Doom Eternal – “The Ancient Gods – Part Two” released.

Update 1.14 released on March 18th, the second expansion to DOOM Eternal and the completion of the ‘The Ancient Gods’ storyline, picks up immediately where the previous expansion, “The Ancient Gods Part One” ended. According to the notes on Steam: “You denied the gods and awoke an ancient evil. Now rally the scattered Sentinel armies, lay siege to the last bastion of Hell, break through the fortress walls, and face the Dark Lord himself. The soul of the universe hangs in the balance.” That’s right, players, this is the epic conclusion to the DOOM Slayer’s Saga. 

Just with the last campaign extension, there are several things added to the game. One exciting addition is the Sentinel Hammer, “an ancient weapon capable of stopping any demons caught within its shockwave.” It can be used to stun demons or be combined with the Ice Bomb or Flame Belch to restore health or armor.

There will also be new enemies to slay!

• Armored Baron – wears special armor and uses a charged fist attack
• Stone Imp – possesses a nearly impenetrable hide and prefers close combat.
• Screecher – a zombie that empowers nearby demons when killed
• Cursed Prowler – a mutation with venomous, cursed claws
• Riot Soldier – shield and minigun wielding heavy infantry

A new feature called “Escalation Encounters” has been added, where the player will need to contend with two waves of enemies, the first wave earning them an upgrade to the Sentinel Hammer and the second (and optional) wave earns the player a cosmetic. Completing the second wave in each level unlocks new Deluxe Slayer Skins, including “World Spear”, “Survivor” and “Hellforged”.

Players will also receive the Barbarian Slayer Master Collection automatically along with their purchase of  DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods – Part Two, Deluxe Edition, or the Year One Pass. Like all Master Collections, the Barbarian Slayer is loaded with progressives like a slick podium, alternate skins, new podium animations, player badges, and icons.

There will be three new maps for the player to explore:

• The World Spear – The Slayer must seek out the World Spear on his journey to face the Dark Lord, as only a mysterious artifact hidden within the crystalline monolith will open the way to Immora. The cosmic spire towers over Argent D’Nur, where only those who are considered worthy can enter inside. 
• Reclaimed Earth – Hell’s invasion of Earth has failed, and the ARC has led human resistance in the fight to reclaim the planet. It’s crucial for The Slayer to locate the Father’s design ancient artifact – Gate of Divum, within the ruins of an overgrown city. After activation, the path to Immora will be opened. 
• Immora – The final battle has begun. The Slayer, to access the heart of Hell, uses the Gate of Divum. Now he stands before the gates of Immora and is ready to face the Dark Lord.. Armies now gather as the dark realm prepares for war, and the coming conflict will decide the fate of all… 

One very exciting new feature introduced by this DLC is the Meathook Grapple allowing players to traverse through the new levels by latching onto floating grapple points. This synergizes with the game’s double jump and dash mechanics to create interesting platforming gameplay.

To close the story up, there will also be a boss fight with The Dark Lord himself. Unfortunately, some players have found the final boss to be somewhat disappointing. The most common complaint is that the boss is too easy and takes too long to defeat. Perhaps because the fight involves repetitive waves of unchallenging enemies and frustrating mechanics like the boss’s ability to heal itself completely, this has left many players feeling bored and unenthused with the final boss, which is a real shame because it should be the final battle leading to an epic conclusion, not a monotonous inconvenience at the end of the game.

Despite the disappointing final boss, the DLC has so far received mostly positive reviews.