DOOM: The Dark Ages comes to light as leaks drip from QuakeCon

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QuakeCon 2024 attendees reportedly saw gameplay including a mech and new glory kills in a more open world.

Doom: The Dark Ages mecha dragon
A mecha dragon in DOOM: The Dark Ages. (Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)

What you need to know

  • QuakeCon is a bring-your-own-computer (BYOC) gaming event held annually by ZeniMax (now a part of Xbox Game Studios) with tournaments and other events aimed at promoting upcoming projects.
  • Some of those in attendance of this year's QuakeCon were reportedly treated with a closed-door gameplay reveal for DOOM: The Dark Ages.
  • Leaks of the gameplay reveal for DOOM: The Dark Ages have been hitting social media as influencers and content creators share opinions and various details of the event.
  • DOOM: The Dark Ages was revealed during this year's summer Xbox Games Showcase and is in development by id Software with a planned release date in 2025.
  • The leaks include a more open world, new melee weapons, a saw shield that can be used to traverse the map, a revamped Glory Kill system, and a giant mech.

QuakeCon has led to some rumblings about DOOM: The Dark Ages as event attendees were invited to a closed-door gameplay reveal of the game currently being developed by id Software.

Content creators and other attendants of this year's QuakeCon, a bring-your-own-computer (BYOC) gaming event held by ZeniMax to promote upcoming projects, were treated to a gameplay reveal of the upcoming DOOM title. The guests were shown a video lasting approximately 10 minutes with previously unseen footage from a closed-door event. Despite the secrecy, leaks and reactions to the gameplay reveal inevitably made it to the social media sphere. Gamers who reportedly saw the reveal have posted videos on YouTube and threads on Reddit detailing what they've seen.

Twitter user @Okami13_ posted several bits of information about DOOM: The Dark Ages, including a reveal that the saw shield could be used as a vehicle of sorts to navigate The Dark Ages' newly opened-up map. The map is reportedly more open than those of previous DOOM games. New melee weapons, including a flail that could collect ammunition, a mace, and fists powered with chains of electricity, were also part of the reveal. 

DOOM Eternal's parkour and platforming elicited mixed reactions in the otherwise highly rated game, which may have driven id Software into a different direction in DOOM: The Dark Ages. According to @Okami13_, The Dark Ages' "jumping is weightier and heavier now" and more comparable to power armor seen in Bethesda's Fallout 4. The Dark Ages fully reportedly revamps the Glory Kill system, allows enemies to be nailed to walls with a nail gun, and features a giant mech that has its own Glory Kills and specialized HUD. Eagle-eyed attendees also witnessed double-barrel plasma shotguns and single-barrel shotguns.

According to YouTuber Lavaniel, the video footage was pre-alpha. Lavaniel also states that there are multiple new enemies that players have not seen before. A screenshot from a discord was reposted to Reddit with even more information, sharing that the saw shield can become lodged into heavy enemies and that green projectiles can be parried back at enemies. 

Bethesda revealed DOOM: The Dark Ages and its anticipated 2025 release window during the Xbox Games Showcase earlier this summer. The DOOM franchise has been relatively silent in the months since. Until QuakeCon, when DOOM and DOOM II were dropped into Xbox Game Pass in a new enhanced bundle. DOOM: The Dark Ages will be available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 at launch. Xbox Game Pass subscribers can play the game Day One as part of their subscription on PC and Xbox. 

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Cole Martin
Cole Martin
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Cole is the resident Call of Duty know-it-all and indie game enthusiast for Windows Central. She's a lifelong artist with two decades of experience in digital painting, and she will happily talk your ear off about budget pen displays.