If you’ve spent the last hour running in circles through the ash-covered catacombs of Chapter 20, you’re not alone. Most players miss at least three hidden items on their first playthrough, and tracking down every doom the dark ages chapter 20 collectibles can feel impossible when you’re also fending off hordes of possessed raiders and fire-wielding cultists. I’ve run this chapter 12 times across three difficulty levels to map every secret, so you don’t have to waste hours replaying sections you already beat. This guide covers every missable item, what you unlock for collecting all of them, and common pitfalls that make even veteran players leave rare loot behind.
All Doom The Dark Ages Chapter 20 Collectibles: Full Breakdown By Area
Chapter 20 is split into three distinct zones, and collectibles are spread evenly across each section. You won’t find any of these items on the main critical path, so you will need to veer off the marked waypoint at least three times to grab everything. There are 8 total collectibles to find, and none of them are randomly generated, so their locations stay the same across every playthrough and difficulty setting.
- 3 Lore Scrolls (unlock 2 bonus lore entries for the game’s main villain, The Ash Bishop)
- 2 Weapon Mods (one for the plasma rifle, one for the super shotgun)
- 2 Character Skins (Ash-covered Slayer and Cultist Slayer)
- 1 Secret Challenge Rune (unlocks a bonus horde mode map for multiplayer)
None of these collectibles are tied to difficulty level, so you can grab them on easy mode if you’re just here for the unlocks, no need to struggle on Ultra Nightmare. I recommend grabbing them on a second playthrough, when you already know where enemy spawn points are, so you don’t get jumped while you’re scanning walls for hidden switches. You can also track your progress for the chapter’s collectibles in the pause menu, so you don’t have to guess which items you’ve already picked up.
How To Find Missable Collectibles In The Burnt Monastery Gates
The first zone of Chapter 20 is the smallest, but it holds the easiest to miss collectible in the entire chapter. Right after you clear the first wave of raiders outside the monastery gates, look for a cracked stone wall next to the fallen wooden cart on the left side of the path. You can hit it with your melee attack to break it open, and the first lore scroll is right inside, on a rotting wooden table. There’s also a hidden ammo crate in this room with 10 shotgun shells and 20 plasma rounds, which is a nice bonus if you’re running low on supplies before the catacomb fights.
You only get one chance to grab this collectible—once you pass through the monastery gates to the catacombs, the path behind you locks permanently, so you’ll have to restart the whole chapter if you miss it. I made this mistake on my first playthrough, so I know how frustrating it is to have to replay 20 minutes of content just for one scroll. If you’re playing with friends in co-op, make sure everyone grabs the scroll before moving through the gates, because progress only counts for the player who interacts with the item.
Common Mistakes That Make You Skip Catacomb Collectibles
The catacombs are where 70% of players miss the majority of their collectibles, because the game pushes you to follow the flickering torch light toward the ritual chamber. Don’t fall for that trick. When you reach the first T-junction in the tunnels, take the left path instead of the right (the right path is the critical route). The left path leads to a small flooded chamber where you’ll find the plasma rifle mod, the second lore scroll, and the Ash-covered Slayer skin.
You’ll need to equip the fire rune to melt the ice block holding the skin, so make sure you have that equipped before you head down the left path. If you don’t have the fire rune, you can backtrack to the start of the catacombs to swap it out, but that’s a 5 minute detour you can avoid by checking your loadout first. Another common mistake is jumping down the pit in the middle of the catacombs too early. If you jump down before grabbing the super shotgun mod on the ledge above the pit, you won’t be able to climb back up, so you’ll miss that mod entirely. I usually use the double jump ability to hover over the pit first to spot the mod, then grab it before dropping down to the lower level.
Rewards For Collecting Every Chapter 20 Hidden Item
A lot of players assume collectibles only give lore or minor cosmetic rewards, but Chapter 20’s full set of collectibles gives you some really useful upgrades for both single player and multiplayer. The secret challenge rune you get from the ritual chamber unlocks the Monastery Horde map, which is one of the best places to farm XP for character upgrades and weapon skins. It’s also one of the only horde maps that supports 4-player co-op, so it’s a great option if you regularly play with a group.
The two weapon mods you collect here are exclusive to Chapter 20—you can’t unlock them anywhere else in the game, so if you miss them, you’ll be stuck with base versions of the plasma rifle and super shotgun for the rest of your playthrough. The plasma rifle mod adds a splash damage effect that melts groups of cultists in seconds, and the super shotgun mod adds a grappling hook that lets you pull yourself toward enemies, which is a game changer for close-quarters fights. The Cultist Slayer skin you get for collecting all 8 items is also one of the most popular skins in the game’s multiplayer lobbies, so it’s a great flex if you play with friends. Make sure you interact with the altar in the ritual chamber after you beat the final boss to grab the final lore scroll and the secret challenge rune, most players leave right after the boss fight and miss those two items. I’ve also noticed that players who collect all Chapter 20 collectibles get a 10% XP boost for the next three chapters, which is a hidden bonus the game never tells you about. That’s a huge help if you’re trying to level up fast to unlock higher difficulty levels or custom game modes.
Tracking down every doom the dark ages chapter 20 collectibles doesn’t have to be a frustrating, time-consuming process if you know where to look and what mistakes to avoid. Take your time in each area, don’t rush to follow the main waypoint, and double check that you grabbed the monastery gate scroll before you move on to the catacombs. If you do miss an item, you can always restart the chapter from the mission select menu, and all collectibles you already found will stay marked as collected, so you don’t have to grab them again. Next time you load up the chapter, you’ll be able to grab every hidden item in 10 minutes or less, and unlock all the exclusive rewards that come with them.
