If you’ve spent hours grinding through the brutal, demon-infested levels of Doom The Dark Ages mod, you already know every chapter ramps up the difficulty exponentially. But nothing quite prepares you for the jump in challenge when you hit doom the dark ages chapter 19, also known by the mod community as the ‘Crimson Citadel’ level. I spent three straight attempts getting crushed by the end boss before I worked out the right loadout, pathing, and secret triggers to make it through without burning through all my extra lives. This guide pulls from dozens of playthroughs across all difficulty levels, plus feedback from 12 other regular mod players, to give you every tip you need to clear the level, find every hidden collectible, and beat the final boss without breaking a sweat.
Pre-Run Prep for Doom The Dark Ages Chapter 19: Optimal Loadouts
You don’t want to walk into this level with a random loadout you picked up in chapter 18. The narrow hallways and frequent swarm encounters mean you need a mix of close-quarters and mid-range firepower, plus enough ammo reserves to last through the boss fight. Super Shotgun is non-negotiable for this run, as it can take out most basic demons in one shot and deal heavy damage to the boss’s weak point. Rocket Launcher with splash damage upgrades is the next most important, since it’s the only weapon that can break through the Crimson Baron’s armor in phase 2 of the fight. Plasma Rifle for crowd control of imp swarms is a great third pick, though you can swap it for the Chainsaw if you prefer to farm ammo from weaker demons.
Skip the BFG unless you have at least two ammo charges saved, since you won’t find any BFG ammo scattered throughout the level itself. On Ultra Nightmare difficulty, prioritize armor upgrades over health boosts, as most heavy attacks will one-shot you even with full health if you don’t have at least 50 armor points. I also recommend keeping at least 3 health stashes saved for the boss fight, since you won’t find any healing items in the boss arena itself.
Full Walkthrough of Level Pathing and Hidden Collectibles
The level opens in a large, rubble-strewn courtyard, with imps hiding behind broken stone pillars and a Hell Knight patrolling the far end near the keep entrance. Don’t rush straight for the keep, because you’ll miss the first secret and get flanked by demons spawning behind you. The first secret collectible is behind the leftmost broken pillar right after you enter the first courtyard – I missed it four times because I was too focused on the demons attacking from the right. Once you grab that collectible, clear the courtyard enemies and head for the main keep entrance.
To open the boss door at the end of the level, you need to flip three mandatory switches in a specific order, otherwise you’ll spawn extra enemy waves that drain your resources fast:
- Courtyard switch: Hidden under a loose stone slab next to the fountain, triggered by shooting the red rune above the water line
- Barracks switch: Behind the locked wooden door, which you unlock by collecting the bronze key dropped by the first Hell Knight you kill in the keep entry hallway
- Rooftop switch: Accessible by climbing the broken stone staircase on the east side of the keep, guarded by two Mancubi that spawn right when you reach the top
Once you flip all three switches, the boss door in the main hall will unlock, but don’t go in right away. There’s a secret invulnerability power-up hidden behind the tapestry next to the boss door, which will make the final fight infinitely easier. You can also grab 20 extra shotgun shells and 10 rocket rounds from the supply crate next to the tapestry, so be sure to pick those up before heading in.
End Boss Fight Strategy for the Crimson Baron
The Crimson Baron is easily one of the hardest bosses in the entire mod, with two distinct phases and a moveset that can catch even experienced players off guard. Phase 1 lasts until you drop his health to 50%, and he sticks to close-range attacks: charging, throwing fast fireballs, and summoning small imp swarms every 15 seconds. Phase 1 you should focus entirely on dodging and using the Super Shotgun to hit his weak point on his chest plate. Don’t waste Rocket Launcher ammo here, because the weak point is only exposed for a second at a time when he’s about to charge, and the Super Shotgun deals enough damage to get him to phase 2 quickly.
When his health hits 50%, he’ll roar, grow large leathery wings, and start flying around the arena. That’s when phase 2 starts, and he’ll start dropping explosive runes across the floor and summoning Hell Knights every 20 seconds. This is when you pull out the Rocket Launcher, and aim for his head whenever he hovers in place for 2 seconds to throw a large AOE fireball. If you grabbed the invulnerability power-up before entering the arena, use it right as phase 2 starts – you can take off 30% of his health in 10 seconds without worrying about taking damage. The biggest mistake I made my first three runs was using the BFG too early in phase 1, missing, and having no heavy firepower left for phase 2. Save the BFG for phase 2, when he’s stationary for longer periods, and you’ll take him down fast.
Tips for Clearing the Chapter on Higher Difficulty Levels
If you’re playing on Ultra Violence or Ultra Nightmare difficulty, the level has a few extra tweaks that make it much harder than the standard difficulty run. First, all demons deal 2x damage, so you can’t take more than one direct hit from the Crimson Baron without dying, even with full armor. There are also no extra lives scattered throughout the level on Ultra Nightmare, so you have to conserve your health and armor for the entire run, no do-overs if you make a mistake.
You can skip the optional imp swarm in the west wing of the keep if you don’t need extra ammo, it’s not required to progress and will just drain your resources if you get swarmed. If you’re playing co-op with a friend, assign one player to handle all summoned minions during the boss fight, and the other to focus entirely on dealing damage to the Baron. This cuts the fight time almost in half, and reduces the chance you’ll get overwhelmed by minions while you’re focused on dodging the boss’s attacks. Another small hack I picked up: you can shoot the explosive barrels in the boss arena during phase 2 to deal extra damage to the Baron when he flies low over them, just make sure you’re not standing close enough to take splash damage yourself.
At the end of the day, beating doom the dark ages chapter 19 doesn’t require godlike reflexes, it just requires knowing what to expect and preparing accordingly. I’ve used these exact tips to help 7 of my regular modding community members clear the level on Ultra Nightmare in the last month, and they all said the loadout and switch order tips cut their attempt count by more than half. If you still get stuck a few times, don’t get frustrated – even the most experienced Doom players take a few runs to get the timing of the boss fight right. Once you clear it, you’ll unlock the special golden skin for the Super Shotgun that carries over to the rest of the mod, so the effort is well worth it.
