"Doom: The Dark Ages Inspired by Eternal's Marauder"

When director Hugo Martin revealed that the guiding principle for Doom: The Dark Ages was "stand and fight" during Xbox’s Developer Direct earlier this year, my interest was immediately piqued. This philosophy stands in stark contrast to id Software’s previous title, Doom Eternal, which thrived on fast-paced, constantly moving combat. However, one enemy in Eternal demanded players to "stand and fight" – the Marauder. This enemy has sparked significant debate among players, with many despising it, yet I found myself drawn to its challenge. The realization that Doom: The Dark Ages' combat hinges on reacting to bright green lights – a mechanic crucial to defeating the Marauder – sealed my enthusiasm for the game.

Rest assured, The Dark Ages doesn't trap you in a one-on-one showdown with an adversary as agile and tricky as Eternal's Marauder. While you will encounter the Agaddon Hunter, protected by a bulletproof shield and capable of unleashing a deadly combo attack, the essence of Eternal's challenging encounters is woven into the fabric of every enemy in The Dark Ages. The game reimagines, refines, and reinvents the Marauder's core concepts, ensuring that each battle feels as strategic as a Marauder confrontation but without the frustration.

The Marauder stands out as a unique adversary in Doom Eternal. Typically, Eternal's combat involves dashing around arenas, dispatching smaller enemies while juggling between larger threats. Often described as a management game, Eternal requires players to skillfully handle resources, movement, and weaponry. However, the Marauder disrupts this flow, demanding undivided attention. It's usually encountered in isolated battles, forcing players to dodge its attacks, clear the area of other enemies, and then stand their ground.

Doom Eternal's Marauder is one of the most controversial enemies in FPS history. | Image credit: id Software / Bethesda

"Standing and fighting" in Doom Eternal doesn't mean staying stationary – it's about mastering the battlefield through strategic positioning. Getting too close risks a fatal shotgun blast, while staying too far invites a barrage of projectiles. The key moment is when the Marauder swings his axe, as this is the only time he's vulnerable. His energy shield absorbs all other attacks, so you must position yourself perfectly to strike when his eyes flash bright green – your signal to act within a split-second window.

Similarly, in Doom: The Dark Ages, players must watch for flashes of bright green. This mechanic pays homage to the original Doom, where demons unleash waves of projectiles. Within these waves, green missiles can be parried using the Doom Slayer’s new shield, sending them back at their originators. Initially, this is a defensive move, but with the shield’s rune system unlocked, it becomes a powerful offensive tool, stunning enemies with lightning or triggering an auto-targeting cannon.

Navigating The Dark Ages’ battlefields involves a series of focused one-on-one engagements with various formidable demons. Unlike the Marauder battles, survival isn't solely dependent on green light reactions; traditional combat tools are still effective. However, mastering the shield's parry can significantly enhance your arsenal. Integrating this into your combat strategy reveals the shared principles with Eternal's Marauder fights – finding the optimal distance, positioning correctly to intercept green projectiles, and executing the parry with precise timing. This requires intense focus, turning your journey into a series of intense, isolated battles where you stand and fight, just as with the Marauder.

The Marauder's most common criticism was its disruption of Doom Eternal’s rhythm. It demanded a different approach from the techniques used elsewhere in the game. This deviation is precisely why I appreciate the Marauder – it challenges players to break from the norm, much like Eternal itself disrupted traditional first-person shooter mechanics. While I enjoy this challenge, I understand why it frustrates many players.

![](/uploads/24/682736e99f8f0.webp>The Agaddon Hunter may be the most Marauder-like enemy in The Dark Ages, but every demon has a little bit of Eternal's most fearsome foe in them. | Image credit: id Software / Bethesda

Doom: The Dark Ages addresses this issue by integrating varied combat "dances" into its core gameplay. Each major enemy type has its own distinctive green projectile or melee attack, requiring different strategies. For example, the Mancubus fires energy "fences" with green "pillars" at the ends, necessitating side-to-side movement to parry effectively. The Vagary sends out a barrage of deadly spheres, prompting players to sprint and parry the deflectable rows. The skeletal Revenant closely mimics the Marauder, remaining invulnerable until you parry its green skulls.

Because each demon demands unique footwork, introducing new enemies feels seamless. The Agaddon Hunter and Komodo present challenging melee attacks, but by this point, players are accustomed to adapting their movements and reactions. This wasn't the case with the Marauder, as Eternal's rules focused on matching the right weapon to the right demon, not the positioning and reaction tactics needed to defeat it.

The Marauder’s design wasn't the problem; it was the unexpected shift in gameplay that caught players off guard. Doom: The Dark Ages prepares players for such mechanics by making reaction-based combat a fundamental part of the experience, rather than a sudden twist. While this adjustment might lessen the challenge – the shield's parry window is more forgiving than the Marauder's eye flash – the essence of the Marauder's combat philosophy remains intact. Every battle in The Dark Ages embodies the concept of locking step with an enemy, waiting for the perfect moment, and striking when the green light appears. Though the approach differs, the core ideas are unmistakably present. You stand and you fight.