Arch-vile (Doom Eternal)



The arch-vile returns as a monster in Doom Eternal, its first proper reappearance since Doom 3. Judging from its appearance, which closely matches its Doom II incarnation's slim, mutilated body, long arms, and gold-glowing, fire-wreathed hands, it will likely attack in a manner similar to the original monster, utilizing fire-elemental spells. Also it was shown to cast lightning spells in the Battlemode demonstration from QuakeCon 2019. It was mentioned by id Software developers that the arch-vile summons stronger versions of normal demons. It is presently unknown if the summoner will also be retained alongside the arch-vile as a separate monster.

Appearance
Through a statue of the arch-vile which has been featured at, it is known that the arch-vile now has yellowish or off-white bone-like plates under which gore and muscle tissue can be seen. Like the original, it has a partially torn-open rib cage and open abdomen, though a significant difference is that its abdomen is filled with gore rather than being completely empty. The arch-vile's hands can be seen to have a network of red-glowing cracks or veins, and when preparing its Hellfire attack they burst into flames along with most of the ground upon which the arch-vile stands.

Tactical analysis
The arch-vile acts as a monster version of the buff totem, empowering the enemies it summons with enhanced speed and damage as long as it remains alive. While it can theoretically summon an infinite number of monsters, it can only have a limited number of them active at once, and the monsters it summons are drawn from a predefined list linked to the encounter in which it appears. In addition, a buff totem will empower all monsters in the area, while the arch-vile can only empower enemies it has directly summoned but is far harder to kill and can defend itself.

It prefers to avoid direct combat, using an indestructible shield to protect itself from attack while its minions keep the player busy. When it has to fight personally, it can attack with energy waves and its signature hellfire move. When this happens, it will lower its shield and become vulnerable to attack. The energy shield can be broken with a Blood Punch, or circumvented with quick movement. When using energy waves, the arch-vile will fire two waves one after the other, and lead its target the second wave.

Lore
Descendants of the eldest race of demons, the arch-viles are masters of infernal magic. Many of their number hold elite positions within the demonic hierarchy, both because of their keen intellect and the psychomantic power that they wield. Born rulers, they are well suited to commanding hordes of lesser demons.

E3 2018 contest
A statue of the arch-vile was the subject of a contest held by Bethesda and id Software during E3 2018 - tweets of photographs taken with the statue using the hashtag #DOOMEternalE3 would enter the posting user in a drawing for free tickets to the 2018 convention, where further information about the game is slated to be released. The same statue later appeared at QuakeCon.

QuakeCon 2018
An arch-vile appears at the end of the gameplay reveal of Doom Eternal during a modified version of the Mars Core level, where it seems to channel its Hellfire attack toward the Doom Slayer, as the Doom Slayer brings out a sword that is strikingly similar to the Crucible. This encounter is not the case for the final version.