LTTP: Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods Pt. 1

[Solid SOAP]

The first part of Doom Eternal's DLC has released on Switch, so I'm finally getting around to playing it!

To start, this shit is fucking hard. IDK what else to say. The demons are relentless here, the level design is macabre, and it's just a nightmare! I'm playing on Hurt Me Plenty and it's probably about as tough as the game on it's tougher difficulties. The arenas are cramped and they throw the game's toughest demons at you, it's absurd. It can become legitimately frustrating to a fault, but it's still very rewarding to get through the game's many gauntlets. I beat a Slayer Gate on the game's final stage and it probably was the toughest shit I've been through in either 2016 or Eternal, period.

There are new demons, including one called the Spirit, which takes over the body of another demon in order to boost its attack, speed, and durability quite a bit. You then have to destroy it via the microwave beam Ghostbusters style; if you fail to do so, it will absorb another, including the game's toughest demons, Marauder included. In the aforementioned Slayer Gate I wound up having to juggle a spirit-possessed marauder alongside shield conjuring Carcasses. There was one point where I had a Marauder at critical level and I was about to glory kill him... until a shield popped in front of me last second. I practically screamed.

The exploratory level design seems stronger here than in the base game, imo. Lots of nooks and crannies to explore in levels, and the platforming is strong. I don't care what anyone says, I dig the platforming in Eternal. It's a fun change of pace after stressful combat encounters, and the mechanics are about as fun as an FPS can get without being Mirror's Edge.

If you enjoyed Eternal, want more, and are up for a legitimate challenge, buy this. It can get a bit maddening at times, but it's good fun if you're craving more! Just don't buy it if you haven't beaten Eternal at least once... it will fuck you up.

EDIT: Just as an aside, idk how I'd be able to play this on PS4. I'm using motion controls for aiming, and they are essential to victory here. You need pinpoint precise aiming on some new demons in order to one-shot them; without motion aiming idk how I'd be able to do it.

 

[NotLiquid]

The Ancient Gods very much assumes that you conquered the original game before jumping in. It stresses your mastery of the game's mechanics in ways the original game never did, and I love it for that reason.

 

[Solid SOAP]

The Ancient Gods very much assumes that you conquered the original game before jumping in. It stresses your mastery of the game's mechanics in ways the original game never did, and I love it for that reason.

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Yep. After getting through that final Slayer Gate I feel like I'm capable of doing anything in this game at this point. I'm curious to see how Part 2 builds on this.

 

[y0shizawa]

Full disclosure, I had to turn down the difficulty on my play through of Doom Eternal earlier this year. I'm going to pick up the Ancient Gods when the new gen patch drops, and I'm slightly daunted at how crushing it might be.

I'll still do it, but interested in how you put it with stressing your mastery of the game's mechanics. I'm all for that challenge (even if I have to have the difficulty fairly forgiving), but might have to replay Eternal to get back into the groove!

 

[Deleted member 55807]

Playing it on Switch as well ATM. Beat the main game on Ultraviolence but have it on I'm Too Young To Die right now. First breezing through it to see what it's about - don't want to get frustrated =) . So far have enjoyed it - I loved the Phobos level in Doom Eternal and the first DLC level is a lot like Phobos but with water.

I've got the feeling the game's a bit sharper, but have also encountered some more framerate drops. That's probably due to the amount and types of demons getting quite crazy in the DLC!

BTW, I've disabled the voices and subtitles. Still can't believe what they've done to Doom 2016's story, and even after 2 DLCs we haven't really seen what happens between 2016 and Eternal. They seem to get deeper into the hammy nonsense in the DLC, so I just skip lots of cutscenes, which is a shame in a way.

 

[UnluckyKate]

Part one is brutal. Somehow, i felt part 2 was far easier.

But it's more amazing doom eternal so its worth the grind, sweat and tears

 

[Couscous]

Part 1 is hard but great. I feel like there should be more ways to easily get rid of a spirit after you expose it. It's difficult without having the microwave beam at your disposal. Part 2 is much easier than Part 1, but still good.

 

[Gunny T Highway]

Part 2 tones down the difficulty a bit, but Part 1 expects you to have mastered the base game. The first level of part 1 is literally take the last level Final Sin, but crank it up a couple of notches harder.

 

[Betamaxbandit]

So having played these games in a different order (I started with eternal and then played doom 2016) I have to say that eternal is my absolute favourite so hearing that the expansions are more of the same is music to my ears.

Ill need to check it out

 

[dsosarod]

Playing it on Switch as well ATM. Beat the main game on Ultraviolence but have it on I'm Too Young To Die right now. First breezing through it to see what it's about - don't want to get frustrated =) . So far have enjoyed it - I loved the Phobos level in Doom Eternal and the first DLC level is a lot like Phobos but with water.

I've got the feeling the game's a bit sharper, but have also encountered some more framerate drops. That's probably due to the amount and types of demons getting quite crazy in the DLC!

BTW, I've disabled the voices and subtitles. Still can't believe what they've done to Doom 2016's story, and even after 2 DLCs we haven't really seen what happens between 2016 and Eternal. They seem to get deeper into the hammy nonsense in the DLC, so I just skip lots of cutscenes, which is a shame in a way.

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Oh, what a shame about not knowing about what happened between 2016 and Eternal.

I got Eternal last week with the E3 eShop sale and was so confused with how it started, because I assumed it was going to literally start a second after 2016's ending, which was a cliffhanger.

 

[DanielG123]

Intensely difficult, but a ton of fun, and what I expect from a DLC. It doesn't hold your hand anymore like in the base game, and literally throws everything plus the kitchen sink at you. The first level alone, especially that last fight, is more intense than anything in the base campaign, sans some sections of Final Sin. Great DLC, that also continues Eternal's gorgeous visuals.

 

[Deleted member 55807]

Oh, what a shame about not knowing about what happened between 2016 and Eternal.

I got Eternal last week with the E3 eShop sale and was so confused with how it started, because I assumed it was going to literally start a second after 2016's ending, which was a cliffhanger.

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I get what they were going for - they wanted Doom Eternal to be a good entry point in itself without people having the feeling that they've missed "part 1". But then they continue to throw all kinds of obscure stuff at the player, ensuring that they'll lose track of the story anyways, even (and maybe especially!) if they've played 2016 =S . It's like they want you to forget all about 2016, except that they also murder Hayden and VEGA's characters.

 

[dsosarod]

I get what they were going for - they wanted Doom Eternal to be a good entry point in itself without people having the feeling that they've missed "part 1". But then they continue to throw all kinds of obscure stuff at the player, ensuring that they'll lose track of the story anyways, even (and maybe especially!) if they've played 2016 =S . It's like they want you to forget all about 2016, except that they also murder Hayden and VEGA's characters.

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I can see that, and I guess most people won't exactly care for the story, they are there to shoot demons up.

I am disappointed with that… but I LOVE everything else about the game hahahaha

 

[Morrigan]

Nice thread. I'm also playing Doom at this very level right now (on PC). Playing on Ultra Violence. It's maddeningly hard. I love it, but holy hell are encounters just...draining, hahaha

I was happy to beat the double Marauder encounters on first try, but I did spend all 2 lives they gave you beforehand... so glad I still won, because retrying that without the extra lives would have suuuucked. And now I thought that after that I could take whatever else they'd throw at me... boyyyy I was wrong.

The possessed enemies are the worst. I can't even fathom a possessed Marauder, fuck that noise. I'm in the 3rd level and early in the level I had a possessed Hell Knight and that thing just wouldn't fucking die (in the previous level I also had a possessed Baron too at some point. FML). The melee demons being possessed are somehow worse, IMO. In that Hell Knight one, in one of my attempts the possession went to an armoured Mancubus instead and since they move around slowly and you can dodge their projectile by zigzagging around, it felt less of a threat than an ultra-buffed asshole who runs faster than you to punch you to death, IDK.

I beat a Slayer Gate on the game's final stage

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Congrats. This is where I'm at right now. It's brutal. I don't know how to take down the two Archviles that spawn right at the start fast enough before one of them summons. I only have 3 rockets at the moment so I can't cheese with the lock-on. I got as far as the phase where they have the shielded Maykr angel + a Doom Hunter. Apparently there's a possessed Marauder after that LULZ, I didn't even get to that yet...

I looked it up and I hear this was actually nerfed and there was a THIRD Archvile, more shielded Maykrs, and a SECOND Marauder after that before Ancient Gods part 2 came out... fuuuuuuck that 😂

 

[Solid SOAP]

Just beat it. Lol, what a ride. So fucking hard. Came very close to just being like "fuck this."

That final boss was ridiculous. Idk how they expect laymen to play and beat this.

 

[Morrigan]

I'm scared ;_; I don't want to lower the difficulty, I've made it this far, but ugh...

 

[RoKKeR]

I really wish this game had KBM support on console, I've been waiting to dive into Eternal but the idea of playing it with controller continues to mess with my brain - the difficulty of this DLC being one of those factors as well.

 

[Mukrab]

So having played these games in a different order (I started with eternal and then played doom 2016) I have to say that eternal is my absolute favourite so hearing that the expansions are more of the same is music to my ears.

Ill need to check it out

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Its fucking amazing

 

[Morrigan]

Tonight is not the night :(

Got as far as the possessed Marauder who basically insta-kills me

 

[Aostia82]

Good to hear Part 1 is supposed to be hard and that it's not only me being dumb
Lol

 

[Biteren]

EDIT: Just as an aside, idk how I'd be able to play this on PS4. I'm using motion controls for aiming, and they are essential to victory here. You need pinpoint precise aiming on some new demons in order to one-shot them; without motion aiming idk how I'd be able to do it.

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i beat Ultra nightmare on ps4 :)

EDIT: i havent gotten around to UN on the dlc yet

 

[Solid SOAP]

In addition to beating the DLC, I have also unlocked the coveted hotdogcubus, complete with Demon Dogs stand.

Beautiful. For some reason the "Demon Dogs" logo doesn't display, nor does the price, ketchup, and mustard.

Am I supposed to see this character model change in game tho? I'd love to be fighting against hot dog shaped Mancubuses (Mancubi?).

 

[SilverArrow20XX]

Such a great DLC. Played it on Nightmare on PS4.
I'm interested in playing it again after the balance changes.
Blood Maykrs were pretty brutal before, but became trivial in Part 2 cause of how improved auto-aim is.
But it kinda felt better too. Like you're supposed to be able to just pop them in the head like that like mouse users can.

The hardest fight in the DLC was nerfed to replace a possessed Baron with a Hell Knight though, and that kind of bums me out.
It felt so good to finally conquer that one.

I'm waiting on all the Master Levels to be released to do a full playthrough of those.

 

[elenarie]

To start, this shit is fucking hard.

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And you are playing with the nerf. :D Difficulty will be raised again in the next patch, I think. Or maybe that patch already released, cannot remember.

 

[Solid SOAP]

I'm near the end of the base campaign in Nightmare rn. Fuck this shit, lol. I'm on the boss at Urdak and it's kicking my ass.

 

[Dever]

I'm near the end of the base campaign in Nightmare rn. Fuck this shit, lol. I'm on the boss at Urdak and it's kicking my ass.

Click to shrink...

Lock-on rockets destroy her basically.

 

[Solid SOAP]

Lock-on rockets destroy her basically.

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I will now try that, lol

EDIT: Yep. Just tore her TF up.

 

[Morrigan]

Gave up and lowered it to Hurt Me Plenty for the Holt Gate :(
Still took me a few tries... -_- but I feel hollow. This thing is too much.

 

[Navidson REC]

Gave up and lowered it to Hurt Me Plenty for the Holt Gate :(
Still took me a few tries... -_- but I feel hollow. This thing is too much.

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I somehow made it through this on Ultra-Violence but maaaaaan, what a crazy challenge that was.

But now I'm curious how I would've fared in the original (not nerfed) version.

 

[Outlaw]

I beat the main game and all the DLC on Ultraviolence (PC). There doesn't seem to be an achievement tied to the difficulties so we have to "honor code" it.

Part 1 of The Ancient Gods is significantly more difficult than Part 2. iD/Bethesda for sure got some negative feedback regarding difficulty. It's very noticeable. Part 2 honestly feels more like a victory lap.

 

[y0shizawa]

I'm really looking forward to picking up the ancient gods - I'm going to get it to coincide with the new gen Ray tracing patch.

I will shamelessly be playing it on a lower difficulty before I dive in to harder difficulties

 

[V23]

I beat AG1 pre-nerf on Ultra Violence and the final boss (final phase) was the only bit that took me some time. Once you start abusing the flame hook on the Super Shotgun and the I-Frames on the chainsaw, it's pretty easy to avoid death. I also refused to ever use the BFG because it seemed cheap.

AG2 is also WAY easier than part 1.

 

[Deleted member 2317]

First of all, congratulations for even getting this far! The game is damn tough but incredibly rewarding, as you've discovered. I mainlined that shit upon release so I'd be interested to see its nerfs, but I too like others are waiting for the next rebalance patch. They did the Arachnotron sooooo dirty but hopefully it'll make its deserved comeback.

I truly believe the key (for me) to move from Ultraviolence to Nightmare (or just to make UV bearable) is combining the following runes- the one that increases speed after a glory kill, the one that makes glory kills more available from farther away, and the slow-down-aiming-while-jumping rune. The speed benefits fucking stack within a timed range I had no idea. You start popping lesser demons in a melee and soon you're strafing literally faster than Whiplashes.

Also, please, everyone, I urge you to play the Super Gore Nest Master Level!

I looked it up and I hear this was actually nerfed and there was a THIRD Archvile, more shielded Maykrs, and a SECOND Marauder after that before Ancient Gods part 2 came out... fuuuuuuck that 😂

Click to shrink...

I had to literally restart the level to ensure I had 3 Crucible uses for this single fucking encounter. 😭 I know higher level players may laugh at it, but in the heat of that fucking gauntlet it was my only recourse. I see Archville, I swing.

Edit: Ignore me, forgot there is no Crucible in AG1. I'm thinking of the Super Gore Nest Master final encounter, which retains the 3 ARCHVILLE FINAL WAVE horror. 😆

I also refused to ever use the BFG because it seemed cheap.

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You loco. 😆

AG2 is also WAY easier than part 1.

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It really is, almost disappointingly so. Felt completely rushed compared to the surprisingly balls hard megaton AG1. You beat AG1, you'll coast through the gates of hell, I really really hope they do some rebalancing to make it more challenging, but at the same time, it was so fun that the "victory lap" feeling Martin and the team desired really does bleed through. By the end, you are stomping these fucks into eternity.

It's very noticeable. Part 2 honestly feels more like a victory lap.

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Yeah. It was intended, but I just didn't expect or want it after AG1 trained me to be faster, better, and stronger.

 

[ThereAreFourNaan]

That final boss was ridiculous. Idk how they expect laymen to play and beat this.

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They didn't really expect the average gamer to get the DLC. DLC expansions are usually only purchased by a small fraction of the user-base (<10%) and it skews heavily to the bigger fans. Them deciding to cater to their hardcore base was probably not that bad of an idea.

 

[nihilence]

I'm probably outside the return window. Haven't played even base, but bought year 1 dlc on sale. But all these threads about it being punishment is scary.

 

[Deleted member 2317]

I'm probably outside the return window. Haven't played even base, but bought year 1 dlc on sale. But all these threads about it being punishment is scary.

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I would say it's exaggerated, but maybe it's not- during a dev stream Hugo Martin went into great detail about how they wanted AG1 to be hard, but it turned out, the completion rates didn't reflect the percentages they wanted. They openly acknowledged the game is in a strange spot at the moment of being too hard for one audience, while a loud but much smaller audience craves more.

Regardless, AG1 is the perfect next step after the Icon of Sin. Don't let others deceive you!

DLC expansions are usually only purchased by a small fraction of the user-base (<10%) and it skews heavily to the bigger fans. Them deciding to cater to their hardcore base was probably not that bad of an idea.

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Yeah. AG1&2 (with the accompanying Super Gore Nest level) is on that Old Hunters DLC tier for me of utter perfection and damn near mandatory to play. Old War Blues Fallout New Vegas material of legendary expansions.

 

[V23]

I truly believe the key (for me) to move from Ultraviolence to Nightmare (or just to make UV bearable) is combining the following runes- the one that increases speed after a glory kill, the one that makes glory kills more available from farther away, and the slow-down-aiming-while-jumping rune. The speed benefits fucking stack within a timed range I had no idea. You start popping lesser demons in a melee and soon you're strafing literally faster than Whiplashes.

Click to shrink...

The Air Control rune is the only non-negotiable one I always had equipped, it's easily the best one for me. The hover while aiming one seems useless, and almost detrimental, because you're a sitting duck for incoming damage while using it.

 

[Morrigan]

Man fuck the last boss

The phase with the possessed Pain Elemental and possessed Dread Knight (+ respawning shielded Maykr) is fucking impossible and an RNG nightmare

Best I could do is kill the Pain Elemental, but I was at the bottom of the arena and couldn't see the spirit... so I quickly dashed back up, and the Pain Elemental had respawned and was possessed again? WHAT??

 

[Mr.Deadshot]

These are on sale right now for 50% off and I bought the season pass:

DOOM Eternal on Steam

Hell’s armies have invaded Earth. Become the Slayer in an epic single-player campaign to conquer demons across dimensions and stop the final destruction of humanity. The only thing they fear... is you.

store.steampowered.com

I like how it just starts with fully upgraded character and puts you right in the action. But then they go way overboard and shit enemies at you in tiny rooms with damaging floors - this is just some cheap bullshit and not fun at all. And whoever thinks it's fun to implement more of those shitty gimmick enemies like those hiding eye turrets needs to reconsider his job. Everyone hated the Marauders and what do they do? Add more gimmick enemies. Fuck that.

I will probably just put it on easy and enjoy the graphics, sound and action. Surprised that this runs so flawlessly on Ultra + RTX with DLSS enabled on my 2070S considering how demanding Control was in comparision. But I am not seeing myself to "git gud" at this, because it just feels cheap and poorly designed so far.

 

[Mr.Deadshot]

Well, after putting it on easy the first part was kinda enjoyable just for the mad carnage. But it still feels poorly designed and cheap. ID also needs to stop ASAP with those gimmick enemies. They suck the fun out of the otherwise mad fun gameplay loop and battle flow.

 

[vixolus]

Well, after putting it on easy the first part was kinda enjoyable just for the mad carnage. But it still feels poorly designed and cheap. ID also needs to stop ASAP with those gimmick enemies. They suck the fun out of the otherwise mad fun gameplay loop and battle flow.

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I have a feeling you won't like Pt 2.

 

[Mr.Deadshot]

I have a feeling you won't like Pt 2.

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Yeah, I already read that it's even worse - especially the boss fight. We will see. I should have trusted the mixed Steam reviews more ;)

 

[KDC720]

I somehow beat it on console on Ultra-Violence. It kicked my ass more times than I'd like to admit, especially that final boss. Spirits were bullshit too. I felt like I could fight the sun after beating it though.

Part 2 is far easier in comparison. Encounter design doesn't feel as cruel and you get a new super weapon early on.

 

[Deleted member 16876]

I have a feeling you won't like Pt 2.

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Yeah, I already read that it's even worse - especially the boss fight. We will see. I should have trusted the mixed Steam reviews more ;)

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While it is possible, Part 2 is very different.

The final boss is the worst part but other than that part 2 is easier and have a less intense design. You have more gimmick fights that feel similar to some fights in classic Doom and you get the hammer which is really over powered. Some of the new enemies like the stone imps and the armored baron are nowhere near as punishing as the spirit or the blood angels. Even the most annoying enemy (the cursed prowler) has been balanced and is now fun to fight.

I was down on it but I actually enjoyed it a lot more on a replay. It felt more experimental and closer to the classic Doom encounters.

 

[Liquid Snake]

I think Part 2 is more enjoyable because of the new mechanics (mostly the Hammer) which freshens things up quite a bit.

Additionally, the enemies don't feel as cheap or gimmicky as it's been mentioned here a few times. The final boss totally fucking sucks, in typical ID fashion. Great gameplay loop, awful boss encounters with cheap ass enemies sprinkled in

 

[Deer]

I'm playing through this right now, and I'm a bit disappointed. Maybe my memory of the original Eternal is a bit rosy, but..

the new enemies are not working for me, and returning to Urdak was not what I wanted lol. I'm not enjoying the possessed enemies at all, and the second level and the fog/exploding mushrooms.. why? haha

And the second level 'boss' was anticlimactic. Right now in Urdak/Holt and thinking about just giving up. I had to go down from Nightmare to Ultra-Violence because it was more frustrating than fun, which was rarely the case in the main campaign.

The areas feel dead, and most everything recycled? Which is fine I guess, it's a DLC so.. but still, I just don't feel engaged by it. The ghosts mixed with the Urdak 'hit the head' enemies is just not fun to me. I really thought I'd enjoy this, because I loved Eternal, but seems like they amped up most of what I didn't like about the original.

Anytime an enemy in any game 'glows in a new color' and they're just a stronger and faster version of the original one, I'm a bit bored lol. It's never that much fun. :(

I miss the bigger, more open arenas of the original with just more fun combos of the 'normal' enemies. Some of the fights in the last stage of Eternal were goddamn sublime.

And the story.... hmm. I mean I never cared about the original either but, yeah. There's not much there. And some of the platforming/secret-finding reminded me of stuff I didn't like about Eternal. Like, oh I missed a switch, or I still can't recognize how the wall-climb textures look lol

Oh, well. I guess I can survive not enjoying one DLC but it made me a bit sad, cause I was really looking forward to it :( maybe I'm also just not in the mood for this kind of challenge right now. But it IS fun until the 'hey I'm powered up!' dudes show up haha. I just don't like them. They react so little to what you do and seems like you can't shoot their weak points etc. They're just lame to interact with. Just shoot and shoot and shoot and shoot and wait. :(

 

[Lukemia SL]

I'm playing through this right now, and I'm a bit disappointed. Maybe my memory of the original Eternal is a bit rosy, but..

the new enemies are not working for me, and returning to Urdak was not what I wanted lol. I'm not enjoying the possessed enemies at all, and the second level and the fog/exploding mushrooms.. why? haha

And the second level 'boss' was anticlimactic. Right now in Urdak/Holt and thinking about just giving up. I had to go down from Nightmare to Ultra-Violence because it was more frustrating than fun, which was rarely the case in the main campaign.

The areas feel dead, and most everything recycled? Which is fine I guess, it's a DLC so.. but still, I just don't feel engaged by it. The ghosts mixed with the Urdak 'hit the head' enemies is just not fun to me. I really thought I'd enjoy this, because I loved Eternal, but seems like they amped up most of what I didn't like about the original.

Anytime an enemy in any game 'glows in a new color' and they're just a stronger and faster version of the original one, I'm a bit bored lol. It's never that much fun. :(

I miss the bigger, more open arenas of the original with just more fun combos of the 'normal' enemies. Some of the fights in the last stage of Eternal were goddamn sublime.

And the story.... hmm. I mean I never cared about the original either but, yeah. There's not much there. And some of the platforming/secret-finding reminded me of stuff I didn't like about Eternal. Like, oh I missed a switch, or I still can't recognize how the wall-climb textures look lol

Oh, well. I guess I can survive not enjoying one DLC but it made me a bit sad, cause I was really looking forward to it :( maybe I'm also just not in the mood for this kind of challenge right now. But it IS fun until the 'hey I'm powered up!' dudes show up haha. I just don't like them. They react so little to what you do and seems like you can't shoot their weak points etc. They're just lame to interact with. Just shoot and shoot and shoot and shoot and wait. :(

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Yeah I think you nailed my feelings towards the DLC here. Those new enemy additions are horrible and if they continue with this sort of stuff and all the micromanaging of enemies. For me the next Doom's gonna be trash.

They're really forcing us to play the way they want us to play rather than us switching weapons based on what we want to use like in 2016z

 

[Donniewahlberg]

Yeah I think you nailed my feelings towards the DLC here. Those new enemy additions are horrible and if they continue with this sort of stuff and all the micromanaging of enemies. For me the next Doom's gonna be trash.

They're really forcing us to play the way they want us to play rather than us switching weapons based on what we want to use like in 2016z

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You're 100% correct at what they're doing , maybe a little off on why. Hugo Martin has spoke at length about this and it basically comes down to the belief from their analysis of reviews etc for the 2016 game that people who took full advantage of the arsenal were the ones who loved it, and the people who didn't really just used one or two guns the whoe way through. They made it to the end but thought the game was repeatitive. So the play by id isn't to make you play the way they want, it's to make you play the way they think you did anyway in 2016 and to push the ones who didn't to do so. They call it pushing you into the fun zone lol.

Personally I love both games but I totally see why people hit that wall with Eternal. Ironically, I thought ancient gods pt. 1 and 2 were better than the base game and probably the best content combined out of the whole reboot., and I had previously preferred 2016 to Eternal. (Which is really just to say it's almost impossible impossible tell what you'll resonate with haha both as a player and probably as a dev)

Also Iirc they're on record as saying the next game, be it doom or whatever, will not pick up from the same level as TAG. They dialled that specifically towards the *core* players and wouldn't treat that as the base line difficulty or complexity for future games.

 

[Lukemia SL]

You're 100% correct at what they're doing , maybe a little off on why. Hugo Martin has spoke at length about this and it basically comes down to the belief from their analysis of reviews etc for the 2016 game that people who took full advantage of the arsenal were the ones who loved it, and the people who didn't really just used one or two guns the whoe way through. They made it to the end but thought the game was repeatitive. So the play by id isn't to make you play the way they want, it's to make you play the way they think you did anyway in 2016 and to push the ones who didn't to do so. They call it pushing you into the fun zone lol.

Personally I love both games but I totally see why people hit that wall with Eternal. Ironically, I thought ancient gods pt. 1 and 2 were better than the base game and probably the best content combined out of the whole reboot., and I had previously preferred 2016 to Eternal. (Which is really just to say it's almost impossible impossible tell what you'll resonate with haha both as a player and probably as a dev)

Also Iirc they're on record as saying the next game, be it doom or whatever, will not pick up from the same level as TAG. They dialled that specifically towards the *core* players and wouldn't treat that as the base line difficulty or complexity for future games.

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That's very interesting that they took it from the data or how people played. I mean it makes sense but I wouldn't expect them to change up the gameplay loop like that as a result.

I do prefer Eternal to 2016 but the DLC didn't do it much for me. Part 2 was better than Part 1 though. Thanks for the detailed response.

 

[Donniewahlberg]

That's very interesting that they took it from the data or how people played. I mean it makes sense but I wouldn't expect them to change up the gameplay loop like that as a result.

I do prefer Eternal to 2016 but the DLC didn't do it much for me. Part 2 was better than Part 1 though. Thanks for the detailed response.

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Yeah I agree tbf, when Eternal launched it took me awhile to get my head around it, I didn't drop the game but I did have a soft bounce off of it. I think they feel validated in the changes they made because they've cited better player retention and completion rates compared to 2016 but at least just casually it comes across as a more divisive game, and then more so with the dlc. I think people group it all as difficulty but it is that push to make you swap and manage on a granular level enemy to enemy and between ammo types and power moves