DOOM The Dark Ages: Best Early Weapons & Upgrades

DOOM: The Dark Ages gives you a pretty varied arsenal to rip and tear with, so you might have choice paralysis figuring out what the best early weapons and upgrades are.

Right from the start of the game, you only have your trusty Combat Shotgun and Shield. However, you’ll start getting more and more weapons at a pretty fast pace as you progress through the campaign… but you’ll still have to prioritize a few, since your upgrade resources are limited early on!

In this guide, we’ll tell you which are the best weapons and upgrades to focus on at the start of the game.

Best Early Weapons & Upgrades | DOOM: The Dark Ages

Upgrade System Info and Shield Upgrades

Before we start, there are a couple of things worth knowing. The first is that you can not miss any weapons in this game. There are no hidden weapons, you get them all through simply progressing the campaign!

However, while that does mean you don’t need to explore for weapons, you should still try to explore every level thoroughly. That is because there are multiple secrets and optional challenges you can complete. For doing that, you will get three key resources: Gold, Rubies, and Wraithstones. All of these are required to upgrade your weapons, so look out for them!

That aside, it’s also important to know that you get upgrades in a mostly linear manner in this game. Certain tiers of upgrades have multiple choices, but you need to unlock each tier in sequential order. You have to get them all in sequence, basically. Due to that, you mainly just get to choose what to prioritize more than anything.

Now, our first main recommendation for upgrades is to focus on Shield upgrades. Your Shield is always with you in this game, so making it better is crucial! Especially in the early game, before you get more weapons. We recommend getting the following Shield upgrades ASAP:

• Tier 1: Retaliation – Parrying Hell Surge attacks will trigger a larger, more powerful shockwave that causes nearby demons to Heavy Falter.
• Tier 2: Power Surge – Energy Shields that are hit by a Shield Throw will cause your Shield to bounce to nearby enemies.
• Tier 3: Extended Edge – Shield Throw has an extended reach against fodder demons.
• Tier 4: Steadfast – The Shield will recover faster from taking damage, and also recover faster after breaking.

With the basics and the Shield upgrades covered, let’s go over which weapons and upgrades you want to focus on early in the game.

Best Early Game Gun Upgrades

At the start of the game, you only have the Combat Shotgun. Aside from the fact that it’s your best option for a couple of chapters, it’s a good idea to upgrade the Combat Shotgun to better deal with groups of enemies. So, you want to get these Combat Shotgun upgrades first:

• Tier 1: Incendiary – Dealing enough damage to a demon with the Combat Shotgun applies Burn. Demons affected by Burn drop armor pickups.
• Tier 2: Blast – Burn applied by the Combat Shotgun causes demons to explode on death.
  • Do note, Smelt becomes the better Tier 2 upgrade later on in the game. However, Blast makes the early game much easier. You can switch later on.
• Tier 3: Flare-Up – The Combat Shotgun instantly applies Burn to fodder demons.

This will primarily make your Combat Shotgun ideal for quickly obliterating groups of fodder demons. As an added bonus, it will make them a great source of Armor pickups!

Aside from the trusty shotgun, you want to focus on the Impaler as your other main weapon. You’ll get it during Chapter 4. As a powerful sniper rifle type of weapon, it’s much better for dealing with strong single enemies. These are our recommendations:

• Tier 1: Stalwart – Hitting a demon with Shield Throw, Shield Charge, or parrying a Hell Surge attack drops Impaler ammo.
• Tier 2: Chronospike – Holding the fire button slows down time. Impaler projectiles fired during slow time deal more damage.

Best Melee Weapon in the Early Game

Lastly, when it comes to melee weapons and upgrades in DOOM: The Dark Ages, you mainly want to focus on the Flail. You obtain it during Chapter 6 of the campaign. These are our recommended upgrades for it:

• Tier 1: Conditioning – Reduce the recovery time of a Flail charge by five seconds.
• Tier 2: Ignite – Demons hit by the Flail are scorched and drop armor.

These upgrades mainly help you make up for the Flail’s inherently long cooldowns while also giving you another source for Armor pick-ups. Pairs pretty well with the Combat Shotgun’s upgrades later on if you switch to Smelt instead of Blast, too!

Now you know what the best early weapons and upgrades are to rip and tear in DOOM: The Dark Ages. For more early game info, check out our beginner’s guide for tips and tricks.