If you’ve sunk hours into the gritty, demon-infested world of the Doom The Dark Ages total conversion mod, you know half the fun of exploring its grim medieval maps is tracking down every hidden secret. If you’re a completionist, tracking down Doom the Dark Ages all collectibles can feel overwhelming at first, especially when many are tucked behind hidden walls or locked behind optional combat challenges. I’ve put 40+ hours into the mod on both normal and ultra-violence difficulties, so I’ve compiled all the tips you need to grab every item without wasting hours backtracking.
What Doom The Dark Ages All Collectibles Unlock for Your Playthrough
You don’t just get a 100% completion badge for grabbing every collectible in the mod. Each category of item gives tangible perks that make even the hardest combat encounters feel manageable, especially if you’re playing on higher difficulty levels. Collectible runes, for example, give permanent stat boosts that range from 10% extra movement speed to 25% more damage with all medieval weapons. The boosts stack too, so grabbing all runes makes you almost unbeatable by the final boss fight.
Other collectibles like hidden lore pages don’t give stat boosts, but they unlock cut bonus content that expands the mod’s story, including a secret post-credits scene that most players never see. You don’t have to grab all collectibles to beat the main campaign, but the perks make it well worth the extra effort, even if you’re not a diehard completionist. You only get one chance to grab most collectibles per level, since there’s no level select option after you beat a map, so it’s best to track them as you go.
Breakdown of All Collectible Types and Where to Find Them
All collectibles fall into four core categories, each with its own spawn rules and unlockable rewards. I’ve sorted them by how easy they are to miss, so you know what to prioritize as you play if you’re working to grab every item:
- Ancient Runes: 24 total, spawn in hidden wall nooks or behind destructible crates, each gives a permanent stat boost that carries across all levels
- Lore Scrolls: 18 total, often tucked on bookshelves or near dead NPCs, unlock story lore and the secret post-game cutscene when all are collected
- Unlockable Weapon Skins: 12 total, hidden behind optional arena combat challenges, add custom medieval-themed skins for all base Doom weapons
- Secret Level Keys: 6 total, found after beating mini-bosses off the main path, unlock two bonus secret levels with unique gear and lore
Most runes and lore scrolls are marked by a faint blue glow that you can spot from a few feet away, even if they’re hidden behind a small obstacle. If you hear a faint humming sound as you walk through a map, that means you’re within 10 feet of a hidden collectible, so take a minute to check nearby walls for destructible cracks or hidden switches. Weapon skins and secret level keys don’t have the same glow or audio cue, so you’ll need to explore every side path to find those.
You’ll find the highest concentration of collectibles in the third and fourth acts of the mod, so be extra thorough when exploring the castle and cursed forest maps. Those levels have twice as many hidden items as the earlier village and dungeon maps, so budget extra time for exploration when you reach that part of the campaign.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Tracking Collectibles
I made so many avoidable mistakes during my first playthrough that I had to restart from scratch to get all collectibles, so I’ve pulled together the biggest pitfalls to skip. I still remember missing two runes on my first playthrough because I rushed the final castle level, and had to replay 8 hours of content to get them. The biggest mistake most players make is rushing through levels to get to the next boss fight, since you can’t go back to previous levels once you move forward. If you beat a level without grabbing all its collectibles, you’ll have to start an entirely new playthrough to get them.
Another common error is ignoring destructible walls. Almost 60% of all collectibles are hidden behind walls that look solid, but can be broken with a single melee attack or shotgun blast. If you see a section of wall with a slightly different texture than the rest of the area, it’s almost always hiding a secret nook with a collectible inside. Don’t waste your ammo trying to break walls though – a single melee punch will destroy any destructible barrier in the mod, so you can save your ammo for demons.
Many players also forget that some collectibles only spawn after you clear a room of all demons. If you search a room immediately after entering and find nothing, come back after you beat every enemy in the area, and you’ll often find a collectible has spawned near the exit door. That rule applies specifically to lore scrolls, which almost never spawn until a room is fully cleared of enemies.
Beginner-Friendly Tips to Grab Every Collectible on Your First Run
You don’t need to follow a strict step-by-step walkthrough to get all collectibles if you follow a few simple rules I tested across three playthroughs. First, clear every room completely before you move on to the next section of the map. Take 30 seconds after killing all demons in a room to scan the walls for different textures, check shelves for scrolls, and listen for the faint humming noise that signals a nearby rune. That small time investment adds up to way less time wasted replaying the entire mod later.
If you’re playing on PC, you can turn on the extra accessibility audio cue option that makes the collectible hum louder, so it’s easier to track down hidden items. That option doesn’t disable achievements or completion tracking, so you don’t have to worry about losing your 100% run reward for using it. Console players don’t have that specific accessibility option yet, but you can turn up your in-game audio to make the hum easier to hear.
It’s also a good idea to keep a small mental note of any side paths you spot that don’t lead to the main level exit. Most of these side paths lead directly to collectibles, and many only take 30 seconds to explore. You don’t have to 100% every level in one go if you’re stuck, but if you leave a collectible behind, you won’t be able to come back for it later, so it’s worth taking an extra minute to look around before you hit the level exit trigger.
At the end of the day, tracking down Doom the Dark Ages all collectibles is a fun extra challenge that adds a ton of replay value to an already fantastic mod, even if you’re not usually the type to hunt for secrets. The stat boosts, extra story content, and secret levels are well worth the extra time you’ll spend exploring, and you’ll get a lot more out of the mod’s world by taking the time to look for hidden details. If you follow the tips in this guide, you’ll be able to grab every collectible on your first playthrough without getting frustrated or wasting hours backtracking.
