Get Ready to Sweat: DOOM: The Dark Ages Gets Even Harder and Demands More from Players

Get ready, because DOOM: The Dark Ages is now going to make you sweat for real, and you’ll have to blame an unexpected difficulty increase. id Software has decided to adjust the most difficult modes to offer an even more challenging experience to players.

If you’re a fan of tough shooter games, you’ve probably already pushed your skills to the limit in the higher difficulty modes of DOOM: The Dark Ages. Well, get ready to step it up even more: id Software has decided to take the challenge to the next level, ramping up the game’s intensity to keep you on your toes. They’ve done it by tweaking some of the title’s core settings.

DOOM: The Dark Ages lets players adjust everything from enemy damage to game speed, stun duration, and other essential gameplay elements. id Software is using this flexibility to turn up the heat on the highest difficulty settings, all without needing to issue a patch. These changes won’t fix bugs or content issues, but they will absolutely make the game more punishing for everyone.

In a statement on X, id Software detailed how they’re ramping up the game’s challenge: “After watching you all play and listening to your feedback for a week, we felt the game needed to be a bit harder overall, especially on Nightmare difficulty, so a Tunable Pass [a setting for difficulty tweaks] went live yesterday.” Two major adjustments have been made as a result.

First, certain enemy attacks – including those of the Agaddon Hunter, Cosmic Baron, Hellknight, Komodo, and Pinky Rider – have been made much more powerful. “We wanted to increase the threat these enemies pose on the battlefield, especially with certain damage/difficulty scaling setups. For example, at 250% damage (the Nightmare standard), missing a parry from the Aggadon Hunter will now shatter your shield outright instead of just doing huge damage,” they explained.

On top of that, some of the behind-the-scenes systems that help players survive close encounters are getting dialed back, especially with the ‘Player Damage’ modifier (100% – 500%). These hidden systems have been a bit too forgiving, letting players survive situations that should have been fatal. “We want players to really have to think about their tactical choices and not just brute force their way through,” they added. This will have a big impact on player survivability, particularly at higher ‘Player Damage’ settings.

Bethesda says DOOM: The Dark Ages is the biggest game launch in the studio’s history. While players have had plenty to say about how brutal it is, it still hasn’t quite matched the concurrent player numbers of DOOM 2016 or DOOM Eternal on Steam. Nevertheless, Bethesda has confirmed that the game has already reached 3 million players, making it the studio’s largest launch ever – thanks in part to Game Pass.

Source: 3djuegos