Slaughter Mode Brings Endless Runs to DOOM: The Dark Ages

In my DOOM: The Dark Ages review, I called it my favorite of the modern trilogy, but I also said the lack of multiplayer or extra modes made the $69.99 price hard to justify. Developer id Software is now adding another mode in the form of Slaughter Mode, an endless combat challenge that arrives on November 16 as a free update for owners of DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations. The mode isn’t part of the base game, though, so playing it requires the Revelations expansion, which I reviewed here, that launched in July for $19.99, the Premium Edition, or the Premium Upgrade.

Slaughter Mode has players fighting through escalating rounds of randomized encounters, bosses, and arenas, which id Software says means no two runs are identical. Completing rounds earns Skulls, which unlock rewards such as Slaughter Mode-only Slayer skins, weapon skins that work in all modes, and profile icons. Players can also unlock tracks from Andrew Hulshult’s IDKFA soundtrack to play in both Slaughter Mode and the Ripatorium, and there will be weekly challenges that offer more chances to earn rewards.

Reaching a Round Checkpoint gives players the choice to Secure their current Skulls against death or to Risk It, which increases their Skull Multiplier and the number of Skulls they can earn during the run. The tradeoff is that dying while Risk It is active means all unsecured Skulls are forfeited. Every Round Checkpoint completed also unlocks another starting point for future runs, so players can get back to the later encounters sooner.

DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations – Slaughter Mode Official Trailer