Doom The Dark Ages features the largest collection of weapons out of any game in the series, all of which are themed around its medieval setting. These brutal machines of torture are built to tear demons into smithereens. Each weapon type also comes with different variants, offering players more options than ever before. From the classic Super Shotgun to the vicious Pulverizer, there’s a lot on offer. Want to know the exact variety? Here’s all the Doom The Dark Ages weapons you can get your hands on.
Every Weapon in Doom The Dark Ages
Doom The Dark Ages features 12 guns, the brand-new Shield Saw, which comes with four shield runes, and three distinct melee weapons. Suffice it to say, the Slayer’s arsenal has been upgraded in every department. Here are all the Doom The Dark Ages weapons with a breakdown further below:
- Combat Shotgun
- Super Shotgun
- Shredder
- Impaler
- Acclearator
- Cycler
- Pulverizer
- Ravager
- Chainshot
- Grenade Launcher
- Rocket Launcher
- Ballistic Force Crossbow
- Shield Saw
- Power Gauntlet
- Flail
- Dreadmace
1. Combat Shotgun
The classic Combat Shotgun returns in The Dark Ages after featuring in Doom 2016 and 2020’s Eternal. Barring tweaks to its appearance and touches of that distinct medieval flair, the weapon remains largely unchanged in function. However, it can no longer lob grenades, although it can light enemies on fire when upgraded. Speaking of which, here are the weapons’ upgrades:
- Incendiary: Dealing enough damage to a demon applies a burn effect. Enemies affected by burn drop armor pickups.
- Smelt: Increase the armor pickups dropped by burning demons.
- Blast: Burn applied by the Combat Shotgun causes enemies to explode on death.
- Tune Up: Adds a rapid, three-round burst fire mode to the Combat Shotgun.
- Flare-Up: The Combat Shotgun instantly applies burn to fodder enemies.
- Eat This!: The Combat Shotgun fires an increased number of projectiles per shot.
2. Super Shotgun
Doomguy’s trusty double-barrel shotgun returns in The Dark Ages and still hits like a jackhammer. The Super Shotgun’s appearance has received a slight redesign with spiked accents around the lever and what appear to be ancient inscriptions on the grip. Outside of that, the weapon no longer has a grappling hook attached to it, which will disappoint some players. Here are the upgrades available for the gun:
- Speed Loader: Reduces the time between Super Shotgun shots.
- Shatter: The Super Shotgun deals increased damage to armor.
- Eat This!: The Super Shotgun fires an increased number of projectiles per shot.
3. Shredder
This Doom The Dark Ages fun is sort of like a heavy-duty SMG that spits out spike-shaped projectiles at a rapid fire rate. These projectiles can puncture through enemies, chiseling off their skin and muscle. With some enhancements, the Shredder’s projectiles can also ricochet off enemies and be detonated. Here are all the upgrades available for the weapon:
- Pincushion: Dealing enough damage to a demon with the Shredder applies Pincushion. This can be triggered by hitting a demon with a shield throw or parrying a Hell Surge attack, causing damage in a wide area.
- No Frills: Increases the Shredder’s rate of fire.
- Barbed: Detonated and ricocheted Shredder projectiles deal more damage.
4. Impaler
The Impaler is similar to the Shredder since it also fires spike-shaped projectiles, but the similarities end here. Unlike the rapid Shredder, the Impaler is all about precision as it unloads a single spike at a time and puts plenty of oomph behind it. Successful hits can cause demons to stagger briefly, and just as the name suggests, smaller enemies can be impaled onto nearby surfaces. Check out its upgrades below:
- Stalwart: Hitting a demon with a shield throw, shield charge, or parrying a Hell Surge attack drops Impaler ammo.
- Salvage: Picking up Impaler ammo empowers your next shot.
- Chronospike: Holding the trigger button slows down time. Impaler projectiles fired during slow time deal more damage.
- Lobotomy: Headshots with the Impaler refill a portion of your next melee charge.
5. Accelerator
The Accelerator will immediately remind players of the Plasma Rifle from Doom Eternal. It features a similarly high fire rate paired with a moderate spread, making it effective in close to mid-range combat engagements. With that being said, the weapon’s damage output builds over time as landing shots on demons increases its charge. Here are all of its upgrades:
- Feedback: Shooting a demon with the Accelerator builds its charge. The weapon’s damage is increased at maximum charge.
- Stabilizer: The Accelerator’s spread is reduced at maximum charge.
- Modulator: The Accelerator’s rate of fire is increased at maximum charge.
- Heatblast: Releasing the trigger button at maximum charge fires a damaging heatblast that consumes all remaining charge. Demons killed by heatblast drop Accelerator ammo.
- Mega Cell: The time it takes for the Accelerator to lose charge is increased.
- Overload: Shooting a demon at maximum charge will Supercharge the Accelerator, boosting its damage and all charge-related effects.
6. Cycler
The Cycler is essentially a twin-barrel variant of the Accelerator, but one that fires plasma spikes at a moderate rate of fire. The weapon’s projectiles can travel a great distance, inflicting a shock effect on impacted enemies that causes them to take more damage. Its upgrades are listed below:
- Shock: Applies Shock to demons after inflicting significant damage. Shocked demons take increased damage from your attacks, and killing shocked enemies using the Cycler arcs lightning to nearby demons.
- Amplify: Increases the damage inflicted on shocked enemies.
- Fulmination: The duration of the shock effect applied by the Cycler is increased.
- Overload: Killing a shocked enemy with the Cycler builds based on the size of the demon.
7. Pulverizer
The Pulverizer immediately became the center of attention after The Dark Ages’ first gameplay reveal. Conceptually, the weapon is as metal as it gets, featuring a mechanism that grinds skulls into tiny shards before spewing them in the enemies’ direction. Its spitfire nature means that the weapon is best used as an instrument to plow through hordes of demons while running and gunning. Here are all of its upgrades:
- Runic Skull: Killing a demon with the Pulverizer or a melee attack builds charge based on the size of the enemy. Your movement speed and the Pulverizer’s fire rate increase at the maximum charge level.
- Runic Strike: Allows melee strikes to build and maintain charge.
- Flay: Increases the number of projectiles per shot over a wider area.
8. Ravager
The Ravager is an alternate version of the Pulverizer, trading the latter’s spread for a more concentrated hail of bone shards. What makes this Doom: The Dark Ages weapon especially powerful is its upgrades that let you stock up on ammo and health by attacking enemies at full charge. Here’s how the Ravager’s upgrade path looks:
- Vampirism: While at maximum fire rate, demons damaged by the Ravager drop health pickups.
- Ignition: The Ravager takes less time to reach maximum fire rate and the movement penalty while firing is removed.
- Slow Burn: Increases the Ravager’s maximum fire rate, but it takes longer to achieve.
- Supplier: Demons damaged by the weapon drop Skullcrusher ammo.
9. Chainshot
The Chainshot is a launcher-style weapon that is outfitted with a frankly fantastic contraption. After a brief charging period, the gun unleashes a dense spherical core that wallops enemies and causes impact damage. In simple terms, it’s a hefty ball attached to a chain that can be hurled at demons, genius, right? Here are its upgrades:
- Eldritch Blessing: Parrying a Hell Surge attack instantly charges your next shot.
- Gravitational Flux: Allows the Chainshot to do more damage to armor at maximum charge.
- Cosmic Breach: Chainshot projectiles fired at maximum charge explode while hitting a demon.
10. Grenade Launcher
The Grenade Launcher fires, you guessed it, grenades that explode on contact with enemies. These arcing projectiles can bounce off surfaces and turn demons into a mist of blood and viscera. In terms of upgrades, you can unlock the ability to launch cluster grenades after successive hits on enemies.
- Fragment: Every third hit with the Grenade Launcher drops Cluster Grenades that deal area damage.
- Rupture: Direct hits with the Grenade Launcher drop Cluster Grenades when hitting a demon affected by the Shield Saw.
- Cataclysm: Every second direct hit with the Grenade Launcher drops Cluster Grenades.
11. Rocket Launcher
The classic Rocket Launcher is virtually unchanged in terms of functionality. It fires a slow, explosive projectile that deals heavy damage and can obliterate demons on impact. Here are all of the weapons’ upgrades:
- Cannibalism: Parrying a Heal Surge attack temporarily causes self-damage to heal you.
- Cooked: Parrying a Hell Surge attack projectile empowers your next shot.
- Blood Sacrifice: Projectiles deal increased splash damage at the cost of more self-damage.
- Bloodlust: Cannibalism lasts significantly longer.
12. Balistic Force Crossbow
Every Doom game needs a BFG; in The Dark Ages, it comes in the form of the Ballistic Force Crossbow. Forged by Astral Forekings, the weapon fires the Eldritch Lance, a bolt infused with otherworldly energy that deals massive AoE damage.
Given its capabilities, the Crossbow can have a maximum of three charges, and finding extra ammo for it is a herculean task. It’s also worth noting that the Slayer cannot equip the Shield Saw while using this power weapon.
13. Shield Saw
The Shield Saw represents the bread and butter of Doom The Dark Ages’ combat formula. It’s used to block attacks, parry Hell Surges, and bash into demons or get boomeranged in their direction, all while doubling up as a traversal tool to swiftly move across the map. And that’s without mentioning the ferocious chainsaw whirring along its outer edges, prepared to tear into a demon’s flesh at a moment’s notice.
It’s an awe-inspiring tool of defense and destruction, and the game fleshes out its capabilities in multiple ways. For starters, the Shield Saw comes with a selection of base upgrades that improve its reach and recharge times, among other things. Besides this, it also offers Shield Rune attachments, which give it special damage effects. Have a look at our linked guide for all upgrades and more information on this Doom: The Dark Ages weapon.
All Doom The Dark Ages Melee Weapons
Besides the amazing Doom guns and Shield you can play around with, the game also gives players a deadly trio of hand-worn weapons you can use to bash skulls. That said, here are all the melee weapons in Doom The Dark Ages.
1. Power Gauntlet
The Power Gauntlet combines the Slayer’s raw strength with its metal-plated, spiked-knuckle surface to dish out a ton of single-target damage. Its power escalates with each combo strike, and the Gauntlet gains a full charge after successfully parrying a Hell Surge attack. Here’s a look at the melee weapon’s upgrades:
- Finisher: Increase the damage of the final hit in your Power Gauntlet combo.
- Duelist: Parrying Hell Surge attacks will speed up your melee regeneration.
- Jolt: Applies Shock effect to the enemy that sustained the first hit of your Power Gauntlet/ combo.
- Encore: Adds a fourth hit to your Power Gauntlet combo.
2. Flail
The Flail is possibly the most medieval weapon in Doomguy’s arsenal. At its core, the melee weapon is a spiked sphere attached to a chain that can be flung at enemies. On impact, the Flail significantly damages a demon’s armor while generating a radial blast on contact. Chaining together Flail hits can create devastating combos that can finish off enemies within seconds. So, here are all of the weapons’ upgrades:
- Conditioning: Reduces the recovery time of a Flail charge by five seconds.
- Ignite: Demons hit by the Flail are scorched and drop armor.
- Resonant: Flail strikes deal additional damage and can also generate armor shards.
- Engulf: Every Flail scorches nearby demons and causes them to drop armor.
3. Dreadmace
Built to rupture bones and puncture holes into demons, the Dreadmace is a devastating melee weapon with spiked edges chiseled into its barbed protrusions. A singular mace hit can send reverberations through a demon’s corporeal flesh before its eviscerated entrails are spread out on the ground. That said, here are all the upgrades this Doom The Dark Ages weapon packs:
- Reaper: Demons killed with the Dreadmace drop additional health.
- Obliterator: Dreadmace strikes deal increased damage to nearby demons.
- Riposte: Successfully parrying a Hell Surge attack when the Dreadmace is charged will grant you an additional attack. This bonus swing is available for a short duration.
That wraps up our guide on all the weapons in Doom The Dark Ages. Which is your favorite weapon in the game? Let us know in the comments below.
