If you've spent any time in the Doom modding community, you've probably stumbled across Doom the Dark Ages, the gritty total conversion that swaps hellish demon hordes for plague-ridden knights, cursed priests, and medieval horror. A well-executed Doom the Dark Ages speedrun is one of the most satisfying feats in the custom Doom scene, but it's also way trickier to pull off than a vanilla Doom run, thanks to unique enemy patterns, limited ammo, and maze-like castle and village maps. I've spent the last 18 months grinding runs, testing routes, and picking the brains of the top 10 players on the global leaderboard, so I'm breaking down everything you need to know to shave minutes off your time and even land a spot on the rankings.
Key Differences That Make Doom the Dark Ages Speedrun Unique From Vanilla Runs
You can't approach this run the same way you'd approach a classic Doom 2 speedrun, because the mod makes core changes to almost every game system that impacts your movement, combat, and routing. First, ammo is far scarcer than in vanilla Doom. You won't find piles of shotgun shells every other room, and most weapons have very limited carry capacity, so you'll have to rely on melee for weak enemies far more often. The mod's movement system is also tuned to feel like you're carrying actual medieval armor, so your jump height is 30% lower than vanilla Doom, and your sprint speed is 15% slower. You can't just rely on memorizing vanilla Doom movement tech here, a lot of B-hopping and wall running tricks don't work the same because of these adjusted physics. I learned that the hard way on my 12th attempt, when I tried to sprint through a plague pit to cut 3 seconds off my time and lost an entire 45 minute run to the 10 HP per second drain.
Enemy mechanics are another big shift. Standard knight enemies have front-facing shields that block 90% of all projectile damage, so you either have to flank them, strike their shield edge to break it, or avoid them entirely. Cursed priest enemies also fire curse projectiles that drain your movement speed by 50% for 10 seconds if they hit you, which can derail an entire run if you get hit right before a skip. Most top Doom the Dark Ages speedrun players plan their routes specifically to avoid these priests entirely, instead of wasting time fighting them.
Optimal Loadout Picks for Every Section of Your Run
You don't get to pick your full loadout at the start of the run, but there are specific items you should always prioritize picking up, and others you should skip entirely to save time and inventory space. The iron longsword is non-negotiable for the first three village maps. It one-shots peasant enemies, and can break a knight's shield in three hits if you strike the edge of the shield instead of the center. A lot of new runners waste 10 seconds picking up the starting dagger, which takes 7 hits to kill a peasant, so skip it entirely if you can reach the longsword first. When you get to the castle section, swap to the crossbow first, not the fire staff. The fire staff does splash damage, but it uses rare fuel that you need for the final boss fight, so saving it until the end is key. The crossbow can one-shot a knight if you hit the unarmored gap at their neck, which takes a little practice but cuts down fight time by 70% per enemy. If you're planning a Doom the Dark Ages speedrun for the any% category, you don't need to pick up any of the other magical weapons except the fire staff for the final boss.
There are 3 non-negotiable pickups you never skip, no matter what route you're taking:
- The speed boost potion hidden behind the first village well: it gives you 30 seconds of 2x movement speed, which lets you skip the entire first guard patrol section without fighting anyone
- The silver amulet in the church basement: it blocks 100% of curse damage from the priest enemies in the catacombs, so you don't have to waste time dodging their projectile attacks
- The extra crossbow quiver in the castle armory: it gives you 20 extra bolts, which is exactly enough to take out all the guard enemies on the ramparts without stopping to loot for more ammo
Never waste inventory space on healing herbs unless you're below 20 HP. Most runs only have 4 inventory slots, so filling them with speed potions and ammo will get you through faster than stocking up heals for mistakes you don't need to make. If you're careful with your route, you'll only take damage a handful of times per run, so you won't need extra heals anyway.
Pro Route Skips That Cut Minutes Off Your Total Run Time
All the skips listed here are legal for the standard any% leaderboard category, and all work with the latest public version of the mod. First, the village well skip: if you jump at the exact right angle onto the edge of the well, you can drop directly into the underground cave system that leads to the castle entrance, skipping the entire 10 minute village forest section entirely. I practiced this skip for 2 hours before I got it consistent, but it cuts 8 minutes off every run, so it's 100% worth the effort. Most top Doom the Dark Ages speedrun players use the well skip as their standard route, so you won't see anyone running the full forest section in official leaderboard runs.
Second, the catacombs ladder skip: there's a break in the stone wall right next to the ladder that leads to the boss chamber, if you crouch and slide through it, you can skip all 12 of the priest enemies in the catacombs, no fighting required. You have to make sure you have the silver amulet before you do this skip, because the wall opening is right next to a curse cloud that will drain 50 HP in 2 seconds if you don't have the amulet's protection. I forgot the amulet once when testing this skip, and died instantly, so don't make that mistake. A lot of new runners try to do the rampart skip where they jump off the side of the castle to get to the boss door faster, but that's patched in the latest version of the mod, so don't waste time practicing it. I spent 3 days grinding that skip before I realized it was patched, so save yourself the frustration.
Common Mistakes to Avoid for Consistent Doom the Dark Ages Speedrun Finishes
Even if you memorize every skip and loadout pick, small mistakes can derail your run before you even reach the castle. One of the most common mistakes new Doom the Dark Ages speedrun participants make is trying to use vanilla Doom muscle memory for enemy attacks. Knight enemies have a 1 second delay before they swing their sword, which is way longer than the imp attack delay in vanilla Doom, so if you dodge too early, you'll still get hit. Take 10 or 15 runs to get used to enemy attack timings before you start pushing for fast times, it will save you a lot of restarts.
Second, stopping to loot every container. A lot of players are used to looting everything in single-player playthroughs, but in a speedrun, you only need to loot the specific items we listed earlier. Stopping to open every chest adds 2-3 minutes to your run, and 90% of the items you find are useless for a fast run. Third, fighting every enemy you see. You don't get any bonus points for killing enemies, and most of them are slow enough that you can outrun them if you plan your route right. The only enemies you need to kill are the ones blocking mandatory doors, and the final boss. Wasting 10 seconds killing a random peasant that's not in your way adds up over the course of a full run, so just sprint past them if you can.
Finally, forgetting to quicksave at key checkpoints. The mod allows quicksaves for speedruns, and you should save right before you attempt any major skip or tough fight. I can't tell you how many times I lost an entire run because I forgot to save before trying the well skip and fell to my death. Always quicksave right after you pick up the silver amulet, that's the point of no return for most runs, and losing that amulet means you have to restart the entire catacombs section. Don't quicksave more than 5 times per run though, because each save adds a tiny load time that adds up over multiple attempts.
At the end of the day, a great Doom the Dark Ages speedrun isn't about having perfect reflexes, it's about practicing the right skips, prioritizing the right items, and avoiding the small mistakes that add up to lost time. Don't get frustrated if your first few runs are 20 minutes longer than the leaderboard times, even the top players took months to get their runs down under 20 minutes. Start with practicing the well skip first, then work your way up to the other skips, and you'll be hitting personal bests before you know it. The best part of the Doom the Dark Ages speedrun community is that everyone is happy to share tips and tricks, so don't be afraid to ask for help if you're stuck on a specific skip.
