Taras Nabad

Taras Nabad is the ninth level of Doom Eternal. After learning of the Khan Maykr's plan to resurrect the Icon of Sin and unleash it on Earth, the Doom Slayer travels to Taras Nabad to retrieve the Slayer's Crucible, the only weapon capable of killing a Titan.

Taras Nabad is home to the divinity machine, which was used by Samur Maykr to empower the Slayer during an attack by Hell's forces; following this empowerment, the Slayer took up the Crucible and used it to fell a Titan that was leading the attack. After locating the Titan's body, the Slayer breaks off the hilt of the Crucible but leaves the blade embedded in the Titan to avoid resurrecting it; he then travels to a fortified structure known as "the vault" to acquire the components needed to forge a new blade.

The arch-vile is introduced in this level.

"With the death of her Priests, the Blood Ritual has been broken. The Khan Maykr, desperate for a way to consume Earth, is attempting to resurrect the Icon of Sin under her command. Only the Slayer's Crucible blade can stop the Icon. To retrieve it you must journey back into your past, to the city of Taras Nabad - where your legend began."

- Loading description

Objectives

 * Retrieve your Crucible
 * Obtain the hilt
 * Obtain the energy medallion
 * Power up the Crucible

Crucible hilt
Follow the tunnel until you get outside then jump down to a plateau. Push past the approaching zombies to the city gates, kill the cyber-mancubus and Hell knight that jump onto the walkway then strike both punch switches in quick succession to open the gate. Kill the marauder and mecha zombies waiting behind the gate along with a cacodemon that flies in then go through and turn left to see a monkey bar that you can swing off to reach a broken bridge. Head to the wall in front of you and turn left to see a climbable wall and head up it to the floor above, kill a mancubus that comes through the nearby doorway then go through it and turn right to find a hole that you can drop down.

Go outside to an atrium but do not admire it for too long as an arch-vile will shortly appear on the upper level; this super-heavy demon can summon additional demons and uses a flame shield to protect itself, but the shield can be destroyed with blood punches or sufficient firepower. Destroy the arch-vile along with any other heavy demons it brings in, then go up the curved staircases on either side of the king's statue overlooking the atrium and punch the back of the statue to reveal a green button that will open the central pool; the pool contains toxic water so take the rad suit next to it if you have not done so already. Drop into the water and swim down through a hole in the grating (there is a rad suit refill here), dash through a cracked wall in front of you to lower the water level, then turn round and use the climbable walls in the alcoves on either side to get back up to the floor above. Turn to face the rad suit refill you collected earlier and shoot a green switch in a hole behind it, which will open an underwater gate; dash through the tunnel behind the gate and go up the climbable walls at the other end to climb back to dry land.

Follow the passage past a pinky to get back outside and kill some waiting mecha zombies, then go up the stairs and open the door at the top to find the divinity machine. After the cutscene, leave the room by following the green path to reach an outdoor area containing a dread knight, which will soon be followed by a cacodemon, a pain elemental and a Doom hunter as well as zombies and gargoyles. Once everything is dead, you will need to look for two punch switches on either side of the area and strike them both in quick succession to activate an elevator leading down to the catacombs - striking the elevated switch first is recommended. After activating the elevator, ride it down to the catacombs and take the first right to find another pool of toxic water. As soon as you drop into the water, look right for a cracked wall and dash through it to lower the water level, then swim down to the bottom of the pool and enter an opening in the wall by a locked gate - surface now to climb up to a platform with a rad suit refill, then turn round and shoot the green switch ahead of you to open a gate underneath it; dashing through the wall behind this gate will remove the water completely.

Strike the punchable block behind you to get out of the chamber, climb on top of it then turn right to find a climbable wall; go up the wall and turn round to shoot another green switch, which will open the gate underneath it and allow you to proceed. Follow the passage to another combat arena, which starts with a carcass and Hell knight and ends with an arch-vile which can summon numerous heavy enemies including cyber-mancubi and pain elementals. Once the arena is clear, head up the indicated stairs and follow the path to a well that you can climb to get back outside, where you will see the body of a fallen Titan. Walk up the Titan's left leg to a climbable wall, then look left and jump to a collapsed column over the Titan's chest where you can find the embedded Crucible blade. Interact with the blade to remove its hilt.

Energy medallion
With the Crucible hilt, head up to the platform next to the Titan and prepare to kill several heavy demons including a cyber-mancubus, a dread knight and a couple of whiplashes; once they are all dead, a marauder will appear at the top of the stairs and some mecha zombies will join the fight. After slaying the marauder, go through the archway at the top of the stairs and head round to a hole in the ceiling, climb up it then follow the walkway round to some broken columns where you can jump across to a climbable wall. Go up the wall and get ready to kill some pinkies along with a pain elemental and a prowler, then look towards the large circular tower on the opposite side of the arena and use the dash refill pickup to get to a cracked wall leading inside it. Follow the circular path round to a elevator and ride it up to the next floor, kill some cacodemons along with prowlers, spectres and another pain elemental then drop through the opening in the wall to land on a long broken bridge leading to the Slayer's vault.

Head straight forward across the bridge until you get to a door that opens automatically for you, then turn left and head on to a shootable green switch that will open the gate for a moment. Go through the gate and head straight forward to the opposite chamber, then turn right to find a green button that will open the nearby wall, revealing a punch switch behind it - you need to strike this switch, then quickly head through the gate with the shootable switch again and turn left to find a second punch switch. If both switches are struck in quick succession, the door to the Slayer's vault will open - go through this door and head straight forward to find the energy medallion.

Forging the blade
With the energy medallion, turn left and head on to an elevator that will carry you up to the throne room. Carefully drop down to a platform behind the throne to find a skull switch that will activate two launchers, then step on either launcher to propel yourself upwards and dash into a breakable chain, which will cause the overhead lamp to fall and break through the floor. Drop through the hole and head forward to another elevator leading down, then grab the rad suit in front of you and drop down a long shaft to land in some toxic water. Swim to the bottom of the pool and dash through a breakable chain to release a metal block, climb on top of the block and shoot a green switch to open a gate above it, then use the climbable wall behind you to get through the gate where several demons including whiplashes, prowlers, a carcass and a spectre. Follow the passage until you drop into more toxic water, then swim down the submerged steps and dash through the cracked section of floor to drain the water away.

Shoot the switch above the large portcullis to open it, then climb on the metal block again and shoot the green switch on your left to open a second gate; like the first gate, you can reach it using the climbable walls in the shaft. Behind the second gate you will find a cyber-mancubus and a dread knight, so kill them along with a prowler then follow the passage until you drop into a chamber containing a mastery token and the Crucible forge. After using the forge to power up the Crucible blade you will automatically drop down the surrounding pit to a final arena - practice using your new weapon on the various demons (twelve Crucible charges are scattered around the arena if you need them), then step through the blue slipgate that opens to finish the level.

Slayer Gate
After getting past the toxic water area in the catacombs, go up a slope and you will see a combat arena ahead; do not go in there yet, but turn left and follow the tunnel to find the Slayer Key. Picking up the key opens the barrier behind it - go through the barrier then take the first right to find the Slayer Gate. This encounter pits you against a variety of opponents, starting with an arch-vile and pain elemental followed by an arachnotron, another pain elemental, several prowlers, several whiplashes, a tyrant and finally two mancubi. Completing the encounter awards three weapon points and the final Empyrean Key; if you have all the keys at this point then you will be able to obtain the Unmaykr on your next return to the Fortress of Doom.

Challenges

 * Man Made Wiki - Acquire six Codex entries
 * Keeping Cool - use the ice bomb to freeze ten demons
 * Painkiller - perform three different glory kills on pain elementals

Secret encounters

 * 1) On the lower level of the atrium where you face the first arch-vile, go through the arches to the right of the king's statue to find a cracked wall with a gore nest behind it. You will have 35 seconds to kill a pain elemental, a cacodemon and a Doom hunter.
 * 2) After clearing the combat arena in the catacombs, go up the stairs and look left for a cracked wall; go through this wall to drop down to a gore nest. You will have 35 seconds to kill a marauder and two mecha zombies.

Special items
The automap station is on the walkway surrounding the atrium where you face the first arch-vile, directly above the the gore nest for the first secret encounter.


 * Three extra lives
 * A 1UP is hidden under the divinity machine.
 * After going up the staircase past the Titan you will climb up a hole to the floor above. Follow this curved walkway all the way round to find a 1UP.
 * At the end of the bridge leading to the Slayer's vault building there is a hole in the floor. Look down that hole to see a monkey bar, then swing off it and dash to a 1UP in front of you.
 * Two Argent cells
 * At one end of the broken walkway above the elevator leading to the catacombs.
 * In the combat arena in the catacombs
 * 12 Crucible charges
 * All the charges are found in the final arena

Collectibles

 * One Sentinel crystal
 * After reaching the upper level of the circular tower, you must cross a long broken bridge to enter the Slayer's vault. Drop down to the bridge, then turn around to find a hidden room containing the crystal.
 * Five Praetor suit points
 * After killing the first mancubus, go through the doorway it emerged from and turn left to find a Night Sentinel spirit.
 * After swimming through the tunnel leading out of the atrium with the first arch-vile, go up both climbable walls. Turn round once you reach the floor above to find a Night Sentinel.
 * After taking the Crucible hilt from the Titan, drop down to the ground on its right side to some shallow water. A Night Sentinel is in this area.
 * Go to the upper level of the tower before the long broken bridge. A Night Sentinel is on the side of the tower opposite the wall opening you have to jump through.
 * Go to the circular chamber under the throne room and walk right round the room to find a Night Sentinel.
 * Seven Codex pages
 * "Taras Nabad" - this page is on the plateau you jump down to at the start.
 * "History of the Sentinels - Part X" - on a step just before the staircase leading up to the Divinity Machine.
 * "The Divinity Machine" - by the exit from the divinity machine room.
 * "History of the Sentinels - Part XI" - in the area with the Titan's body, by the well.
 * "History of the Sentinels - Part XII" - in the same location as the Sentinel crystal
 * "History of the Sentinels - Part XIII" - inside the Slayer's vault.
 * "History of the Sentinels - Part XIV" - just before the Crucible forge.
 * Three Sentinel batteries
 * From the "Taras Nabad" Codex page, go to the nearby edge and look down to see a hidden ledge with a cracked wall. The battery is at the end of a tunnel behind this wall.
 * In the atrium where you face the first arch-vile, there are some stained-glass windows behind the king's statue. To the right of these windows is a kneeling figure with a crack in it; punch the statue to reveal a button that will open a portcullis behind you. Go through this portcullis and go up a climbable wall, then turn round and dash through the breakable chain to drop a weight through the floor. Go down the hole you just made to find the battery.
 * As you climb out of the well to the area with the Titan's body, turn round to find a battery.
 * One Empyrean Key
 * Three toys
 * "Cyber Mancubus" - at the bottom of the staircase leading to the Divinity Machine is a kneeling statue; punch it to reveal a button, which will cause some gold rings to appear around a font on the staircase. Stand on the font to open a gate at the bottom of the stairs, with a question mark behind it.
 * "Marauder" - behind a cracked wall near the third Praetor suit point.
 * "Pain Elemental" - halfway down the long shaft below the throne room is a cracked gate with a question mark behind it. Use the Chrono Strike rune to slow time so you can dash into the gate more easily; if you miss the gate, use Fast Travel to return to the throne room.
 * One cheat code
 * "Overdrive" - just past the gore nest for the second secret encounter
 * Two albums
 * "DOOM (2016) - BFG Division" - after going through the city gate you will use a monkey bar to swing to a broken bridge. Turn round now and use the monkey bar to swing back the way you came; the question mark is on a platform under the walkway you just left.
 * "QUAKE II - Rage" - activate the launchers in the throne room and use them to propel yourself to a cracked wall above the entrance lift. The question mark is behind this wall.
 * Two mastery tokens
 * Walk past the gore nest for the first secret encounter to find a green button, which will push a statue forward and open a nearby portcullis. A mastery token is behind this portcullis.
 * A token is found in the Crucible forge chamber.

Master Level
A Master Level version of this mission was released with Update 6 on, which makes a number of changes to significantly increase the level's difficulty:
 * The number and variety of monsters is greatly increased, including many more super heavy demons such as tyrants, arch-viles, marauders and Doom hunters.
 * Elements from The Ancient Gods, Part One, including whiplash spectres and heavy fog, are used at certain points in the level.
 * Several arenas have additional hazards including electrified floors and laser beams.
 * Sentinel armor can be found in several secret areas.
 * The Slayer Gate is removed, and the gore nest behind it is replaced with sentinel armor. After taking this item the player will have to battle two Doom hunters - success is rewarded with an extra life.
 * Crucible charges are removed from the final arena. The final battle sees the player being teleported to previously-visited areas to battle more monsters.
 * Ten challenges are introduced which require the player to complete the level at different difficulties, including Ultra-Nightmare. The "Classic Mode" introduced with the Super Gore Nest is retained here, where the player starts with an unmodified combat shotgun and must collect more weapons and modifications as they progress. Completing all ten challenges unlocks a teal skin for the heavy cannon. Each individual challenge also has its own cosmetic item unlock.

Trivia
The ambient music for this level (which plays when not in combat) includes notes from "Sign of Evil", used in Doom's E1M8: Phobos Anomaly.