Ammo Upgrades Health Shield Collectibles Locations Guide for Doom The Dark Ages

In “Doom: The Dark Ages,” ammo is a precious commodity that can make or break your survival against relentless demonic forces. To maximize your firepower, you must hunt down formidable Leaders marked by a yellow bullet icon-defeating them grants permanent ammo capacity upgrades essential for wielding your arsenal to its fullest. This guide reveals the exact locations of all ammo upgrade leaders across the game’s chapters, ensuring you never run dry in the heat of battle.

Right after your Health and Shield capacity, ammo is one of the most important resources in Doom: The Dark Ages. It’s also one of the scarcest. Since you can’t store thousands of bullets for all the weapons you have in the game, any chance of recovering ammo or increasing the amount you can keep with you is always welcome.

This guide helps you understand how to get ammo upgrades in Doom: The Dark Ages plus shows you where to find all ammo upgrades.

How to upgrade ammo in Doom: The Dark Ages

To upgrade ammo in Doom: The Dark Ages, players must defeat special Leader demons marked with a yellow icon above their heads. These Leaders drop Demonic Essence upon defeat, which permanently increases the maximum ammo capacity for specific weapon types such as Shells, Spikes, Cells, Skulls, Reaver, and Launchers. Ammo upgrades are found by hunting these Leaders throughout various chapters, often in challenging combat encounters. Once collected, the upgrade automatically boosts your ammo pool, allowing for longer sustained combat without running out of bullets.

To upgrade your ammo capacity, you need to collect the Demonic Essence of specific leaders – and to do so, you must find and defeat them first. When you find leaders from whom you can collect Demonic Essence, a yellow icon showing three bullets appears above their heads.

Unlike the other two types of upgrades, Health and Shield, when you defeat a leader, they will give you an upgrade for one of the three kinds of ammo in the game: Shells, Cells, Spikers, Skulls, Reaver, and Launcher.

These upgrades are permanent, so you don’t need to worry about having to chase leaders in every chapter.

Below, you find all the chapters in which there are leaders who give you ammo upgrades in Doom: The Dark Ages.

The Holy City of Aratum (Chapter 5)

In Chapter 5, “The Holy City of Aratum,” of Doom: The Dark Ages, players gain access to their cyberdragon, enabling exploration of various areas and secret landing zones. This expansive chapter features only one ammo upgrade, which is essential for enhancing your Shell ammo capacity. To obtain this upgrade, after completing the tutorial, fly your dragon to the first ship on the right and destroy all its cannons to unlock the landing zone. Progress through the ship until you reach a final room with a red energy gate that must be destroyed by dashing with your shield. Here, you will face an armored Hell Knight leader who uses aggressive Hell Surge attacks and throws axes. Defeating this leader in the confined space will grant you the ammo upgrade, making this encounter both challenging and crucial for your progression.

The fifth chapter of Doom: The Dark Ages is the first time you have access to your cyberdragon to explore the areas and look for its secret landing zones. This is a lengthy chapter, but there’s only one ammo (Shell) upgrade to get.

To find the leader, after you’re done with the tutorial, fly with your dragon to the first ship to your right. You will need to destroy all its canons for the landing spot to appear. Once you’re in, there isn’t much secret. Just keep following the path available to you until you reach the last room.

The objective sign will take you to the lowest platform in front of a red energy gate which you must destroy dashing with your shield. However, before you can even try, the leader will appear.

Your first ammo upgrade leader is an armored Hell Knight. This enemy uses the jumping Hell Surge attacks which the regular version you’ve already faced does. They will also throw Hell Surge axes at you, so stay alert to parry them.

The challenge in this fight is to fight this aggressive enemy in a tiny corridor. Focus on using the Accelerator to break their armor faster and don’t let them corner you.

The Siege – Part 1 (Chapter 6)

In Chapter 6, “The Siege – Part 1” of Doom: The Dark Ages, players encounter a challenging ammo upgrade leader in the northwest corner of the map at one of the Gore Portals. This encounter introduces the morale system, requiring players to defeat surrounding demons to deplete the leader’s shield before engaging the armored Mancubus leader. The Mancubus uses flamethrower attacks and a parryable energy wall attack, so maintaining distance and strategically breaking its armor with the Shield Throw is crucial. Successfully defeating this leader grants a permanent ammo upgrade for the Spiker weapon, enhancing your firepower for the battles ahead.

Doom: The Dark Ages’s Chapter 6 will force you to traverse a long and a little bit confusing map. To find the leader who will give you an ammo (Spiker) upgrade, you want to visit the area to the left corner of the map from the starting gate. The place is marked by a red skull icon on your map.

This fight is the first involving the morale system, which means that, before you can actually fight the leader – who will be attacking as soon as they spot you – you need to kill the other demons in the area to deplete its morale bar.

Once you have killed enough demons and a message appears saying “Leader Shield Disabled!,” it’s time to shoot. The leader this time is an armored Mancubus and as you might have expected your top priority is to destroy their armor.

Keep a safe distance from them since the Mancubus will pop their flamethrowers at you if you get too close. You can play it safe and look for their signature attack, a wall of energy that always has one side which you can parry.

Ancestral Forge (Chapter 9)

In Chapter 9, Ancestral Forge, of Doom: The Dark Ages, players encounter a challenging ammo upgrade leader at the very end of the chapter. After unlocking the first Shield Rune, Ground Fissure, you enter an arena filled with numerous demons, culminating in a battle against an Armored Mancubus leader. To obtain the ammo upgrade for Cells, you must first whittle down the lesser demons to disable the Mancubus’s shield, then defeat the Mancubus itself. This encounter is mandatory as defeating the Mancubus concludes the chapter and grants a permanent increase to your max ammo capacity for Cells.

Finding the leader in Chapter 9 who gives you an ammo (Cell) upgrade is just a matter of reaching the end of the level. You will need to face another armored Mancubus. Take advantage of the Shield Rune you unlock in this chapter and parry all their attacks.

Be careful with the regular enemies around you as you fight the Mancubus. The fight is easier than the previous one, so you don’t need to worry too much. You should, however, deal with the Pinky Rider who is in the arena as soon as possible to make your life easier.

The Forsaken Plains (Chapter 10)

In Chapter 10, The Forsaken Plains, of Doom: The Dark Ages, players can obtain a valuable ammo upgrade by defeating a powerful leader demon. This leader spawns at the Gore Nest located north of the right-side Hell Cannon. To access the area, you must first destroy both Hell Cannons to lower the flame barrier. Once there, shield charge the Gore Nest to trigger a large fight that includes a Revenant miniboss. Defeating this Revenant grants a permanent upgrade to your max ammo capacity for the Skull weapon type, enhancing your combat effectiveness in subsequent battles.

Your main goal in Chapter 10 is to destroy the two Hell Cannons in the Forsaken Plains. By going to the one on the right side of the map, you will be closer to the leader you want to fight to unlock an ammo (Skull) upgrade. They are indicated by an icon of a crowned skull in a higher segment of the region.

When you reach the place, all you find is a tree. Destroy it with your shield to summon some waves of enemies. After defeating them, the leader will appear. This time you need to fight a Revenant, but they don’t have a morale bar, making the encounter less demanding.

Revenants are pretty agile so try your best to get closer to them before taking a shot. They usually shoot Hell Purge projectiles and skulls. You know the drill, go parry them.

If you see them becoming all white, don’t waste your bullets. The Revenant doesn’t take damage while frozen in this state. It is worth parrying the projectiles they will shoot though since they seem to break their ice skin.

From Beyond (Chapter 13)

In Chapter 13, “From Beyond,” of Doom: The Dark Ages, players encounter a key ammo upgrade leader at the first Demonic Portal area. This leader is an armored Mancubus whose armor must be superheated and destroyed before killing it to obtain the Demonic Essence that permanently increases the Reaver ammo capacity. This encounter is integral to the chapter’s progression and cannot be missed. Alongside intense aerial combat on a mechanized dragon, this chapter offers essential upgrades and mission challenges, including perfect dodges and destroying Hell Fighter ships, enhancing both survivability and firepower for the Slayer.

In Chapter 13, you’ll again fly around with your cyberdragon, destroying ships and dealing with tentacles from another dimension. Usual stuff. During this chapter, there is also an ammo (Reaver) upgrade for you to gain.

By following the main mission of this chapter, you will eventually get to the first landing spot on the map. It’s a tower that you access after destroying a ship. Once you land, the battle against an armored Mancubus will start.

Although the strategy won’t change when fighting them directly, you must first clean the area to deplete its morale bar. Always try to look for the larger enemies since killing the smaller ones doesn’t affect the bar.

Spire of Nerathul (Chapter 14)

In Chapter 14, Spire of Nerathul, the ammo upgrade leader is a Revenant who appears near the end of the level in a circular arena after you have defeated several enemies. This Revenant is accompanied by a Komodo Champion, making the fight more challenging. Defeating the Revenant grants you a permanent ammo upgrade for the Launcher weapon, increasing your maximum ammo capacity. This upgrade is essential for maintaining firepower during the intense battles in this chapter. The arena is located after destroying a statue of the Old One and falling into the combat zone, marking a key moment in the chapter’s progression.

Spire of Nerathul takes you to a region you haven’t explored yet but don’t fret. The dangers are still the same ones. As you progress in the main mission of Chapter 14, you will destroy a statue of the Old One and drop into a hole that takes you to an arena.

Enemies will spawn and after defeating some of them, Chapter 14’s ammo (Launcher) upgrade leader will appear, a Revenant. Follow the same strategy suggested for Chapter 10’s leader. Just be careful because a Komodo, a large behemoth of Hell will fight alongside the leader.

The Kar’Thul Marshes (Chapter 16)

In Chapter 16 of Doom: The Dark Ages, titled “The Kar’Thul Marshes,” players continue their quest to find Thira in a vast, open marshland filled with numerous objectives and collectibles. Among these is the Ammo Upgrade Leader, who guards one of the Relic Fragments in the top right corner of the map. Defeating this leader grants a permanent increase to your ammo capacity, essential for surviving the intense battles in this chapter. The level also features various other collectibles like Gold, Codex pages, and secret areas, making exploration rewarding and challenging. Additionally, players can complete mission challenges such as the Hunter challenge by destroying five Wolf Statues scattered across the marshes.

There is one leader that will give you an ammo (Shell) upgrade in Chapter 16 and you can find them by just following the main mission. As you make your way to gather the second Relic Fragment, you will find an arena where the leader is.

You will be facing an armored Mancubus again to get your hands on this upgrade. The real challenge in this fight is to handle the Pinky Rider, the Cyberdemon, and the Cosmic Baron who are also in the arena. Kill them all to disable the leader’s shield.

Temple of Lomarith (Chapter 17)

In Chapter 17, “Temple of Lomarith,” players face two distinct ammo upgrade leaders. The first leader appears during the rescue of Thira, where you must survive waves of enemies including Vagaries before confronting an armored Pinky Rider. Defeating this leader grants a Spike ammo upgrade. The second leader is hidden behind a destructible wall near floating shipwrecks accessed through green gates. After sealing the room by destroying a tree, you face waves of enemies culminating in a Revenant leader. Defeating the Revenant awards a Cell ammo upgrade. Both encounters require careful management of space and enemy threats to secure these valuable ammo capacity enhancements.

Chapter 17, the Temple of Lomarith is a quite confusing map and there are two leaders for you to chase. You find the first one as you’re trying to rescue Thira. The area has a huge gate in the middle so it’s hard to miss.

Be ready to fight your way through waves of enemies containing powerful ones like the Vagary before you can disable the leader’s shield. When their morale bar is completely depleted, you can look for the armored Pinky Rider, the first leader you fight in this chapter. Defeating them unlocks an ammo (Spike) upgrade.

Now, the second leader is hidden. By following the main mission, you eventually get to a section where you use green gates to reach some floating wreckage of ships. Before you use the second gate, look to your left and you will see that you can dash to destroy a wall.

Drop to the level below and you will see a tree. Once you use your shield to destroy it, the room will be sealed and waves of enemies will start to appear.

After killing some enemies, the leader, a Revenant, will come and you must defeat them to unlock an ammo(Cell) upgrade. You are already familiar with this enemy. Just be careful since the room is small and you will be fighting large enemies inside of it.

Harbor of Souls (Chapter 19)

In Chapter 19, “Harbor of Souls,” of Doom: The Dark Ages, players must defeat a formidable leader to obtain a valuable ammo upgrade. This leader is an armored Pinky Rider encountered after crossing the soul bridge. During the fight, numerous demons will spawn, and players should focus on depleting the leader’s shields by killing these enemies. Once the shields are down, use the Accelerator to superheat the Pinky Rider’s armor, making it vulnerable for the final kill. Defeating this leader grants a permanent upgrade to the Skull ammo capacity, enhancing your firepower for the challenges ahead.

After one hell of a ride to the underworld, it’s time for you to find your back to the Mortal Plane. However, before you do so, there’s a leader you need to defeat and an ammo (Skull) upgrade to claim. Keep following the main mission and you will find it.

You face another armored Pinky Rider in this chapter, who has a morale bar. Take advantage of the Berserk cell in this arena to fight the strongest demons around. With them out of the way, beating the Pinky Rider is quite simple.

Resurrection (Chapter 20)

In Chapter 20, “Resurrection,” of Doom: The Dark Ages, players can obtain an important ammo upgrade by defeating a leader enemy located near the left-most Siege Tower on the map. This encounter takes place within a combat arena surrounded by forcefield walls, where waves of demons spawn. The key leader to defeat is a Komodo, a challenging foe known for long attack sequences that require careful parrying. Successfully defeating the Komodo grants the player a permanent ammo upgrade for the Reaver weapon, enhancing their firepower for the remainder of the game. Players are advised to focus on eliminating other large threats in the area before concentrating on the Komodo to secure this valuable upgrade.

There is a lot to be done in Chapter 20, but luckily finding the leader – who gives you an ammo (Reaver) upgrade – of this chapter is not one of the most difficult challenges it offers.

Your main goal in the first segment of this chapter is to destroy the Siege Towers. Following this objective will inevitably lead you to the left part of the map where there is a red zone with a crowned skull icon. By getting there, you will find the leader.

This time a Komodo is the leader, a quite challenging enemy to face. Focus on clearing the area of other large enemies and, when facing the Komodo, focus on parrying their attacks. They unleash long sequences of attacks so learn them to know the right moment to fight back.

Reckoning (Chapter 22)

In Chapter 22, “Reckoning,” of Doom: The Dark Ages, players encounter a challenging leader fight shortly after ascending an elevator on the main path. This leader is a Cyberdemon who spawns waves of demons until its shields are depleted. Defeating the Cyberdemon grants a permanent ammo upgrade for the Launcher weapon. This upgrade is the final ammo enhancement available in the game, and obtaining it also unlocks the Essential Ammo achievement or trophy. The encounter is a significant test of combat skill, requiring players to manage continuous enemy spawns while focusing on the leader’s shield and health.

There’s one last leader in Doom: The Dark Ages for you to hunt down. You can find them by reaching the last red zone on the top side of the map. Once you claim their Demonic Essence, you will receive an ammo (Launcher) upgrade. There are some tough fights before you can reach the place, so be prepared.

Where are the hidden locations of all ammo upgrade leaders in Doom: The Dark Ages

Here are the hidden locations of all ammo upgrade leaders in Doom: The Dark Ages, identified by yellow icons above them. These leaders are tougher demons encountered mostly along the main path, but some are off the beaten track:

Chapter 5: One ammo upgrade leader can be found here.
Chapter 6 (Siege: Part 1): In the northwest corner of the map, near one of the five Gore Portals, you face an armored Mancubus leader. Deplete its Morale Meter by killing nearby demons, then destroy its armor with a Shield Throw and kill it to get the ammo upgrade for Spikes.
Chapter 9: Contains one ammo upgrade leader.
Chapter 13: Another ammo upgrade leader is located here.
Chapter 14: Contains an ammo upgrade leader.
Chapter 16: Ammo upgrade leader present.
Chapter 17: Two ammo upgrade leaders are found here.
Chapter 19: One ammo upgrade leader.
Chapter 20: One ammo upgrade leader.
Chapter 22 (Reckoning): After riding an elevator on the main path, you enter an arena with a Cyberdemon leader. Kill the spawned demons to deplete its shields, then kill the Cyberdemon to get the ammo upgrade for the Launcher. This is the final ammo upgrade and grants the Essential Ammo achievement.

These leaders drop Demonic Essences that permanently increase your ammo capacity for specific weapons. You can identify them by a sizable health bar and a yellow icon above their heads during encounters.

For a full detailed list and precise map locations, consult dedicated guides that cover each chapter’s secrets and leader encounters.

Where exactly are all the ammo upgrade leaders located across chapters in Doom: The Dark Ages

Here are the exact locations of all ammo upgrade leaders in Doom: The Dark Ages, where defeating each leader grants a permanent ammo capacity increase:

Chapter 5: One ammo upgrade leader is found along the main path.
Chapter 6 (Siege: Part 1): In the northwest corner near one of the five Gore Portals, an armored Mancubus leader awaits. You must deplete its Morale Meter by killing nearby demons, then destroy its armor with a Shield Throw before killing it to earn the Spiker ammo upgrade.
Chapter 9: Contains one ammo upgrade leader on the main route.
Chapter 13: One ammo upgrade leader is located here.
Chapter 14: Contains one ammo upgrade leader.
Chapter 16: One ammo upgrade leader present.
Chapter 17: Two ammo upgrade leaders are found in this chapter.
Chapter 19: One ammo upgrade leader located here.
Chapter 20: One ammo upgrade leader on the main path.
Chapter 22 (Reckoning): After riding an elevator, you enter an arena with a Cyberdemon leader. Kill the spawned demons to deplete its shields, then kill the Cyberdemon to receive the final ammo upgrade for the Launcher, unlocking the Essential Ammo achievement.

Each leader is marked by a yellow bullet icon above its head and a sizable health bar during combat. They drop Demonic Essences that permanently raise your maximum ammo for specific weapons.

For detailed maps and walkthroughs of these locations, interactive chapter maps and guides are available to help you navigate and find these leaders efficiently.