the jarring experience of encountering the Marauder in Eternal.

The Marauder's design wasn't the issue; it was its unexpected disruption of Eternal's established rules that caught players off guard. Doom: The Dark Ages prepares players for such mechanics by making reaction-based combat a fundamental aspect of the entire game, rather than an abrupt change mid-gameplay. While the parry window in The Dark Ages is more forgiving than the Marauder's split-second vulnerability, the core concept remains: positioning yourself to strike at the perfect moment when the green light signals an opening. Doom: The Dark Ages may offer a different spin on these ideas, but the essence of standing and fighting is ever-present.