Best Doom: The Dark Ages weapons and how to unlock each

The Doom franchise is home to some of gaming’s most iconic weapons, and Doom: The Dark Ages iterates on those storied arms by adding a collection of new contenders to the throne. Many old stalwarts, like the Super Shotgun and Rocket Launcher, remain at or near the top of the list, while new entries, like the Impaler and Chainshot, make plays for a high status of their own.

Here, I'll break down my top five best weapons in all of Doom: The Dark Ages, then give a brief list of all the options available, and when you get your hands on them.

The best weapons in Doom: The Dark Ages

Combat Shotgun

The Combat Shotgun is your starting weapon in Doom: The Dark Ages, and it will serve you well from the first level to the final boss. While its damage isn’t impressive compared to the other best options, its consistency outstrips them all.

No matter where you are in the game, the Combat Shotgun makes quick and consistent work of fodder demons; the trash mobs you’ll farm for health and armor shards during fights. It's also good for finishing off greater demons if you want to conserve Super Shotgun ammo, as the bigger boomstock uses two units of ammo per shot.

Most importantly, the Combat Shotgun provides the earliest and easiest access to armor shard farming via its first Sentinel Shrine upgrade, Incendiary. With Incendiary equipped, dealing enough damage to an enemy with the Combat Shotgun burns them, causing them to periodically emit armor shards. Killing a fodder demon generates three shards, and you can continue to shoot stronger enemies for a slower trickle of shards.

I defaulted to the Combat Shotgun whenever I was exploring a level or starting a new encounter. Even if I knew it wasn’t the best option, I could use it to clear some trash mobs as I took stock of each new fight.

Cycler

The second version of the plasma cannon you’ll earn in Doom: The Dark Ages, the Cycler, is also the easier of the two to use. It’s useful in more situations, as its increased range is invaluable in some of the later game arenas with much longer sightlines.

The Cycler was also my preference over the Shredder for its slightly higher damage output and ability to break energy shields. It’s not quite as good as a physical bullet at heating up or breaking armor, but it gets the job done.

The Cycler also gets significantly more powerful with Sentinel Shrine upgrades, particularly with its second improvement, Amplify. So long as you can apply shock to enemies by hitting them a few times with the Cycler equipped, you’ll deal increased damage. I loved using the weapon as a mobbing weapon if there was too much heat to get close. It was great for dealing supplemental damage to bosses, and even made short work of greater demons like Hell Knights and Revenants.

Flail

Of the three melee weapons available in Doom: The Dark Ages, I found the Flail to be the best by a wide margin. It does respectable AoE damage, has a quick cooldown, and, most importantly, makes enemies drop armor shards when upgraded at a Sentinel Shrine. You won’t be melting bosses with any of the melee weapons, and the Flail is no exception, but it strikes the perfect balance between the two other options. It’s also easy to use, quick to attack, and, provided you’re smart about it, will save your life time and again.

Impaler

The second physical projectile weapon available in Doom: The Dark Ages, the Impaler, is probably the best weapon in the game for fighting bosses. Like the Precision Bolt variant of the Heavy Cannon from Eternal, the Impaler is a precision damage monster. So long as you hit the enemy’s head, you’ll deal massive damage.

It can easily one-shot demons like the larger Imp Stalker and do heavy damage to a Hell Knight. You’ll need to lead your target, as the Impaler’s projectile has a long travel time and low arc, but aim true, and there’s almost nothing it can’t destroy.

The Impaler’s greatest weakness is its ammo count; early on, you’ll need to be conservative with it. Grabbing its first Sentinel Shrine upgrade, Stalwart, refunds ammo for every Shield Throw or Charge or when parrying a green Hell Surge attack. One of its second upgrades, Salvage, empowers the next shot after gaining ammo from any source.

The later you get in Doom: The Dark Ages, the more enemies will start spamming Hell Surge attacks. You’ll have effectively infinite Impaler ammo with empowered projectiles so long as you can land your parries.

Rocket Launcher

I would've had a much rougher time with Doom: The Dark Ages late game had it not been for the Rocket Launcher. While this version lacks the lock-on or timed detonation of previous Rocket Launchers, it retains the absurd damage output. It’s also amazing at dealing damage to enemy armor, and can take out Hell tanks in a single shot to their main cannon.

You’ll also get a lot of mileage from combining the Rocket Launcher with any source of burn on large groups of fodder demons. Set them all alight, then blow them up in a single blast.

The greatest gift Doom: The Dark Ages gives the Rocket Launcher is its Sentinel Shrine upgrades, particularly the first: Cannibalism. This transforms the launcher’s explosion self-damage into healing for a short duration after parrying a Hell Surge attack. Pair that with the Cooked upgrade for enhanced rockets following a Hell Surge parry, and you have a recipe for massive damage and effective healing.

Super Shotgun

As one of the coolest and most recognisable weapons in gaming, something would be very wrong if the Super Shotgun weren’t one of the best weapons in Doom: The Dark Ages. My gripe with its one-handed reload animation aside, if you’re using the Super Shotgun at its intended range, no weapon in the game does more damage. It easily gibs Imp Stalkers and Hell Knights in a single shot, and nearly does so to Imp Riders, Arachnotrons, and Revenants alike. Even the fearsome Cyberdemon, once a boss in Doom 2016, is now only a handful of Super Shotgun blasts from becoming a stain on hell’s crimson dirt.

Realistically, the Super Shotgun doesn’t need Sentinel Shrine upgrades, but its first, Speed Loader, is a nice reload speed boost. The third upgrade, Eat This!, increases the weapon’s potential by adding pellets to each shot. I doubt high-level players will put as much stock in improving the Super Shotgun as they do, say, the Impaler or Rocket Launcher. However, if you absolutely, positively must kill every demon in the room, accept no substitute.

All Doom: The Dark Ages weapons and how to unlock each

There are 15 weapons to acquire in Doom: The Dark Ages through the main game, so here are the missions where each unlocks:

Doom The Dark Ages secrets and collectibles: 100% each level
Best Doom The Dark Ages Sentinel Shrine upgrades: Gear up