Doom The Dark Age weapon skins and how to find them

Unleash a darker edge on your arsenal in Doom: The Dark Ages with the elusive Nightmare weapon skins-sinister designs hidden within the game’s most perilous chapters. These skins don’t boost your firepower but transform your weapons into hell-forged masterpieces, rewarding those brave enough to explore and conquer the toughest challenges. Ready to hunt down every Nightmare skin? Our guide reveals where to find these haunting collectibles and how to claim them, from the eerie Village of Khalim to the treacherous Sentinel Command Station.

Skins can be easily equipped in Doom: The Dark Ages by accessing the dossier and selecting the gun in your arsenal. Just press the command to open the skin selection screen and get one you enjoy the most. Nightmare skins are located on the map and indicated by the symbol of a brush. While it’s not tough to pinpoint their locations, reaching those locations is the true challenge.

In this in-progress Doom: The Dark Ages guide, we’ll go over all Nightmare skins we’ve found so far.

How to get all the Nightmare skins in Doom: The Dark Age

To get all the Nightmare skins in Doom: The Dark Ages, you need to explore specific locations across various chapters and complete combat challenges. Each weapon has its own unique Nightmare skin that can be found in hidden or guarded areas marked by a brush symbol. For example, the Nightmare Combat Shotgun skin is located in the Village of Khalim after closing hell gates and defeating enemies in a secret cave area, while the Shredder’s Nightmare skin is found in the Hebeth level by navigating through a facility and using platforming skills to reach a hidden room. These skins do not enhance weapon performance but add a distinctive hellish aesthetic to your arsenal. To equip them, access your dossier, select the weapon, and choose the skin from the skin selection interface.

Nightmare skins encompasses the weapon skins obtainable during the levels of the game as collectibles. Every weapon in the game has a corresponding Nightmare skin. While skins don’t add effect to your guns, making them stronger or better, they make them look cool. That’s all you probably need.

Below, we’ll show you where to find all Nightmare skins we’ve found so far.

Combat Shotgun (Village of Khalim)

The Nightmare Combat Shotgun skin in Doom: The Dark Ages is the first Nightmare weapon skin players can obtain, located in the Village of Khalim. After unlocking the gate with the blue key, you must clear the area of enemies and close the hell gates. Then, turn left facing the large statue and enter the first opening, where more enemies await. Defeat all demons to unlock sealed entrances, proceed through the corridor, and upon exiting, turn right near the cliff’s edge to spot the room containing the skin. To reach it, sprint and jump off the edge into the cave below. Be prepared for a fight against Imp Stalkers and a Pinky Rider guarding the skin, and use the environment strategically to defeat them and collect the Nightmare Combat Shotgun skin.

The first skin you get in the game is the Nightmare Combat Shotgun and it is located in the Village of Khalim, in the segment of the level after you have opened the gate using the blue key.

You will need to clear the area by killing the enemies and closing the hell gates. After killing the initial group of enemies, go left while facing the giant statue and enter the first entrance.

There will be more enemies for you to face here. Clear the area and follow the only path accessible now. When you get into the corridor, the entrances will become blocked by a red wall. The only way to open them is to kill all the demons inside – as expected.

When you get out of the corridor, you will be facing a portal. Turn right here and approach the edge. From there, you can see an entrance to the room where the skin is located.

To reach it, you need to take some distance, run and press the jump button right as you approach the edge of the cliff.

Shredder (Hebeth)

The Nightmare skin for the Shredder in Doom: The Dark Ages can be found in the second chapter, Hebeth. To obtain it, progress through the level until you reach the section called “Defend Hebeth.” In a room with a Green Flesh Node, use the Shield Recall Jump to cross to a platform with a Sentinel Shrine. Climb the adjacent wall, then head left to find a stack of crates leading to an open hatch above. Enter the vent shaft and follow the path until you drop down into a secret room where the Nightmare Shredder skin is located. Be prepared for a demon fight triggered upon entering this area.

The Shredder’s Nightmare skin is in the second level in the game, Hebeth. Make sure to progress in the main mission until you’re in the segment named “Defend Hebeth.”

You eventually get inside a facility where you can see the brush symbol in a short corridor on a higher level on the map. By following the initial corridor, you reach a point where you must use the Shield Recall Jump to cross to the other side.

On the other side, you will find a Sentinel Shrine. Climb the wall beside it and reach the next section. Look to your left to find a few boxes and an opened hatch above them. Since it has the yellow marks, it means you can climb it.

Use the boxes to reach the hatch and enter a pathway in the upper level. Follow the trail of gold and it will lead you to an opening. Use it to access the room where the Shredder Nightmare skin is located!

Accelerator (Sentinel Barracks)

The Nightmare skin for the Accelerator in Doom: The Dark Ages can be found in the Sentinel Barracks chapter. To obtain it, players need to explore this fourth chapter thoroughly, where the barracks are filled with enemies and secrets. The skin is typically hidden behind locked gates or in secret areas that require careful navigation and combat to access. Players should look for clues such as the brush symbol marking collectible locations and use movement abilities like Shield Recall to reach elevated or distant spots within the barracks. Successfully clearing the area and overcoming challenges will reward you with the Nightmare Accelerator skin, adding a stylish flair to your weapon without affecting its performance.

Finding the Accelerator’s Nightmare skin is pretty simple. Once you have unlocked Chapter 4 “Sentinel Barracks,” you should progress in the “Get to the Aratum” mission. Eventually, you will reach a square surrounded by some buildings with a tree in the center.

From the path you came, look to the right side of the square and you will see the tallest building in the area. It has two large towers and an opening between them. The skin icon is already appearing on your map by the time you get near the building.

Now, facing the building, go left and climb the stairs. They take ill to a group of survivors who are hiding. Behind them, the Nightmare skin is waiting for you.

Pulverizer (The Holy City of Aratum)

The Pulverizer, a rapid-firing weapon from the Skullcrusher class introduced in the Sentinel Barracks, is known for shredding demonic skulls and firing bone shards in a wide spread. Its lore ties it to a corrupted sentinel engineer and the Night Sentinels’ daring raid to reclaim it, with whispers suggesting it is powered by the souls of its victims. In Doom: The Dark Ages, the Pulverizer has a unique Mastery Challenge that rewards players with the Conqueror Weapon Skin upon completion. This weapon skin, part of the Nightmare collection, enhances the visual appeal of the Pulverizer without affecting its performance, allowing players to customize their arsenal while embracing the brutal medieval combat aesthetic of the game.

Pulverizer already has an interesting look, but if you want to pump it up, be sure to get its Nightmare Skin. You can find it in Chapter 5 “The Holy City of Aratum” right at the beginning of the mission.

Get your dragon and fly to the center of the city. Then, descend to reach the lowest part of it where you will see a large circular structure surrounded by three pillars. There are two Titans protecting the place, so be sure to kill them. Otherwise, the landing spot won’t appear for you.

Once you set foot in the central area, start by going to where there is a single enemy and a button on the ground. Now, jump from the edge next to the button to access the lower segment of the map.

Turn left, enter a long corridor and keep following it to find the Pulverizer’s Nightmare skin.

Impaler (Siege – Part 1)

The Nightmare skin for the Impaler in Doom: The Dark Ages is found in Chapter 6, titled “Siege – Part 1.” To obtain this skin, players need to open a gate located in the center of the map during this chapter. This collectible adds a stylish visual upgrade to the Impaler weapon, enhancing its appearance without affecting gameplay performance.

The Nightmare skin for the Impaler is found in Chapter 6 “Siege – Part 1”, which has a massive map and you can get lost pretty quickly. But before you can start thinking about heading to where the skin is located, you need to grab the Purple Key.

Start your way from the initial gate and head forward. Be careful since there are lots of enemies. It won’t take long for you to see the large flying Purple Key indicating where they actual key is located. Just clear the area and grab it.

Now, go back to the main gate and, while facing the battlefield, go to the left side of the map, following the arrows indicated on our map. You will reach an area with a small segment of the wall with yellow marks. Climb it and follow the small corridor.

You will find an immense box in the center of the next room. Turn left to find a Purple Door. Since you already have the key, it will automatically unlock and you can go grab the Impaler’s Nightmare skin.

Where are the hidden locations for Nightmare weapon skins in Doom: The Dark Age

The hidden locations for Nightmare weapon skins in Doom: The Dark Ages are scattered across various chapters, often tucked behind environmental puzzles or guarded by tough combat encounters:

Combat Shotgun (Village of Khalim, Chapter 1): Found beyond a cliffside cave after closing hell portals. After defeating enemies, sprint and jump off the cliff into a cave to access the skin, but be prepared to fight Imp Stalkers and a Pinky Rider to lower the barrier protecting it.
Shredder (Hebeth, Chapter 2): Located in a facility during the ’Defend Hebeth’ section. Use the Shield Recall Jump to reach a Sentinel Shrine, then climb a wall and scale boxes to enter an upper-level pathway leading to the skin.
Pulverizer (Holy City of Aratum, Chapter 5): Found in the Gold Trail 3 area during the second objective of the chapter.
Impaler (Siege – Part 1, Chapter 6): Near Ruby 3, jump down a platform and follow a gold trail to a locked gate requiring a purple key to access the skin.
Accelerator (Sentinel Barracks, Chapter 4): Look for a statue and search between two spires of the building to find the skin.
Chainshot (Sentinel Command Station, Chapter 12): Drop into the command room and find a secret item behind a locked gate and breakable wall near the hologram at the room’s center.
Cycler (The Foresaken Plans, Chapter 10): Take the right passage from Atlan, scale a cliff near the Hell Cannon, and find the skin just before dropping near Wraithstone.
Grenade Launcher (Spire of Nerathul, Chapter 14): Accessed through a blue portal; after defeating demons, go to the upper area beside the Wraithstone to find the skin.
Rocket Launcher (Temple of Lomarith, Chapter 17): From the temple base, move to the far side and enter a portal; before the secret area, find the skin in a crevice.
Ravager (Resurrection, Chapter 20): Located in a secret cave behind the second artillery cannon.

Each skin is marked by a brush symbol in the game world but reaching them can be challenging, requiring exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat prowess.

What specific obstacles or puzzles are involved in reaching the Nightmare skins locations

The specific obstacles and puzzles involved in reaching the Nightmare weapon skins in Doom: The Dark Ages vary by location but generally include a mix of environmental puzzles, platforming challenges, and combat encounters:

Sentinel Barracks (Chapter 4, Accelerator Skin): Players must solve an environmental puzzle involving a red button and a jump pad. Standing on the button activates the jump pad, but it turns off when you leave. The solution is to use the shield to knock a large metal cube onto the button, keeping the jump pad active to reach otherwise inaccessible areas.
Siege Part 1 (Chapter 6, Impaler Skin): Accessing the skin requires finding a secret key to open a locked door behind a cave area. Players must climb walls and navigate around the main puzzle to reach the door, emphasizing exploration and key hunting.
Ancestral Forge (Chapter 9, Collectible Skin): After activating a platform, players must turn around and spot a climbable surface behind them, then use shield jumps to launch themselves across sections to reach the skin, combining platforming and timing.
Forsaken Plains (Chapter 10, Collectible Skin): Players must clear out Hell Cannon encounters on the other side of the map to unlock access to a ledge where the skin is located, requiring combat and map traversal.
Sentinel Command Station (Chapter 12, Chainshot Skin): A breakable wall conceals the skin. Players must smash a panel with their shield and follow a trail of gold to find the hidden area, involving exploration and environmental interaction.
Temple of Lomarith (Chapter 17, Collectible Skin): The skin is inside a small portal of water along the wall, requiring players to explore underwater areas and navigate portals.
Resurrection (Chapter 20, Ravager Skin): Players must destroy a demon mortar by shield charging its weak spot to uncover a hole leading to an underground chamber where the skin is found. This involves combat precision and exploration, plus acquiring a Yellow Key to access the chamber.
Combat Challenges: Some skins require completing combat challenges, such as killing multiple fodder demons with shield throws or parrying attacks from specific demon types, adding a skill-based obstacle to unlocking skins.

These obstacles blend combat, environmental puzzles, platforming, and secret key hunts, demanding players use a variety of skills to uncover the Nightmare skins.