Doom the Dark Ages features 12 new guns, three melee weapons, one shield saw, and four shield runes, each of them having their own upgrades. However, weapons can only be upgraded with limited resources like Gold, Rubies, and Wraithstones. Although there cannot be a wrong choice in games like Doom The Dark Ages, as all the weapons feel extremely good, some upgrades are still better than others. As such, here are the best weapon upgrades you should do first to get an upper hand on slaying demons in Doom The Dark Ages.
Best Weapons to Upgrade First in Doom The Dark Ages
With so many great weapons available in Doom The Dark Ages and limited upgrade materials that are tricky to find, it is smart to ration the upgrade materials only for the best weapons. So, here are seven weapons I consider having the best upgrades in the game, giving a ton of value in almost all situations.
1. Shield Saw
The first weapon you should upgrade in Doom The Dark Ages is the base Shield. The Shield is the biggest asset against demons in the game, allowing you to mow through multiple enemies with ease without any noticeable cooldown. Every base shield upgrade is powerful, especially the first three.
Upgrades like Power Surge let your shield jump to other enemies when hitting an enemy with an energy shield, while Extended Age increases the Shield throw size, making combat so much easier in the game.
2. Ravager
Ravager is my favorite weapon in Doom The Dark Ages, mainly due to its strong upgrades. The first gun upgrade makes enemies drop health shards when shot at full charge. This makes the gun extremely strong as you can focus on on mowing down enemies without looking for health packs to sustain yourself. The final upgrade on this gun also makes enemies drop Ravager ammo in addition to health shards.
So, a fully upgraded Ravager will let you constantly shoot enemies without looking for health or ammo on the ground. This gun has kept me alive in multiple overwhelming scenarios, so I recommend upgrading it early.
3. Flail
Flail is the second melee weapon that unlocks in the game, making fighting demons much easier. The weapon deals increased armor damage and hits multiple enemies at once. The upgrades for the Flail are also extremely strong and give a ton of value.
The upgrades increase the armor damage of the weapon, making it scale really well for later chapters as more and more shielded enemies start appearing. Besides that, the Ignite upgrade makes the Flail apply burn on the hit enemies, making enemies drop armor shards. So if you want hands-on action, do make sure the Flail is one of the first weapons you upgrade in Doom The Dark Ages.
4. Cycler
Cycler is my next favorite weapon after Ravager, and the upgrades for this weapon are powerful. Upgrading this weapon means it applies shock to the enemy, which causes the enemy to take more damage. Killing a Shocked enemy creates an Arc lightning that jumps to a nearby enemy, dealing damage.
At max upgrades, you will constantly proc the Arc Lightning on enemies, easily killing multiple enemies simultaneously. This weapon also has a big bullet magazine and feels really good to fire.
5. Combat Shotgun
The Combat Shotgun is the first gun the Doom Slayer gets in Doom: The Dark Ages, and from the get-go, it feels intense and satisfying to use. The upgrades for this weapon are insanely good if you like close-range combat. The first upgrade makes the gun apply burn on enemies, which also makes the enemies drop armor shards, letting you fight back longer when swarmed by enemies.
The later upgrades for this weapon give a choice between a faster fire rate and more armor drops, or an easier burn application that also makes enemies explode. Overall, the upgrades for this weapon are very strong and make it perfect for shredding elite enemies from close range.
6. Heaven Splitter Rune
Although all Shield Runes are suitable investments for upgrades as they only require gold and let you deal increased damage on Hell Surge Projectile parries, Heaven Splitter is clearly the best one. It transforms Hell Surge projectiles into a lightning strike on a successful parry, damaging enemies and staining them in a small area. The upgrades for this weapon are excellent, increasing stun duration and area of effect by a lot.
The final upgrade for this weapon also applies shock to enemies, making them take more damage. With later chapters being often overwhelming with Hell Surge projectile attacks, upgrading this rune will let you catch your breath on successful parries.
7. Chainshot
Chainshot is another powerful gun in Doom The Dark Ages that shoots a flail at enemies. This weapon deals incredibly high damage to armor and can be charged before firing to devastate enemies. The upgrades for this weapon are outstanding and worth doing if you love using it. The first upgrade automatically charges the next Chainshot bullet when parrying a Hell Surge attack successfully, which makes it incredibly fun to use.
Gravitational Flux is the second upgrade, and it increases the armor damage of the gun at full charge, making it great for stripping elite enemies of armor. Finally, the last upgrade makes the bullet explode when hitting a demon when fired at maximum charge, making the weapon deal significantly more AoE damage.
As such, these are the seven weapons you should upgrade first in Doom The Dark Ages. However, don’t let me stop you from trying out weapons or upgrades you are interested in or enjoy using. Tell us which weapons you like using and the upgrades you decided to go with in the comments below.
