If you’ve spent the last hour running around the smoldering castle ruins in Chapter 10 of Doom: The Dark Ages, you’re not alone. I missed the doom the dark ages chapter 10 gold chest on my first two playthroughs too, even though I was actively looking for every collectible I could find. Most players walk right past it without realizing it’s hiding behind a destructible wall, and the loot inside is so good it makes the last two boss fights way easier to beat. This guide breaks down exactly where to find it, how to unlock it, and what you’ll get once you crack it open.
Exact Location of the Doom the Dark Ages Chapter 10 Gold Chest
Once you beat the third wave of possessed knights in the ruined courtyard, you’ll head up a stone staircase to the left of the broken drawbridge. Most players go straight through the iron gate at the top of the stairs to advance the story, but if you turn right immediately after reaching the top, you’ll see a cracked stone wall covered in ivy. You don’t need a special weapon to break it — any heavy melee attack or explosive shot will crumble it in one hit. The chest is sitting just inside the small alcove behind the wall, and it doesn’t have a lock, so you can open it right away.
You won’t get a map marker for this chest, so you have to actively look for the cracked wall before you proceed through the iron gate. Once you go through that gate, the area locks behind you, and you can’t come back for the chest for the rest of the playthrough. I made that mistake on my first run, and I was so mad I restarted the entire chapter just to grab the loot inside. It’s that worth it, even if you’re halfway through your first playthrough.
What Loot Is Inside the Hidden Chapter 10 Gold Chest
The loot is fixed for every playthrough, so you don’t have to worry about getting bad RNG when you open it, which is a nice change from the randomized loot drops in most of the game. The big-ticket item is the Crusader’s Rune Axe, a unique legendary melee weapon that deals 30% extra damage to unholy enemies, which are everywhere in the last two chapters of the game. It also has a 15% chance to stun enemies on hit, which is a game-changer for the final boss fight where you’re swarmed with minions constantly.
You also get 5,000 gold, enough to buy the last two weapon upgrades you’re probably missing at this point in the campaign, plus three full health and armor refills that you can save for tough fights ahead. There’s also a hidden lore note inside that counts as a secret ending unlock requirement, so if you’re trying to unlock all of the story content, this chest is non-negotiable. I only found that out on my third playthrough, when I realized I was missing one lore note to trigger the alternate ending, and this was the one I’d skipped.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Looking for the Gold Chest
A lot of players miss this chest entirely, or waste time trying to unlock it the wrong way, so I’ve rounded up the most common mistakes to skip on your run:
I stepped on that pressure plate on my first attempt to open the chest, and I lost almost half my health right before a tough fight, so trust me when I say it’s worth the extra two seconds to avoid it. You also don’t need any special keys or collectibles to open the chest, so don’t waste time running around the map looking for a key that doesn’t exist. I’ve seen players spend 20 minutes searching for a non-existent key, so don’t make that same mistake.
How to Use the Gold Chest Loot to Beat Later Chapter Fights
The Crusader’s Rune Axe is way more powerful than any other melee weapon you can get at this point in the game, so I recommend swapping to it immediately if you prefer close-quarters combat. The stun effect works on every enemy except the final boss, so you can clear out swarms of possessed monks and knights way faster than you could with your default weapons. It’s also great for breaking enemy shields, which you’ll run into a lot in the final castle section.
The 5,000 gold is best spent on upgrading your shotgun, since the last two chapters have a lot of fast-moving enemies that get right up in your face, and a fully upgraded shotgun one-shots most of them. If you already have your shotgun fully upgraded, spend the gold on armor upgrades instead, since the final boss deals a ton of area of effect damage that can wear down your armor fast. The health and armor refills are best saved for the final boss fight, don’t waste them on small fights that you can beat without using resources. I kept mine in my inventory until I got to the final boss’s second phase, and they saved me from having to restart the fight entirely.
Even if you’re not a completionist who chases every collectible, the doom the dark ages chapter 10 gold chest is worth going out of your way to find. The loot inside makes the rest of the campaign way less frustrating, and it only takes 30 extra seconds to stop and grab it before you move on to the next area. If you’re playing through the game for the first time, keep an eye out for that cracked ivy-covered wall as soon as you reach the top of the courtyard staircase, and you’ll walk away with some of the best gear in the entire game. I still grab it every time I do a speedrun, because the time I save on later fights more than makes up for the few seconds I spend detouring to get it.
