Doom 2016 was generally lauded as one of the best FPS titles to release this decade. It reminded players and critics alike why first-person shooters were fun in the first place: adrenaline-fueled gameplay that holds no punches.
Unfortunately, that praise did not extend to the game’s multiplayer component. That is why id Software has replaced 2016’s Call of Duty and Doom hybrid with Battlemode. Battlemode pits a duo of demons against a player Slayer, encouraging both to outsmart each other with clever tactics. While fun, it has a massive skill gap that makes playing either role daunting, especially the Slayer. Luckily, the Slayer is the easiest to practice with and doesn’t rely on allies. Here are 10 tips to become the ultimate Doom Slayer in Doom Eternal.
10 Change Your Keybinds
Battlemode will push your reflexes and gun skill to the absolute limit. Before you dive straight into this unique multiplayer experience, it is a good idea to make sure your controls are comfortable.
By default, Doom Eternal binds more powerful weapons, such as the Ballista and Chain Gun, to inconvenient buttons. PC users can rebind any action to any input they wish. For console players, you can alter your weapon wheel to list your stronger weapons in locations more convenient for you. This level of customization also extends to the user interface, allowing you to change color palettes and which abilities should be displayed.
9 Master Movement
Doom Eternal is a much faster game than Doom 2016. When every mechanic is in full swing, this game feels closer to the original Quake than older Doom entries.
As the Slayer, take full advantage of these movement boons. Dashing, double jumping, swinging from monkey bars, and the Super Shotgun’s Chain Hook are all critical for navigating the map. If you can quickly reposition in Battlemode, it makes slaying the opposition much easier.
8 Grab Master Carve
After every round, every player gets to choose an upgrade that enhances certain mechanics. Slayers get some powerful choices such as gaining health on kill or refreshing dashes on Glory Kill.
After the second round, it is a good idea to grab Master Carve. This upgrade will regenerate Chainsaw fuel much faster and speed up Chainsaw kill animations. Better yet, Chainsaw kills will provide even more resources! While active, you regenerate your fuel every 10 seconds or so. That might sound like a long time, but that allows you to replenish your ammo and health after nearly every skirmish.
7 Play As Demons
To fully understand your opponent, you must walk a mile in their shoes. Playing as a Slayer revolves around mastering Doom Eternal’s sophisticated mechanics, which can extend to understanding your opposition.
Players can pick one of five demons in Battlemode. Each demon has various strengths that can be further amplified with premade loadouts. Arch-Viles can block pathways with flaming walls, Revenants can lay down suppressive fire, and Marauders can apply pressure to the Slayer. When you learn how each demon functions, it becomes much easier to outsmart the demon duo and achieve victory.
6 Weaken Both Players Before Slaying
To win a round as the Slayer, you must slay both player demons. While that sounds simple, a player demon respawns after 20 seconds if their ally is still alive.
This can result in one demon player becoming defensive when their ally dies. Frequent dashing and weapon swapping can make this easier, but the best method of approaching these matchups is to weaken both demons. Once both are at a third of their total health, you can burst one down with the Super Shotgun and finish off the second demon. This way, the demon team has a harder time retreating and playing safe.
5 Use Resource Drain
Resource Drain should be the first upgrade you obtain as the Doom Slayer unless you are confident in your ability to dodge hits.
This upgrade will cause every slain enemy to drop health, changing the resource economy to more closely match Doom 2016. You don’t get access to the Ice Bomb in this mode, so the best method of gaining health is to slay fodder demons when possible. This upgrade will make that process much faster.
4 Frequently Use Portals
Map knowledge is key in any FPS title, but Battlemode contains some exclusive map paths for the Slayer to confuse the demon team.
Monkey bars are useful for fighting air targets, but portals are deceptively powerful. Every map has a portal near the Slayer’s spawn that will teleport them behind the demon team, allowing for an instant ambush at the start of a round. Even mid-fight, you can use portals to quickly reposition and confuse the enemy team.
3 Remote Detonate Your Rockets
Lock-on rockets are fun to use in singleplayer, but they fall to the wayside when compared to the Remote Detonate alternate fire in Battlemode.
Most demons lack powerful mobility options, which means many players will stick to cover when engaging the Slayer. When this happens and you can’t close the gap, Remote Detonate your Rocket Launcher attacks to apply pressure on the enemy. This mod is fully upgraded in Battlemode, granting a cluster-bomb effect on well-timed detonations.
2 Play The Campaign On Nightmare
As with any good FPS arena shooter, precise aim and quick decision making are critical for excelling at this genre. While Battlemode might not be a traditional arena shooter, it borrows heavily from that style of game.
Nightmare difficulty is a great way to hone your aim and decision-making skills. On Nightmare, enemies use their most powerful attacks frequently and deal considerable amounts of damage. After dying repeatedly, you’ll learn how to dodge attacks and land headshots consistently. This won’t just help you in Battlemode, but these skills can be translated to any first-person shooter.
1 Exploit Weapon Swapping
Weapon swapping is the strongest mechanic in Doom Eternal. When you swap weapons, you ignore the downtime between shots from slower weapons.
The Super Shotgun, Ballista, and Heavy Cannon’s scoped mode benefit the most from this mechanic. You can swap between these three weapons and always have a shot available, allowing you to chain high-damaging shots together much faster than normal. Exploit this mechanic as much as you can to burst down demon players before they realize what’s happening.
NEXT: Learn From The Pros: 10 Awesome Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do In Doom Eternal
