E3M2: Pillar of Peril (The Lost Episodes of Doom)

E3M2: Pillar of Peril is the second level of Hell's Gate - The Red Spot of Jupiter, the third episode of The Lost Episodes of Doom. It was designed by Bob Carter and features mixed themes of tech base and The Shores of Hell.

Essentials
Finding the blue key and the switch unlocking the exit is what you need on the level. At the start collect all the shotguns around in the room, as well as a box of shells and a megaarmor. Take any of the two doors you wish.

If you want powerups, a soulsphere and a blur artifact, take the east doors at the start instead. The green door in the south will lead to an outside area with two doors. The one in the east requires the blue key and conceals the exit. The western door will lead you to the aforementioned powerups.

Two corridors near the start have staircases leading to the north. The western staircase has another blur sphere and the eastern one has a plasma rifle. The following room in the north has two more staircases (the western staircase has three red columns). Ascend and enter a dark room in the center. If you take a single potion near the lattice you trigger a wall in the north to open. Also, notice a lion button among the gargoyles. Press it to lower a panel behind the northern wall. Run there taking a soulsphere and a plasma rifle.

You should now be in a maze. It is separated into two parts. It is very important to find the switch mentioned earlier that will unlock the exit. First, go left to find a chaingun with other items. Then, head to the north of the maze killing enemies. Enter a narrow space and turn right, so you will be in the second part of the maze. Turn right here to see the switch (there is also a large crate and a huge amount of barrels in the middle). Press the switch.

Now, to get the key itself head all the way to the east side of the second part of the maze. One of the structure blocks can be lowered to get upon. For this, find the skull switch in the internal parts. If you grab a bulk cell without any jumping yet, another area will open to the north, which is completely optional. Now, jump over all the ledge and the large crate to the west side where the key is. Take the blue keycard and a cell charge pack and a backpack (there is no ambush, so no fear).

Get out of the maze by lowering the same computer panel manually. Run to the south east outside area and descend on the stairs to the blue door. Behind it is the exit switch to finish (if the switch is blocked by a brick wall, you have forgotten the switch in the maze that unlocks it).

Secrets

 * 1) When you ascend on the stairs to the north you will enter a dark room with a stimpack, a health bonus and several gargoyle panels (with a lion switch that is described in the Essentials). Pressing a gargoyle that is opposite to the lion will open the wall in the west side of the corridor. Behind it is a partial invisibility. (sector 69)
 * 2) If you touch the green computer in secret#1 you will be teleported to a room with a soulsphere. (sector 61)
 * 3) In secret#2 open the wall and kill all the imps here. The lightened semicircle has a stimpack and counts as secret when you step on it or jump off to the outside (sector 58). Note: there is another way to access this. If you first came to this outside area, ascend the stairs leading to the door. If you drop down of the east sides of any ledge with green columns the semicircle with the stimpack will lower. However, you still cannot access secret#2 with the soulsphere from here.
 * 4) Ascend the stairs to the door in the south east outside area. Come closer to the wall ahead, and it will rise up. (sector 64)

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