Doom: The Dark Ages Reimagines Eternal's Marauder Combat

When director Hugo Martin revealed at Xbox’s Developer Direct that Doom: The Dark Ages embraces a “stand and fight” philosophy, it immediately piqued my interest. This approach contrasts sharply with Doom Eternal’s fast-paced, movement-driven battles. Yet, one enemy from Eternal, the Marauder, embodies this “stand and fight” ethos. A polarizing figure in the Doom series—reviled by some, cherished by others like myself—the Marauder’s influence is evident when I noticed that reacting to bright green cues, a key to defeating it, shapes the combat in The Dark Ages. That realization hooked me completely.

Rest assured, The Dark Ages doesn’t trap you in a duel with an enemy as agile and complex as Eternal’s Marauder. While the Agaddon Hunter, with its bulletproof shield and lethal combo attacks, comes close, the Marauder’s legacy permeates every foe. Reimagined and refined, the principles behind the Marauder inform The Dark Ages’ combat design, creating encounters that capture its intensity without the frustrations.

The Marauder stands out as an anomaly in Doom Eternal. Unlike the game’s usual loop of sprinting through arenas, mowing down weaker enemies, and juggling larger ones, the Marauder demands singular focus. Often fought alone, it disrupts Eternal’s resource and crowd management dynamics. When it appears in bigger battles, the strategy shifts: dodge its attacks, clear lesser enemies, and then face it head-on.

This doesn’t mean standing idle—it’s still Doom Eternal. It’s about controlling the battlefield through precise positioning. Too close, and the Marauder’s shotgun blast is unavoidable. Too far, and its projectiles, though easier to dodge, keep you out of axe range. The goal is to bait its axe swing, as the Marauder is only vulnerable during its attack wind-up when its eyes flash green, giving you a fleeting moment to strike.

In Doom: The Dark Ages, that green flash returns. Demons unleash barrages of bullet hell-style projectiles, including special green missiles you can parry with the Doom Slayer’s new shield, redirecting them back to their source. Early on, this is a defensive tactic, but unlocking the shield’s rune system transforms it into a powerful offensive tool, stunning enemies with lightning or triggering an auto-targeting shoulder cannon.

Your journey through The Dark Ages’ battlefields becomes a series of intense, one-on-one skirmishes with diverse demons.

Unlike the Marauder fight, survival doesn’t hinge solely on these green cues. Effective use of simpler tools can secure victory, but the shield’s parry is a standout, rewarding frequent use. Mastering it reveals parallels with Eternal’s Marauder battles: finding the right distance, as demons won’t fire projectiles up close, and positioning to catch green orbs with quick reflexes. These encounters demand focus, turning battles into a tapestry of concentrated duels. You stand and fight, just as you did against the Marauder.

The Marauder’s biggest critique was its disruption of Doom Eternal’s flow, forcing a shift from the game’s usual tactics. That divergence is why I admire it: while Eternal demands fluid movement, the Marauder requires a different rhythm. Eternal redefined FPS rules, and the Marauder challenged those new rules, creating a unique test. Still, I understand why it frustrated many.

Doom: The Dark Ages solves this by weaving varied combat styles into its core. Each major enemy has unique green projectiles or melee strikes, requiring tailored approaches. The Mancubus fires wide energy bursts with green pillars, demanding lateral movement to parry. The Vagary hurls rows of deadly spheres, urging you to charge toward the deflectable ones. The Revenant, nearly mirroring the Marauder, is invincible until you parry its green skulls fired in alternating patterns.

With every demon requiring distinct tactics, new enemies feel like natural extensions of the combat system. The Agaddon Hunter and Komodo introduce tougher melee challenges, but by then, you’re accustomed to adapting. Unlike the Marauder, which felt like a sudden shift in Eternal’s gun-focused rules, The Dark Ages builds its reaction-based mechanics into every fight from the start.

The Marauder’s issue wasn’t its concept but its abrupt introduction. Doom: The Dark Ages prepares you by making reaction-based combat central, not a surprise. The shield’s parry window is more forgiving than the Marauder’s split-second cue, reducing difficulty but preserving the essence: syncing with an enemy, waiting for the green light, and striking. The Dark Ages reinterprets these ideas, but their roots are unmistakable. You stand and you fight.