Level Strategy Guide

By Ben Barker

id Software worked closely with Vicarious Visions on the Xbox version of DOOM 3, and together they have created one of the most frightening Xbox games yet.

New for this version is an amazing co-op mode that tightens up the moody single-player game. But, for your first DOOM 3 experience, single-player is definitely the way to go for maximum en-frighten-ation.

The following levels will give you a good idea of the wide variety of environments, enemies, and terrifyingly tight spaces you'll encounter as you venture forth into the terrifying unknown.

Armed zombies? Bad. Helmet zombies? Worse.

Administration
Key Areas: Administration Lobby, Alpha Labs, Data Library, Executive Office
Enemies: Armed Zombies, "Regular" Zombies (Skinny and Tubby Varieties), Imps, Pinky Demons

The shambling undead are your main enemies here, but some of them are as well armed as you are. Keep the machine gun (or, if you're feeling daring, the pistol) close at hand for gun-toting zombies and imps, so you can take them out at a distance.

There's a little backtracking involved to find all the PDAs, so when you reach what seems to be a dead end, turn around. Something frightening will come along soon enough.

This area of the UAC will also introduce you to the Pinky Demon, but he'll fall to a few point-blank shotgun blasts. Note that he will first try to come at you through the door, fail, and then go through the window. That gives you time to switch weapons—so use it!

As scary as they are ugly …

EnPro 1 and 2
Key Areas: Control and Maintenance, Power Core control, Garage.
Enemies: Armed Zombies, "Regular" Zombies (Skinny and Tubby Varieties), Imps, Lost Souls, Maggots, Wraiths

Your goal on this level is the garage, but you'll need to do a little work on the Power Core first. Fortunately, you'll have some help from a sentry robot for some of the fighting. Let it do as much of the work as possible.

And, keep your ears open. Demons on this level have a tendency to spawn in every direction, not necessarily right in front of you.

Hell 1
Key Areas: Hell, Hell, and More Hell
Enemies: Imps, Hell Knights, Cherubs, Mancubi, Lost Souls

Oh, Hell. You're so very, very strange. You'll begin in an environment that should be familiar to anyone who finished Ninja Gaiden. However, you soon learn that in Hell, the rules are a bit different …

You start out weaponless, but fortunately the last research team to cross through the portal brought some supplies with them, so the area is littered with med packs, ammunition, and yes, guns, guns, and more guns. Your stamina is unlimited now, too, and you're going to need it.

The Hell knights you'll encounter here are no pushovers, so be prepared. Also expect zombie swarms.

Two heads are more than enough.

Site 3
Key Areas: Freight Cart Terminal, Artifact Research and Receiving, Maintenance, Laboratory, Hell-evator
Enemies: Archviles, Imps, Pinky Demons, Hell Knights, Cherubs, Mancubi, Lost Souls, Revenants, Wraiths

The fighting is more furious than ever at Site 3, but fortunately you've got a BFG and a Soulcube. Your goal is to reach the elevator, but first, you'll need to fight through hordes of maggots and demons that spawn from every direction you can imagine.

The confines are once again extremely tight, filled with passages and ladders. By now, you should be expecting the unexpected, but watch out for the swarming maggots.

When you reach the freight cars at the end of the level, use it to take the scenic (that is, cutscene) route to the caverns. There, things are deadly, but not as literally hellish. At the end of the ride, you'll reach the elevator that will carry you to even more terrifying depths …