If you’re a long-time Doom fan, you know glory kills are one of the most satisfying parts of the modern franchise. Nothing beats slamming a staggered demon’s head into the ground with your boot to top up health mid-fight. As hype builds for the franchise’s medieval twist, one of the most common questions fans ask is are there glory kills in Doom the Dark Ages. We’ve pored over every official teaser, leaked gameplay clip, and developer interview to give you a complete breakdown of what to expect from the game’s combat system.
Are There Glory Kills in Doom the Dark Ages: What Official Sources Confirm
id Software hasn’t shied away from leaning into Doom’s core identity while building its medieval setting. In a 2024 developer roundtable, the game’s creative director confirmed that the team didn’t want to strip away the features that make Doom feel like Doom, even with the shift away from guns and futuristic tech. That means the core loop of stagger, execute, reward is not going anywhere.
You won’t see the exact “glory kill” label in in-game menus, since the term is tied to the 2016 and Eternal modern era of the franchise. Instead, you’ll find medieval-themed execution animations that follow the exact same rules as classic glory kills. The only real difference is the tools you use: instead of shotguns and chainsaws, you’ll use battle axes, longswords, maces, and even chainmail-wrapped fists to take down staggered demons.
Trust me, I’ve rewatched the official gameplay reveal at least 15 times to catch small details. In one 2-second clip, you can see the player stagger a low-tier Imp with a heavy axe swing, then press a single input to drive the axe through the Imp’s skull. A small health orb pops up immediately after the animation starts, just like you’d expect from a classic glory kill. Executions still trigger the same iFrames (invincibility frames) that protect you from incoming damage while the animation plays. That’s a critical detail for players who worried the medieval shift would remove the safety net glory kills provide during crowded fights.
How Medieval Executions Stack Up Against Classic Glory Kills
A lot of fans worry that shifting to a medieval setting will make executions slower, clunkier, or less satisfying than the glory kills they know and love. That’s not the case, based on every clip we’ve seen so far. The development team has explicitly said they adjusted execution timings to fit the faster, more melee-focused combat flow of Doom the Dark Ages.
To make the differences and similarities clear, we broke down the two systems side by side:
- Shared core rule: Both systems only trigger when an enemy is fully staggered after taking enough consistent damage. There are no instant executions for full-health foes, so you can’t skip the core combat loop to cheese fights.
- Visual difference: New executions use period-accurate medieval weapons instead of modern firearms. You’ll see animations like driving a longsword through a Hell Knight’s chest, bashing a demon’s skull in with a mace, or ripping a Imp’s horns off to stab it through the head.
- Reward parity: Both systems give you a guaranteed health drop, plus a 30% chance for ammo or ability charges for standard enemies. For boss and mini-boss enemies, executions drop rare permanent stat boosts and full ability refills.
- Animation length: Medieval executions are 10-15% shorter on average than classic Doom Eternal glory kills. The team cut unnecessary flourishes to keep combat moving fast, so you won’t be stuck in an animation long enough for other enemies to surround you.
One nice quality of life change I noticed in leaked gameplay is that you don’t have to watch the full animation to get your rewards. As soon as the execution trigger goes through, all rewards are added to your inventory immediately, even if you dodge out of the animation early. That’s a huge upgrade for players who like to keep their movement fast and unpredictable during fights.
Actionable Tips to Master Doom the Dark Ages Execution Mechanics
Just like classic glory kills, there are right and wrong times to trigger executions in Doom the Dark Ages. If you use them randomly, you’ll end up wasting opportunities to get much-needed resources, or even getting caught off guard by hidden enemies. These tips come straight from developer comments and early playtest leaks, so they’re proven to work.
First, prioritize staggering low-tier enemies first when your health is low. Imps and zombie knights only take 2-3 light hits to stagger, so you can get a quick 25% health refill in less than 2 seconds. Don’t waste time trying to stagger high-tier enemies like Barons of Hell for executions unless you already have clear space around you. They take far more damage to stagger, and you’ll likely take more damage trying to trigger the execution than you’ll gain from the reward.
Second, unlock the Quick Execute perk as soon as you can access the skill tree. This perk cuts execution animation time in half, and adds a 20% movement speed boost for 3 seconds after you finish an execution. This perk turns executions into both a resource tool and a movement tool, letting you chain kills and zip around the battlefield faster. I’ve seen playtesters use this perk to chain 3 executions in a row during a crowded fight, never dropping below 50% health the entire time.
Third, pay attention to enemy weak points when you’re trying to trigger a stagger. If you hit an enemy’s exposed weak point (like a Imp’s glowing red head or a Hell Knight’s unarmored chest) with a heavy attack, you’ll stagger them in half the time it would take to wear down their general health bar. That saves you ammo and time, especially during longer fights.
Common Myths About Doom the Dark Ages Combat Debunked
With any highly anticipated game, there’s a lot of false information floating around online about what features will and won’t be included. We’re debunking the most common myths about the game’s execution system to clear up confusion.
One of the most pervasive myths is that executions will have quick time events (QTEs) tied to them. That’s completely false. There are no QTEs for executions in Doom the Dark Ages, just a single one-button input to trigger the animation, exactly like classic glory kills. The development team said they refused to add QTEs because they break the fast, flow-focused combat that Doom is known for.
Another myth is that the game will be slow and Souls-like, with no room for the fast-paced slaughter Doom is famous for. That’s not true either. The game runs at 60 FPS on all platforms, with zero input lag, and the average fight lasts less than 90 seconds. Executions are designed to fit that fast pace, not slow it down.
Some fans also claim that executions only reward health, with no ammo or ability drops. That’s only true for the lowest tier of enemies. For mid and high tier enemies, you’ll get ammo for the weapon you used to stagger them, plus a chance for ability charges that let you use special moves like the battle axe’s spin attack. It’s actually more rewarding to execute high-tier enemies now than it was in Doom Eternal, if you’re willing to put in the work to stagger them.
At the end of the day, the answer to are there glory kills in Doom the Dark Ages is yes, just with a medieval makeover. The core loop that makes glory kills so satisfying is completely intact, with small quality of life changes that make the system even better than it was in previous titles. Whether you’re a long-time Doom fan or a new player checking out the franchise for the first time, the execution system is easy to learn and incredibly rewarding to master. When the game launches, spend your first few runs experimenting with different execution triggers and perk combinations to find the playstyle that works best for you.
