Every “DOOM: The Dark Ages” Level Ranked

I recently replayed “DOOM: The Dark Ages” out of sheer boredom, and I had a good time yet again. It was one of my favourite games of 2025 so I wanted to see if it still held up. I have to admit it wasn’t as tight an experience the second time around, especially when compared to “DOOM: Eternal”, but it was still fun.

I’m going to rank all twenty-two levels (yes, there are a lot of levels!) based on their aesthetic and gameplay rather than the story. Because who plays a DOOM game for the story?

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

DOOM Eternal – Every Level Ranked

My Worst Opinions

My Top 20 Favourite Games Of 2025

NEON WHITE – Review

Okay

22 – Village of Khalim

By far the level I found the most boring on my second playthrough was the very first one, “Village of Khalim”. I remembered it being solid the first time around, but in hindsight it pales in comparison to the rest of the game.

It’s a series of simple enemy fights, slow tutorials, and the lack of powerups really hurt. You can hardly do anything cool with the new shield yet – which is the reason I’m playing this game!

21 – Reckoning

The first level of the game was my least favourite, and the final level – “Reckoning” – was not too far behind. Needless to say, “DOOM: The Dark Ages” doesn’t have good bookends.

This is an absolutely pointless finale. You have to fight Ahzrak again (with “The Witch” this time) even though he’s already been defeated, and the area beforehand is very random and a complete waste of time.

20 – Temple of Lomarith

The best part of “Temple of Lomarith” is the cosmic aesthetic and the broken / floating ships you traverse across.

Gameplay-wise, however, this is a very filler level. The enemy arenas always felt quite limiting, and there were way too many swimming sections which felt odd and out of place.

Good

19 – Spire of Nerathul

I wasn’t sure where to rank “Spire of Nerathul”, because my main complaint about this level has never been said by any fan of any DOOM game – it’s just too long.

It’s an endless series of arenas and dragon sections to the point where I got fatigued. The two best parts about it are the introduction of the BFC (The BFG but in crossbow form) and how the ending elevator takes you right back to the start. I love when levels come full circle like that.

18 – Belly of the Beast

Part of me thinks the designers made “Belly of the Beast” just to mess with players. It seems to have worked, if that’s the case, because I saw it on the bottom of everyone else’s level ranking.

I think it’s more solid than people think. There are some really tough fights (especially the secret fight against the enhanced enemies) and it’s over before it overstays its welcome.

If I was ranking levels based off aesthetic alone, this was be last place by a comfortable margin. It’s an eyesore to put it bluntly.

17 – Barrier Core

It’s time for possibly my spiciest take about the whole game – I wasn’t a fan of the Atlan levels. They were all pointless exercises in button mashing, and some of the later levels got way too chaotic.

The first Atlan level in “Barrier Core”, however, is short but sweet. It teaches the basics and it’s over mercifully quickly.

16 – Hellbreaker

Another Atlan level, but this time it doesn’t make up the whole of “Hellbreaker”. If it did, the level would’ve probably ranked alongside the bottom three.

The level picks up massively in the second half. It’s a load of short enemy gauntlets in a row, and by this point you have enough powerups to vary the gameplay in exciting ways.

15 – The Kar’Thul Marshes

One of the new features in “DOOM: The Dark Ages” was the introduction of open world levels. This might be another spicy take, as I’ve seen people complain about them, but I actually liked the freedom and uniqueness they brought.

“The Kar’Thul Marshes” is my least favourite of the open world levels just for how short and filler it is. There are some really cool and trippy secret areas, though, so I’m glad the designers made the most of the cosmic realm setting.

14 – Abyssal Forest

I saw a lot of people rank “Abyssal Forest” high in their lists, touting it as a modern DOOM classic … but it’s just a normal, run-of-the-mill level? Right?

The spooky forest atmosphere is solid, I guess. The fights are good. It ends with a kickass grenade launcher section. On the whole, I enjoyed it.

13 – Sentinel Barracks

“Sentinel Barracks” was another solid level which I enjoyed. I must say, I’ve played it twice now and I still can’t remember most of what happens in it.

That Vagary Champion miniboss at the end kicked my ass in both playthroughs.

Great

12 – Sentinel Command Station

The “Sentinel Command Station” being besieged by demons made for a great set-piece, and some of the individual fights were super intense.

Call me petty, but one thing holding this level back from ranking higher is the Secret Key – specifically the awkward jump across an elevator shaft you have to do to get it, and if you fall there’s no going back (unless you reload a checkpoint). Not cool, level designers. Not cool.

11 – The Holy City of Aratum

I complained about the Atlan levels being exercises in button mashing / disconnected from the normal gameplay, but I weirdly like the dragon levels. Something about the air combat does it for me, for some reason.

“The Holy City of Aratum” is the first taste of the dragon, and it’s a doozy. You hop from airship to airship, and the transition between gunplay and flying is seamless.

10 – Siege – Part 1

I think the general consensus online is that DOOM fans didn’t like the new open world format of some of these levels. I, on the other hand, have already mentioned how much I enjoyed the change of pace.

“Siege – Part 1” is the first open world you come across, and it’s such a thrill to be let loose on a large battlefield for the first time.

This level, like many of the open world levels, has a problem of being too big at points. Going for all the collectibles and constantly backtracking can be such a headache. The collectible-hunting goblin in my brain didn’t mind it, though …

9 – Siege – Part 2

Maybe it’s because “Siege – Part 1” was such a long gauntlet, but the tightness of “Siege – Part 2” felt like a breath of fresh air in comparison.

It starts with you gunning down a massive demon, which is always a plus, and then it’s a fairly linear run towards rescuing King Novik.

8 – Hebeth

I didn’t like how shallow the opening level “Village of Khalim” was on my second playthrough, but the level immediately after it – “Hebeth” – felt like the first proper level of the game.

The first thing that struck me was how interconnected the level is – I love when you end up crossing over a place you thought you’d left behind. The other thing that made this such a level-up from the first is that you can finally throw and charge your shield in tandem, which fully unlocks what would be the main gameplay loop of “DOOM: The Dark Ages”.

7 – The Forsaken Plains

I saw some people ragging on “The Forsaken Plains” in their lists, calling it boring and underwhelming. I completely disagree.

As the first foray into Hell, I think the level does an excellent job of setting up the fiery atmosphere and providing intense battles.

6 – Final Battle

I’m going to pretend “Reckoning” doesn’t exist and “Final Battle” is the real final level of the game. And what an ending it is.

It’s a level of two halves – the first is the final Atlan section … and I wasn’t a fan. The Old One boss is cool but I don’t like button mashing. The lead-up to that point is quite clunky, too.

So it’s up to the second half to win me over, and win me over it does. The Ahzrak boss is easily the best boss fight in the game, and every stage adds a layer of difficulty and complexity.

If it wasn’t for that Atlan section, this might’ve been the best level in the whole game.

5 – Ancestral Forge

I think some of the best DOOM levels are the ones with arcade-y premises, like in “Eternal” when you have to find all the keys in “Super Gore Nest”.

For me, the best example of that in this game was “Ancestral Forge”. You bounce around from fight to fight and pick up collectibles along the way. Basically, this is “DOOM: The Dark Ages” in a nutshell.

4 – Resurrection

“Resurrection” is an absolutely enormous level, both in area size and time spent beating it. Unlike “Spire of Nerathul”, however, I enjoyed every second.

Of all the battlefields this game throws at you, this is by far the coolest and most chaotic. You zip around an enormous landscape, fighting tough enemies and destroying massive towers to help the war effort.

The level also ends with a really solid Kreed Maykr boss fight. It’s not the best in the game by any means, but I’d take it over an Atlan button mashing boss any day of the week.

Amazing

3 – From Beyond

“From Beyond” is a bit of an odd level compared to the others, as it’s only a short dragon segment. That might be why I liked it so much.

You fly around on a dragon, take down two minibosses, and you don’t have to worry about any pesky secrets or collectibles. Just a thrilling ride from start to finish.

2 – Harbor of Souls

People call “Harbor of Souls” the definition of “too angry to die”, and I’ve never heard the term be used so appropriately.

This to me was a classic DOOM level. You go from gauntlet to gauntlet while picking up coloured keys, and the beyond-the-grave aesthetic is maybe the most badass thing this series has ever done.

1 – City of Ry’uul

I’m not sure if anyone put “City of Ry’uul” as their number one favourite “DOOM: The Dark Ages” level. I’m clearly this level’s biggest fan.

It’s our first taste of the Cosmic Realm, and I was blown away in both of my playthroughs – it’s such a different style than what I’m used to in a DOOM game.

This level has some of the best battles in the game, the best setting in the game, and the best “parkour” in the game (call me crazy, but I found those launch rings really fun …). An easy pick for first place.

Aaaand that’s my list! If you liked this post and want to support me, please consider giving me a one-time donation. Even a few pence (or whatever currency you use) is fantastic! I’ve never monetized this blog before, but it would be great if I could do this comfortably and not have to worry about the yearly website domain costs. Thank you so much!