Quick Verdict
I said in my DOOM: The Dark Ages review that it’s my favorite of the modern DOOM titles, largely because the shield kept the Slayer grounded in a way DOOM Eternal never did. So when it became clear within my first couple hours of Revelations that the new Chain Spear was designed to bring back some of that Eternal playstyle, complete with air control, dashes, and a much heavier focus on mobility, part of me was disappointed. Then everything clicked, and I absolutely loved it.
With about 13 hours in Revelations on PC, eight to finish the campaign and another five in the endgame, I can say the combat here is a step above the base game. Considering I felt $69.99 was a big ask for the base game’s 15-hour campaign, getting all of this for $19.99 is an easy recommendation for anyone who enjoyed DOOM: The Dark Ages.
Muscle Memory Lane
Having not touched DOOM: The Dark Ages since it launched in May 2025, my first hour with Revelations was mostly spent reacclimating myself to the game. The DLC expects as much, too, since it opens with what is basically an intro mission where you’re still using the shield. I spent that stretch getting reacquainted with parrying on right-click, tossing the shield with R, and charging into demons shield-first.
Then the game takes the shield away, hands you the Chain Spear, and that’s where my brain melted a bit. Suddenly, R is used to parry, and holding right-click while targeting an enemy engages the spear almost like a grappling hook, complete with velocity and air control. The base idea is similar to the shield in that it launches you toward an enemy, but the spear doesn’t keep you grounded, and you can fling yourself to the side or forward to sail right over an enemy’s head.
The hour that followed was me pushing all the wrong buttons to parry, launching myself off cliffs, and trying to figure out how to time the new dash. Honestly, it wasn’t pretty, and it was largely frustrating. That awkward stretch is worth pushing through, though, because what’s on the other side ended up being my favorite part of the DLC.
Spear-itual Awakening
My worst fear about this DLC came true almost immediately, because it was clear the Chain Spear exists to bring back some of that DOOM Eternal playstyle. That means air control, dashes, and a lot more emphasis on mobility, instead of the more deliberate, tank-style approach the shield encourages. I noted in my original review that I wasn’t a fan of Eternal’s playstyle and wanted the Slayer kept on the ground, so watching the pendulum swing back had me worried.
Once I got the hang of the Chain Spear, though, I absolutely loved it. To the point that when the game eventually gave the shield back, I hardly ever used it, only swapping over when a puzzle required it or I needed to push an object. You can freely switch between the shield and the spear from that point on, and I imagine people who are much better at this game than I am are having a blast bouncing between everything available to them. When it came to combat, the spear was my pick the vast majority of the time.
The dash is what sold me on the spear because it fits the way I already play. Even in soulslikes, I tend to dodge more than parry because my timing just isn’t very precise anymore, and while DOOM: The Dark Ages is pretty forgiving with its parry window compared to a soulslike, I’m simply used to movement and prefer dodging. The spear’s dash fits that instinct perfectly.
Double Barrel Roll
What really clicked for me is that the Chain Spear lets me play much more aggressively, which is where I naturally lean. I’m not a very patient person when it comes to gaming. I basically hate stealth sections, and I’d much rather go in guns blazing. We have a running joke around here that “W plus left click” counts as a strategy, and it’s one of the main reasons I love the DOOM franchise as much as I do.
My first entry into PC gaming was classic DOOM and DOOM II on local BBSes, back when you couldn’t so much as aim up or down, never mind jump. So once the controls clicked in DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations, the spear’s playstyle felt like second nature. I found myself dashing in and out of battle, weaving in melee attacks while shotgunning demons in the face, which is exactly the kind of chaos I expect from a DOOM game.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to deal with the whole rock-paper-scissors approach from DOOM Eternal either, as I managed to handle nearly everything on screen with just the double barrel shotgun, my weapon of choice since it was introduced in DOOM II. That tracks with my base game playthrough, where the Super Shotgun and the Cycler did most of my heavy lifting. Both the Chain Spear and the Slayer have upgrade trees to work through as well, covering increased armor, health, ammo, and more, with Platinum serving as the upgrade currency during the campaign.
Hide and Shriek
Where Revelations frustrated me was the overabundance of what I consider poorly designed encounter mechanics. I was surprised at how many fights boil down to hunting one enemy that constantly teleports away while summoning waves of squishy mobs, or hunting one enemy because nothing else in the arena can be damaged until it dies.
I get the intent, and I understand the whole cat-and-mouse design leans heavily into navigating the arena to track that one target down. I assume it’s meant to make fights more strategic. For me, though, it was more annoying than anything, because I prefer the rip and tear style of chaotically clearing the screen, and this sort of design just felt uninspiring.
The boss fights, on the other hand, were great and noticeably less frustrating than the base game’s, as they felt fair rather than cheap. The expansion’s new demons add some welcome variety, including the Warlock, the jousting Buzzsaws, and a reworked Archvile built around profane fire and summoning fresh waves of demons rather than resurrecting fallen ones.
Master of Unlocking
On the exploration side, I do like that the puzzles require a bit more thought this time around compared to the base game, and hunting down all the secrets takes more than just staring at the map. The Metroidvania-style hub design is pretty neat as well, with multiple levels branching off Purgatory and plenty of locked paths inviting you back later.
The structure essentially has you gathering pieces of a master key as you work through the campaign, and once you clear it, that key opens up the endgame content. I’d prefer not to spoil any of it, but the endgame is clearly built for players who just want more arenas, harder fights, and more reasons to master the combat, and it introduces Blood Iron as a new currency to chase. There’s plenty more to do once you clear the Revelations campaign, especially if you like a good challenge.
When Revelations was first revealed, I said I was really curious how that glimpse of a classic DOOM II level would play into things. As someone who grew up playing DOOM and DOOM II endlessly, reliving some of those classic levels was such a treat, and I won’t say more than that. I didn’t hunt down every collectible and secret during my playthrough, but I might actually go back and do it all.
id Crisis
It’s impossible to talk about Revelations without addressing what happened to the team that made it. One day before the DLC launched, Microsoft kicked off the biggest restructuring in XBOX history, cutting 3,200 roles across the division, and id Software was hit especially hard, with reports and WARN filings indicating roughly half the studio, around 136 people, lost their jobs. That’s the team behind the biggest launch in id’s history, gutted the day before shipping its expansion.
The DOOM franchise and id hold a special place in my heart, as they were a huge influence on my gaming world growing up. Some of my lifelong friends are people I met on local BBSes, where we initially bonded over DOOM II deathmatch and creating custom WADs. DOOM is basically the only FPS I touch these days, and I’ve been looking forward to every entry since DOOM 2016 brought it all back.
I’m genuinely saddened and frustrated by what happened to this team, and I have a feeling it’ll be a while before we get a competent DOOM game again, if ever. It’s worth highlighting the state of this industry and how huge corporations keep ruining great things. Revelations is a fantastic expansion, and the people who made it deserved better.
DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations launched on July 7, 2026, for PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, and PC. This review is based on a purchased copy of the DLC, played on PC. While FullCleared does have affiliate partnerships, they do not influence our editorial content. We may earn a commission for purchases made through links on this page.
DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations Review Gallery
