Upgrade your survivability in Doom: The Dark Ages by hunting down fearsome demon leaders who guard precious health boosts. These leaders, marked by a glowing blue icon above their heads, drop Demonic Essence upon defeat-each essence permanently increasing your maximum health by 10 points. From the secret spires of Chapter 5’s Holy City of Aratum to the intense battles of Chapter 20’s Resurrection, tracking and conquering these formidable foes is key to transforming the Slayer into an unstoppable tank on the battlefield.
But your health bar is not a simple task. First, you need to prove yourself by fighting stronger – and quite annoying – demons and sucking their essence to make you stronger.
In this in-progress Doom: The Dark Ages guide, we explain how to upgrade your health plus show you where to find all health upgrades we’ve found so far.
How to upgrade health in Doom: The Dark Ages
To upgrade health in Doom: The Dark Ages, players must defeat special Leader demons marked with a blue icon above their heads. These Leaders are tougher than regular enemies and, upon defeat, drop Demonic Essence that permanently increases the Slayer’s maximum health by 10 points per upgrade, raising it from the starting 100 up to a maximum of 200. Health upgrade Leaders are found throughout various chapters, often requiring players to engage in challenging battles against armored or elite demons. Collecting all health upgrades significantly boosts survivability, making it easier to withstand the intense combat encounters in the game.
While your guns, shield, and melee attacks can be upgraded using special currencies to buy new abilities in a Sentinel Shrine, increasing your health requires a little more fighting.
Following the same idea as upgrading your ammo capacity and armor, health upgrades are permanent and obtained when you defeat leaders that grant those upgrades. All you need to do is to defeat them to collect their Demonic Essence.
Leaders are stronger than your usual demons. You can identify them with ease, since they have a blue-hued plus sign floating above their head.
Below, see maps showing the locations of all health upgrades we’ve found so far in Doom: The Dark Ages and the requisite leaders they’re associated with.
Hebeth
In Doom: The Dark Ages, the health upgrade in the Hebeth chapter is obtained by defeating the Armored Pinky Rider, a powerful leader demon encountered in the final combat arena of the level. This upgrade is essential as it permanently increases the Slayer’s maximum health by 10 points, boosting survivability against tougher enemies. The Armored Pinky Rider is armored and requires strategic use of heat and shield throws to break its defenses. This health upgrade is unmissable since defeating this leader is necessary to progress and complete the chapter.
You face the first leader in the Doom: The Dark Ages in the second level, Hebeth. You find the leader of this level in the final segment of the map. Before you can challenge them, you must clear all the waves of enemies with all kinds of demons you found until then.
A short cutscene will play when you’re done, showing the leader. They are a stronger version of the Pinky Rider demon. They still shoot a Hell Surge projectile to attack you, but their special move is a wave of shields. One of the shields is green and you must try to parry it.
If you pay attention, the beast has armor. Even though it protects them from your attacks, the armor follows the rule as the regular metal shields some enemies carry. Superheat the armor then use the Shield Throw to remove it completely.
Want to discover the secret locations to boost your health in Doom: The Dark Ages
To boost your health in Doom: The Dark Ages, seek out the powerful demon leaders marked by a blue-glowing plus sign above their heads. Defeating these leaders grants you Demonic Essence, which permanently increases your maximum health by 10 points. These health upgrades are scattered across specific chapters-namely chapters 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 19, and 20-so thorough exploration and combat prowess are essential to find them all and maximize your survivability.
Where are the most hidden health upgrade locations in Doom: The Dark Ages
The most hidden health upgrade locations in Doom: The Dark Ages are tied to defeating elite demon leaders who carry Demonic Essence, each permanently boosting your maximum health by 10 points. These challenging encounters are scattered across ten specific chapters: 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 19, and 20. Some of the most secretive spots include:
-
Chapter 5’s Holy City of Aratum, where you must land on the southern spire to face a Titan with a cannon.
-
Chapter 12’s Sentinel Command Station, in the cargo room after acquiring the Ravager, where an armored Pinky Rider appears.
-
Chapter 14’s Spire of Nerathul, where triggering a Cyberdemon fight requires shield charging a glowing node.
-
Chapter 19’s Harbor of Souls, known for its intense hidden battles.
These leaders are marked by a blue-glowing plus sign above their heads and require careful combat strategy to defeat and claim their essence. Exploring thoroughly and mastering these fights is essential to uncover all hidden health upgrades and maximize your survivability in the game.
