DOOM Multiplayer Tips: How To Dominate in Demonic Fashion

DOOM‘s multiplayer is fast, frantic and fun, but it can be hard to wrap your head around.

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It’s a multiplayer experience that harks back to the old-school days of fast, frantic gameplay. Non-stop action and intense battles keep DOOM‘s multiplayer experience ever-changing and always challenging, and any players used to the pacing of a Call Of Duty or even the more recent Overwatch may find themselves struggling to consistently perform online.

So how can you improve and dominate online in DOOM? Here are some tips to get you playing like a true demon.

Don’t Even Try To Camp

DOOM‘s multiplayer is Fast, capital “F”. It’s a multiplayer experience designed around fast gameplay, and as such the maps are designed in such a way that there really is no safe space to camp. The trick here is to familiarise yourself with the maps, and then create a running route where you’re constantly moving along the map. That of course means that there’s going to be a bit of a learning curve, because you need to play each map a number of times to remember power-up spawn locations and the like. Keep moving and jumping around the map: DOOM is the quintessential “run-and-gun” experience, so even trying to play stealthily won’t work.

 

Pace Yourself, And Don’t Rush Spawn Locations

Power weapons, power-ups, and Demon Runes don’t spawn until a few minutes into a match, so there’s no need to rush to these locations. The best way to get these pickups is to try and pace your run around the map relative to when they’ll spawn. Power weapons for example spawn around the 1:40 mark, but you don’t want to be there as soon as it spawns, because chances are it’ll be a firefight to get it. It really is a matter of luck: those who find themselves in the spawn area at the right time will get those power-ups, but waiting in those and camping around there leaves you far too vulnerable, to the point where it defeats the purpose of aiming for the power-up in the first place.

 

Blend Running, Jumping And Boosting Together, And Often

Each map is designed in such a way that there are clear circular running paths, but there are also multiplayer hazards that can send you to your death. The trick is trying to find a nice rhythm with every match so that there’s some sort of pattern between running, jumping and thrusting over spots. Your thrusters are your best friend in this situation, and hazards can actually be useful for baiting an enemy.

 

Keep Your Weapons Stocked

One of the first mistakes I made in the beta was thinking weapons have infinite ammo. While they don’t reload, they do eventually run out of bullets. You’ll see ammo crates stacked around the place, and along with the green, yellow and blue pickups — Health and Ammo —  are obvious necessities to stay alive for long periods. If you see pickups, ensure they are on your running route so that you don’t have to make an effort to reach them directly. Ideally what you want to do is naturally come across them as you make your way across the map. Actively searching for them can be cause for distraction, leading you towards inevitable death. Your focus should be 100% on the enemy, with the pickups considered in your route planning.

Hack Modules Are More Important Than Player Level

A player’s level and Echelon may be representative of their experience and the weapon customisations available to them, but everyone has access to the same tools and weapons. You can take down someone on the level capped 17 even if you’re in a lower level if you play the maps to their advantage and keep moving at a pace dictated by the design. Hack Modules on the other hand, which are unlocked via post-game rewards and by levelling up, can help you and your team during battle. They generally help with things like awareness, use of power-ups, and survivability, so they’re a pretty key component of the gameplay. Try to find a nice variation of perks in this regard.

Have any DOOM Multiplayer tips? Tell us in the comments below!

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