E5M6: Twilight Descends (Doom: The Lost Episode)

E5M6: Twilight Descends is the sixth map of Doom: The Lost Episode. It was designed by Xaser and uses the music track "On The Hunt" by Robert Prince. The par time defined in MAPINFO is 5:00.

Essentials
Take the health bonuses then step off the ledge and head forward until you see a staircase on the left, climb these stairs and head past two shotgun guys to a door leading to a room with crates. Keep heading forward past some imps (taking a berserk pack sitting on the left as you go) then turn left to confront a spectre. Next to the spectre is a tan crate with a box of rockets on it - look behind this crate to find a skull switch on its south side, press it and climb the steps that rise by the north wall to get on top of another crate with a rocket. Run south then head south-west along the crates until you drop into an area with a number of zombies, as well as a baron of Hell on Ultra-Violence (UV) and Nightmare (NM) skill levels.

Once all the enemies are dead go to the south-west corner and stand on a tiny crate with shotgun shells to lower a nearby crate holding the blue skull key. Take the key then press the skull switch next to it to reveal a teleporter below which will return you to the north side of the crate room, then leave the room and go back down the steps to see a blue key door on your left. Open the door and kill the demons and shotgun guys waiting behind it then climb the stairs ahead - shotgun guys will be revealed on your right (plus a revenant on UV and NM), and there will be cacodemons to your left along with imps and shotgun guys behind a fence. Approach the fence and look west to see a lift which you can ride up to a ledge with more shotgun guys, then turn right and go through a wooden door (you can see the red skull key through a window next to it).

To reach the red key you will need to press four skull switches that will raise a set of stairs leading to it.
 * 1) Go down the steps until you see a light shining on the right-hand wall, which has a horizontal bar. Open this wall (one or two demons will be waiting behind it on Hurt Me Plenty (HMP) skill level or higher) then follow the passage to a chamber containing imps and one or two revenants. Press the switch to lower a wall and step past it to the fenced area you saw earlier, then turn right and follow the fence to switch #1.
 * 2) Go back to the steps and head to the bottom. There is a wood and metal column on your right - go round to its north side to find switch #2.
 * 3) Head west and south to confront some imps, as well as one or two cacodemons (and revenants on HMP or higher). Halfway along the west wall is a metal lift - ride it up to an enclosed area with shotgun guys who are guarding switch #3.
 * 4) Ride the lift back down and turn right. Switch #4 is next to the stairs.

With all the switches pressed, press on the bottom step of the stairs to lower a lift and ride it up then climb the steps to the red key. Step out of the window to confront one to three revenants in a cage then head back to the blue key door, go through it and turn right to see some red skull bars ahead. Open them and go forward to a nukage pool containing two arachnotrons - there is also a mancubus behind the left-hand wall as well as a cage with imps. Climb the steps on the east side of the nukage to a covered area with a revenant (plus some shotgun guys on HMP or higher) then run north-west between two windows to land on a ledge at the north side of the nukage. Follow the ledge up some steps to a switch guarded by one or more barons then press the skull switch to lower a platform with the yellow skull key.

Pressing the switch will also lower a wooden wall to the east, revealing a tunnel containing spectres, imps and a baron. Enter the tunnel and follow it until you reach a corner, ready to kill some zombies that ambush you from either side, then go round the corner to face two spectres. Ahead of you is a pool of water with several imps and shotgun guys which will teleport into the tunnel as they approach your position - go back to the corner to stop them surprising you from behind, then drop into the water and head forward until you pass a fenced platform and encounter some revenants, as well as cacodemons on HMP and a baron on UV and NM. A wall to the south will also lower, revealing some more shotgun guys, revenants and one or two arachnotrons. Once everything is dead, head west into a doorway just past the fenced area and get ready to kill three more cacodemons as well as several shotgun guys that are revealed on the right.

Go into the closet that the shotgun guys came from and open the door between the yellow skull markers, which leads to a fenced area with spectres on the outside and two or three barons inside. Go round to the north side of the fence and step across to the barons' platform, then press the skull switch and go round to the east side of the fence where a wall has lowered. Go up the steps to the fenced platform you passed earlier and step on the teleporter here, then open the exit door on your left to confront a revenant and two imps. Step into the alcove between the imps' platforms to finish the level.

Other points of interest
From the start, head east past a small platform with a baron and open the door on your right to find some shotgun guys guarding a switch. Press it then head back outside and continue walking east, past a pillar holding a chaingun, until you reach a pool of water with one or more revenants (a chainsaw can be found in the water as well). Just before you reach the water, enter the opening on your right to find another door and open it to confront some demons guarding a second switch. Pressing this switch will allow you to collect the chaingun you passed earlier.

After going through the blue key door, you will see that the wall on your right juts out. Lower the lift inside this section of wall and ride it up to find two imps guarding a rocket launcher. As you approach the weapon you will see a wall open below to reveal some shotgun guys - run south to drop down to the platform below then go through the wall and turn left to see a megaarmor guarded by a baron.

After passing through the red skull bars, climb the stairs ahead and head due north to land on a ledge with an invulnerability.

Just before reaching the yellow key door you will enter an area with three cacodemons. Past these cacodemons is a step leading up to a supercharge.

Secrets

 * 1) In the room with crates, get the blue key and use the skull switch nearby to reveal a teleporter. Take it to reach the north-west end of the room. Press on the rock wall at the west side to open another wall to the south. Take the passage there to get a supercharge. (sector 54)
 * 2) In the northern-most hall, look at the south wall as you go along and find the wall that looks different. Open it to find an energy cell pack, a plasma gun and two medikits. (sector 205)
 * 3) The area with two medikits in secret #2 has three torches, two red and one green. Use the green torch, then quickly run to the area with the plasma gun and take the lift behind it. You will teleport to energy cells and a BFG9000. (sector 211)
 * 4) At the dock at the east side of the map, approach the teleporter from the north side to teleport to a ledge with health bonuses and a megasphere. (sector 28)

Current records
The records for the map at the Doomed Speed Demos Archive are:

Player spawns
This level contains eight spawn points:
 * 1) facing north-east. (thing 395)
 * 2) facing north-west. (thing 396)
 * 3) facing north-west. (thing 397)
 * 4) facing south. (thing 398)
 * 5) facing south. (thing 399)
 * 6) facing south. (thing 400)
 * 7) facing south. (thing 401)
 * 8) facing east. (thing 402)

Things
This level contains the following numbers of things per skill level:

Inspiration and development
This level is based on MAP29: Twilight Descends from the Sony PlayStation version of Doom and has a largely identical layout.