Step back into a brutal medieval nightmare with Doom: The Dark Ages, where the Slayer’s arsenal is as deadly as ever-but with a fierce, ancient twist. From the trusty Combat Shotgun to the fearsome Shield Saw and the eldritch Ballistic Force Crossbow, this guide reveals every weapon you’ll unlock across the game’s chapters and how to wield them to rip through demonic hordes. Whether you prefer rapid-fire spikes or crushing melee combos, mastering these weapons is your key to survival in this dark, demon-infested era.
Doom: The Dark Ages offers a considerable number of weapons to use, from the classic shotgun to a flail that gives this game its characteristic medieval flavor. You will find your favorites among them, but you should learn that each weapon responds to specific enemies’ weaknesses. Acquiring them and taking advantage of their strength is key to surviving in the fight against the demons.
In this in-progress Doom: The Dark Ages guide, we’ll show you all the weapons in the game we’ve found so far – even the ones your giant robot uses – and how to make the best of them.
Doom: The Dark Ages weapons list
Doom: The Dark Ages features a diverse arsenal of 16 unique weapons that players unlock progressively through the campaign. This includes a mix of firearms like the classic Combat Shotgun, rapid-fire Shredder, precision Impaler sniper, and the powerful Pulverizer that shoots bone shards. The game also introduces melee weapons such as the Power Gauntlet and the medieval-inspired Flail, along with the versatile Shield Saw that doubles as a defensive tool and offensive weapon. Additionally, the Doom Slayer’s robot companion, Atlan, wields its own set of armaments like a machine gun. Each weapon is designed to exploit specific enemy weaknesses, making it crucial to master their use to survive the demonic onslaught.
In Doom: The Dark Ages, there are two types of weapons you can use when playing as the Doom Slayer. The main arsenal is composed of guns and your shield, but also have your melee weapons, which are great for recovering ammo and finishing off enemies. And some weapons you only have access to when piloting Atlan, the demon-killer mecha.
You can only acquire a weapon by progressing in the main campaign. Below, you find a list of all the weapons in Doom: The Dark Ages we’ve found so far. Note that this guide is organized by the order in which you unlock them, with the chapter you gain each weapon in parentheses.
- Combat Shotgun (Chapter 1)
- Power Gauntlet (Chapter 1)
- Shredder (Chapter 1)
- Shield Saw (Chapter 2)
- Accelerator (Chapter 2)
- Machine Gun, for Atlan (Chapter 3)
- Pulverizer (Chapter 4)
- Impaler (Chapter 4)
- Cycler (Chapter 5)
- Super Shotgun (Chapter 5)
- Flail (Chapter 6)
- Chainshot (Chapter 6)
With some exceptions, to get any of the guns in the game, you need to reach the chapter they are given and collect them from special pods that fall from the sky. Below, read on for details about how to get each weapon and how to best use it.
Combat Shotgun
The Combat Shotgun is the starting weapon in Doom: The Dark Ages, designed for close-quarters combat and efficiently clearing out weaker fodder demons. It fires in rapid three-round bursts with upgrades that enhance its effectiveness, such as applying burn to enemies which causes them to drop armor pickups and even explode on death, dealing area damage. Key upgrades like “Incendiary” and “Blast” make it invaluable for farming armor and crowd control, while later mods increase its firing speed and projectile count, significantly boosting its power. The Combat Shotgun’s versatility and upgrade path make it a reliable and consistent choice throughout the game’s early and mid stages.
You start the game with the Combat Shotgun as your only gun. By default, it can carry 20 bullets and is great in mid to close-range fights. Even in later chapters of the game, once you start upgrading it, the Combat Shotgun remains extremely useful.
Consider using the Combat Shotgun when you have to land massive damage on enemies due to having only short windows to attack them (as happens when you’re fighting shielded leaders, for example).
Power Gauntlet
The Power Gauntlet is the first melee weapon you acquire in Doom: The Dark Ages, unlocked early in Chapter 1 during the “Cover the Escape!” mission in the Village of Khalim. Worn on the Doom Slayer’s right arm, it delivers fast, escalating melee strikes with a three-hit combo that becomes more powerful with each hit. The gauntlet can be electrified to arc lightning between enemies, enhancing its damage potential. It also regenerates charges quickly, especially when parrying Hell Surge attacks, making it ideal for chaining combos and collecting ammo drops from defeated foes. Upgrades further enhance its damage, recharge speed, and combo length, solidifying the Power Gauntlet as a versatile and effective melee weapon in your arsenal.
As you advance to Chapter 1 “Village of Khalim,” you’ll acquire the Power Gauntlet, the first melee weapon in Doom: The Dark Ages. Once you have it, you can start punching enemies, who will drop ammo when hit for as long as you have melee stacks to spend.
Although you can – and should – use the Power Gauntlet as much as you can, it works best if you perform the three-combo attack. To do so, you will need to hold three stacks, but it’s worth it!
Shredder
The Shredder is a fully automatic rail spike weapon introduced in Chapter 1, “Village of Khalim,” in Doom: The Dark Ages. It fires rapid bursts of smaller spikes, making it effective for sustained mid to long-range combat. While its individual shots are weaker than the Combat Shotgun, its high rate of fire allows players to quickly dismantle enemies and keep pressure on them. The Shredder can be upgraded with perks like “Pincushion,” which causes embedded spikes to detonate when combined with shield throws, and “Ricochet,” which allows projectiles to hit additional targets. This weapon excels at disorienting foes and is particularly useful early in the game before more powerful long-range weapons are acquired.
The Shredder is a machine gun-like weapon – a fully automatic gun that shoots spikes. You get the Shredder in Chapter 1 “Village of Khalim” while you’re looking for the Demonic Portals to destroy them.
Its shots aren’t as potent as the Combat Shotgun’s when taken individually, but since you can shoot lots of them quickly, you can shred enemies pretty fast whether they are close or far from you. Consider popping the Shredder when you want to daze them.
Shield Saw
The Shield Saw is a versatile and powerful weapon introduced early in Doom: The Dark Ages, obtained during the Hebeth mission in Chapter 2. This hybrid melee weapon combines a rotating saw blade integrated into a shield, allowing players to both block and parry enemy attacks and deal significant damage. It can be thrown like a boomerang, slicing through weaker enemies instantly and stunning stronger foes, then returning to the player automatically. Beyond combat, the Shield Saw plays a crucial role in exploration and puzzle-solving throughout the game. Players can upgrade it through six tiers to enhance its offensive and defensive capabilities, making it an essential tool for surviving the demonic hordes.
Even though your shield is basically a weapon from the first minute in Doom: The Dark Ages, it is only when you get the Shield Saw right at the beginning of Chapter 2 “Hebeth” that you unlock its full potential.
The Shield Saw works as a long-range single shot, great for wiping stacks of weak enemies and exploding the superheated metal shields held by certain enemies. If you throw it at larger demons, it stuns them for a while and gives you the window to use all the other powerful weapons in your arsenal. It has great offensive potential and should take advantage of it.
Accelerator
The Accelerator is a high-rate-of-fire plasma weapon introduced in Chapter 2 during the “Defend Hebeth” mission in Doom: The Dark Ages. It stands out for its futuristic design that contrasts with the game’s medieval setting. This weapon excels against armored enemies by rapidly heating them with plasma shots, making it effective for breaking through tough defenses. The Accelerator can be upgraded to increase its damage, reduce spread, and unleash a powerful explosive blast called Heatblast when fired at maximum charge. Sustained fire builds up an Overload state that further boosts damage, making it a versatile choice for dealing sustained damage to both single targets and small groups of demons.
The Accelerator is the second gun you get in Chapter 2 “Hebeth.” You find its pod while looking for the source of the demonic corruption in the “Defend Hebeth” mission. This quite futuristic-looking weapon stands out in the Medieval-inspired setting of Doom: The Dark Ages, but it is a strong tool to make your way through the armies from hell.
You want to use the Accelerator especially when fighting armored enemies or those with shields, because plasma shots can superheat them faster than the other guns. It is the best tool to set up a shield throw to break the enemies’ defenses.
Atlan’s Machine Gun
Atlan’s Machine Gun is a powerful double-cannon weapon equipped on the Atlan mech, which you acquire in Chapter 3, “Barrier Core,” of Doom: The Dark Ages. Unlike the Doom Slayer’s usual melee attacks with the mech’s massive fists, this machine gun offers a ranged option to blast demons effectively. To maximize its damage output, players should aim for Perfect Dodges, which supercharge the weapon and cause its barrels to glow red, enhancing firepower. However, this weapon is only available during specific campaign segments and is discarded once those encounters conclude.
The normal attack mode of Atlan is based on using the robot’s massive hands to punch the big bad demons attacking you. However, in Chapter 3 “Barrier Core,” it’s when you get your hands on a double-cannon machine gun for your robot.
When using this weapon, you want to perform Perfect Dodges so you supercharge your gun. The barrels will turn blazing red and it will cause more damage. Unfortunately, it can be only used during specific moments in the campaign.
Pulverizer
The Pulverizer is a powerful weapon unlocked in Chapter 4 of Doom: The Dark Ages, found in the starting area of the Sentinel Barracks during the “Defend the Barracks” objective. It features a wide bullet spray, making it ideal for crowd control against hordes of demons. The weapon builds charge as you kill enemies, increasing your movement speed and rate of fire at maximum charge. It also has several upgrades, including Runic Skull, Runic Strike, and Flay, which enhance its charge mechanics and projectile spread. Completing the Pulverizer Mastery Challenge by causing 250 charged damage with the Skullcrusher Pulverizer rewards you with the Conqueror Weapon Skin.
You get the Pulverizer, one of the coolest and grimest guns in Doom: The Dark Ages, in Chapter 4 “Sentinel Barracks.” Right at the beginning of the chapter, it will be waiting for you in its pod.
The Pulverizer is a quite unique gun, since it crushes the skulls of demons to use as ammo. Because it shoots shards of bones in a wide arc, Pulverizer is the best gun to face groups of enemies. Just wait for the wave of demons to appear and start grinding skulls.
Impaler
The Impaler is a powerful one-handed sniper weapon introduced in Chapter 4, “Sentinel Barracks,” of Doom: The Dark Ages. It fires large, rail spike-like projectiles that deal high damage, especially with precise headshots, making it highly effective against bosses and tougher enemies. Although it has limited ammunition, upgrades such as ammo drops from shield throws and parries, time-slowing shots, and melee charge regeneration on headshots enhance its utility and sustainability in combat. The Impaler requires skillful aiming due to its projectile travel time but rewards players with devastating precision damage, making it a valuable addition to the Slayer’s arsenal.
As you get further into Chapter 4 “Sentinel Barracks,” looking for the Dragons Den, you receive the Impaler. This is your one-hand sniper. Aim well and take the shot to quickly finish off your target. It has less ammo than the other weapons, but each shot deals a lot of damage.
Since the Impaler is considered a Rail Spike type of weapon, it shares a slot with the Shredder. But when you use this gun, you want to go for headshots. During fights, it’s difficult to find the right moment to aim, but you can create that moment by stunning enemies. Then, all you need is one shot.
Cycler
The Cycler is a plasma rifle weapon unlocked in Chapter 5, “The Holy City of Aratum,” in Doom: The Dark Ages. It is found inside one of the ships you must destroy during the mission. The Cycler excels at dealing steady damage and is particularly effective against shielded enemies, exploiting their Energy Shields. It features a powerful upgrade that causes Shock, which increases damage taken by enemies and can chain lightning to nearby foes, making it ideal for weakening large groups before finishing them off with close-range weapons like the Super Shotgun. The Cycler also has a unique Mastery Challenge where players must cause Overloaded or Lightning Arc damage to 500 demons, rewarding a special Conqueror Weapon Skin upon completion.
The Cycler is the second Plasma weapon you get in the game. Like the Impaler, it shares the same slot with another gun. In this case, you change between the Accelerator and the Cycler. You will find it during Chapter 5 “The Holy City of Aratum” in one of the ships you need to destroy in the initial segment of the level.
Like the Accelerator, the Cycler is great to use against shielded enemies and is perfect to explore the Energy Shields held by some enemies. This gun has a strong upgrade that applies Shock to enemies, a negative effect which makes enemies take more damage.
Super Shotgun
The Super Shotgun in Doom: The Dark Ages is a powerful lever-action shotgun introduced in The Holy City of Aratum. Unlike its counterparts in other Doom games, it lacks the meat hook but allows the Doom Slayer to reload and hold it one-handed, enhancing mobility. It excels at close-range combat, delivering massive damage with each shot, making it ideal for quickly dispatching even heavily armored enemies. The weapon can be upgraded with enhancements such as reduced time between shots (Speed Loader), increased damage to armor (Shatter), and firing more projectiles per shot (Eat This!). Fully upgrading the Super Shotgun unlocks a mastery challenge that rewards the “Conqueror” skin upon completion.
After you have faced the first Enforcer, you can get the Super Shotgun in Chapter 5 “The Holy City of Aratum.” The Super Shotgun is a short double barrel shotgun in the best The Terminator style capable of wiping whatever is in front of it.
You want to swap from the Combat Shotgun to the Super Shotgun when you’re extremely close to enemies and want to maximize damage. Don’t even try to shoot enemies who are even a little bit far from you, because it will lose potency. The reload is excruciatingly slow so you want to be sure you’re going to hit the enemies.
Flail
The Flail in Doom: The Dark Ages is a powerful melee weapon introduced in Chapter 6, “Siege – Part 1,” where it is found in a weapon pod before the main battlefield. It consists of a large spiked metal ball attached to a handle by a chain, blending medieval brutality with strategic combat utility. The Flail excels at breaking metal shields and armor more effectively than the Power Gauntlet. It can be thrown to deal heavy damage and pull enemies closer, similar to Doom Eternal’s meat hook but with shorter range. Each strike releases a damaging blast affecting nearby foes. The Flail requires charging before use, with a three-hit combo unleashed after consuming all charges. Upgrades enhance its cooldown, damage, and armor-dropping effects, making it a versatile weapon for close combat and crowd control.
A flail might be the least expected weapon in Doom: The Dark Ages. However, behind its simple concept of being a heavy ball to hit enemies, the Flail is an extremely powerful melee weapon. For you to get the Flail, you need to play the beginning of Chapter 6 “Siege – Part 1.” Its pod will be waiting for you in front of a massive gate separating you from an army of demons.
Different from the Power Gauntlet, the Flail is a one-hit weapon. It recharges melee stacks slower than the other weapon, so you want to be mindful and take the most out of each swing. Flail is the go-to option when facing enemies with metal shields and against a group of enemies since it generates a small blast where it hits.
Chainshot
The Chainshot in Doom: The Dark Ages is a unique weapon introduced in Chapter 6: Siege Part I. It fires a metal ball, called a Chaos Sphere, attached to chains, which can be charged to increase damage, range, and projectile speed. The weapon excels against armored enemies and metal shields, making it a powerful choice for tougher foes. It features several upgrades, including Eldritch Blessing, which charges your next shot after parrying a Hell Surge attack; Gravitational Flux, which boosts damage against armor when fully charged; and Cosmic Breach, causing charged shots to explode on impact, dealing area damage. Mastering the Chainshot involves charging shots wisely and using its explosive capabilities to hit multiple enemies, with a special Mastery Challenge rewarding players with a Conqueror Weapon Skin upon dealing explosive damage to 100 demons.
Unlike the other weapons you have so far, the Chainshot is not in a pod or just waiting for you to be picked from a table. You need to complete a small puzzle in Chapter 6 “Siege – Part 1” as you go through the main mission of destroying the Gore Portals.
In one of the portals you enter – it is part of the main mission so you can’t miss it – you end up in a room with a pillar surrounded by an energy shield. Solve the puzzle to deactivate it and grab the Chainshot. This gun shoots its spheric core, which you can charge up to cause more damage. It’s a slow type of gun but works amazingly when trying to keep a safe distance from enemies.
Which secret locations hide the most powerful weapons in Doom: The Dark Ages
The most powerful weapons in Doom: The Dark Ages are often hidden within secret locations scattered throughout key chapters, rewarding players who explore thoroughly. Notable secret spots include:
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Chapter 1 (Village of Khalim): A secret cave behind the Shredder houses the Nightmare Combat Shotgun Skin, guarded by Imp Stalkers and Pinky Riders, offering a powerful weapon upgrade early on.
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Chapter 5 (Holy City of Aratum): The secret landing area below the central Hell Carrier conceals a Red Keycard behind a shield-throw puzzle, granting access to valuable loot including powerful weapons and resources.
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Chapter 6 (Siege – Part 1): Multiple secret areas accessible via Gore Portals and hidden paths contain keys, rubies, and weapon caches; one such area requires solving environmental puzzles involving shield throws to reveal breakable walls and hidden chambers with weapon rewards.
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Chapter 9 (Ancestral Forge): A high ledge near mobile platforms hides a gold chest accessible via secret routes, often containing rare weaponry or upgrades.
These secret locations typically require keen observation, puzzle-solving with the shield throw mechanic, and defeating ambushes of demons to claim the most powerful weapons and gear, making exploration essential for maximizing firepower in the game.
Which secret location in Doom: The Dark Ages contains the most powerful weapons
The secret location in Doom: The Dark Ages that contains some of the most powerful weapons is found in Chapter 2, near the Sentinel Shrine. Here, after completing certain puzzles and using the shield throw mechanic to break through barriers, players can access a secret vent shaft that leads to a room containing the Shredder Nightmare Skin-a powerful weapon upgrade. However, picking up this skin triggers a challenging fight against Shield Soldiers and a Mancubus, underscoring the high value of the reward.
Additionally, Chapter 4 (“Sentinel Barracks”) offers the Pulverizer, one of the game’s coolest and grimiest guns, obtained early in the chapter, which is considered among the best weapons available.
While several chapters feature secret areas with valuable loot, the Chapter 2 secret near the Sentinel Shrine stands out for containing a potent weapon skin hidden behind tough combat and environmental puzzles, making it arguably the top secret location for powerful weapons in the game.
